🇮🇪Ireland

Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream EX for sensitive skin

Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream EX

Average

  • HighNormal Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 benefits for your redness and irritation, as glycerin and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract provide hydration and soothing effects suitable for normal, sensitive skin.
  • The formula's humectant properties from glycerin and betaine enhance barrier resilience, while antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions from Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract support overall skin health.
  • The product is safe for your sensitive skin, containing no harsh ingredients and including soothing extracts like Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract.

How to apply

  • Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
  • Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
  • Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
  • You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
  • Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .

People Say

★4.7Overall rating based on 300+ reviews

This rich cream is highly praised by users with dry and mature skin for its deep hydration and plumping effects, often resulting in a healthy glow. While many enjoy the luxurious, velvety texture and calming herbal scent, some find the fragrance overpowering or the cream too rich and heavy, occasionally leading to greasiness or breakouts, particularly for those with oily skin.

Highlights

  • Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
    • “hydration lasted for hours”
    • “skin felt plump and hydrated”
    • “wake up with plump, revitalized skin”
    • “my skin drinks this up”
  • Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
    • “rich, velvety texture”
    • “melts beautifully into the skin”
    • “whipped cream texture very soft”
    • “absorbs nicely without feeling heavy”
  • High price point Often Mentioned
    • “price is a bit steep”
    • “on the pricier side”
    • “wish it were a bit more affordable”
    • “expensive for just a moisturizer”
  • Calming scent Sometimes Noted
    • “herbal ginseng scent which I enjoy”
    • “scent... find to be calming”
    • “fresh, subtle scent that feels special”
    • “smells like a herbal perfume”
  • Visibly firms skin Sometimes Noted
    • “notice a subtle but real firming effect”
    • “complexion appear firmer”
    • “visibly firms and smooths”
    • “improves skin elasticity”
  • Scent too strong Sometimes Noted
    • “scent slightly overpowering”
    • “strong ginger menthol scent”
    • “fragrance is a bit strong”
    • “scent used to bother me”
  • Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “broke out in stubborn blemishes”
    • “pores started feeling congested”
    • “noticed inflammation developing”
    • “caused blemishes”
  • Too heavy / greasy Rarely Noted
    • “too rich for warmer days”
    • “feels sticky and greasy”
    • “bit too oily for those with oily skin”
    • “leaves a bit of a streak”

Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, influenster.com, yesstyle.com, nordstrom.com, hwahae.co.kr, and more

Questions and answers

How well does Essential Firming Cream EX work for sensitive skin?

This cream works for sensitive skin by offering moderate hydration and soothing benefits for redness and irritation, though other products fit it better. To fit this skin well, a moisturizing treatment needs ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, cica ceramide, and nourishing oils to enhance barrier function and hydration without overwhelming the skin.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?

Glycerin, betaine, and green tea leaf extract help hydrate your skin and soothe redness and irritation. To fit sensitive skin even better, a moisturizer of this type needs calming ingredients like fermented centella asiatica, cica ceramide, and nourishing oils that strengthen the skin barrier without overwhelming it.

Molecules, 2024Skin Research and Technology, 2003

What does Water do for sensitive skin?

Using cool water for facial cleansing preserves skin barrier integrity and lowers skin surface pH in healthy adults. This helps keep skin calm and hydrated without causing the irritation associated with warmer water.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026

What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?

Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999

Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?

This cream works best in the evening routine, applied after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer. A product for sensitive skin like this needs gentle hydrators like glycerin and calming plant extracts to keep skin calm and soft.

The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this cream with retinol by applying it as your treatment step in the evening routine. A moisturizer of this type used alongside retinoids helps support the skin barrier and reduces dryness.

Cutis, 2006

How often should I use this cream?

You can use this moisturizing treatment twice daily as part of your routine. Daily application helps improve hydration and supports your skin barrier, though a product of this type for sensitive skin also needs soothing plant extracts and gentle hydrators like glycerin and green tea extract.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021

Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?

This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts on sensitive skin, as reviewers rarely mention this issue and the formula lacks harsh ingredients. However, because it only offers an average fit for your skin, a product of this type needs soothing botanical extracts and gentle hydration to keep pores clear and calm.

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, though sensitive skin requires a product that offers gentle, calming ingredients like green tea extract and licorice root extract alongside deep hydration to protect thinner areas without causing irritation.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002

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

  • 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, 2017
  • Topical low-dose green tea extract reduces UVB-induced p53 expression and apoptosis in human skin keratinocytes compared to placebo.

    Experimental Dermatology, 2009
  • A combination of Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and trimethylglycine in a 1:1 mass ratio synergistically increased aquaporin 3 expression by up to 380% in keratinocytes and safely improved skin hydration in healthy volunteers.

    Molecules, 2024
  • Soaps containing betaine caused the least skin irritation compared to other tested soaps in twenty-eight healthy subjects, though irritation did not decrease with increasing concentrations of betaine.

    Skin Research and Technology, 2003
  • The 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, 2020
  • Ten 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, 2001
  • Niacinamide/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, 2012

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Poly C6-14 Olefin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Betaine, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Dimethicone Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Disodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Root Extract Rhizome, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Honey, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Squalane, Tocopherol

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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Prices checked 6 Nov 2026

The Lovi Fit is the same in every country; only the stores and prices differ, and the ones here are for Ireland.

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