NIVEA Soft Moisturizing Cream for combination skin
Glycerin
Mineral Oil
Jojoba Seed Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate
DimethiconeCaution
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for combination skin; the moisturizers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 combination skin due to glycerin and jojoba seed oil, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, but the presence of mineral oil and petrolatum may feel occlusive on your oily shine.
- While the formula is generally safe and free of harsh irritants, the occlusive nature of mineral oil and petrolatum might not be ideal for managing excess oil on your combination skin.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizer in your AM and PM routine every day to control shine. Always pair with SPF in the morning.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin and avoid harsh rubbing. Let it ⏳absorb for a minute.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help it lock in moisture better. This keeps your combination skin balanced.
- Avoid the eye area when applying the moisturizer. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream is a highly praised lightweight and fast-absorbing daily moisturizer that effectively hydrates normal to dry skin on the face, hands, and body, leaving it smooth and supple. A recent formula change has caused frustration among long-time users, and those with acne-prone or highly sensitive skin report occasional issues with breakouts and irritation.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “My skin stays soft all day, even in air conditioned rooms.”
- “Provides long-lasting nourishment to the skin.”
- “It definitely moisturizes your skin and makes it look better.”
- “Leaves skin feeling smooth and refreshed.”
Lightweight and fast-absorbing Mostly Mentioned
- “The texture feels light and smooth. It absorbs fast and never feels sticky.”
- “Absorbs easily and quickly into skin without residue.”
- “It's a soft cream that is very lightweight and spreads with ease.”
- “A small dab melts into the skin instantly without feeling greasy or heavy.”
Versatile all-over use Often Mentioned
- “It works well for my face, hands and body.”
- “I use it for literally my face, my body, my hands.”
- “Great work desk companion to keep your hands from feeling dry... but also at home.”
- “I just use it at night, primarily on my feet, legs and hands.”
Disliked new formula Often Mentioned
- “Changed formula to CHEAP water base and greasy.”
- “This replacement is cheap, tacky and totally different from the original one.”
- “The new formula is sticky and awful.”
- “Since the new formula has come out I now don't buy it... It sits on the skin and does nothing.”
Good under makeup Sometimes Noted
- “Makeup looks great on top of this cream.”
- “I love all Nivea creams for underneath makeup, this one in particular.”
- “It does make my foundation apply properly on my skin.”
- “You don't really have to wait a lot before applying makeup with this one.”
Causes acne breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “This cream has a couple of comedogenic ingredients... I definitely wouldn't recommend this cream to anyone who is acne prone.”
- “Most face creams causes me to have zits.”
- “If you're acne prone just skip on this one altogether.”
- “It has one highly comedogenic ingredient.”
Irritates sensitive skin Rarely Noted
- “The new formula BURNS my sensitive, chapped skin.”
- “I wouldn't recommend it for really dry skin or those sensitive to scented skin care.”
- “The new formula burns... It's terrible.”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, target.com, niveausa.com, reddit.com, youtube.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Nivea Soft Cream for combination skin?
Lovi advises caution because the mineral oil and petrolatum in this cream may feel too heavy and occlusive on the oily areas of combination skin. A moisturizer for this skin type needs safe hydrating ingredients that reduce oily shine and deliver moisture without causing heaviness or irritation.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for combination skin?
Mineral oil and petrolatum make this cream a poor fit because they may feel heavy and trap extra oil on combination skin. A moisturizer for this skin type needs targeted hydration and brightening ingredients that reduce oily shine without causing irritation or heaviness.
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Mineral Oil do for combination skin?
Mineral oil helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture and supporting the skin barrier. Because it sits on the surface without penetrating deeply, a product of this type for combination skin needs a lightweight texture and balancing ingredients to avoid feeling too heavy in oily areas while hydrating dry patches.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cream is used as a moisturizer in both your morning and evening skincare routines. However, because it contains heavy ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum, it may feel too heavy and cause unwanted shine on combination skin. A product for this skin type needs lightweight hydrating ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid to provide moisture without clogging pores or feeling greasy.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying it after your retinol treatment helps keep your skin soft while managing any dryness. Combination skin of this type needs a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to prevent extra shine.
How often should I use this cream?
You should use this moisturizer with caution on your combination skin, as ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum may feel too heavy and cause oily shine. Combination skin needs lighter, breathable hydrators that balance moisture without clogging pores or adding excess oil.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cream may cause breakouts or clog pores on combination skin because ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum can feel heavy and trap excess oil. Combination skin needs a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer with hydrating and balancing ingredients that keep the skin soft without adding extra shine.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on your body, but it is best to use lighter, specialized formulas around the eyes because the skin there is much thinner. This product provides moderate hydration through glycerin and jojoba seed oil, but heavy ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum may feel too heavy in delicate areas.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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 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, 2024The 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, 2012Repeated application of concentrated water-in-oil emulsions over four weeks caused no skin irritation, positively affected skin properties, and delivered almost 50% of the applied fluorescein sodium, with isopropyl myristate showing superior penetration performance compared to liquid paraffin in healthy volunteers.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019Clay 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 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, 2025Nanolipidgel formulations with argan or jojoba oil and humectants demonstrate good sensory attributes, instrumental properties, and moisturizing efficacy for cosmetic application.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2014Topical 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, 2024Wearing 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, 2024A 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, 2000Treatment 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
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Myristyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Stearic Acid, Petrolatum, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Dimethicone, Jojoba Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lanolin Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
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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