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NATURIUM Niacinamide Gel Cream 5% for dry skin

Average

  • AverageDry Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for dry skin; other moisturizers fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, 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

  • Offers moderate moisturizing for your dry skin due to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which hydrate and plump effectively, though it lacks sufficient emollient ingredients for optimal hydration.
  • The formula provides general skincare benefits and hydration supportive for dry or flaky skin, but it is not specialized enough to directly address the core issue.
  • The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your dry skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
  • Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
  • Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
  • Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
  • Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .

People Say

★4.4Overall rating based on 400+ reviews

This gel-cream is widely celebrated by users with oily, combination, and acne-prone skin for its ability to regulate sebum and minimize pores without feeling heavy. While it delivers a "glass skin" finish and layers well under makeup, those with drier skin types often find it insufficiently hydrating, particularly during colder months.

Highlights

  • Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly without residue”
    • “feels like nothing on”
    • “super fresh and light”
  • Oil control Often Mentioned
    • “keeps oils at bay”
    • “perfect for my oily t-zone”
    • “stopped my midday shine”
  • Makeup compatibility Sometimes Noted
    • “great under foundation”
    • “doesn't pill with SPF”
    • “makeup sits beautifully on top”
  • Pore reduction Sometimes Noted
    • “pores look smaller”
    • “skin texture is smoother”
    • “gives a glass-skin look”
  • Insufficient hydration Sometimes Noted
    • “skin felt tight after an hour”
    • “need a thicker cream on top”
    • “not enough for dry winter skin”
  • Price vs. quantity Rarely Noted
    • “wish the bottle was bigger”
    • “finished it too quickly”
    • “pricey for the amount you get”
  • Skin reactions Rarely Noted
    • “caused cystic acne”
    • “broke me out immediately”
    • “skin turned red and stung”

Sources: lovi.care, naturium.com, target.com, spacenk.com, skinsort.com, ulta.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does Naturium Niacinamide Gel Cream work for dry skin?

This gel cream offers moderate moisture for dry skin using glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but it lacks enough rich softening ingredients for ideal hydration. While it is unlikely to cause irritation, a product for dry skin needs richer moisturizing ingredients and skin-smoothing agents to properly lock in moisture and support the skin barrier.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry skin?

This cream works for dry skin thanks to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which help hydrate and plump the skin. However, to truly fit dry skin, a product of this type needs rich softening ingredients and barrier-supporting agents that lock in moisture and prevent dryness more deeply.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

What does Niacinamide do for dry skin?

Niacinamide helps dry skin by strengthening the skin barrier, increasing hydration, and reducing water loss. It supports ceramide production and helps keep the surface smooth and calm. This ingredient tends to be very well tolerated and is unlikely to irritate dry skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026

What does Dimethicone do for dry skin?

Dimethicone helps protect dry skin and keeps it smooth by forming a gentle, breathable layer on top. It is unlikely to lock in moisture on its own as well as heavy protectants like petrolatum, so dry skin often needs formulas that combine dimethicone with hydrating ingredients like glycerin.

Ostomy/wound Management, 2005Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007

Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry skin?

This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. A product of this type needs rich smoothing and softening ingredients to give dry skin the deep, lasting hydration it requires.

Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this cream with retinol, and you should apply it after your retinol treatment to help soothe and hydrate your skin. This product has a very safe formula that is unlikely to cause irritation when combined with active treatments.

Cutis, 2006

How often should I use this cream?

You can use this moisturizing treatment daily to help keep your skin hydrated. For dry skin, this type of product needs rich, softening ingredients and heavier moisturizing creams to lock in moisture and fully comfort very dry areas.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021

Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?

This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry skin because it has a very safe formula with no harsh or irritating ingredients. Reviewers also report a low chance of skin reactions.

Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?

This cream works safely on the thin skin around the eyes and on the body because it has no harsh ingredients, though a dry skin type needs a richer formula with extra softening oils and butters for best results.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002

Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

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, 2017
  • Topical 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, 2021
  • Topical 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, 2008
  • Topical 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, 2005
  • Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.

    Military Medicine, 2024
  • A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.

    Skin Research and Technology, 2000
  • Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.

    Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
  • Topical 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, 2011
  • Topical 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, 2022
  • Treatment 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, 2019
  • The 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, 2020
  • Ten 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, 2001
  • Niacinamide/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

Why other moisturizers fit dry skin better

  • Combining oral and topical astaxanthin in 30 healthy females improved skin wrinkles, age spots, elasticity, texture, and moisture, while 6 mg daily oral supplementation in 36 healthy males improved crow's feet wrinkles, elasticity, and transepidermal water loss.

    Acta Biochimica Polonica, 2012
  • Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches showed similar or better efficacy on skin wrinkles, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration compared to adenosine cream in 22 female subjects.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2018

Ingredients

Water, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Coconut Fruit Juice, Acrylamide Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Glycerin, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Alteromonas Extract Ferment, Sea Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Isohexadecane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris Trimethylsiloxy Silylethyl Dimethicone, Hexadecene, Hydroxyacetophenone

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.

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.