Pond's Dry Skin Cream for combination skin
Glycerin
Mineral Oil
Dimethicone
Isopropyl Palmitate
Stearic Acid
Low
- LowCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for combination skin; the moisturizers alongside 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
- Suboptimal compatibility with your combination skin as mineral oil and dimethicone provide emollient and occlusive actions that may be too heavy for oily areas, though glycerin offers moderate hydration.
- The product offers general skincare benefits like hydration and barrier support, but these are mostly supportive and irrelevant for your oily shine.
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
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.9k+ reviewsThis moisturizer is widely celebrated for providing deep, long-lasting hydration to very dry and sensitive skin, often resolving flaky patches and winter dryness where expensive brands fail. While many users with dry skin swear by its rich, occlusive formula as a night cream or makeup base, those with oily or acne-prone skin often find it too heavy and greasy. The summary is based on a very large amount of data and should definitely be taken into account.
Highlights
Deeply moisturizing Mostly Mentioned
- “Moisture lasts all day”
- “Saved my winter skin”
- “Gone are dehydration lines”
Unbeatable value Often Mentioned
- “Best bang for your buck”
- “Lasts for months”
Excellent makeup base Sometimes Noted
- “Foundation looks natural”
- “Perfect primer”
- “Gives a dewy glow”
Soothing legacy Sometimes Noted
- “My grandma used this”
- “Smells like comfort”
Greasy texture Sometimes Noted
- “Too greasy for day”
- “Left an oil slick”
- “Felt heavy on face”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “Smell is too strong”
- “Gave me a headache”
- “Wished it was unscented”
Clogs pores Rarely Noted
- “Broke me out”
- “Caused cystic acne”
- “Too thick for pores”
Mineral oil content Rarely Noted
- “Don't like mineral oil”
- “Ingredients aren't great”
- “Prefer natural oils”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, influenster.com, target.com, byrdie.com, walgreens.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is POND'S Dry Skin Cream a weak match for combination skin?
This cream is a weak match because mineral oil and dimethicone create a heavy layer that may be too rich for oily areas of your face. Combination skin needs a moisturizer with ingredients that hydrate and brighten while reducing oily shine without feeling heavy.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for combination skin?
Mineral oil and dimethicone make this cream a poor fit because they provide heavy richness that can feel too much for the oily areas of your skin. A product for this skin type needs effective brightening and moisturizing ingredients like peptides, natural moisturizing factors, soothing agents, and antioxidants to reduce oily shine without adding excess weight.
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Mineral Oil do for combination skin?
Mineral oil helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture and supporting the skin barrier. Because it sits on the surface without penetrating deeply, a product of this type for combination skin needs a lightweight texture and balancing ingredients to avoid feeling too heavy in oily areas while hydrating dry patches.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cream is a weak match for combination skin because mineral oil and dimethicone may feel too heavy and cause extra shine on oily areas. Combination skin needs a lightweight moisturizer with glycerin for balanced hydration without the heavy oils.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
This cream is a weak match for your combination skin because heavy ingredients like mineral oil may feel too heavy on your oily areas, even though glycerin provides good hydration. When using this cream with retinol, apply your retinol first and follow with the moisturizer to help keep your skin soft and calm. Combination skin needs lighter, balancing hydrators and non-greasy ingredients that won't clog oily zones.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a weak match for your combination skin because its heavy oils may feel too rich for your oily areas. To work well for combination skin, a moisturizer needs lightweight hydration and fast-absorbing ingredients that soften dry patches without clogging pores.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause purging, but its heavy mineral oil and dimethicone may clog pores and feel too heavy on the oily areas of combination skin. A moisturizer for this skin type needs lighter hydrators like glycerin and hyaluronic acid that hydrate without adding extra oil.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is suitable for use on the body and the thin skin around the eyes due to its supportive hydration and barrier benefits, though combination skin may find its heavy texture too rich. A product for this area needs lightweight hydration and barrier ingredients that do not clog pores or feel greasy on oily spots.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl 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, 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, 2012Repeated application of concentrated water-in-oil emulsions over four weeks caused no skin irritation, positively affected skin properties, and delivered almost 50% of the applied fluorescein sodium, with isopropyl myristate showing superior penetration performance compared to liquid paraffin in healthy volunteers.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment disrupts the ordered intercellular lipid lamellar structure in hairless mouse stratum corneum, and immersion in a ceramide 3, cholesterol, and stearic acid mixture successfully reorganizes this ordered lamellar structure.
Biophysical Chemistry, 2001
Ingredients
Water, Mineral Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Disodium Edta, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
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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