Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream for dry sensitive skin
Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Squalane
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
TocopherolAverage
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 and elasticity improvement for your dry and sensitive skin, with ingredients like Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 working to hydrate and enhance skin suppleness.
- The presence of shea butter and squalane further supports your dry skin by providing emollient action and aiding in barrier repair.
- The product is safe for your skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that would cause irritation.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using this moisturizer 3 times a week and move to daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toner in the morning, or after your serum in the evening. Always pair it with SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it harshly to protect your sensitive skin.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help with hydration absorption. This also works well for dry and flaky skin types.
- Do a patch test before your first use. Avoid the eye area to prevent any irritation.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 300+ reviewsThis ultra-luxurious anti-aging cream is widely praised by users with dry and mature skin for its ability to deeply hydrate and visibly plump the complexion. While many report a subtle lifting effect and improved elasticity over time, the extremely high price point and rich texture make it a "splurge" product best reserved for those seeking a premium, sensory skincare ritual.
Highlights
Luxurious texture Mostly Mentioned
- “whipped butter consistency”
- “melts into skin”
- “rich but not heavy”
- “silky finish”
Extremely expensive Mostly Mentioned
- “hard to justify price”
- “way too pricey”
- “wallet hurts”
- “luxury splurge only”
Deep hydration Often Mentioned
- “skin feels plump”
- “instant glow”
- “erased dry patches”
- “moisturized all day”
Elegant packaging Sometimes Noted
- “beautiful moon jar”
- “looks like art”
- “stunning on vanity”
- “heavy and high-quality”
Firming effects Sometimes Noted
- “jawline looks sharper”
- “skin feels bouncier”
- “helped with sagging”
- “lines look softened”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like dirt”
- “overpowering herbal scent”
- “medicinal fragrance”
- “too strong for me”
Heavy for oily skin Rarely Noted
- “caused breakouts”
- “too greasy for day”
- “sat on top of skin”
- “clogged my pores”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “unhygienic dipping”
- “wish it had a pump”
- “messy without spatula”
- “air exposure concerns”
Sources: lovi.care, sulwhasoo.com, nordstrom.com, bloomingdales.com, reddit.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream work for dry sensitive skin?
Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream works reasonably well for dry sensitive skin, offering good moisture and elasticity improvement with ingredients like shea butter and squalane. It is unlikely to cause irritation, though dry skin often benefits even more from formulas featuring extra hydrating agents like hyaluronic acid and glycerin alongside soothing elements to lock in moisture and support the skin barrier.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Hydrolyzed ginseng saponins and acetyl hexapeptide-8 help hydrate and smooth dry skin, while shea butter and squalane support the skin barrier. A product of this type needs highly soothing ingredients, rich moisturizers, and humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to provide optimal hydration and nourishment without irritation.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013
What do Ginseng Saponins do for dry sensitive skin?
Ginseng saponins help calm dry, sensitive skin and protect against UV-related damage by reducing inflammation and supporting skin barrier recovery. They also provide antioxidant benefits that help smooth and protect delicate skin.
Food Research International, 2024Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2022
What does Butyrospermum Parkii Butter do for dry sensitive skin?
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter helps keep dry sensitive skin soft and calm by strengthening the skin barrier and soothing irritation. This ingredient helps lock in moisture while protecting the skin from environmental stressors without clogging pores. A product for this skin type needs rich moisturizing ingredients like shea butter alongside soothing botanical agents to calm redness and restore comfort.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes in the evening routine after a soothing toner and before a moisturizer. For dry sensitive skin, a product of this type needs rich hydrating ingredients and skin-softening agents like shea butter and squalane to deeply nourish and help repair the skin barrier.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying it after your retinol treatment helps calm dryness while supporting your skin barrier. This type of routine is unlikely to cause irritation when paired with gentle moisturizers.
How often should I use this cream?
This moisturizing treatment works well as an evening step in your routine for dry and sensitive skin. Daily application of a moisturizing cream of this type helps improve skin moisture, smoothness, and barrier strength while keeping the skin calm.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin because it is safe and free of harsh ingredients that typically cause irritation. However, dry and sensitive skin needs products with nourishing butters and plant oils that deeply hydrate and soothe without feeling heavy.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream works on the thin skin around your eyes and on your body, but dry sensitive skin needs a product of this type that also includes extra soothing ingredients and rich barrier-repairing oils to prevent irritation.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Annals of Dermatology, 2019
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, benzyl salicylate, limonene, and linalool). Cetearyl alcohol and behenyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Acetyl hexapeptide-3 and tripeptide-10 citrulline demonstrated antiwrinkle efficacy and decreased transepidermal water loss in twenty-four healthy volunteers compared to control groups, though synergistic effects between the two peptides remained unclear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017Enzyme-modified ginseng extract cream significantly reduced the global photo-damage score and various roughness measures including total roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic roughness average compared to placebo in 23 human subjects.
Rejuvenation Research, 2015A red ginseng hydrogel formulation with 1,2-hexanediol promoted selective growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and decreased Cutibacterium acnes in 20 female subjects.
Journal of Ginseng Research, 2022A 1% fermented black ginseng cream significantly reduced eye wrinkles and brightened skin color in twenty-three human subjects compared to control cream and baseline.
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A, 2020A 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, 2025Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Daily topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 showed a trend toward a longer time until return to baseline Jankovic Blepharospasm Rating Scale scores compared to placebo (3.7 months vs. 3.0 months) in 24 patients with blepharospasm receiving botulinum toxin therapy.
European Journal of Neurology, 2013Argireline applied twice daily for 4 weeks achieved a total anti-wrinkle efficiency of 48.9% and notably reduced wrinkle depth compared to placebo in Chinese subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2013Dissolving microneedles loaded with 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid and acetyl hexapeptide-8 achieved higher cumulative transdermal delivery than aqueous solutions and significantly reduced photoaging signs while restoring oxidative balance in a UV/D-galactose-induced mouse model.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2026Topical 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, Butylene Glycol, Triethylhexanoin, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Trisiloxane, 2-Hexanediol, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglycerin-3, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Parfum, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins Enzyme-Treated Red Ginseng Saponins, Glyceryl Caprylate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Propanediol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Methoxy Peg-114 Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract Carrot Root Extract, Benzyl Salicylate, Bioflavonoids, Hydrolyzed Proanthocyanidin, Honey, Miel, Limonene, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Polygonatum Odoratum Extract Rhizome, Linalool, Panax Ginseng Extract Berry, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Polyaspartate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Citric Acid, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sodium Hydroxide, Acetyl Octapeptide-3
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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