Rhode Barrier Restore Cream for oily acne-prone skin
Niacinamide
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Sodium Hyaluronate
Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 suitability for your oily skin, as Niacinamide helps with oil control and Bisabolol soothes, while the Lactic Acid Glycolic Acid Copolymer provides mild exfoliation for acne and blemishes.
- Glycerin and shea butter offer moderate hydration and barrier support, enhancing overall skin resilience.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers with normal to dry skin frequently praise this gel-cream moisturizer for its lightweight feel and dewy, "glazed" finish that layers well under makeup. Many appreciate its effective hydration and gentle, fragrance-free formula with beneficial ingredients. However, a notable number of users with acne-prone or oily skin report experiencing congestion and breakouts, with some finding the product overpriced for its quantity and others deeming it insufficient for very dry skin.
Highlights
Lightweight glazed finish Mostly Mentioned
- “leaves skin dewy and radiant”
- “perfect weight for daytime”
- “melts into the skin”
- “gives a glass skin effect”
Effective hydration Often Mentioned
- “comforts and soothes”
- “great for dry cheeks”
- “hydration lasts all day”
- “restores my barrier”
Causes breakouts Often Mentioned
- “gave me cystic acne”
- “developed little red zits”
- “caused fungal acne”
- “clogged my pores”
Fragrance-free gentle Sometimes Noted
- “no added fragrance”
- “didn't cause irritation”
- “safe for sensitive skin”
- “gentle and soothing”
Ingredient profile Sometimes Noted
- “love the peptides and niacinamide”
- “ingredients are incredible”
- “calms inflammation”
- “science-backed formula”
Insufficient for dry Sometimes Noted
- “not enough for dry skin”
- “need something thicker at night”
- “left me feeling dry later”
- “lackluster for winter”
Price vs. value Sometimes Noted
- “just a boring little cream”
- “overpriced for the amount”
- “steep price point”
- “can find cheaper alternatives”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “hard to get product out”
- “packaging feels cheap”
- “cap breaks easily”
Sources: lovi.care, rhodeskin.com, reddit.com, thingtesting.com, refinery29.com, elitedaily.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does rhode Barrier Restore Cream work for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream works moderately well for oily acne-prone skin, as niacinamide helps control oil while bisabolol and gentle exfoliating acids soothe and address blemishes. Glycerin and shea butter provide hydration and barrier support with a low risk of irritation, though other products fit this skin type better. Oily acne-prone skin needs a moisturizing treatment that provides lightweight hydration and smooths texture without heavy oils or pore-clogging ingredients.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide, squalane, shea butter, acetyl tetrapeptide-2, and sodium hyaluronate help make this cream a fit by balancing oil, providing moderate hydration, and soothing skin. To work best for oily acne-prone skin, this type of product needs light hydrators, oil-controlling ingredients, and pore-clearing agents without heavy oils.
What does Niacinamide do for oily acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oil production, calms redness, and is unlikely to irritate oily, acne-prone skin while improving blemishes. Clinical tests show it reduces excess oil and helps clear up both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Squalane do for oily acne-prone skin?
Squalane may help keep oily skin soft and smooth, but oxidized squalene can trigger inflammation in acne-prone skin. Because of this, oily acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-greasy ingredients that balance moisture without clogging pores.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream goes as the moisturizer step in your morning routine and your evening routine. Oily acne-prone skin needs a lightweight moisturizer with oil-controlling ingredients like niacinamide and soothing components to keep the skin calm and balanced without feeling heavy.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream alongside retinol, applying it after your retinol treatment to help soothe your skin and keep it calm. Using a moisturizer with a retinol routine is unlikely to cause irritation and may help reduce dryness while supporting your skin barrier.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Regular application helps keep skin hydrated and supports the skin barrier while managing oil and blemishes.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream may cause breakouts for oily acne-prone skin, as many reviewers report that it leads to pimples. An average fit for this skin type needs oil-controlling ingredients like niacinamide and mild exfoliants to keep pores clear.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream around the eyes and on your body, as it has a safe profile with soothing ingredients and no harsh components. Because the skin around the eyes is very thin, a product used there needs gentle hydrators and barrier supporters like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Behenyl 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, 2025Topical 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, 2005Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-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, 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, 2025Treatment of immortalized human keratinocytes with Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 increased cell stiffness across its concentration range, while Acetyl Hexapeptide-50 increased stiffness at 0.05 µg/ml but decreased it at 0.5 and 5 µg/ml compared to untreated controls.
International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, 2018Topical 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, 2011Topical 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, 2022Treatment 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
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Behenyl Alcohol, Xylitylglucoside, Niacinamide, Squalane, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Anhydroxylitol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xylitol, Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glucose, Bisabolol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Teprenone, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Lactic Acid Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Tocopherol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-27, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide-78, Palmitoyl Octapeptide-24, Sodium Hydroxide
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
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.