Votary Cleansing Oil for dry sensitive skin
Geranium
Apricot Oil
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Allantoin
Superior
- HighDry Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best pre-cleansers for dry sensitive skin.
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
- Excellent for your dry and sensitive skin, this cleansing oil effectively removes makeup with Caprylic Capric Triglyceride and Glycerin, which also provide essential moisture and support your skin barrier. Sodium Hyaluronate and Linoleic Acid further enhance hydration and emollience, perfectly complementing your dry skin needs. The formula is safe for sensitive skin, containing soothing ingredients like Glycerin and Allantoin and lacking harsh irritants.
How to apply
- Use your makeup remover PM as the first step of your evening routine. Start 3×/week daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this makeup remover before your regular cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. It prepares your face for a thorough double-cleansing routine.
- Gently press a small amount onto your skin using a soft cotton pad. Avoid rubbing to protect your sensitive and flaky skin.
- Apply the makeup remover on completely dry skin to ensure better tolerance and comfort. This prevents any extra irritation for reactive skin types.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your very first use to prevent irritation.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 500+ reviewsUsers find this cleanser provides a luxurious, spa-like experience that effectively removes makeup and impurities, leaving skin feeling soft, nourished, and radiant. A significant number of reviews highlight its pleasant scent and quality packaging. Some users note the high price and the necessity of using a flannel as drawbacks.
Highlights
Effective cleansing Mostly Mentioned
- “Melts makeup, removes waterproof mascara, dissolves grime, deep clean.”
Hydrating finish Mostly Mentioned
- “Soft skin, never tight, nourished, plumped, glowy.”
Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
- “Silky, lightweight, glides effortlessly, pleasure to use.”
Spa-like scent Often Mentioned
- “Smells divine, relaxing aroma, uplifting rose geranium, therapeutic.”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “Expensive, luxury treat, pricey, investment product.”
Quality packaging Sometimes Noted
- “Beautiful glass bottle, fluffy flannel included, chic design, pump dispenser.”
Requires cloth Sometimes Noted
- “Must use flannel, doesn't rinse clean, extra laundry, faff to wash.”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Caused spots, clogged pores, reaction, not for acne-prone.”
Oily residue Rarely Noted
- “Film if not wiped, greasy feel, heavy for oily skin.”
Scent preference Rarely Noted
- “Strong smell, earthy (Super Seed), herbal, overpowering for some.”
Sources: lovi.care, spacenk.com, cultbeauty.com, votary.co.uk, wonderlusting.co.uk, manforhimself.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Votary Cleansing Oil one of the best fits for dry sensitive skin?
Votary Cleansing Oil is one of the best fits because it gently removes makeup while deeply boosting moisture and supporting your skin barrier with ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate. It is also very safe for sensitive skin, using soothing ingredients such as allantoin while leaving out harsh irritants.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Caprylic Capric Triglyceride and glycerin make this cleanser a great fit by removing makeup while providing essential moisture to your dry skin. Sodium hyaluronate and linoleic acid further boost hydration, and soothing ingredients like glycerin and allantoin help keep it safe and gentle for sensitive skin.
What does Geranium do for dry sensitive skin?
Geranium essential oil helps calm redness and irritation on dry, sensitive skin while supporting a safe, gentle profile. Because it may cause irritation if used straight from the bottle, it is best diluted in a gentle carrier oil or moisturizer before applying to your face.
The Libyan Journal of Medicine, 2013Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2016
What does Apricot Oil do for dry sensitive skin?
Apricot oil helps comfort dry sensitive skin by soothing irritation and supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and smooth. It works to calm redness while helping the skin hold onto moisture throughout the day.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
Votary Votary Cleansing Oil goes in the evening routine as a makeup remover, before your cleanser. It effectively removes makeup while providing essential moisture and supporting sensitive skin without irritation.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this makeup remover in your evening routine before your cleanser, and it may help support your skin barrier while you use retinol. Using a barrier-enhancing product alongside active treatments is unlikely to cause irritation and helps keep your dry skin comfortable.
How often should I use it?
You can use this cleansing oil in your evening routine as a makeup remover to gently cleanse dry and sensitive skin. Daily use of hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate helps maintain skin moisture and supports the skin barrier.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
Votary Votary Cleansing Oil is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for your dry sensitive skin. Its gentle ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate help cleanse and hydrate without heavy oils that typically trigger blemishes.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, 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 treatment with Geranium thunbergii extract lotion improved skin elasticity and reduced skin wrinkling scores compared to placebo in healthy Japanese women by inhibiting HYBID-mediated hyaluronan degradation and down-regulating HYBID expression.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Geranium and Calendula essential oil-loaded ethanolic lipid vesicular creams exhibited notable antioxidant capacity, sun protection factor values of 10.26 and 18.54, and collagenase and elastase inhibition capacity compared to nonvesicular creams.
BioMed Research International, 2021Topical 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, 2012Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018
Ingredients
Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium Pca, Pca, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid
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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