Lancôme Hydra Zen Gel Cream for acne-prone skin

How to apply

Questions and answers

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

• A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.

  BioMed Research International, 2020

• A 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, 2018

• Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.

  CMAJ, 2010

• Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010

• 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

• Topical 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, 2011

• Topical 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, 2022

• Treatment 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, 2019

• Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.

  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018

• Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.

  Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010

• Formulations containing 0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50% freeze-dried Aloe vera extract increased stratum corneum water content compared with the vehicle in 20 female subjects, while transepidermal water loss was not modified.

  Skin Research and Technology, 2006

• Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.

  American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002

• Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

• Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.

  Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000

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, 2023

• A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• A 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, Alcohol Denat, Butylene Glycol, Peg-8, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Adenosine, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Edta, 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.