SKINFOOD Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence for sensitive skin
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
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
- This essence offers moderate benefits for your redness and irritation, as propolis extract and honey extract provide hydration and calming effects suitable for normal skin.
- Royal jelly extract further supports skin hydration and barrier function, though its benefits for specific concerns like redness are less pronounced.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components like propolis extract and honey extract.
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 8.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this essence is highly praised for its effective calming and hydrating properties, particularly for sensitive, dehydrated, or acne-prone skin. Users frequently report a radiant glow and improved skin barrier health due to its propolis and honey-rich formula. A moderate number of users note a slightly sticky finish, while a low number mention issues with the dropper or potential allergy risks.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “Hydrates and plumps my skin”
- “Super hydrating”
- “Keeps dehydration in check”
Calms redness Often Mentioned
- “Notice considerably less redness”
- “Calms irritation”
- “Soothes reactive skin”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “Absorbs very well”
- “Never heavy or greasy”
- “Spreads effortlessly”
Radiant glow Often Mentioned
- “Gorgeous, healthy glow”
- “Basking in dewy glass skin”
- “Subtle, lit-from-within glow”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “No fragrance detected”
- “Fragrance-free”
- “No noticeable scent”
Sticky finish Sometimes Noted
- “Bit on the stickier side”
- “Brief sticky finish”
- “Notice a little tack”
Allergy risk Rarely Noted
- “Unsuitable for bee allergy”
- “Propolis may sting”
- “Bee-product allergy risk”
Difficult dropper Rarely Noted
- “Hard to control amount”
- “Shooting out like a canon”
- “Pump is kind of meh”
Small bottle size Rarely Noted
- “Only one small size”
- “Need this in a bigger bottle”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, iamkellydriscoll.com, christinahello.com, kbeautyhobbit.com, beautyrevie.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence work for sensitive skin?
Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence works moderately well for sensitive skin, as its propolis and honey extracts provide helpful hydration and calming effects, though other products fit this skin type better. To better soothe redness and irritation while strengthening the skin barrier, a moisturizing treatment for sensitive skin needs soothing ingredients like fermented centella asiatica, cica ceramide, and nourishing oils.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this essence a good fit for sensitive skin?
Propolis extract and honey extract help calm redness and irritation on sensitive skin, while royal jelly extract and glycerin boost hydration and support the skin barrier. To be a better fit for this skin type, a moisturizing treatment needs ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, Cica Ceramide, and nourishing oils that soothe without overwhelming the skin.
What does Propolis Extract do for sensitive skin?
Propolis Extract helps calm sensitive and irritated skin by reducing redness and soothing inflammation. It supports skin healing and provides antioxidant protection, making it less likely to react to daily stressors.
What does Honey Extract do for sensitive skin?
Honey Extract helps calm and nourish sensitive skin while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may help keep the skin soft, smooth, and comfortable.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2013Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
Apply this treatment in the evening as part of your routine to keep things simple and safe. This type of product needs soothing ingredients like propolis extract and honey extract to help calm sensitive skin.
Can I use this essence with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this essence with retinol, applying the essence before your retinol to help calm and hydrate your skin. This product is generally safe for sensitive skin due to its soothing ingredients, though a product with stronger calming components and barrier-strengthening ingredients may fit sensitive skin better.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, applying it after your toner and before your moisturizer. It is safe for sensitive skin because it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like propolis extract and honey extract.
Can this essence clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This essence is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on sensitive skin because it is free of harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like propolis and honey extracts. However, it only offers moderate benefits for redness and irritation, so sensitive skin may need a product with stronger calming ingredients and richer hydration to feel truly soft and comfortable.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this essence around the eyes and on the body, though it is primarily designed as a facial treatment. Because the skin around the eyes is exceptionally thin, moisturizing treatments used there need gentle, highly soothing hydrators like honey and propolis extracts to keep the area smooth without causing irritation. For this skin, a product of this type needs calming botanical extracts, soothing ferments, and lightweight hydrators like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to deliver gentle moisture without weighing down delicate areas.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Is this essence fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Propolis demonstrates potential as an alternative healing treatment for skin wounds due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and angiogenesis-promoting properties, though clinical studies remain scarce compared to in vitro and in vivo data.
Pharmaceuticals, 2022Applying an essence containing royal jelly extract significantly increased the stratum corneum water content of the cheeks compared to placebo in healthy Japanese adults over 4 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical Hydroxydecine cream increased skin hydration by 28.8% at 7 days and 60.4% at 21 days in healthy human volunteers with UV-induced xerosis.
European Journal of Dermatology, 2011Topical propolis application significantly reduced postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and accelerated wound healing in patients undergoing tonsillectomy compared to a control group.
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, 2018Topical treatment with ethanol propolis extract resulted in complete mycological and clinical cure in 56.25% of patients with onychomycosis, demonstrating non-toxicity and effective antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. both in vitro and in patients.
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018Topical hydrogel formulations containing hydroalcoholic extract of red propolis exhibited stability, non-Newtonian and pseudoplastic behavior, in vivo skin compatibility, and no skin irritancy.
Heliyon, 2022Honey-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, 2004A prototype body cream containing bee venom, propolis, honey, beeswax, and royal jelly demonstrated stability for 90 days, high antioxidant capacity of 85.45%, lack of cytotoxicity with over 70% cell viability, and no irritation or allergic reaction in dermatological analysis, while improving skin parameters in a panel test.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Royal jelly protects against epidermal stress caused by UVB and menadione through the upregulation of NQO1 expression by its active compound 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021Defensin-1 from royal jelly stimulated MMP-9 secretion and increased keratinocyte migration and wound closure in vitro, and promoted re-epithelisation and wound closure in uninfected excision wounds.
Scientific Reports, 2017Topical 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, 2019A 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, 2017The 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, 2001
Ingredients
Propolis Extract, Honey Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Lactobacillus Ferment, Saccharomyces Ferment, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium Edta, Carbomer, Arginine
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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