COSRX Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ for oily acne-prone skin
Vitamin E Tocopherol
Avobenzone
Homosalate
Octocrylene
OctisalateAverage
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other sunscreens 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
- Highly suitable for your oily skin, this sunscreen offers excellent sun protection with avobenzone and homosalate, while silica provides a mattifying effect to combat shine.
- While it addresses your oily skin concerns and offers general hydration, it lacks targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to effectively manage your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizing sunscreen every morning. Reapply throughout the day if you are outside.
- Apply this moisturizing sunscreen as the final step of your morning routine after your moisturizer.
- Gently smooth a nickel-sized amount over your face and neck, avoiding harsh rubbing to keep oily areas calm.
- Apply this moisturizing sunscreen on clean, dry skin to ensure even coverage and protection.
- Avoid getting the product into your eyes and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 800+ reviewsThis chemical sunscreen is highly praised by users with dry to normal skin for its moisturizing properties and radiant finish, with a very high frequency of comments noting no white cast. Users with oily or acne-prone skin frequently report a greasy or heavy feel, and a high number of reviews mention a strong fragrance that can cause eye irritation.
Highlights
No White Cast Mostly Mentioned
- “no white cast at all”
- “no cast on my Latino skin”
- “blends into nothing”
Dewy/Glowy Finish Often Mentioned
- “nice healthy look”
- “radiant glow”
- “glass skin finish”
Highly Moisturizing Often Mentioned
- “skip moisturizer underneath”
- “leaves face moisturized”
- “hydrating and nourishing”
Greasy/Oily Finish Often Mentioned
- “looking like a grease ball”
- “too shiny/oily on my face”
- “thick and oily”
Strong Fragrance Often Mentioned
- “smells like men's deodorant”
- “strong woodsy fragrance”
- “scent is crazy strong”
Good Makeup Base Sometimes Noted
- “layers seamlessly under makeup”
- “works well under foundation”
- “doesn't pill”
Stings Eyes Sometimes Noted
- “stings my eyes so bad”
- “burning sensation”
- “eyes almost teary”
Thick Texture Sometimes Noted
- “thick in consistency”
- “feels heavy”
- “takes time to absorb”
Sources: lovi.care, cosrx.com, ulta.com, yesstyle.com, sokoglam.com, stylevana.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen work for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen works moderately well for your oily acne-prone skin, providing strong sun protection and a shine-reducing effect without causing irritation, though it lacks targeted blemish-fighting ingredients. To work best for acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs acne-managing ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide alongside lightweight, non-greasy hydration.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023
Which ingredients make this sunscreen a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen fits your oily skin with silica for a shine-fighting matte finish and vitamin E plus chemical sunscreens for safe protection. Chemical filters like avobenzone and homosalate are unlikely to cause skin irritation. However, because it lacks ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide for breakouts, an oily acne-prone product needs targeted blemish-clearing ingredients and lightweight, non-greasy hydrators.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023
What does Vitamin E do for oily acne-prone skin?
Vitamin E helps calm the skin and is unlikely to clog pores when used on oily, acne-prone skin. Studies show it can help reduce skin dryness and redness, supporting the skin barrier while managing acne.
What does Avobenzone do for oily acne-prone skin?
Avobenzone helps protect your skin from sun damage, but it does not treat oily or acne-prone skin on its own. Sunscreens for this skin type need ingredients that feel light, absorb excess oil, and won't clog your pores.
Where does this sunscreen go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen goes in the morning routine as the final step after applying your moisturizer. It has a safe profile with no risks of irritation, but an oily acne-prone skin type needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to help manage breakouts.
Can I use this sunscreen with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this sunscreen in the morning as the final step before makeup, well after applying your retinol the night before. This sunscreen has a safe formula that is unlikely to irritate your skin, though an oily acne-prone routine also needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to manage breakouts.
How often should I use this sunscreen?
You can use this sunscreen every morning as the final step of your daytime routine to protect your skin from the sun. The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.
Can this sunscreen clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This sunscreen is unlikely to cause purging or disrupt acne-related skin bacteria, but it lacks targeted breakout-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide. A product of this type for oily acne-prone skin needs ingredients that help clear blemishes alongside oil control and sun protection.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024
Is this sunscreen fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Behenyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Chemical 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, 2023The application of a sunscreen formulation containing ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, methyl anthranilate, and octocrylene does not significantly affect critical acne-related species such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, refuting the induction of facial dysbiosis in men.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Encapsulation 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, 2021Incorporating rosmarinic acid into sunscreens enhanced the in vivo SPF of octocrylene by over 157% and reduced lipid peroxidation in the human stratum corneum.
Antioxidants, 2025Early application of sunscreen after ablative fractional skin resurfacing significantly increased the sensitization rate of the UV-filter, octocrylene, and the sunscreen compared to intact skin.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2015Dermal sunscreen exposure in 20 healthy volunteers led to plasma concentrations of avobenzone, octocrylene, and its metabolite CDAA reaching up to 11 μg/L, 25 μg/L, and 1352 μg/L, respectively.
Environment International, 2019Simulated real-life dermal sunscreen exposure in twenty human volunteers leads to the systemic bioavailability and urinary excretion of the UV filter 2-ethylhexyl salicylate and its metabolite, reaching concentration peaks at 7 to 8 hours with 70-80% of overall excretion within 24 hours.
Archives of Toxicology, 2019Controlled single dermal exposure to an EHS-containing sunscreen in three volunteers resulted in delayed systemic resorption with elimination half-lives between 6.6 and 9.7 hours, where the parent compound EHS occurred as the dominant urinary parameter.
Archives of Toxicology, 2024Dermal exposure to EHS-containing sunscreen leads to the urinary excretion of EHS as the main biomarker alongside major metabolites 5OH-EHS, 5cx-EPS, 4OH-EHS, and 5oxo-EHS, measured using an extended enzymatic hydrolysis and on-line SPE LC-MS/MS method.
Talanta, 2024
Why other sunscreens fit oily acne-prone skin better
Biomimetic hyaluronic acid-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles selectively inhibited C. acnes, outperformed erythromycin in preclinical acne models, and safely reduced acne lesions and redness in a clinical trial.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2025Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025
Ingredients
Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octisalate, Water, Propanediol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Vp Eicosene Copolymer, Silica, Trisiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, C14-22 Alcohols, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Parfum, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Butylene Glycol, Disodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Gossypium Herbaceum Extract, Glucose, Tocopherol
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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