Sephora Nourishing Moisturizer for acne-prone skin
Squalane
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Persea Gratissima Oil Avocado Oil
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Tocopherol Vitamin E
High
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 for your combination skin due to the emollient action of avocado oil and rosehip seed oil, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience.
- While it provides general skincare benefits, it lacks targeted ingredients for your acne, blemishes, and breakouts, such as salicylic acid.
- The safety profile is high, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing agents like sunflower seed oil.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 500+ reviewsUsers with dry and sensitive skin frequently praise this moisturizer for its ability to soothe and hydrate without irritation, noting its lightweight texture and affordability. Some users report issues with product pilling, particularly when layering with other products.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “Keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day long.”
- “Works in making me feel hydrated.”
- “Gives my dry skin a boost of hydration!”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “Remains light and does not feel greasy.”
- “Lightweight moisturizer that sits perfectly under makeup.”
- “Velvety smooth texture and doesn't feel too thick.”
Sensitive skin friendly Often Mentioned
- “Helps keep my sensitive skin clear!”
- “Works great with my sensitive skin.”
- “Doesn't irritate my sensitive to everything red face.”
Great value Sometimes Noted
- “It's affordable and keeps my skin feeling hydrated.”
- “Great product for the cost.”
- “Great price for what you get.”
Product pilling Sometimes Noted
- “It pills REALLY bad.”
- “Be careful when layering products... it will pill.”
Potential stinging Rarely Noted
- “My skin feels a little stinging sensation.”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Smell like an insect death smell.”
- “Smells kind of acidic.”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, sephora.com.au, sephora.sg, influenster.com, beautytap.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Sephora Nourishing Moisturizer a great fit for acne-prone skin?
Sephora Nourishing Moisturizer is a great fit because avocado oil and rosehip seed oil hydrate your skin and keep it soft while sunflower seed oil keeps things calm without irritation. Even though it is a good match, it lacks salicylic acid, so acne-prone skin still needs targeted ingredients to help clear breakouts.
Which ingredients make this moisturizer a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Avocado oil and rosehip seed oil make this moisturizer a good fit by hydrating your skin and keeping its protective barrier strong. Sunflower seed oil also helps soothe your skin without causing irritation.
What does Squalane do for acne-prone skin?
Squalane may help keep acne-prone skin soft and smooth, but peroxidated forms can trigger inflammation in skin cells. For a better fit on acne-prone skin, products need non-clogging, soothing ingredients that balance oil without causing irritation.
What does Rosehip Seed Oil do for acne-prone skin?
Rosehip seed oil helps acne-prone skin by providing linoleic acid, which may reduce the size of microcomedones and clogged pores. It is also well-tolerated and unlikely to cause irritation when used in your daily routine.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer goes near the end of your morning and evening routines. In the morning it is applied after your toner and before your sunscreen, and at night it is used after your treatment.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this moisturizer with your retinol routine by applying the cream after your retinol treatment to help keep your skin calm and hydrated. Using a moisturizer alongside treatments like retinol is unlikely to cause irritation and may help improve how well your skin handles the routine.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Regular daily application helps keep skin moisturized and supports the skin barrier while being gentle on breakout-prone areas.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on acne-prone skin because it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing agents like sunflower seed oil. However, since it is missing targeted blemish-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, acne-prone skin may need added breakout-clearing ingredients to stay completely clear.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing cream around your eyes and on your body because its gentle formula and nourishing oils like avocado oil help keep skin soft and smooth. Studies show that creams with avocado oil improve skin elasticity and reduce fine lines in delicate areas like the eyes without causing irritation.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
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
Squalane 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, 2025Topical treatments containing rosehip extract may reduce the size and erythema of postsurgical scars through macrophage polarization and inflammatory cytokine inhibition, though current clinical evidence remains insufficient to recommend its routine use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Sunflower and rosehip oil nanoemulsions prepared with a mix of phospholipids and synthetic emulsifiers permeated intact skin to the dermis and showed a more prominent healing effect in a human organotypic skin explant culture wound model compared to nanoemulsions prepared only with phospholipids.
Pharmaceutics, 2023A nanoemulsion containing 1 mg/mL kojic dipalmitate and 5% rosehip oil demonstrated high incorporation efficiency, suitable physicochemical stability, antioxidant and depigmenting efficacy close to 1 mM ascorbic acid, and no cytotoxicity at concentrations from 0.06% to 1% in vitro.
Pharmaceutics, 2023Topical cream containing saffron extract and avocado oil improved wrinkle grading, reduced nasolabial fold area and volume, and increased skin elasticity in twenty healthy volunteers over 12 weeks without allergic reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical treatment with SSFAO 50% or avocado oil increased wound contraction, reepithelialization, collagen density, and tensile strength while showing anti-inflammatory activity compared to petroleum jelly in rats.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013Topical 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, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Isononyl Isononanoate, C10-18 Triglycerides, Decyl Oleate, Isostearyl Isostearate, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Stearyl Caprylate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Persea Gratissima Oil Avocado Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Squalane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Gellan Gum, 2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Polyacrylate, Polysorbate 60, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid
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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