St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer for sensitive skin
Collagen
Elastin
GlycerinAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 normal skin due to glycerin and hydrolyzed collagen, which hydrate and improve elasticity, but these ingredients do not specifically target your redness and irritation concerns.
- While Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil provides general skincare benefits, it may not sufficiently address your sensitivity, and the formula lacks barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides.
How to apply
- Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
- You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
- Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 22.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is widely praised as a budget-friendly "holy grail" for softening skin and smoothing fine lines without feeling heavy or greasy. While it is marketed for renewing skin with collagen and elastin, users with very dry or sensitive skin sometimes find the hydration insufficient or the fragrance irritating, though it remains a favorite for those seeking a lightweight, daily glow.
Highlights
Great value Mostly Mentioned
- “huge tub lasts forever”
- “unbeatable price for the amount”
- “great bang for your buck”
- “economical daily moisturizer”
Soft and smooth Mostly Mentioned
- “makes my skin feel so soft”
- “leaves skin silky smooth”
- “texture feels plumper”
- “softens rough patches”
Lightweight feel Often Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly”
- “no greasy film”
- “lightweight under foundation”
- “doesn't clog pores”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells fresh and clean”
- “light pleasant scent”
- “love the classic smell”
- “scent isn't overpowering”
Jar packaging Sometimes Noted
- “wish it had a pump”
- “hate dipping fingers in”
- “unsanitary jar packaging”
- “prefer a squeeze tube”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused small bumps”
- “broke me out in T-zone”
- “clogged my pores”
- “woke up with whiteheads”
Fragrance irritation Rarely Noted
- “scent is too strong”
- “fragrance irritated my eyes”
- “caused redness due to perfume”
- “wish it was fragrance-free”
Not for dry skin Rarely Noted
- “not moisturizing enough for winter”
- “skin felt dry an hour later”
- “need to reapply often”
- “too light for dry patches”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, walmart.com, influenster.com, youtube.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer work for sensitive skin?
This moisturizer works moderately well for sensitive skin, but other products fit it better because it lacks ingredients that specifically target redness and irritation. To truly calm sensitive skin, a product of this type needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, cica, ceramides, and nourishing oils that strengthen the skin barrier without overwhelming it.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen, and hydrolyzed elastin make this cream a moderate fit by helping hydrate and improve elasticity. However, a product of this type needs soothing ingredients, barrier-repairing ceramides, and fermented Centella Asiatica to properly calm redness and irritation on sensitive skin.
What does Collagen do for sensitive skin?
Collagen helps soothe sensitive skin by reducing dryness, redness, and rough patches while keeping moisture locked in. It improves the skin barrier so it is less easily irritated, and studies show it is well tolerated and safe for sensitive skin types.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2009Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2014
What does Hydrolyzed Elastin do for sensitive skin?
Hydrolyzed Elastin helps improve skin elasticity and moisture, but sensitive skin may react to protein fragments, so it is important to test a small area first. A product for sensitive skin needs soothing ingredients and a gentle formula to prevent irritation while supporting the skin barrier.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cream is used in the evening routine as a moisturizing treatment after cleansing and toning. Because sensitive skin needs extra care for redness and irritation, a product of this type for this skin needs soothing ingredients and barrier-repairing components like ceramides.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing treatment with retinol, applying it after your retinol to help keep your skin soft and comfortable. This type of product needs barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides to properly support sensitive skin.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment daily to help keep your sensitive skin soft and hydrated. However, because this formula lacks barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides and soothing agents, sensitive skin needs a product that includes calming ingredients and barrier-strengthening ceramides to properly address redness and irritation.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for sensitive skin, as only a small number of reviewers report this issue. Mineral oil and other ingredients in the formula generally have low pore-clogging ratings, though individual reactions can still happen.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment on your body, but the skin around the eyes is much thinner and may need a specialized formula. This product works for normal skin, though sensitive skin requires extra soothing ingredients and barrier-repairing components like ceramides to keep it calm and protected.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, linalool, hexyl cinnamal, coumarin, and geraniol). Cetyl 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, 2017Both oral and topical collagen supplements help delay the skin aging process by improving moisture, elasticity, and hydration, with no differences arising between the two types of collagen.
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022Topical application of TAC/Collagen postbiotics gel improved skin moisture score and inflammation index, and reduced porphyrins and brown spots in 20 volunteers with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical collagen tripeptide application improved skin wrinkles, elasticity, and density while reducing advanced glycated end products in 22 Asian women over 4 weeks.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022Marine collagen extracted from Greenland halibut skin showed a non-cytotoxic effect on fibroblast cells and provided a slight skin hydration effect when incorporated into cosmetic hydrogel formulations at dosages of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5% in 23 healthy volunteers.
Marine Drugs, 2023Topical application of a 0.1% copper-zinc malonate-containing cream significantly enhanced elastin biosynthesis and induced elastic fibre regeneration in photoaged facial skin of 21 female patients after 6 weeks of treatment compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2009A betaine-based deep eutectic solvent successfully enhanced the transdermal delivery of elastin peptide, which improved skin barrier repair, reduced melanin secretion and deposition, and stimulated the secretion of procollagen I and elastin.
Biomaterials Advances, 2024Bioactive recombinant humanized elastin (RHE) gel effectively restores skin elasticity, reverses UV-induced damage and oxidative stress, and promotes extracellular matrix remodeling in zebrafish and aged mice models compared to commercial vitamin E and recombinant humanized collagen gels.
Materials Today. Bio, 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, 2012
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Parfum, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Geraniol, Sorbitol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract Sunflower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Yellow 5 Ci 19140, Red 4 Ci 14700, Red 33 Ci 17200, Blue 1 Ci 42090
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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