Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream for oily skin
Zinc Oxide
Benzyl Alcohol
Lanolin
Benzyl Benzoate
Butylated Hydroxyanisole Bha
Caution
- LowOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for oily skin; the products alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 skin healing for your oily skin due to zinc oxide and benzyl alcohol, which protect and soothe, but lanolin and waxes may clog pores, limiting oil control benefits.
- The formula provides some absorption of excess oil, though it lacks specialized ingredients for significant oil reduction.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 2.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users find this product to be a highly effective staple for soothing irritated skin, especially for nappy rash and reducing acne redness. Some users note that the product's white cast and texture can be difficult to remove.
Highlights
Heals nappy rash Mostly Mentioned
- “clears redness overnight”
- “best barrier cream”
- “soothes sore skin instantly”
- “prevented rash completely”
Treats acne/spots Often Mentioned
- “dries out spots”
- “reduces redness significantly”
- “magic for breakouts”
- “calms angry pimples”
Versatile multi-purpose Often Mentioned
- “great for sunburn”
- “heals cuts/grazes”
- “helps chilblains”
Leaves white cast Often Mentioned
- “looks like ghost”
- “stains clothes white”
- “hard to rub in”
- “leaves white marks”
Excellent value Sometimes Noted
- “tub lasts ages”
- “little goes long way”
- “cheap and effective”
- “household staple”
Hard to remove Sometimes Noted
- “water repellent”
- “requires scrubbing off”
- “stays under fingernails”
- “clings to skin”
Messy application Sometimes Noted
- “gets everywhere”
- “thick and sticky”
- “messy tub format”
- “greasy residue”
Tub hygiene Rarely Noted
- “dipping fingers in”
- “unhygienic pot”
- “product gets under nails”
- “prefer tube packaging”
Sources: lovi.care, boots.com, superdrug.com, hollandandbarrett.com, influenster.com, chemistwarehouse.co.nz, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream for oily skin?
Lovi advises caution because while zinc oxide and benzyl alcohol help soothe your skin, ingredients like lanolin and heavy waxes may clog pores and make oil control harder. To better manage oily skin, products need ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, sulfur, or willow bark extract to target shine and blemishes without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily skin?
This cream is a poor fit for oily skin mainly because lanolin and heavy waxes may clog your pores and limit oil control. Oily skin needs products with ingredients like salicylic acid, willow bark extract, niacinamide, or sulfur to target shine and clear blemishes without heavy waxes.
What does Zinc Oxide do for oily skin?
Zinc oxide helps calm oily and breakout-prone skin by reducing redness and targeting bacteria that cause blemishes. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may help balance skin oil production.
What does Benzyl Alcohol do for oily skin?
Benzyl Alcohol is generally used as a preservative in skincare products and is unlikely to cause issues when used safely in formulations, though it does not provide specific benefits for oily skin.
International Journal of Toxicology, 2001Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cream is not an ideal match for oily skin because heavy ingredients like lanolin and waxes may clog pores, even though zinc oxide helps soothe. To properly care for oily skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and specialized oil-control ingredients instead.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
This cream is a poor match for oily skin, as heavy ingredients like lanolin and waxes may clog pores. Oily skin used with retinol needs lightweight, oil-free hydrators with niacinamide or hyaluronic acid to balance oil without heavy blockage.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a poor match for oily skin because ingredients like lanolin and waxes may clog pores, so you should use it cautiously or avoid regular application. Oily skin of this type needs lightweight ingredients that balance oil and keep pores clear without heavy waxes.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cream contains heavy waxes and lanolin that may clog pores on oily skin, which can lead to breakouts. Oily skin needs lightweight, non-clogging formulas with oil-absorbing ingredients and gentle hydrators to keep pores clear.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
Biomimetic hyaluronic acid-stabilized zinc oxide nanoparticles selectively inhibited C. acnes, outperformed erythromycin in preclinical acne models, and safely reduced acne lesions and redness in a clinical trial.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2025Nanoemulsion-based lanolin derivatives increased skin hydration and oiliness without changing cutaneous pH values and proved non-toxic by causing no skin irritation.
Molecules, 2016Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025Nels cream achieved a similar reduction in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts compared to 5% benzoyl peroxide in acne vulgaris patients, but caused significantly fewer side-effects such as peeling and dryness.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2000Topically applied coated and uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles under flexing and massage are retained in the stratum corneum with no significant penetration into the viable epidermis and no cellular toxicity in human skin.
Nanomedicine, 2016Benzyl alcohol acted moderately and reversibly on stratum corneum lipids, increasing hygroscopicity and decreasing water-holding capacity to the same extent as Azone and DMSO.
Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 1995Daily bathing with an emulsified lanolin and mineral oil bath additive significantly reduced dry skin severity on the lower legs of patients compared to usual bath soap over 17 days.
Cutis, 1981Sunscreen formulations containing ethoxylated lanolin as an additional film former resulted in lower and constant physical-mechanical parameters and a higher and better reproducible SPF compared to the formulation without it.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2021The addition of PEG-75 lanolin to a starch-based eco-friendly sunscreen formulation increased both its antioxidant capacity and visible light scattering, resulting in the lowest radical formation in a porcine skin ex vivo model compared to the formulation without lanolin.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. B, Biology, 2021Topical benzyl benzoate 25% achieved an 87% dermoscopy-verified cure rate compared to 27% for topical permethrin 5% in 110 patients with scabies.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2024Oral metronidazole, topical permethrin, crotamiton, and benzyl benzoate demonstrate efficacy in treating Demodex infestation, though long-term efficacy remains unestablished.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2019N-butyrylated low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (BHA) significantly promotes dermal healing relative to a commercial wound care product, whereas parent and re-acetylated low molecular weight hyaluronic acids significantly delay wound closure.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019
Ingredients
Zinc Oxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Lanolin, Water, Liquid Paraffin, Paraffin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Synthetic Beeswax, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Butylated Hydroxy Anisole Bha, Sodium Benzoate, Linalyl Acetate, Lavender
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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