Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream for acne-prone skin

9 Signal Peptides
Pygmy Waterlily
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14
Superior
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- HighSafety
One of the best moisturizers for acne-prone skin.
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
- Excellent suitability for your combination skin and acne concerns is provided by specialized peptides like Sh-Oligopeptide-1 and Sh-Oligopeptide-2, which promote skin repair and regeneration while supporting collagen stimulation. Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate offer effective hydration without feeling heavy, balancing your skin type.
- The formulation's inclusion of Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil and multiple amino acids further supports barrier repair and provides nourishment, enhancing overall skin health.
- This 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
★4.2Overall rating based on 7.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is frequently praised for its lightweight, non-greasy texture that firms and plumps the skin, making it a favorite for combination and oily skin types. It also performs well under makeup and is generally well-tolerated by sensitive skin. However, some users with very dry skin find it lacks sufficient hydration, and a significant number of reviews mention the high price point as a drawback.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “Gel-cream hybrid, absorbs instantly, non-greasy finish.”
High price Mostly Mentioned
- “Expensive, "not worth it," "robbery" for the amount.”
Hygienic packaging Often Mentioned
- “Airless pump jar, precise dosing, keeps ingredients stable.”
Makeup compatibility Sometimes Noted
- “Wears well under foundation, no pilling, acts as a primer.”
Sensitive skin friendly Sometimes Noted
- “Fragrance-free, non-irritating, soothing for most users.”
Visible results Sometimes Noted
- “Plumper skin, improved firmness, smoother texture.”
Dry skin hydration Sometimes Noted
- “Not moisturizing enough for dry skin, requires mixing with oil.”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Caused whiteheads, cystic acne, or closed comedones for some.”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Hard to gauge remaining product, difficult to empty completely.”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Smells like "play-dough," "plastic," or "yeast" (natural ingredient scent).”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.my, influenster.com, spacenk.com, skinsort.com, ulta.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream one of the best fits for acne-prone skin?
This cream is one of the best fits for acne-prone skin because specialized peptides support skin repair and collagen, while glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide light hydration without feeling heavy. It is also unlikely to cause irritation and helps nourish your skin with amino acids and marula oil.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it uses glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to give you effective hydration without feeling heavy. It also includes peptides like Sh-Oligopeptide-1 and Sh-Oligopeptide-2, which help support skin repair and collagen, while marula oil and amino acids nourish and help repair your skin barrier.
What do Signal Peptides do for acne-prone skin?
Signal peptides help calm acne-prone skin by reducing redness and supporting skin barrier recovery. This type of ingredient works best when paired with soothing and barrier-strengthening components that manage breakouts without causing irritation.
Skin Research and Technology, 2026Current Protein & Peptide Science, 2021
What does Pygmy Waterlily do for acne-prone skin?
Pygmy Waterlily helps protect skin cells from everyday damage and stress that can trigger breakouts or worsen acne-prone skin. It is unlikely to clear acne on its own, so acne-prone skin needs ingredients that balance oil production and soothe irritation.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cream goes in the morning and evening routine as your moisturizer, applied after cleansing and toners or treatments. It provides effective hydration without feeling heavy, making it an excellent fit for acne-prone skin.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, applying it after your retinol treatment to help soothe your skin and keep it hydrated without feeling heavy. This combination is unlikely to cause irritation because the formula includes soothing components and lacks harsh ingredients, while barrier-supporting amino acids help your skin handle retinol better.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your acne-prone skin hydrated and balanced. Regular daily application helps improve moisture levels and supports skin barrier repair without feeling heavy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for your acne-prone skin because it relies on lightweight hydrators like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate that provide moisture without feeling heavy, and it lacks harsh ingredients.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this cream around your eyes and on your body because its gentle formula provides light hydration and skin repair without heaviness or irritation. It is unlikely to cause any issues on thinner skin areas like the eyelids.
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 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, 2017Topical application of Sclerocarya birrea nut oil is non-irritant, exhibits significant moisturising and hydrating effects on lipid-dry skin, and shows occlusive properties on normal skin in healthy caucasian adult female volunteers.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2015The combination of Thermus thermophilus and Bacillus subtilis mixed-culture ferment extract and copper tripeptide-1 GHK-Cu reduced inflammatory cytokines, protected skin explants from UV-induced damage, and improved wrinkles and skin barrier conditions compared to individual components or controls.
Skin Research and Technology, 2026Water lily rhizome extract protected human epidermal keratinocytes against UVB-induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by reducing reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptotic signaling while increasing antiapoptotic proteins and antioxidant levels.
Pharmacology, 2016Topical 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, 2019The 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
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Bacillus Folic Acid Extract Ferment, Nymphaea Alba Root Extract, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-9, Sh-Polypeptide-11, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Alanine, Arginine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Valine, Acetyl Glutamine, Coconut Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aspartic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Pca, Pca, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 60, Lactic Acid Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Isomalt, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenylpropanol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Symphytum Officinale Callus Culture Extract
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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