Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream for combination skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Vitamins C
Bionymph Peptide Complex
Shea Butter
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other moisturizers fit it 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 moisturizing for your combination skin due to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which provide hydration but lack specialized ingredients for direct oil control on your oily shine concerns.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits and is supportive for combination skin, though it does not specifically target excess oil.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizer in your AM and PM routine every day to control shine. Always pair with SPF in the morning.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin and avoid harsh rubbing. Let it ⏳absorb for a minute.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help it lock in moisture better. This keeps your combination skin balanced.
- Avoid the eye area when applying the moisturizer. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this rich moisturizer is highly praised for its ability to hydrate dry, mature, or dehydrated skin, creating a plump, radiant complexion and serving as an excellent base for makeup. Users with oily or acne-prone skin frequently find it too heavy or greasy, and the strong floral fragrance is a common concern for sensitive individuals.
Highlights
Excellent makeup base Mostly Mentioned
- “perfect canvas for base”
- “makeup sits so well”
- “no pilling or dragging”
- “foundation glides over it”
Intense hydration Often Mentioned
- “floods skin with moisture”
- “instantly hydrated”
- “dry cheeks felt plumped”
- “skin feels nourishing”
Radiant finish Often Mentioned
- “lit-from-within glow”
- “beautiful dewy finish”
- “catwalk radiance”
- “skin looks brighter”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “extremely overpriced”
- “hard to justify the cost”
- “investment product”
- “wish it was affordable”
Luxurious texture Sometimes Noted
- “rich and nourishing”
- “velvety texture”
- “feels luxurious”
- “melts into skin”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “grandma perfume smell”
- “scent is intense”
- “strong floral fragrance”
- “irritates my nose”
Too heavy/greasy Sometimes Noted
- “too greasy for oily skin”
- “felt like a mask”
- “oil-slick by mid-day”
- “heavy on the face”
Potential breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused breakouts”
- “burned my face”
- “spots broke through”
- “not for acne-prone skin”
Sources: lovi.care, influenster.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, cultbeauty.com, nordstrom.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Charlotte's Magic Cream work for combination skin?
Charlotte's Magic Cream works moderately well for combination skin because it provides balanced hydration, but it lacks specific ingredients to control oily shine. A moisturizing treatment for combination skin needs effective brightening and hydrating ingredients that reduce oily shine without clogging pores or causing irritation.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate make this cream a good fit by providing moderate moisture for combination skin. To work even better for this skin type, a product of this type needs ingredients that control oily shine while keeping the skin hydrated.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for combination skin?
Hyaluronic acid is a great fit for combination skin because it quenches dry areas with a boost of hydration while keeping oily zones balanced. Regular use helps smooth out fine lines and makes your skin feel soft and plump without causing irritation.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
What does Vitamin C do for combination skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten combination skin and smooth out uneven texture while protecting against daily environmental stress. It may also improve skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines with regular use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes after your hydrating toner and before your SPF in the morning, and after your treatment in the evening. It is very unlikely to cause irritation for your combination skin, but it needs ingredients that actively balance oil to be a great fit.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing treatment with retinol by applying it after your retinol step, as its supportive ingredients help keep your skin comfortable without irritation. Combination skin using this type of product alongside active treatments typically benefits from lightweight hydrators and ingredients that manage excess oil.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice daily as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your skin hydrated. Regular daily application helps improve moisture levels and texture while maintaining a very safe profile for your skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores for your combination skin since it has safe ingredients and a low risk of irritation. However, combination skin needs products that also target oily shine and excess oil.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on the body, as it has an excellent safety profile without harsh ingredients. Because the skin around the eyes and on certain body areas is particularly thin, a product of this type needs gentle hydration and soothing plant extracts like shea butter and aloe to keep skin soft and comfortable without irritation.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (linalool, citronellol, 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, 2017Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Hyaluronic acid extracts are safe and efficacious products for skin repair when used in tissue regeneration alone or in combination with herbal or Western medicine.
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Topical 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, 2022A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010
Ingredients
Water, Homosalate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Octocrylene, Cetyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Steareth-21, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract, Carbomer, Dimethiconol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium Edta, Tocopheryl Acetate, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Oil Fruit, Rosa Damascena Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Michelia Alba Oil Leaf, Sodium Lactate, Coco-Glucoside, Peg-8, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Plumeria Rubra Flower Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Nicotiana Sylvestris Cell Leaf Culture, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol
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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