St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer for oily acne-prone skin
Collagen
Elastin
GlycerinLow
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for oily acne-prone skin; the moisturizers alongside 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 moisturizing for your oily skin due to glycerin and hydrolyzed collagen, which hydrate and improve elasticity, but the presence of mineral oil and dimethicone poses a risk of worsening your acne and blemishes by potentially clogging pores.
- While the formula is generally safe for your oily skin with soothing ingredients like Tocopheryl Acetate and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, it lacks sufficient ingredients for effective seboregulation to address your primary concerns.
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
★4.6Overall 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
Why is St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer a weak match for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer is a weak match because mineral oil and dimethicone may clog your pores and worsen breakouts, even though glycerin and collagen provide hydration. To fit oily acne-prone skin well, a product of this type needs lightweight ingredients that hydrate without heavy oils or pore-clogging agents, while helping to balance oil and manage blemishes.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Mineral oil and dimethicone make this cream a weak match for your skin because they pose a risk of clogging pores and worsening breakouts. A product of this type needs lightweight ingredients that provide hydration and support the skin barrier without adding heavy oils or excess oiliness.
What does Collagen do for oily acne-prone skin?
Collagen helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated and smooth while improving its overall condition and reducing signs of aging. It is unlikely to cause breakouts, but this skin type also needs ingredients that clear pores and calm redness.
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024
What does Hydrolyzed Elastin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hydrolyzed Elastin helps keep oily acne-prone skin soft and smooth without feeling heavy or greasy. To truly fit this skin type, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and oil-balancing ingredients that draw moisture into the skin while keeping pores clear.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer goes as the third step in your morning routine after a cleanser and hydrating toner, and as the final step in your evening routine. Because this product is a weak match for oily acne-prone skin due to ingredients that may clog pores, this skin type needs oil-balancing ingredients like niacinamide and lightweight, non-clogging hydration to keep blemishes clear.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first, letting it absorb, and then following with the moisturizer. This routine may help buffer potential dryness from the retinol, though this particular cream contains heavy ingredients like mineral oil that are a weak match for oily acne-prone skin. Skin of this type needs lightweight, non-clogging hydrators and oil-controlling ingredients to keep pores clear.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream daily, but because it contains heavy oils and silicones that may clog your pores, it is a weak match for your oily acne-prone skin. Oily skin of this type needs lightweight, oil-free moisturizers with balancing ingredients to keep breakouts under control.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
Yes, this cream may clog pores and worsen blemishes on oily acne-prone skin because it contains mineral oil and dimethicone. A moisturizer for this skin needs oil-free hydrators and ingredients that help balance oil without heavy blockers.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment on the body and around the eyes, where skin is thin and may benefit from added hydration. However, because this product contains heavy ingredients that can clog pores, it is a weak match for oily acne-prone skin and needs lightweight hydrators and oil-controlling ingredients instead.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022
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, 2022The use of cosmetic products containing collagen or its peptides improves the general condition of the skin, reduces wrinkle depth, improves hydration and density, reduces transepithelial water loss, and delays the aging process, while oral bioactive collagen peptides also reduce nail breakage.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024Dermatological 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 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
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
A 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, 2024Co-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, 2023
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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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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