Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Soft Cream for combination skin
Hyaluronic Acid
Squalane
Caffeine
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
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 suitability for your combination skin, as glycerin and hyaluronic acid provide excellent hydration and smoothing texture, but lack sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas.
- The product offers general skincare benefits, such as hydration, which is supportive for oily shine and combination skin, but lacks targeted ingredients to address these specific concerns.
- 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 2.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded by users with oily and combination skin for its lightweight, hydrating formula that improves elasticity and smooths fine lines without feeling greasy. Users with dry skin conditions often find it lacks sufficient moisture for colder months, and a few users reported minor breakouts or an unpleasant scent.
Highlights
Lightweight gel texture Mostly Mentioned
- “The texture is like a cloud—so lightweight”
- “Feels like gel rather than cream.”
- “Much more lightweight and gel like than the original”
- “Lightweight, essence-like texture that it's perfect for summer”
Absorbs quickly Often Mentioned
- “Absorbs beautifully but does not completely disappear or feel greasy.”
- “Absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy or sticky residue”
- “Really absorbs into the skin rather than just sitting on top”
- “Quickly absorbs into a shine free finish.”
Plumps and hydrates Often Mentioned
- “Plumps and hydrate my skin as it absorbs over night.”
- “My skin feels bouncy”
- “Plumps up skin. Awesome all-rounder”
- “Highly moisturizing and hydrating, keeping the skin soft”
Smooths fine lines Sometimes Noted
- “Smoothens fine lines.”
- “Smoothed out my forehead lines after two weeks”
- “I do think it helped with the fine lines”
- “Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles”
Insufficient for dry skin Sometimes Noted
- “People with dry skin might find it too lightweight”
- “Not enough moisture for their needs.”
- “Next time I'll buy a product more suitable for dry skin!”
- “Gave it to my mom who has dry skin.”
May cause breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Started to notice some little pimples”
- “Got some small bumps on my forehead”
- “Not sure about potential blemishes”
Pilling or heavy Rarely Noted
- “Slight pilling effect and it feels a bit heavy”
- “Didn't love how much I felt it on my face”
- “Looks too shiny after application.”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Has a scent which I really don't like”
- “Has a bit of an alcohol smell”
- “Faint chemical scent.”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, sephora.sg, bloomingdales.com, my-origines.com, hwahae.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Soft Cream work for combination skin?
This cream works for combination skin by delivering good hydration and smoothing texture, though it lacks targeted oil control for oily areas. It is safe with no risk of irritation, but a better fit for this skin type needs ingredients that also manage excess oil and add brightening benefits.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and hyaluronic acid help make this cream a good fit by providing hydration and a smooth texture. However, a moisturizing treatment for combination skin also needs targeted ingredients for optimal oil control on oily areas.
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 Squalane do for combination skin?
Squalane helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. It supports the skin barrier and provides lightweight hydration that works well for both dry and oily areas.
Skin Health and Disease, 2024Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes near the end of your morning and evening routines. It is unlikely to cause irritation on your combination skin, but to better fit this skin type, a product of this type needs targeted oil-control ingredients for your oily areas.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying your retinol treatment first and following it with this moisturizer. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth while reducing potential dryness from the retinol. To better fit combination skin, this type of product needs added oil-control ingredients to balance oily areas.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Daily application helps keep your skin hydrated and smooth, though combination skin also needs targeted ingredients for oil control on oily areas.
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 has a very safe formula with no harsh or irritating ingredients. However, because it lacks oil-controlling ingredients for your oily areas, a product of this type needs targeted balancing ingredients to work best for combination skin.
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 because it has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients that may cause irritation. The thin skin around the eyes and the skin on the body benefit from hydration, though combination skin needs products that also provide targeted oil control for oily areas.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
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 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, 2019Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025A topical cosmetic slimming product containing tetrahydroxypropyl ethylenediamine, caffeine, carnitine, forskolin and retinol significantly reduced body circumferences and improved skin aspect compared with placebo in 78 women over 12 weeks.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2011Topical sunscreen formulations containing caffeine combined with UV filters increased in vivo anti-UVB protection by approximately 25% and showed higher SPF values compared to caffeine-free sunscreen, while being well tolerated by the skin of healthy subjects.
Frontiers in Physiology, 2019Caffeine gel combined with choline geranate showed high skin permeation capacity and superior clinical results in cellulite treatment compared to caffeine gel without ionic liquid.
AAPS PharmSciTech, 2021Topical 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, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Caffeine, Hyaluronic Acid, Adenosine, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, 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
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