Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Face Cream for oily skin
Moisture Refining Complex
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Shea Butter
Vitamin E
Low
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for oily skin; the moisturizers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers excellent moisturizing for your oily skin due to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which hydrate and plump without adding excess oil, though it does not specifically target oily shine.
- Squalane and Vitamin E provide general skincare benefits and nourishment, but the formula lacks specialized ingredients to manage excess oil.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine every day to keep your face fresh.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toning, but right before your SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and let it absorb fully.
- Apply on clean, slightly dry skin to help control that oily shine.
- Avoid the eye area and do a quick patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 6.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded for its intense hydration, which is particularly beneficial for dry, mature, and dehydrated skin. Users frequently observe improvements in skin texture and softness, along with a reduction in fine lines. Some users find the formula too heavy for oily skin, and a moderate number of reviews mention an unappealing, strong scent.
Highlights
Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “made my skin so incredibly moisturized”
- “gave me the softest skin although my face was exposed in minus degrees”
- “skin feels soft, hydrated, and comfortable after using it”
- “provides intense moisture, ensuring skin feels soft and supple”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “skin looks smoother, brighter and feels moisturised”
- “smooths and refines skin texture”
- “improves skin texture and softness”
- “leaves the texture looking smooth and dewy”
Quick absorption Sometimes Noted
- “glides on, absorbs easily without pilling”
- “soft and non greasy”
- “absorbs to ease that tight feeling”
- “lightweight, non-greasy texture that absorbs easily”
Reduces lines Sometimes Noted
- “diminish the appearance of fine lines”
- “fine lines are better and frown lines less pronounced”
- “does seem to soften wrinkles”
- “fine lines around my eyes and mouth appeared to soften”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like a really nice smelling public toilet”
- “scent is very strong”
- “don't like the strong and quite unpleasant fragrance”
- “not a fan of the very perfume smell”
Heavy/Greasy feel Rarely Noted
- “find it a little too heavy for day time use”
- “is quite greasy and some foundations don't stick to it”
- “too heavy for oily skin types”
- “too much my face can be slightly puffy”
High price Rarely Noted
- “it's an expensive product”
- “price might be a bit higher than what some would expect”
- “not sure I liked it enough for £30”
- “cosmetics have become so expensive”
Outdated ingredients Rarely Noted
- “contains beeswax and also contains mineral oil”
- “heavy fragrance, parabens, and merely-decorative retinyl palmitate”
- “lacks modern actives”
- “an old, simple formula”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, walmart.com, macys.com, elizabetharden.com, boots.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Visible Difference Face Cream a weak match for oily skin?
Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Face Cream is a weak match because, while it provides good hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, it lacks specialized ingredients to manage excess oil and oily shine. An oily skin moisturizer needs lightweight hydration, ingredients that help control shine, and the absence of heavy oils to maintain a balanced, clear complexion.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily skin?
This cream is a weak match for oily skin because it includes heavy butters like shea butter and lacks specialized ingredients to manage excess oil. A moisturizer for oily skin needs a lightweight texture, ingredients that address oily shine, and no heavy oils.
What does Moisture Refining Complex do for oily skin?
Moisture Refining Complex helps hydrate oily skin without feeling heavy, while smoothing out rough texture. It keeps your face feeling fresh and balanced all day long.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps oily skin by reducing extra oil and sebum production without causing irritation. Clinical studies show it successfully balances oil levels while keeping the skin comfortable.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This moisturizer goes as the last step before sunscreen in the morning and as the final step in the evening routine. Because this cream is a weak match for oily skin, an alternative for this skin type needs lightweight hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate along with specialized ingredients to manage excess oil.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first and following it with the moisturizer. This routine may help reduce dryness and irritation while keeping your skin soft and smooth during treatment.
How often should I use this cream?
Apply this moisturizer twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your skin hydrated. Regular daily use helps improve skin moisture and supports the skin barrier.
Health Science Reports, 2021Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause purging since it does not contain exfoliating acids or retinoids that speed up cell turnover, but its rich texture and shea butter may feel heavy or clog pores on oily skin. Oily skin of this type needs lightweight hydrators and ingredients that help balance oil and shine without feeling heavy.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This moisturizer is safe to use around the eyes or on the body, though the skin on the body and the thin skin around the eyes have very different thicknesses and may need targeted formulas.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Topical application of a vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate significantly increased epidermal thickness, type III collagen production, and glycosaminoglycans production in human skin explants compared to free vitamin C and vitamin C-palmitate.
Scientific Reports, 2020Alpha-tocopherol loaded nanostructured lipid carrier gel provided enhanced moisturizing and anti-aging properties in human volunteers over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020A topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced air pollution-induced skin pigmentation and proinflammatory gene expression ex vivo, and improved skin aging signs in 40 healthy adult females after 90 days of daily use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Retinyl Palmitate Vitamin A, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Allantoin, Sodium Pca, Squalane, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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