Olay Regenerating Cream Cleanser for combination skin
Salicylic Acid
Glycerin
Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E
Ascorbic Acid
CarnosineHigh
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few cleansers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 exfoliation for your combination skin, as salicylic acid helps decongest pores and manage oily shine while glycerin provides essential hydration.
- The cleansing action is excellent, effectively removing impurities without causing irritation, making it highly suitable for your skin type.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, containing no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could lead to irritation.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.1k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with aging, dry, or textured skin frequently praise this cleanser for its ability to gently exfoliate without stripping moisture, often reporting softer and smoother skin immediately after use. While it is highly effective for daily cleansing and makeup removal, some users with oily skin find the creamy, non-foaming formula leaves a moisturizing film that they perceive as greasy.
Highlights
Gentle exfoliation Mostly Mentioned
- “tiny beads aren't harsh”
- “perfect amount of grit”
- “gentle enough for daily use”
- “smooths without scratching”
Non-drying formula Mostly Mentioned
- “doesn't strip my skin”
- “face feels moisturized”
- “no tight feeling after”
- “creamy and soothing”
Improves texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels like silk”
- “helped with rough patches”
- “face is much smoother”
- “softens fine lines”
Effective makeup removal Sometimes Noted
- “melts away foundation”
- “removes mascara easily”
- “cleans all makeup off”
- “no residue left behind”
Pleasant fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “light fresh scent”
- “smells clean”
- “nice mild fragrance”
- “not too perfumey”
Does not lather Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't foam at all”
- “miss the bubbles”
- “feels like washing with lotion”
- “hard to spread without suds”
Leaves residue Sometimes Noted
- “feels like a coating”
- “leaves a greasy film”
- “hard to rinse off”
- “felt waxy afterwards”
Formula changes Rarely Noted
- “thinner than before”
- “watered down formula”
- “beads are different”
- “not as creamy as it used to be”
Scent too strong Rarely Noted
- “smell is overwhelming”
- “too much perfume”
- “scent lingers too long”
- “gave me a headache”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, target.com, chemistwarehouse.com.au, shespeaks.com, tryandreview.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Olay Regenerating Cream Cleanser a great fit for combination skin?
Olay Regenerating Cream Cleanser is a great fit for combination skin because it offers moderate exfoliation with salicylic acid to help manage oily shine while glycerin provides essential hydration. Its cleansing action removes impurities without causing irritation, making it very comfortable and safe for your skin type.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Salicylic acid and glycerin make this cleanser a great fit for your combination skin. Salicylic acid helps decongest pores and manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration without causing irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Salicylic Acid do for combination skin?
Salicylic acid helps clear clogged pores and balance oily areas while remaining gentle enough for dry spots on combination skin. It reduces breakouts and oiliness effectively with a low likelihood of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser goes in the morning and evening routine for combination skin. It cleans impurities well while managing oily shine and keeping skin soft.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in your routine alongside retinol by applying it first to clean your skin before using your retinol treatment. Using this cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation when paired with treatments, and it helps manage oily shine while providing essential hydration.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine to help remove impurities and manage oily shine without irritation. Using a mild daily cleanser helps improve skin comfort and keeps your combination skin clean and balanced.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cleanser is a great fit for your combination skin because salicylic acid helps clear out pores and manage oily shine while glycerin keeps your skin hydrated. It safely removes impurities without causing irritation, and is unlikely to clog your pores.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is safe for use on the body, but it is best to avoid the thin skin around the eyes where potent ingredients like salicylic acid may cause dryness and irritation.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Stearyl alcohol, cetyl 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, 2017Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023A night cream containing melatonin, carnosine, and Helichrysum italicum extract reduced oxidative stress ex vivo and improved hydration, reduced transepidermal water loss, decreased wrinkles and spots, and lowered skin reactivity in 117 individuals over up to 12 weeks of nightly use.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2020Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024The 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, 2012Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological 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 an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream significantly improved global clinical scores, increased skin microrelief density, and induced elastic tissue repair in photoaged skin compared to excipient control in healthy female volunteers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical application of VC-IP cream twice daily for 8 weeks reduces periorbital wrinkles in female subjects compared to a placebo cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Supramolecular carnosine improves skin reactivity, upregulates Nrf2 expression, activates antioxidant defenses, and reduces AGE levels while demonstrating whitening efficacy in cells and clinical tests compared to conventional carnosine.
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2024A targeted skincare regimen containing active ingredients such as rhodophyceae extract, ergothioneine, and L-carnosine significantly reduced transepidermal water loss by 24.09%, improved skin elasticity, and decreased redness, dryness, and desquamation in thirty-five female Chinese participants over 4 weeks following advanced optimal pulse technology treatment.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical application of carnosine and a novel facial cream containing carnosine protects against methylglyoxal-induced glycation by significantly reducing levels of advanced glycation end-products carboxymethyl-lysine and pentosidine in both the epidermis and reticular dermis of human skin explants.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2018
Ingredients
Water, Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Betaine, Hydrated Silica, Salicylic Acid, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Carnosine, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Ppg-30, Cetyl Alcohol, Steareth-21, Behenyl Alcohol, Steareth-2, Disodium Edta
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
How does it fit your skin?
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