Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Face Cream for acne-prone skin
Moisture Refining Complex
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Shea Butter
Vitamin E
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it 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 moderate hydration for your combination skin, as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide humectant benefits while squalane offers emollient properties without being overly heavy. The formula lacks targeted ingredients to address your acne and blemishes directly, providing only general skincare support.
- The product is safe for your combination skin, containing no harsh or prohibited ingredients that would cause irritation.
- It is highly suitable for your combination skin type due to its hydrating and balancing properties.
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 6.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded for its intense hydration, which is particularly beneficial for dry, mature, and dehydrated skin. Users frequently observe improvements in skin texture and softness, along with a reduction in fine lines. Some users find the formula too heavy for oily skin, and a moderate number of reviews mention an unappealing, strong scent.
Highlights
Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “made my skin so incredibly moisturized”
- “gave me the softest skin although my face was exposed in minus degrees”
- “skin feels soft, hydrated, and comfortable after using it”
- “provides intense moisture, ensuring skin feels soft and supple”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “skin looks smoother, brighter and feels moisturised”
- “smooths and refines skin texture”
- “improves skin texture and softness”
- “leaves the texture looking smooth and dewy”
Quick absorption Sometimes Noted
- “glides on, absorbs easily without pilling”
- “soft and non greasy”
- “absorbs to ease that tight feeling”
- “lightweight, non-greasy texture that absorbs easily”
Reduces lines Sometimes Noted
- “diminish the appearance of fine lines”
- “fine lines are better and frown lines less pronounced”
- “does seem to soften wrinkles”
- “fine lines around my eyes and mouth appeared to soften”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like a really nice smelling public toilet”
- “scent is very strong”
- “don't like the strong and quite unpleasant fragrance”
- “not a fan of the very perfume smell”
Heavy/Greasy feel Rarely Noted
- “find it a little too heavy for day time use”
- “is quite greasy and some foundations don't stick to it”
- “too heavy for oily skin types”
- “too much my face can be slightly puffy”
High price Rarely Noted
- “it's an expensive product”
- “price might be a bit higher than what some would expect”
- “not sure I liked it enough for £30”
- “cosmetics have become so expensive”
Outdated ingredients Rarely Noted
- “contains beeswax and also contains mineral oil”
- “heavy fragrance, parabens, and merely-decorative retinyl palmitate”
- “lacks modern actives”
- “an old, simple formula”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, walmart.com, macys.com, elizabetharden.com, boots.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Visible Difference Face Cream work for acne-prone skin?
Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Face Cream provides moderate hydration for acne-prone skin using glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but it lacks targeted ingredients to address breakouts directly. Moisturizers that fit acne-prone skin better need effective ingredients that help clear blemishes while keeping skin soft and balanced.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate help keep your skin hydrated, while squalane leaves it smooth without feeling too heavy. Because this cream lacks targeted blemish-fighting ingredients, an acne-prone skin type needs a moisturizer with soothing extracts and effective agents that clear breakouts while keeping the skin balanced.
What does Moisture Refining Complex do for acne-prone skin?
Moisture Refining Complex helps manage acne-prone skin by providing soothing anti-inflammatory effects and stabilizing the skin barrier. A product of this type needs lightweight hydrators like glycerin and niacinamide to keep skin calm and smooth without clogging pores.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps acne-prone skin by soothing irritation, calming redness, and keeping the skin balanced without clogging pores. When combined with targeted ingredients like zinc oxide, it may also help reduce breakouts.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer goes after your hydrating toner and before your sunscreen in the morning, and after your treatment in the evening. It provides general hydration with ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but acne-prone skin needs a moisturizer of this type to also include targeted ingredients that address breakouts and blemishes directly.
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, applying the retinol first and following with the moisturizer. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth while reducing potential irritation from the retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream twice daily as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your skin hydrated and balanced. Daily application helps improve skin moisture and supports the skin barrier.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause irritation on your acne-prone skin, though it provides only general hydration without active ingredients to clear breakouts directly. To properly support acne-prone skin, a moisturizer needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients and a lightweight, non-clogging formula.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on the thin skin around your eyes and on your body, as its safe formula and hydrating ingredients are gentle enough for those areas. A product used around the eyes or on the body needs light moisture and soothing ingredients to protect delicate skin without causing irritation.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). 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, 2017Topical application of tocopherol succinate ethosomal gel decreased erythema, melanin, and sebum levels while improving moisture content and skin elasticity in 34 human women.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Alpha-tocopherol loaded nanostructured lipid carrier gel provided enhanced moisturizing and anti-aging properties in human volunteers over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical 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, 2019The 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, 2012A 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, 2025Topical 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
Why other moisturizers fit acne-prone skin better
Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023A facial serum containing snail secretion filtrate, Calendula officinalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract significantly reduced inflammatory acne lesions compared to placebo in 66 participants with mild-to-moderate maskne over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Retinyl Palmitate Vitamin A, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Allantoin, Sodium Pca, Squalane, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
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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