COSRX Propolis Light Cream for acne-prone skin
Propolis Extract
Honey Extract
Royal Jelly Extract
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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, as propolis extract and glycerin hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, while also providing anti-inflammatory benefits suitable for acne-prone skin.
- The formula includes honey extract and royal jelly extract, which offer additional humectant and soothing properties beneficial for combination skin.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this lightweight cream is highly praised for providing a radiant glow and calming redness without feeling heavy, making it ideal for combination, acne-prone, and sensitive skin. It effectively heals breakouts and strengthens the skin barrier. However, individuals with very dry skin might find it insufficient for intense hydration, especially during winter.
Highlights
Lightweight & fast Mostly Mentioned
- “Absorbs effortlessly”
- “feels like nothing on skin”
- “perfect for humid weather”
- “non-greasy finish”
Glow & hydration Often Mentioned
- “Gives me a healthy glow”
- “makes skin look plump”
- “glass skin effect”
- “leaves a nice dewy finish”
Soothing & healing Often Mentioned
- “healed popped pimples overnight”
- “reduced redness immediately”
- “great for sensitive skin”
Excellent makeup base Sometimes Noted
- “Makeup glides right over it”
- “acts like a gripping primer”
- “foundation looks smoother”
- “no pilling under makeup”
Not enough moisture Sometimes Noted
- “Need to layer it”
- “not occlusive enough for winter”
- “skin felt tight after an hour”
- “better for summer only”
Small quantity Sometimes Noted
- “Finished it in a month”
- “wish it came in a bigger tube”
- “expensive for the amount”
- “jar looks big but is empty inside”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Gave me whiteheads”
- “triggered my fungal acne”
- “caused small bumps on forehead”
- “broke me out immediately”
Slightly sticky Rarely Noted
- “Leaves a sticky film”
- “hair sticks to my face”
- “feels tacky for 10 minutes”
- “too shiny/sticky for day use”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, sokoglam.com, reddit.com, yesstyle.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX Propolis Light Cream work for acne-prone skin?
COSRX Propolis Light Cream works well for acne-prone skin, providing moderate hydration and calming benefits with a low risk of irritation. To achieve a better fit for this skin type, a moisturizing treatment needs ingredients that target breakouts and blemishes effectively while keeping the skin balanced.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Propolis extract, honey extract, and royal jelly extract make this cream a good fit by hydrating your skin, easing redness, and calming breakouts. These ingredients help improve moisture and soothe irritation without clogging pores. An acne-prone skin type needs a product that targets blemishes and repairs skin effectively without causing irritation.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What does Propolis Extract do for acne-prone skin?
Propolis Extract helps calm angry breakouts and clears up acne-prone skin by fighting the bacteria that cause pimples and reducing redness. It may also fade red marks left behind by past breakouts, though this type of skin often needs ingredients that gently unclog pores and balance oil to stay clear.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2022
What does Honey Extract do for acne-prone skin?
Honey extract helps calm acne-prone skin by fighting acne-causing bacteria and reducing irritation. It is unlikely to cause issues and may also help speed up the healing of blemishes.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cream goes as the moisturizer step in both your morning and evening routines, coming after your cleanser and toners. It helps hydrate your skin and calm redness safely, though acne-prone skin often does better with lightweight moisturizers that balance oil and provide targeted blemish-fighting ingredients.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying your retinol first and following with the cream to keep your skin calm and hydrated. A product of this type for acne-prone skin needs lightweight hydrators and soothing ingredients like propolis and glycerin to support your moisture barrier without clogging pores.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment daily to keep acne-prone skin hydrated and calm. Consistent use helps maintain skin comfort and supports your barrier without irritation.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts for acne-prone skin because it contains soothing components and lacks harsh ingredients, though a few reviewers have reported breakouts. Acne-prone skin often needs lightweight, oil-free hydrators and calming ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to keep pores clear.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream around the eyes and on the body because the formula is safe and free of harsh ingredients. However, because this product only offers an average fit for acne-prone skin, treating the thin skin around the eyes or the body effectively needs a product with targeted soothing extracts and deep moisturizers to support delicate areas.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A 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, 2018A 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, 2017Applying an essence containing royal jelly extract significantly increased the stratum corneum water content of the cheeks compared to placebo in healthy Japanese adults over 4 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical propolis application significantly reduced postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and accelerated wound healing in patients undergoing tonsillectomy compared to a control group.
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, 2018Topical treatment with ethanol propolis extract resulted in complete mycological and clinical cure in 56.25% of patients with onychomycosis, demonstrating non-toxicity and effective antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. both in vitro and in patients.
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018Topical hydrogel formulations containing hydroalcoholic extract of red propolis exhibited stability, non-Newtonian and pseudoplastic behavior, in vivo skin compatibility, and no skin irritancy.
Heliyon, 2022Honey-based dressings reduced mean healing duration, length of hospital stay, and VAS pain scores compared with povidone iodine-based dressings in 1236 participants.
Journal of Wound Care, 2021Topical honey application improved the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and healing time compared to acyclovir cream in 16 adult patients with recurrent labial and genital herpes lesions.
Medical Science Monitor, 2004A prototype body cream containing bee venom, propolis, honey, beeswax, and royal jelly demonstrated stability for 90 days, high antioxidant capacity of 85.45%, lack of cytotoxicity with over 70% cell viability, and no irritation or allergic reaction in dermatological analysis, while improving skin parameters in a panel test.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Royal jelly protects against epidermal stress caused by UVB and menadione through the upregulation of NQO1 expression by its active compound 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021Defensin-1 from royal jelly stimulated MMP-9 secretion and increased keratinocyte migration and wound closure in vitro, and promoted re-epithelisation and wound closure in uninfected excision wounds.
Scientific Reports, 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, 2012
Ingredients
Propolis Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Honey Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Beeswax, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Arginine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
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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