St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer for dry sensitive skin
Collagen
Elastin
GlycerinAverage
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 moisturizing for your dry and sensitive skin, as glycerin and hydrolyzed collagen provide hydration and improve elasticity. Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil further supports emollient action, though it may not deliver optimal results in all areas.
- The formula is safe for your dry and sensitive skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
- It provides general hydration for dry or flaky skin, addressing your main goal effectively.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using this moisturizer 3 times a week and move to daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toner in the morning, or after your serum in the evening. Always pair it with SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it harshly to protect your sensitive skin.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help with hydration absorption. This also works well for dry and flaky skin types.
- Do a patch test before your first use. Avoid the eye area to prevent any irritation.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 22.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is widely praised as a budget-friendly "holy grail" for softening skin and smoothing fine lines without feeling heavy or greasy. While it is marketed for renewing skin with collagen and elastin, users with very dry or sensitive skin sometimes find the hydration insufficient or the fragrance irritating, though it remains a favorite for those seeking a lightweight, daily glow.
Highlights
Great value Mostly Mentioned
- “huge tub lasts forever”
- “unbeatable price for the amount”
- “great bang for your buck”
- “economical daily moisturizer”
Soft and smooth Mostly Mentioned
- “makes my skin feel so soft”
- “leaves skin silky smooth”
- “texture feels plumper”
- “softens rough patches”
Lightweight feel Often Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly”
- “no greasy film”
- “lightweight under foundation”
- “doesn't clog pores”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells fresh and clean”
- “light pleasant scent”
- “love the classic smell”
- “scent isn't overpowering”
Jar packaging Sometimes Noted
- “wish it had a pump”
- “hate dipping fingers in”
- “unsanitary jar packaging”
- “prefer a squeeze tube”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused small bumps”
- “broke me out in T-zone”
- “clogged my pores”
- “woke up with whiteheads”
Fragrance irritation Rarely Noted
- “scent is too strong”
- “fragrance irritated my eyes”
- “caused redness due to perfume”
- “wish it was fragrance-free”
Not for dry skin Rarely Noted
- “not moisturizing enough for winter”
- “skin felt dry an hour later”
- “need to reapply often”
- “too light for dry patches”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, walmart.com, influenster.com, youtube.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does St. Ives Collagen & Elastin work for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizer works moderately well for your dry sensitive skin, offering basic hydration and safe use without irritation. However, a product for this skin needs highly effective, soothing ingredients and rich nourishing components that provide significant hydration, skin barrier support, and maximum benefits.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen, and safflower seed oil make this cream a good fit by providing hydration and softening dry skin. To work best for dry sensitive skin, this type of product needs soothing ingredients and moisture-locking agents that deeply nourish and support the skin barrier without any risk of irritation.
What does Collagen do for dry sensitive skin?
Collagen helps dry sensitive skin by improving moisture, hydration, and overall barrier function to keep skin soft and smooth. It may also help reduce water loss and calm irritation as part of your daily routine.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022
What does Hydrolyzed Elastin do for dry sensitive skin?
Hydrolyzed elastin helps keep dry skin soft by supporting natural elasticity and improving overall hydration. This ingredient aids in keeping the skin barrier smooth and is unlikely to cause irritation when used regularly.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes in the evening routine after your cleansing, soothing toner, and treatment steps. A moisturizer of this type needs rich hydrators and soothing plant oils to properly care for dry and sensitive skin.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizing treatment with retinol by applying it after your retinol to help calm the skin. This product is unlikely to cause irritation for dry sensitive skin, but a product of this type needs richer barrier-repairing ingredients and ceramides to give this skin optimal results.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream works well as an evening treatment in your routine, helping to keep dry and sensitive skin soft and comfortable. Daily application is generally safe and helps maintain hydration, though dry and sensitive skin often benefits from richer barrier-repair ingredients and soothing botanical extracts for optimal results.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that typically trigger irritation. Reviewers rarely report breakouts, and the formula focuses on gentle, general hydration.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream works for the skin on your body and around your eyes, providing moderate hydration through glycerin and safflower seed oil while remaining gentle on dry and sensitive areas. However, because skin around the eyes is very thin, dry sensitive skin needs specialized eye treatments with rich hydrators and soothing botanicals to deliver optimal results.
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, linalool, hexyl cinnamal, coumarin, and geraniol). 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, 2017Topical application of TAC/Collagen postbiotics gel improved skin moisture score and inflammation index, and reduced porphyrins and brown spots in 20 volunteers with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical collagen tripeptide application improved skin wrinkles, elasticity, and density while reducing advanced glycated end products in 22 Asian women over 4 weeks.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022Marine collagen extracted from Greenland halibut skin showed a non-cytotoxic effect on fibroblast cells and provided a slight skin hydration effect when incorporated into cosmetic hydrogel formulations at dosages of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5% in 23 healthy volunteers.
Marine Drugs, 2023Topical application of a 0.1% copper-zinc malonate-containing cream significantly enhanced elastin biosynthesis and induced elastic fibre regeneration in photoaged facial skin of 21 female patients after 6 weeks of treatment compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2009A betaine-based deep eutectic solvent successfully enhanced the transdermal delivery of elastin peptide, which improved skin barrier repair, reduced melanin secretion and deposition, and stimulated the secretion of procollagen I and elastin.
Biomaterials Advances, 2024Bioactive recombinant humanized elastin (RHE) gel effectively restores skin elasticity, reverses UV-induced damage and oxidative stress, and promotes extracellular matrix remodeling in zebrafish and aged mice models compared to commercial vitamin E and recombinant humanized collagen gels.
Materials Today. Bio, 2025The 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
Why other moisturizers fit dry sensitive skin better
Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Nanoemulsions containing Macadamia integrifolia seed oil successfully enhanced skin hydration and reduced wrinkles in human volunteers, outperforming conventional emulsions in skin hydration enhancement.
Nanomaterials, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Parfum, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Geraniol, Sorbitol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract Sunflower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Yellow 5 Ci 19140, Red 4 Ci 14700, Red 33 Ci 17200, Blue 1 Ci 42090
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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