Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 30 for dry sensitive skin
Glacial Glycoprotein
Fountain Plant Extracts
Squalane
Avobenzone
Homosalate
Average
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other sunscreens 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 moderate suitability for your dry skin, as glycerin and squalane provide essential hydration and emollient benefits to combat dryness and flakiness. While these ingredients offer good moisturizing effects, they may not fully address all aspects of your dry skin concerns.
- The inclusion of avobenzone, homosalate, and octisalate ensures adequate UV protection, which is beneficial for maintaining skin health.
- The product is safe for your dry and sensitive skin, with no identified risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh or prohibited ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizing sunscreen daily in your morning routine. Reapply every two hours if you are staying outdoors.
- Apply this product at the very end of your morning routine right after your regular moisturizer.
- Gently pat a nickel-sized amount of the moisturizing sunscreen evenly across your face and neck.
- Apply this product onto clean, dry skin before you go outside into the sun.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for sensitivity.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 1.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is highly praised for its effective and long-lasting hydration, leaving skin soft and preventing dryness. It is also noted for its ability to absorb without leaving a white cast, making it suitable for various skin tones. Some users with oily or combination skin find the finish too greasy or shiny, and a moderate number report eye irritation. A low number of users experience pilling under makeup or find the scent unpleasant.
Highlights
Provides hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Long-lasting hydration”
- “Keeps skin hydrated”
- “Soft and moist”
- “Prevents dryness”
No white cast Often Mentioned
- “Invisible on dark skin”
- “No white residue”
- “Absorbs without residue”
- “Clear finish”
Greasy or shiny finish Often Mentioned
- “Too greasy”
- “Oily residue”
- “Leaves face shiny”
- “Heavy finish”
Absorbs quickly Sometimes Noted
- “Readily absorbs”
- “Sinks in fast”
- “Rapid absorbency”
- “Layers well”
Smooth texture Sometimes Noted
- “Silky texture”
- “Leaves skin soft”
- “Glides on smooth”
- “Nice consistency”
Causes eye irritation Sometimes Noted
- “Stings my eyes”
- “Burns eyes”
- “Watery eyes”
- “Eye irritation”
Pills under makeup Rarely Noted
- “Pills under makeup”
- “Balls up”
- “Flakes off”
- “Bad under foundation”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Sunscreen smell”
- “Chemical scent”
- “Strong odor”
- “Smells like plastic”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, kiehls.com, ulta.com, whatsinmyjar.com, sarahfynn.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer work for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for dry sensitive skin by using squalane and glycerin to soften dry patches and provide everyday sun protection. While it is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, it may not fully resolve all needs of very dry skin. A product of this type needs richer hydrating ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide to better support the skin barrier.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and squalane make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin because they provide essential hydration and smooth out flakiness. To fully meet the needs of dry sensitive skin, this type of product also needs barrier-supporting ingredients like Ceramide-3 and Niacinamide.
What does Glacial Glycoprotein do for dry sensitive skin?
Glacial Glycoprotein helps dry sensitive skin by keeping it hydrated and protected from losing moisture. It is unlikely to cause irritation, making it gentle enough for daily use.
What does Fountain Plant Extract do for dry sensitive skin?
Fountain Plant Extract helps hydrate dry and sensitive skin while soothing irritation and supporting the skin barrier. Botanical extracts of this type generally improve moisture levels and reduce water loss to keep skin feeling soft and calm.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing spf goes in the morning step of your routine after your cleanser and soothing toner. It helps keep your skin comfortable and protected from the sun, though dry skin of this type needs richer hydrators and soothing barrier-repair ingredients to fully combat flakes and tightness.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing SPF in the morning after your retinol routine or on its own, as it is safe for your sensitive skin and provides helpful sun protection. However, because it is only an average fit for dry skin, a dry skin routine works best with a richer, barrier-restoring moisturizer containing ceramides and extra plant oils to lock in hydration.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing spf every morning as the final step of your daytime routine. Daily use of a good facial moisturizer helps keep dry skin soft and protected from the sun.
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 cause breakouts or clog pores on dry sensitive skin, as its safe formula lacks harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation. However, because this is only an average fit for your skin, dry skin types often need richer moisturizers packed with ceramides and heavier oils to fully lock in hydration and prevent flakiness.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene and linalool).
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, 2017Chemical sunscreens containing avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, and octisalate showed no to minimal risks of dermal irritation, sensitization, photo-allergy, and photo-irritation in human subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Encapsulating avobenzone in low-porosity TiO2-embedded mesoporous silica (TiO2/SBA-S) reduced cutaneous avobenzone absorption from 0.76 to 0.50 nmol/mg while providing effective pollutant adsorbability, UVA protection, and a two- to three-fold reduction in photoaged skin cytokines/chemokines compared to the non-treatment control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023Squalane 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, 2025Encapsulation of ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane in lipid microparticles significantly reduced their in vivo human skin penetration compared to nonencapsulated filters.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2011Microencapsulation of the BMDBM/HP-beta-CD complex in lipid microparticles significantly decreased the percutaneous penetration of the UV filter into the stratum corneum of human volunteers compared to the non-encapsulated sunscreen agent.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011Following human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing 2% BMDBM loaded in lipospheres, 15% of the sunscreen accumulated in the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum without remarkably modifying skin permeation compared to unencapsulated sunscreen.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2008Dermal application of a sunscreen containing 10% homosalate in four volunteers resulted in delayed elimination with terminal half-times around 24 h and a bioavailability of cis-homosalate a factor of 2 lower than trans-homosalate, while metabolite ratios supported using oral-route urinary excretion fractions for dermal exposure assessments.
Archives of Toxicology, 2024Homosalate exhibited the highest permeation among tested filters with a relative permeability rate of 4.2% and a depth of 60 um, and specific thickeners and emulsifiers successfully reduced its permeation without inhibiting the skin permeation of niacinamide.
Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2026An online-SPE-LC-MS/MS method successfully quantified specific urinary homosalate metabolites for up to 96 hours after dermal sunscreen application in a volunteer and detected metabolites exclusively in three German pilot participants who had used sunscreen within five days.
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2021
Why other sunscreens fit dry sensitive skin better
Co-encapsulation of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate in nanostructured lipid carrier gel formulations significantly enhanced moisture retention up to 68% and improved skin elasticity in human volunteers compared to a solution gel.
Scientific Reports, 2025In 50 participants with sensitive skin, a Ceramide NP C15-containing emollient improved skin barrier function with a significant reduction in transepidermal water loss and induced modest changes in skin microbiota compared to the vehicle.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2026Vitamin E in O/W and W/O emulsions significantly increased stratum corneum hydration and enhanced water-binding capacity, with an optimum concentration of 5%.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 1998
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Dimethicone, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Palmitic Acid, Tocopherol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Steareth-100, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Limonene, Ectoin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Myristic Acid, Peppermint Oil, Pseudoalteromonas Extract Ferment, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Salicylic Acid, Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene
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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