Curology Cream Moisturizer for oily skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
GlycerinLow
- LowOily 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 sodium hyaluronate and glycerin, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, though shea butter and argan oil may feel too heavy for oily shine.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits that are supportive but not directly targeted at managing oily shine.
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 500+ reviewsUsers with dry, sensitive, and acne-prone skin frequently praise this moisturizer for its ability to provide deep hydration without clogging pores or feeling heavy. While the formula is widely loved for its soothing, non-greasy finish, a significant number of customers express frustration with the retail packaging design and the small product size relative to the price.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “helped with dry patches”
- “keeps me moisturized all day”
- “rich boost of hydration”
Gentle & soothing Often Mentioned
- “did not irritate my skin”
- “soothes my redness”
- “very gentle”
Lightweight & non-greasy Often Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly”
- “no greasy residue”
- “feels weightless”
Packaging design issues Often Mentioned
- “hard to get product out”
- “pump stops working”
- “despise the pump container”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “love that it is fragrance free”
- “no noticeable scent”
- “unscented”
Softens skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “makes skin feel super soft”
- “leaves skin velvety”
- “smooth texture”
Small quantity/price Sometimes Noted
- “bottle is on the smaller side”
- “need to repurchase frequently”
- “expensive for the amount”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “negative effects on acne”
- “caused breakouts”
- “clogged my pores”
Not moisturizing enough Rarely Noted
- “didn't have deep moisturizing impact”
- “skin still felt dry”
- “need more moisture”
Sources: lovi.care, target.com, influenster.com, reddit.com, curology.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Curology Cream Moisturizer a weak match for oily skin?
This moisturizer is a weak match for your oily skin because shea butter and argan oil may feel too heavy and add unwanted oily shine. A moisturizer for oily skin needs a lightweight texture with hydrating agents and peptides to manage hydration without excess oil.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily skin?
Shea butter and argan oil may feel too heavy and contribute to oily shine for this skin type. A moisturizer for oily skin needs hydrating agents with a lightweight texture, no heavy oils, and ingredients that support the skin barrier without causing extra oiliness or breakouts.
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.
What does Aloe Vera Leaf Juice do for oily skin?
Aloe vera leaf juice helps hydrate oily skin by increasing water content in the outer skin layer without adding heavy oils or modifying water loss. It is also often combined with treatments to help calm redness and reduce acne breakouts.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Skin Research and Technology, 2006
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cream goes as the third step in your morning routine after a cleanser and hydrating toner, and as the final step in your evening routine after a makeup remover, cleanser, cleansing toner, and treatment. Because heavy ingredients like shea butter and argan oil may feel too heavy for oily shine, oily skin needs a lightweight, oil-free gel or lotion with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin instead.
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, letting it dry, and then following with the moisturizer. This routine helps keep your skin soft and lowers the chance of dryness and irritation while you use retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizer daily in the morning and evening, but because it contains rich ingredients like shea butter and argan oil that may feel too heavy on oily skin, you might want to use it less often or choose a lighter, oil-free gel moisturizer with niacinamide and salicylic acid to help control shine.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores, but it may feel too heavy and lead to breakouts because it contains richer oils and shea butter that can add unwanted oily shine. A moisturizer for this skin needs lightweight hydrators and oil-free ingredients that control shine without heavy butters.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizer on the thin skin around the eyes and on the body because it provides general skincare benefits. However, a product for this skin needs light, hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin without heavy butters and oils that may feel too rich.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol and cetyl 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, 2017Optimized transfersomes loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate and hyaluronic acid increased cell viability while reducing lipid peroxidation, intracellular ROS, and MMP expression in HaCaT cells, and exhibited higher skin permeation and deposition compared to plain EGCG.
Drug Delivery, 2017Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.
Dermatologic Therapy, 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, 2019A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Squalane 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, 2025A 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, 2025The 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, 2012
Why other moisturizers fit oily 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, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Squalane, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sodium Pca, Allantoin, Isohexadecane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
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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