Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer for acne-prone skin
Glycolic Acid
Lactic Acid
Squalane
Bromelain
PapainAverage
- 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 exfoliation for your acne and blemishes due to lactic acid and glycolic acid, which smooth texture and hydrate combination skin. Pumpkin fruit ferment filtrate and bromelain further aid in exfoliation, providing general skincare benefits.
- The presence of yeast extract and opuntia ficus-indica fruit extract contributes to soothing effects, enhancing overall comfort for your skin.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of beneficial 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
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with dull or uneven skin tone frequently praise this moisturizer for delivering an immediate glow and smoother texture through gentle chemical exfoliation. While highly effective for boosting radiance, those with very dry or sensitive skin sometimes find it insufficiently hydrating for winter months or slightly irritating due to the active ingredients.
Highlights
Instant glow Mostly Mentioned
- “gives such a great glow”
- “skin went from dull to glowing”
- “unrivaled radiance”
- “makeup looks glowy”
Smoother skin Often Mentioned
- “baby smooth skin”
- “improvement in texture”
- “sloughing away dead cells”
- “skin felt smoother after one week”
Gentle exfoliation Sometimes Noted
- “gentle AHAs”
- “doesn't irritate my skin”
- “perfect level of exfoliation”
- “great alternative to scrubs”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells fresh”
- “light citrusy scent”
- “smells like a spa”
- “scent gives a brightening feel”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “pretty pricey”
- “expensive for a moisturizer”
- “wouldn't pay full price”
- “wait for a sale”
Insufficient hydration Sometimes Noted
- “not quite enough for winter”
- “need to use another moisturizer”
- “too light for me”
- “dry skin needs more”
Sensitivity & tingling Rarely Noted
- “tingles a little bit”
- “caused redness”
- “burning sensation”
- “avoid if barrier is damaged”
Texture & absorption Rarely Noted
- “sticky/tacky finish”
- “takes a while to soak in”
- “weird green color”
- “feels like a film”
Sources: lovi.care, katesomerville.com, influenster.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, spacenk.com, ulta.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer work for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for acne-prone skin, offering moderate exfoliation and smoothing texture with acids and fruit enzymes while soothing your skin with plant extracts. To fit this skin type even better, a product needs effective targeted ingredients for blemishes, excellent overall suitability without irritation, and components that support hydration and balance.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Lactic acid, glycolic acid, pumpkin fruit ferment filtrate, and bromelain make this cream a good fit by offering moderate exfoliation that helps smooth texture for acne-prone skin. To achieve a better fit for this skin type, a product of this type needs effective ingredients that provide excellent benefits for breakouts, offer hydration and repair, and include soothing agents and peptides without causing irritation or unsuitability.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
What does Glycolic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing pimples and breakouts. It also helps fade dark spots left behind by acne and controls skin oiliness, with very few side effects when used properly.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Dermatologic Surgery, 2014
What does Lactic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Lactic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions with regular topical use. It works well to smooth and calm the skin while managing breakouts safely over time.
Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 2002
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer is used in the evening routine for acne-prone skin. It offers moderate exfoliation and soothing comfort, though acne-prone skin often does better with products that include stronger blemish-fighting ingredients and oil-balancing components.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying a barrier-enhancing moisturizer first helps keep acne-prone skin comfortable and less prone to irritation. This type of product needs soothing ingredients and barrier support to keep your skin calm while using strong treatments.
How often should I use it?
Use this moisturizing treatment once a week to start, and if your acne-prone skin handles it well, you may carefully use it more often. To get a better fit for acne-prone skin, this type of product needs soothing ingredients to calm blemishes and gentle exfoliating acids to keep your skin smooth.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause severe irritation, but because it only offers moderate exfoliation and hydration, acne-prone skin often needs a product with stronger clarifying acids and lighter, oil-free hydration to truly keep pores clear.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This moisturizer is generally meant for the face rather than the thin skin around the eyes or the skin on the body, which have very different thicknesses. Products intended for those areas typically require specialized formulas tailored to their specific sensitivity and barrier needs.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (citronellol, citral, limonene, linalool, and geraniol). Myristyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene showed no hindrance compared to adapalene monotherapy and provided benefits in reducing complications in 25 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Topical moisturizers improved skin barrier function and surface moisture, while a postbiotic moisturizer with yeast extract uniquely supported microbiome balance and modulated biomarkers of skin barrier, structure, and inflammation in participants and ex vivo explants exposed to environmental aggressors.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023Opuntia ficus-indica extract and its isorhamnetin-glucosyl-rhamnoside suppressed nitric oxide, COX-2, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 production in vitro and inhibited croton oil-induced ear edema in vivo.
BioMed Research International, 2015Opuntia ficus-indica extract activated AHR-NRF2 signaling, inhibited reactive oxygen species generation, and upregulated filaggrin and loricrin expression in human keratinocytes.
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2015Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.
Cutis, 2004Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Oral bromelain slightly reduced pain compared to controls (mean difference -0.27) and topical bromelain reduced time to complete debridement by 6.89 days, with no major health risks reported.
Nutrition and Health, 2023An upcycled pineapple leaf fibre crosspolymer forms a physical barrier that protects against environmental aggressors while providing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antipollution, UV protection, hydration, and hair benefits.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026A coaxial electrospun core-shell nanofiber scaffold delivering bromelain and salvianolic acid B demonstrated sustained drug release, in vitro endothelial cell migration, increased capillary formation in an in ovo assay, and in vivo efficacy for skin regeneration and wound healing.
Biomedical Materials, 2017Topical papain treatment may slightly decrease pain within 30 minutes in humans stung by Chrysaora chinensis compared to placebo.
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2016A fixed combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate, retinol glycospheres, and papain glycospheres in aqueous gel applied once daily for 12 weeks achieved a 41% mean reduction in GAGS score and a 40.8% mean reduction in total lesions, with 15.3% of patients experiencing mild to moderate local side effects, in 94 evaluable patients with comedonal-papular, mild to moderate acne of the face.
Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015Reflux extraction of Carica papaya leaves yielded higher antioxidant capacity and superior in vitro wound-healing activities including fibroblast proliferation, cell migration, and collagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts compared to ultrasonic-assisted extraction and agitation.
Molecules, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Isostearyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Squalane, Lactic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Propanediol, Glycolic Acid, Myristyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactobacillus Pumpkin Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Bromelain, Papain, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Yeast Extract, Polysilicone-11, Bergamot Oil Fruit, Rosewood Extract Wood, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Geranium Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Myristyl Glucoside, Cyclohexasiloxane, Peg-40 Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Maltodextrin, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, T-Butyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol
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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