Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier Repair Cream for dry sensitive skin
6-Butterlipid Complex
Zinc Gluconate
Copper Gluconate
Squalane
Ceramides
High
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for dry sensitive skin; a few moisturizers fit it even 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 excellent moisturizing and barrier repair for your dry, sensitive skin due to the presence of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids which support barrier function and hydration.
- Glycerin, shea butter, and squalane provide humectant and emollient actions, enhancing comfort for dry skin.
- The formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and including soothing components like glycerin and ceramides.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using this moisturizer 3 times a week and move to daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toner in the morning, or after your serum in the evening. Always pair it with SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it harshly to protect your sensitive skin.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help with hydration absorption. This also works well for dry and flaky skin types.
- Do a patch test before your first use. Avoid the eye area to prevent any irritation.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 700+ reviewsThis rich cream is highly effective for dry, mature, or compromised skin, providing deep, long-lasting moisture and barrier repair, often noted as a winter savior. Users with oily or acne-prone skin, however, frequently report experiencing congestion and breakouts due to its heavy, occlusive texture.
Highlights
Deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “healed dry patches overnight”
- “skin feels quenched all day”
- “saved my skin this winter”
- “no more flaking”
Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
- “buttery and rich”
- “feels like a protective layer”
- “thick but absorbs well”
- “glides on smoothly”
Hygienic packaging Sometimes Noted
- “love the push pump”
- “sanitary and easy”
- “dispenses perfect flower shape”
- “no waste packaging”
Soothing repair Sometimes Noted
- “soothed retinol burn”
- “reduced redness immediately”
- “restored my barrier”
Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “broke me out immediately”
- “caused whiteheads overnight”
- “clogged my pores”
- “too heavy for acne-prone skin”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “too expensive for the size”
- “pricey for a moisturizer”
- “not worth the money”
- “finished too quickly”
Greasy finish Rarely Noted
- “feels like vaseline”
- “too greasy for day use”
- “sat on top of skin”
- “made me look oily”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “smells like old sunscreen”
- “weird chemical scent”
- “unpleasant natural smell”
- “smells like plastic”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.sg, spacenk.com, ulta.com, drunkelephant.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier Repair Cream a great fit for dry sensitive skin?
This cream is a great fit because it offers deep moisturizing and repairs your skin barrier with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. Ingredients like glycerin, shea butter, and squalane help soothe your skin and make it feel much more comfortable.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
This cream is a great fit because it contains ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids that support your skin barrier and keep it hydrated. Glycerin, shea butter, and squalane add soothing moisture to help dry skin feel much more comfortable.
What does 6-Butterlipid Complex do for dry sensitive skin?
6-Butterlipid Complex helps dry sensitive skin by improving skin barrier integrity and increasing water-holding capacity. Applying it twice daily is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and sensitivity.
What does Zinc Gluconate do for dry sensitive skin?
Zinc gluconate helps calm irritated skin and reduce redness, but it is unlikely to provide enough moisture for dry skin on its own. A product of this type needs added hydrating ingredients like ceramides or plant oils to keep dry skin feeling soft and smooth.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2006Dermatologic Therapy, 2018
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This cream goes in the evening routine as a treatment, applied after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer. Using a barrier-repair moisturizer helps improve skin hydration and softness while supporting your skin barrier.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Scientific Reports, 2022
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this cream with retinol, and applying it after your retinol helps calm the skin and lock in moisture. Barrier-enhancing moisturizers with ceramides and fatty acids support skin recovery and are unlikely to cause irritation when paired with active treatments.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a great fit for your dry, sensitive skin and helps keep it soft and comfortable when used daily as part of your evening routine. Applying it regularly supports your skin barrier and improves moisture levels.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin, though some reviewers mention breakouts as a moderate concern. Its nourishing blend of ceramides and oils helps keep dry skin comfortable without heavy residue.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on your body because its gentle formula provides excellent barrier repair and comfort for dry skin. It helps keep thin or body skin soft and hydrated without harsh ingredients, though skin thickness varies across different body areas.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Scientific Reports, 2022
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Application of Body Lotion for 5 weeks on cosmetic dry skin improved barrier properties, increased levels of cholesterol, ceramides, and long-chain fatty acids, increased beneficial skin bacteria, and enhanced microbiome functional potential compared to baseline.
Scientific Reports, 2022A dermocosmetic cream containing Punica granatum Pericarp extract, Salicylic acid, Niacinamide, Zinc gluconate, and Aqua Posae Filiformis significantly decreased inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesion counts in subjects with mild to moderate acne compared to untreated hemi-faces after 15 days.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Daily use of a deep cleansing gel containing salicylic acid 2%, zinc gluconate 0.2% and lipohydroxy acid 0.05% significantly reduced total lesion count by 56.3% after 84 days in 35 subjects with mild to moderate truncal acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Different strains of Propionibacterium acnes modulate cutaneous innate immunity with varying pro-inflammatory potentials, with P. acnes type III showing the highest and P. avidum the weakest, and zinc gluconate down-regulates the expression of most induced immune markers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2013Zinc gluconate induced alpha2, alpha3, alphaV, and alpha6 integrins, copper gluconate induced alpha2, alpha6, and beta1, and manganese gluconate induced most studied integrins in cultured keratinocytes.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999Squalane 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, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, C10-18 Triglycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Beta-Sitosterol, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Oleic Acid, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Glucosyl Ceramide, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Glycosphingolipids, Rosa Canina Oil Fruit, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Alpha-Glucan, Resveratrol, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Sodium Pca, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sorbitan Isostearate, Astaxanthin Extract, Quercetin, Astaxanthin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Eop, Dextrin, Palmitic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Lactate, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Polysorbate 60, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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