Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Lifting Face + Neck Cream for oily acne-prone skin
Multi-Peptides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Shea Butter
Caffeine
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 moderate suitability for your oily skin, as shea butter and glycerin provide emollient and humectant actions respectively, though it lacks potent seboregulating components to address oiliness.
- While it provides excellent moisturizing and firming benefits due to multiple peptides, its hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate is mostly supportive and irrelevant for your primary concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing ingredients like shea butter and jojoba seed oil.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsThis cream is widely praised for its ability to hydrate and visibly smooth the delicate skin on the neck and jawline, with many users reporting a firmer, more lifted appearance after consistent use. A subset of users with sensitive skin experienced peeling or found the texture difficult to spread.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “cushiony cream texture”
- “plumps with hydration”
- “absorbs perfectly”
- “non-greasy feel”
Firms and lifts Often Mentioned
- “neck feels smoother”
- “jawline looks more defined”
- “skin looks more lifted”
- “helped with turkey neck”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “great for sensitive noses”
- “no strong smell”
- “100% fragrance free”
- “gentle scent-free formula”
Reduces lines Sometimes Noted
- “softens neck lines”
- “wrinkles less visible”
- “smoother skin texture”
- “crepiness improved”
Lack of lifting Sometimes Noted
- “not lifting as promised”
- “moisturizing but no lift”
- “didn't see major changes”
- “too expensive for the results”
Caused peeling Rarely Noted
- “makes my skin peel”
- “unfortunately flakes”
- “pills under foundation”
- “caused redness and peeling”
Heavy feel Rarely Noted
- “felt too heavy”
- “caused breakouts”
- “too rich for day use”
- “sat on top of skin”
Thick consistency Rarely Noted
- “hard to scoop out”
- “strange consistency”
- “felt plastic-like”
- “too thick to spread easily”
Sources: lovi.care, clinique.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, johnlewis.com, marksandspencer.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Lifting Face + Neck Cream work for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream works moderately well for oily acne-prone skin, as shea butter and glycerin soften and hydrate while being unlikely to cause irritation. However, it lacks oil-controlling ingredients to manage breakouts, meaning an ideal product for this skin type needs lightweight texture, oil-balancing components, and ingredients that clear blemishes without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Shea butter and jojoba seed oil make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin by offering soothing benefits without irritation. Oily acne-prone skin needs lightweight hydration, ingredients that help control oil, and blemish-targeting components.
What do Peptides do for oily acne-prone skin?
Peptides help oily, acne-prone skin by targeting acne-causing bacteria and fighting inflammation with a favorable safety profile. These ingredients work directly to calm breakouts and support clearer skin.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream fits as a moisturizer in both your morning and evening skincare routines. For oily and acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs added ingredients that balance oil and target breakouts, such as niacinamide or salicylic acid.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and it is best to apply the retinol first followed by this moisturizing treatment. This product helps keep your skin soft and comfortable, though oily acne-prone skin needs a moisturizer with oil-controlling ingredients and blemish-fighting actives.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream works well when used twice a day as part of your daily routine. Regular application helps keep your skin soft and hydrated while supporting your skin barrier. Oily and acne-prone skin of this type needs lightweight hydration paired with ingredients that help balance oil and keep pores clear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause irritation on oily, acne-prone skin because it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like jojoba oil and shea butter. However, because it provides only moderate suitability without oil-controlling ingredients, this skin type needs products with targeted acne-fighting and oil-regulating components.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is generally safe to use around the eyes or on the body, but it is not specifically formulated for the thin skin of the eyelids or the unique needs of body skin. To care for these areas properly, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators for the eyes and targeted barrier-strengthening ingredients for the body.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Behenyl 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, 2017Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Topical application of jojoba wax reduced LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα by approximately 30% and increased the synthesis of pro-collagen III and hyaluronic acid compared to untreated skin in an ex-vivo human skin organ culture model.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024Topical 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, 2019A 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, 2025A topical cosmetic slimming product containing tetrahydroxypropyl ethylenediamine, caffeine, carnitine, forskolin and retinol significantly reduced body circumferences and improved skin aspect compared with placebo in 78 women over 12 weeks.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2011Topical sunscreen formulations containing caffeine combined with UV filters increased in vivo anti-UVB protection by approximately 25% and showed higher SPF values compared to caffeine-free sunscreen, while being well tolerated by the skin of healthy subjects.
Frontiers in Physiology, 2019Caffeine gel combined with choline geranate showed high skin permeation capacity and superior clinical results in cellulite treatment compared to caffeine gel without ionic liquid.
AAPS PharmSciTech, 2021Treatment 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, 2017
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic Capric Myristic Stearic Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Jojoba Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil Castor Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Extract, Caffeine, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethicone Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Beeswax Alba Cire Dabeille Cera, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Peg-8, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Acrylates Va Copolymer, Carnauba Wax Cera Copernicia Cerifera Cire De Carnauba Wax Cera, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 20, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Mica, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891
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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