Sulwhasoo Ginseng Renewing Cream Ex for acne-prone skin
Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins- Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Squalane
Honey
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 combination skin, providing hydration through glycerin and squalane without being overly heavy, though it may lack sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on oily areas.
- The presence of Panax Ginseng Root Extract and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 offers excellent moisturizing and anti-aging treatment for plumping and minimizing fine lines, but these ingredients are not specifically targeted for your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your acne-prone skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, this cream is highly regarded for its ability to deeply hydrate and revitalize dry or aging skin, imparting a dewy glow and improving texture. Many users experience enhanced plumpness and reduced fine lines. However, the product is divisive due to its significant cost and strong, earthy ginseng fragrance.
Highlights
Luxurious texture Mostly Mentioned
- “buttery but non-greasy”
- “melts into skin”
- “velvety finish”
- “lightweight yet rich”
High price Mostly Mentioned
- “eye-wateringly expensive”
- “hefty price tag”
- “hard to sustain”
- “luxury splurge”
Deep hydration Often Mentioned
- “skin drinks it up”
- “hydrated all night”
- “soft and moist”
- “banished dry patches”
Radiant glow Often Mentioned
- “instant glow”
- “dewy finish”
- “glass skin look”
- “healthy radiance”
Strong scent Often Mentioned
- “overpowering herbal smell”
- “smells like dirt”
- “medicinal odor”
- “too strong”
Anti-aging effects Sometimes Noted
- “plumper skin”
- “softened fine lines”
- “firmer texture”
- “bouncy feel”
Spa-like scent Sometimes Noted
- “calming herbal smell”
- “earthy and grounding”
- “therapeutic aroma”
- “natural ginseng scent”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “jar hygiene concerns”
- “looked not full”
- “heavy glass jar”
- “prefer pump”
Skin reactions Rarely Noted
- “caused breakouts”
- “small whiteheads (milia)”
- “redness on cheeks”
- “too rich for oily skin”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.my, sephora.sg, influenster.com, skinsort.com, tryandreview.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Sulwhasoo Ginseng Renewing Cream Ex work for acne-prone skin?
Sulwhasoo Ginseng Renewing Cream Ex works reasonably well for acne-prone skin, providing hydration with glycerin and squalane without causing irritation, though it lacks targeted blemish-fighting ingredients. A moisturizing treatment for this skin needs soothing extracts and ingredients specifically designed to control oil and manage breakouts.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This cream works moderately for acne-prone skin because it contains glycerin and squalane to keep skin soft and hydrated without feeling too heavy. However, a product for this skin type needs targeted ingredients for blemishes, oil control, and soothing care.
What do Ginseng Saponins do for acne-prone skin?
Ginseng saponins help calm redness, lower the amount of oil that clogs pores, and ease acne symptoms while keeping the skin barrier healthy. They also help fight the bacteria that lead to breakouts and soothe the skin without causing irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Phytotherapy Research, 2019
What does Ginseng Root Extract do for acne-prone skin?
Ginseng Root Extract helps acne-prone skin by reducing oxidized sebum, calming redness, and fighting blemish-causing bacteria. This ingredient may improve early to middle-stage acne symptoms while supporting skin barrier repair and reducing inflammation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Phytotherapy Research, 2019
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes at the end of your morning and evening skincare routines to lock in hydration. A product of this type for acne-prone skin needs lightweight hydrators like glycerin and squalane alongside oil-balancing ingredients.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying your retinol first, letting it absorb, and then smoothing on this moisturizer to help keep your skin comfortable. Using a gentle moisturizer alongside retinol is unlikely to cause irritation and may help your skin tolerate the treatment better while keeping it soft.
How often should I use this cream?
This moisturizing treatment works well when applied twice daily to keep your skin hydrated and smooth. For acne-prone skin, this type of product needs ingredients that balance oil and target breakouts to be a great fit.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on acne-prone skin because it lacks harsh or prohibited ingredients, though a product of this type needs added oil-control ingredients and lighter hydrators to truly fit your skin.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on your body, as it has a good safety profile with no harsh ingredients to cause irritation. Because the skin around the eyes and on parts of the body is notably thin, a rich cream like this helps keep those areas soft and smooth. To get the best fit for this skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and soothing botanicals that calm delicate areas without feeling heavy.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, linalool, and limonene). Cetearyl alcohol, arachidyl alcohol, and behenyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, 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, 2017Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Argireline applied twice daily for 4 weeks achieved a total anti-wrinkle efficiency of 48.9% and notably reduced wrinkle depth compared to placebo in Chinese subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2013Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Enzyme-modified ginseng extract cream significantly reduced the global photo-damage score and various roughness measures including total roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic roughness average compared to placebo in 23 human subjects.
Rejuvenation Research, 2015A red ginseng hydrogel formulation with 1,2-hexanediol promoted selective growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and decreased Cutibacterium acnes in 20 female subjects.
Journal of Ginseng Research, 2022A 1% fermented black ginseng cream significantly reduced eye wrinkles and brightened skin color in twenty-three human subjects compared to control cream and baseline.
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A, 2020Squalane 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, 2025Honey-based dressings reduced mean healing duration, length of hospital stay, and VAS pain scores compared with povidone iodine-based dressings in 1236 participants.
Journal of Wound Care, 2021Topical honey application improved the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and healing time compared to acyclovir cream in 16 adult patients with recurrent labial and genital herpes lesions.
Medical Science Monitor, 2004
Why other moisturizers fit acne-prone skin better
Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A facial serum containing snail secretion filtrate, Calendula officinalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract significantly reduced inflammatory acne lesions compared to placebo in 66 participants with mild-to-moderate maskne over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Triethylhexanoin, Squalane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Vinyl Dimethicone Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methoxy Peg-114 Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Sorbitan Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Parfum, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins Enzyme-Treated Red Ginseng Saponins, Glyceryl Caprylate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Linalool, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Sodium Chloride, Honey Mel Miel, Limonene, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Flower Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Polygonatum Odoratum Extract Rhizome, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Glucose, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Polyaspartate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sodium Hydroxide, Acetyl Octapeptide-3
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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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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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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