Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for combination skin
Glycerin
Petrolatum
Dimethicone
Niacinamide
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Warning
- LowCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for combination skin; the moisturizers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 moisturizing for your combination skin due to glycerin and petrolatum, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, but lacks specialized ingredients to control oil production, making it largely irrelevant for your oily shine concerns.
- The presence of petrolatum may be occlusive for oilier areas of your combination skin, offering limited benefits beyond basic emollient action.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizer in your AM and PM routine every day to control shine. Always pair with SPF in the morning.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin and avoid harsh rubbing. Let it ⏳absorb for a minute.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help it lock in moisture better. This keeps your combination skin balanced.
- Avoid the eye area when applying the moisturizer. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 7.1k+ reviewsIt effectively hydrates and restores the skin barrier without irritation. Some users with oily or acne-prone skin find it too heavy.
Highlights
Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “cleared up flaky skin”
- “keeps skin supple all day”
- “instant relief for dry patches”
- “deeply replenishes moisture”
Gentle and non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “safe for sensitive skin”
- “fragrance-free formula”
Non-greasy absorption Often Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly”
- “doesn't feel tacky”
- “leaves skin soft not oily”
- “matte finish”
Versatile use Sometimes Noted
- “great for face and body”
- “works well under makeup”
- “use on hands and feet”
- “good for whole family”
Packaging inconvenient Sometimes Noted
- “wish it had a pump”
- “unsanitary dipping fingers in”
- “messy to use”
- “prefer tube for travel”
High price point Rarely Noted
- “expensive for drugstore”
- “pricey compared to generic”
- “cost is high for the amount”
Slight chemical smell Rarely Noted
- “has a slight chemical scent”
- “smells like plastic”
- “unpleasant base odor”
- “medicinal smell”
Too heavy/thick Rarely Noted
- “too greasy for oily skin”
- “feels heavy in summer”
- “caused breakouts on face”
- “thick texture takes effort to rub in”
Sources: lovi.care, influenster.com, walmart.com, target.com, ulta.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise against Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for combination skin?
This cream offers moderate moisture for combination skin but lacks ingredients to control oil, making it unhelpful for oily shine. The heavy petrolatum may be too sealing for oilier areas while only providing basic softening. A product for this type needs effective brightening and moisturizing ingredients to reduce oily shine, along with soothing agents, antioxidants, and multiple peptides.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for combination skin?
This cream is a poor fit for your combination skin because it contains petrolatum, which can feel too heavy and blocky on oilier areas. It also lacks ingredients to control excess shine. Combination skin needs products with balancing and brightening ingredients that hydrate without adding extra oil.
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Petrolatum do for combination skin?
Petrolatum helps lock in moisture and protect dry areas on combination skin by forming a strong seal over the surface. It is very effective at keeping water from escaping, though it may feel too heavy if applied heavily on naturally oily areas.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2023
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cream is not a good fit for combination skin because it lacks oil-controlling ingredients and may feel too heavy on oilier areas. Combination skin needs a lightweight moisturizer with oil-balancing ingredients to hydrate dry spots without causing excess shine.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first and following it with the moisturizer to help soothe dryness. Using a barrier-enhancing moisturizer alongside retinol may improve skin comfort and treatment tolerance.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a poor match for your combination skin because it lacks oil-controlling ingredients and may feel too heavy on oily areas. To properly care for combination skin, a moisturizer needs light hydrators and balancing ingredients that keep the skin soft without adding excess shine.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause purging since it does not contain exfoliating active ingredients, but heavy ingredients like petrolatum may clog pores and feel too heavy on the oily areas of combination skin. A moisturizer for this skin type needs lightweight hydrating ingredients and oil-controlling components to keep pores clear without extra shine.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on your body, but it is not ideal for the thin skin around your eyes. A body moisturizer for this skin needs lightweight hydration and ingredients that soften dry areas without feeling heavy.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol). Cetyl 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, 2017The 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 treatment with skin-identical lipids in a petrolatum-rich cream base showed no superiority over pure petrolatum in promoting normalization of barrier recovery and inflammation in detergent- and tape-stripped-perturbed human skin over 14 days.
Acta Dermato-venereologica, 2000Topically applied extra virgin olive oil and petrolatum both significantly improved skin barrier function and microtopographic features in 54 healthy adult volunteers, with petrolatum exerting stronger occlusive effects and extra virgin olive oil uniquely promoting epidermal renewal.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Peg-30 Stearate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pantolactone, Dimethiconol, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Edta, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric 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
How does it fit your skin?
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