Kate Somerville Cold Cream for skin with dark spots
Shea Butter
Glycerin
Coconut Oil
Jojoba Oil
Vitamin EAverage
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for skin with dark spots; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. 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 benefits for your normal skin, as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide hydration while shea butter and coconut oil offer emollient properties, though it lacks targeted ingredients for your pigmentation concerns.
- The inclusion of aloe barbadensis leaf juice and chamomilla recutita flower extract offers soothing effects, which are generally supportive for skin health.
- The product is safe for your normal skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- You can use this cleanser AM and PM every single day. Start slowly 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in your morning routine or the second step in your evening routine. Follow it with toner and moisturizer.
- Massage a small amount of cleanser gently onto your face using circular motions. Rinse well with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- For the best results, apply your cleanser directly to wet skin to help wash away dirt. Make sure your face is clean before you begin.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes. Always do a quick patch test before using the product for the very first time.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, this product is a modern, whipped take on traditional cold cream that effectively melts away makeup, including waterproof mascara, while leaving skin feeling soft and hydrated. It is particularly praised by users with dry or sensitive skin for its ability to cleanse without stripping moisture. Some users find the jar packaging less hygienic and the price point high.
Highlights
Hydrating finish Mostly Mentioned
- “Soft skin, non-drying, glowing, moisturized.”
Effective makeup removal Often Mentioned
- “Melts waterproof mascara, removes heavy makeup, dissolves dirt.”
Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
- “Whipped, lightweight, creamy, fluffy.”
Gentle on skin Sometimes Noted
- “Soothing, no irritation, good for sensitive skin, cooling sensation.”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “Fresh floral, spa-like, jasmine and rose, not powdery.”
High price Sometimes Noted
Incomplete removal Rarely Noted
- “Smudged mascara, needed second cleanse, didn't remove everything.”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “Unhygienic, dipping fingers in, messy, prefer pump/tube.”
Residue or film Rarely Noted
- “Requires washcloth to remove, feels heavy, leaves film.”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “Scent too strong, potential irritant for some.”
Sources: lovi.care, nordstrom.com, influenster.com, gopicky.com, newbeauty.com, refinery29.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Kate Somerville Cold Cream work for skin with dark spots?
Kate Somerville Cold Cream works moderately well for skin with dark spots because it hydrates and soothes the skin with ingredients like glycerin, aloe, and sodium hyaluronate, but it lacks targeted ingredients for your pigmentation concerns. To truly help with dark spots, a cleanser of this type needs added brightening ingredients that specifically fade discoloration while keeping the skin soft and clean.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is an average fit for skin with dark spots because it lacks targeted ingredients for your pigmentation concerns, though glycerin helps hydrate the skin. A cleanser for dark spots needs brightening ingredients and antioxidants.
What does Shea Butter do for skin with dark spots?
Shea butter helps dark spots by providing polar constituents with antimelanogenic activities that may improve uneven skin tone. It also offers antioxidant benefits to support overall skin health.
What does Glycerin do for skin with dark spots?
Glycerin helps keep dry skin hydrated and supports a healthy skin barrier, which makes skin feel soft and smooth. While it does not directly fade dark spots on its own, it is often added to spot-fading products to keep the skin comfortable while other ingredients work.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Acta Dermato-venereologica, 2017
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser goes in your morning and evening routine as the cleansing step before toners and moisturizers. Skin with dark spots also needs targeted brightening ingredients and vitamin C to help fade dark marks.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying it before your retinol treatment in your evening routine. A cleanser of this type for skin with dark spots needs brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide to help fade dark spots.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in your morning and evening routines. A consistent routine with a mild cleanser helps improve skin hydration and barrier function, though dark spots need a cleanser with brightening ingredients and antioxidants.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts or purging for your skin, as it is safe with no harsh ingredients. However, it lacks the targeted ingredients needed to fade dark spots, which requires a product with brighteners like vitamin C, niacinamide, or retinoids.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this cleanser on your body and around the eyes, as it lacks harsh ingredients and contains soothing components that are well tolerated by delicate skin. Skin with dark spots needs a cleanser of this type to also include targeted brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide to help fade discoloration.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). 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, 2017A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025The 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, 2012Overnight virgin coconut oil application provides a skin protective effect against damage and increased TEWL from frequent alcohol-based hand sanitizer usage in 60 volunteers, resulting in a 25% increase in perceived moisture content compared to the control group.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Topical application of jojoba wax reduced LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα by approximately 30% and increased the synthesis of pro-collagen III and hyaluronic acid compared to untreated skin in an ex-vivo human skin organ culture model.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024Topical jojoba oil application in male mice decreased exercise-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression (Il-1b and Il-6 in soleus, Il-1b in gastrocnemius) compared to untreated exercised mice.
Biomolecules, 2025Topical 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, 2024
Why other cleansers fit skin with dark spots better
Transgenic cucumber expressing poly-γ-glutamic acid synthesis genes increased water content by 6-14%, reduced water loss by 11-12%, decreased facial wrinkles and roughness by 19.58% and 24.97%, decreased skin melanin by 5.27%, and improved facial elasticity in human skin and zebrafish compared to controls.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Esters, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Disodium Edta
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?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.