COSRX Propolis Light Cream for combination skin
Propolis Extract
Honey Extract
Royal Jelly Extract
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
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
- This cream offers moderate moisturizing for your combination skin, with propolis extract and glycerin providing hydration and enhancing barrier resilience. It is highly suitable for combination skin due to the humectant and anti-inflammatory actions of propolis and honey extracts.
- While it addresses general skincare needs like hydration, it lacks targeted ingredients for oil control, making its benefits largely supportive rather than directly addressing your oily shine.
- The product is safe for your skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like propolis extract and honey extract.
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
★4.7Overall rating based on 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this lightweight cream is highly praised for providing a radiant glow and calming redness without feeling heavy, making it ideal for combination, acne-prone, and sensitive skin. It effectively heals breakouts and strengthens the skin barrier. However, individuals with very dry skin might find it insufficient for intense hydration, especially during winter.
Highlights
Lightweight & fast Mostly Mentioned
- “Absorbs effortlessly”
- “feels like nothing on skin”
- “perfect for humid weather”
- “non-greasy finish”
Glow & hydration Often Mentioned
- “Gives me a healthy glow”
- “makes skin look plump”
- “glass skin effect”
- “leaves a nice dewy finish”
Soothing & healing Often Mentioned
- “healed popped pimples overnight”
- “reduced redness immediately”
- “great for sensitive skin”
Excellent makeup base Sometimes Noted
- “Makeup glides right over it”
- “acts like a gripping primer”
- “foundation looks smoother”
- “no pilling under makeup”
Not enough moisture Sometimes Noted
- “Need to layer it”
- “not occlusive enough for winter”
- “skin felt tight after an hour”
- “better for summer only”
Small quantity Sometimes Noted
- “Finished it in a month”
- “wish it came in a bigger tube”
- “expensive for the amount”
- “jar looks big but is empty inside”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Gave me whiteheads”
- “triggered my fungal acne”
- “caused small bumps on forehead”
- “broke me out immediately”
Slightly sticky Rarely Noted
- “Leaves a sticky film”
- “hair sticks to my face”
- “feels tacky for 10 minutes”
- “too shiny/sticky for day use”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, sokoglam.com, reddit.com, yesstyle.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX Propolis Light Cream work for combination skin?
This cream works moderately well for your combination skin, providing hydration and soothing care without harsh ingredients. However, it lacks oil-control ingredients to address your oily shine directly. A product for this skin type needs targeted brightening and moisturizing ingredients to reduce shine while delivering safe hydration and antioxidants.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for combination skin?
Propolis extract, honey extract, and glycerin make this cream a good fit by hydrating your skin and soothing dryness. This type of product needs ingredients that control oil and brighten the skin to truly balance combination areas.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What does Propolis Extract do for combination skin?
Propolis extract helps calm redness and keeps breakouts under control while supporting skin healing, making it a great match for combination skin. It works to balance different areas of the face by soothing dry patches and calming oily zones without clogging pores.
What does Honey Extract do for combination skin?
Honey extract helps keep combination skin moisturized while supporting the skin barrier by gradually absorbing into the skin. It is unlikely to cause irritation and works well to maintain soft and smooth skin across both dry and oily areas.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cream goes as the moisturizer step in your morning and evening routines. It helps keep your skin soft and hydrated, though combination skin also needs targeted ingredients for oil control.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first and following it with this cream to help soothe and hydrate your skin. This approach helps reduce irritation and supports your skin barrier while you use retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Regular daily application helps keep combination skin hydrated and supports skin barrier resilience.
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 for your combination skin since it contains no harsh ingredients and features soothing propolis and honey extracts. While reviews show only low complaints about breakouts, a product of this type needs targeted oil-control ingredients to properly manage oily shine on combination skin.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is safe to use around the eyes and on the body because it contains no harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like propolis and honey extracts. However, because skin is much thinner around the eyes and varies in thickness across the body, a moisturizer for this skin needs gentle, nourishing ingredients that support hydration without causing irritation.
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, 2017Applying an essence containing royal jelly extract significantly increased the stratum corneum water content of the cheeks compared to placebo in healthy Japanese adults over 4 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022A 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 propolis application significantly reduced postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and accelerated wound healing in patients undergoing tonsillectomy compared to a control group.
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, 2018Topical treatment with ethanol propolis extract resulted in complete mycological and clinical cure in 56.25% of patients with onychomycosis, demonstrating non-toxicity and effective antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. both in vitro and in patients.
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018Honey-based dressings reduced mean healing duration, length of hospital stay, and VAS pain scores compared with povidone iodine-based dressings in 1236 participants.
Journal of Wound Care, 2021Topical honey application improved the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and healing time compared to acyclovir cream in 16 adult patients with recurrent labial and genital herpes lesions.
Medical Science Monitor, 2004A prototype body cream containing bee venom, propolis, honey, beeswax, and royal jelly demonstrated stability for 90 days, high antioxidant capacity of 85.45%, lack of cytotoxicity with over 70% cell viability, and no irritation or allergic reaction in dermatological analysis, while improving skin parameters in a panel test.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Royal jelly protects against epidermal stress caused by UVB and menadione through the upregulation of NQO1 expression by its active compound 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021Defensin-1 from royal jelly stimulated MMP-9 secretion and increased keratinocyte migration and wound closure in vitro, and promoted re-epithelisation and wound closure in uninfected excision wounds.
Scientific Reports, 2017The 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, 2012
Ingredients
Propolis Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Honey Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Beeswax, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Arginine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
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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