La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil for dry sensitive skin
Niacinamide
Shea Butter
La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water
Glycerin
Vitreoscilla FermentAverage
- HighDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other cleansers fit it better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry skin due to the presence of glycerin and shea butter, which provide humectant and emollient actions respectively, helping to retain moisture and smooth the skin.
- The cleansing agents coco-betaine and sodium laureth sulfate offer excellent impurity removal, while niacinamide and vitreoscilla ferment provide supportive benefits for your dry or flaky skin and sensitivity.
- The product is safe for your dry and sensitive skin as it lacks prohibited or harsh ingredients, posing no risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your face fresh. Start slowly once a day if your dry skin feels sensitive at first.
- Apply your cleanser first thing in your routine before any toner or moisturizer. Follow the usual steps for your AM or PM daily routine.
- Gently massage the cleanser onto your face using soft circular motions. Avoid harsh rubbing to protect your dry skin.
- Apply the cleanser to slightly damp skin to help it clean gently without stripping moisture. This method is very safe for sensitive and dry skin types.
- Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and avoid the delicate eye area. Always do a patch test before using the product for the first time.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 9.0k+ reviewsWhile many appreciate its gentle, hydrating, and versatile nature for face and body, a significant number of reviews mention it functions more like a foaming gel than a traditional oil, and some dislike its natural scent or experience eye irritation.
Highlights
Hydrating and non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “Leaves skin feeling soft”
- “Doesn't strip moisture”
- “No tight feeling after”
Gentle on sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “Safe for my baby”
- “Soothing on reactive skin”
Not a true oil Often Mentioned
- “More like a gel”
- “Doesn't dissolve waterproof makeup”
- “Expected a cleansing balm”
Effective second cleanse Sometimes Noted
- “Perfect morning cleanser”
- “Removes sunscreen residue”
- “Great second step cleanse”
Versatile for face/body Sometimes Noted
- “Use it head to toe”
- “Huge bottle lasts forever”
- “Convenient for shower use”
Unpleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “Smells like plastic”
- “Odd chemical scent”
- “Scent is off-putting”
Causes eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “Stings my eyes bad”
- “Burns if it gets in eyes”
- “Not eye-safe”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Pump arrived broken”
- “Leaked in the box”
- “Dispenser stops working”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, walmart.com, ulta.com, lovelyskin.com, laroche-posay.us, and more
Questions and answers
How well does La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil work for dry sensitive skin?
La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil works well for your dry sensitive skin, helping to keep it clean and calm without causing irritation. Glycerin and shea butter help retain moisture and smooth the skin, though a cleanser for this skin type needs extra hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid for maximum barrier protection and deep moisture.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and shea butter help retain moisture and smooth dry skin, while niacinamide and vitreoscilla ferment provide supportive benefits for sensitivity. A product for this skin type also needs ceramides and hyaluronic acid to deliver optimal hydration and barrier restoration.
What does Niacinamide do for dry sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps dry sensitive skin by calming irritation and keeping moisture locked in so your face feels soft and smooth. It works to build up your skin barrier and calm redness while being very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2013
What does Shea Butter do for dry sensitive skin?
Shea butter protects dry sensitive skin and helps keep it soft and calm by strengthening the skin barrier. It is unlikely to irritate sensitive areas and works well to lock in moisture.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines. A product of this type works well for dry sensitive skin when it includes ingredients like glycerin and shea butter to retain moisture and smooth the skin.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in your routine before applying retinol, though your dry sensitive skin may do better with a cleanser containing extra barrier-restoring ingredients like ceramides to keep skin soft and calm while using retinol.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in both your morning and evening routines. A mild cleanser like this helps improve clinical scores and visual dryness when used regularly.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin. It gently washes away impurities while using glycerin and shea butter to help keep your skin calm and smooth without irritation.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body and around the eyes because its gentle formula is safe and unlikely to cause irritation. Dry sensitive skin needs cleansers with glycerin and shea butter to hold in moisture and smooth the skin.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum).
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 dermocosmetic formulation containing Vichy volcanic mineralizing water, Vitreoscilla filiformis extract, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E accelerated skin renewal, improved antioxidant defenses, enhanced skin barrier recovery after acute stress, and improved microbiome recovery compared to untreated skin.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005A 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, 2025Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
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, 2012The combination of Vitreoscilla filiformis extract and Vichy volcanic mineralizing water strengthens the skin barrier by stimulating skin differentiation and tight junctions, enhances biochemical defenses via antimicrobial peptides, and supports cellular immune defenses by increasing the IL-10/IL-12 ratio and protecting Langerhans cells from ultraviolet radiation compared to controls.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sucrose, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide, Parfum, Peg-75 Shea Glycerides Butter, Polysorbate 20, Ppg-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitreoscilla Ferment
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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