Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer for dry sensitive skin
Total Soy Complex
Panthenol Vitamin B5
Glycerin
DimethiconeAverage
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other sunscreens fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry skin, as glycerin provides humectant action to attract moisture, but it lacks sufficient emollient and occlusive ingredients to fully address dryness and flakiness.
- The formula provides excellent sun protection with octocrylene, octisalate, and avobenzone, which is beneficial for overall skin health.
- The product is generally safe for your dry and sensitive skin, though the presence of alcohol and parabens carries a slight risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizing sunscreen daily in your morning routine. Reapply every two hours if you are staying outdoors.
- Apply this product at the very end of your morning routine right after your regular moisturizer.
- Gently pat a nickel-sized amount of the moisturizing sunscreen evenly across your face and neck.
- Apply this product onto clean, dry skin before you go outside into the sun.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for sensitivity.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded for providing lightweight, non-greasy hydration that visibly evens skin tone and fades dark spots, particularly for those with normal to oily skin. Some users with sensitive or acne-prone skin have experienced irritation and breakouts, potentially due to the added fragrance and light-diffusing mica.
Highlights
Lightweight, non-greasy Mostly Mentioned
- “The texture is lightweight and absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue.”
- “My skin felt moisturized, without feeling greasy or oily.”
- “It's a very light formula and doesn't make my skin feel oily.”
- “Absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving behind a greasy or oily feeling.”
Evens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “It evens out my skin (which is often difficult because I am biracial with dark spots).”
- “All my spots softened, my skintone began to even out and I had an overall healthy glow.”
- “I did notice that my overall complexion looked very even and smooth.”
- “Helped improve the texture of the skin and... improve my uneven skin tone and dark spots.”
Includes SPF Often Mentioned
- “I found the SPF aspect did a great job protecting my skin from the sun.”
- “I also really like the fact that it has SPF and it provides some protection from UV rays.”
- “This cream also includes SPF so it provides protection against UV rays, which is great.”
- “Love that it has some spf as well.”
Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “The fragrance in it causes me irritation and new breakouts.”
- “I think the 'light diffusers' clog my pores which leads to me breaking out.”
- “I notice bumps on my face in the next morning.”
- “I will say the non-comedogenic claim is untrue for me.”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “It smells fresh, like white flowers, but it's pretty strong.”
- “The smell is good, but not great... mixed in with the smell of sunscreen.”
- “The fragrance in it causes me irritation.”
- “At times, the scent reminded me a little of an older lady scent.”
Contains glitter Rarely Noted
- “Beware that the product does have small glitter in it that can be noticeable when looking closely!”
- “At first, I didn't even realize there were very fine glitters until I looked at my fingers.”
- “The multicoloured shimmers (pink, gold, silver) highlighted the dry lines on my fingers.”
- “The 'light diffusers' are simply small glitters in the moisturizer.”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, kroger.com, fredmeyer.com, aveeno.ca, chickadvisor.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer work for dry sensitive skin?
Aveeno Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer works moderately well for dry sensitive skin, as glycerin helps draw in moisture while chemical sunscreens provide safe sun protection. However, it may lack enough rich, sealing ingredients to fully handle severe dryness and flakiness, and ingredients like alcohol and parabens carry a slight risk of irritation. A product for this skin needs rich softening and sealing ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide to deeply hydrate and support the skin barrier without irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this moisturizer a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin, Panthenol Vitamin B5, and Total Soy Complex make this moisturizer a good fit by providing moisture and helpful nutrients for your skin. However, this skin type needs richer smoothing ingredients and sealing barriers like Ceramides and Niacinamide to fully prevent dryness and flakiness.
What does Soy do for dry sensitive skin?
Soy helps calm dry, sensitive skin and improves how it recovers while reducing the look of spots and pores. Higher concentrations of soy extracts may also smooth out wrinkles as part of your daily routine.
What does Panthenol do for dry sensitive skin?
Panthenol helps soothe dry sensitive skin by calming redness and keeping it deeply hydrated. It improves moisture retention and supports skin barrier recovery, making irritated skin feel much more comfortable and soft.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing spf goes in the morning routine after your toner. To best support dry skin, a product of this type needs rich softening and sealing ingredients that lock in moisture and smooth away flakiness.
Can I use this moisturizer with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing SPF in the morning before your day begins, but it lacks enough rich, softening ingredients to fully soothe dry, flaky skin when combined with strong treatments like retinol. To properly support dry skin, products of this type need extra nourishing oils and butters to lock in moisture and prevent irritation.
How often should I use it?
Apply this sunscreen moisturizer every morning as part of your daily routine to keep your skin protected throughout the day. It is unlikely to irritate your skin, though dry skin typically needs richer creams with heavy sealing ingredients and smoothing plant oils to fully lock in moisture and stop flakiness.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
Yes, this moisturizer may cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin, as some reviewers complain about this issue. To better care for dry skin without clogging pores, a product of this type needs richer, soothing ingredients that lock in moisture and deeply soften dry spots.
Is this moisturizer fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol) and drying alcohol (alcohol).
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, 2017Chemical sunscreens containing avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, and octisalate showed no to minimal risks of dermal irritation, sensitization, photo-allergy, and photo-irritation in human subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Incorporating rosmarinic acid into sunscreens enhanced the in vivo SPF of octocrylene by over 157% and reduced lipid peroxidation in the human stratum corneum.
Antioxidants, 2025Encapsulating avobenzone in low-porosity TiO2-embedded mesoporous silica (TiO2/SBA-S) reduced cutaneous avobenzone absorption from 0.76 to 0.50 nmol/mg while providing effective pollutant adsorbability, UVA protection, and a two- to three-fold reduction in photoaged skin cytokines/chemokines compared to the non-treatment control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, and Sodium Benzoate can be used safely in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and Benzyl Alcohol is safe up to 10% in hair dyes, despite causing nonimmunologic contact reactions.
International Journal of Toxicology, 2001ANT1 soybean extract cream ameliorated complications and enhanced skin recovery after Nd:YAG laser therapy in 45 Asian women, with higher concentrations significantly reducing wrinkles, spots, and pores compared to placebo.
Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2018Genistein and daidzein inhibited UVB-induced hydrogen peroxide production in keratinocytes acting as free radical scavengers with negligible skin disruption, whereas glycitein showed no protective activity.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2008A phytoestrogen-enriched cosmetic formulation containing biotransformed soybean extract increased collagen-I expression in fibroblast cells and skin explants in an estrogen receptor beta-dependent manner without harming skin microbiota.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research = Revista Brasileira de Pesquisas Medicas E Biologicas, 2023Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000The 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, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
Why other sunscreens fit dry sensitive skin better
Co-encapsulation of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate in nanostructured lipid carrier gel formulations significantly enhanced moisture retention up to 68% and improved skin elasticity in human volunteers compared to a solution gel.
Scientific Reports, 2025In 50 participants with sensitive skin, a Ceramide NP C15-containing emollient improved skin barrier function with a significant reduction in transepidermal water loss and induced modest changes in skin microbiota compared to the vehicle.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2026Vitamin E in O/W and W/O emulsions significantly increased stratum corneum hydration and enhanced water-binding capacity, with an optimum concentration of 5%.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 1998
Ingredients
Octocrylene, Octisalate, Avobenzone, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Steareth-2, Glycerin, Steareth-21, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Lecithin, Soy Isoflavones, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium Edta, Benzalkonium Chloride, Bht, Triethanolamine
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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