La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil for combination skin
Niacinamide
Shea Butter
La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water
Glycerin
Vitreoscilla FermentAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other cleansers 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 niacinamide provide hydration and help regulate sebum, though it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas.
- The cleansing agents coco-betaine and sodium laureth sulfate effectively cleanse pores, offering general cleansing benefits for your oily shine.
- The product is safe for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients, posing no risks of irritation.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 9.0k+ reviewsWhile many appreciate its gentle, hydrating, and versatile nature for face and body, a significant number of reviews mention it functions more like a foaming gel than a traditional oil, and some dislike its natural scent or experience eye irritation.
Highlights
Hydrating and non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “Leaves skin feeling soft”
- “Doesn't strip moisture”
- “No tight feeling after”
Gentle on sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “Safe for my baby”
- “Soothing on reactive skin”
Not a true oil Often Mentioned
- “More like a gel”
- “Doesn't dissolve waterproof makeup”
- “Expected a cleansing balm”
Effective second cleanse Sometimes Noted
- “Perfect morning cleanser”
- “Removes sunscreen residue”
- “Great second step cleanse”
Versatile for face/body Sometimes Noted
- “Use it head to toe”
- “Huge bottle lasts forever”
- “Convenient for shower use”
Unpleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “Smells like plastic”
- “Odd chemical scent”
- “Scent is off-putting”
Causes eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “Stings my eyes bad”
- “Burns if it gets in eyes”
- “Not eye-safe”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Pump arrived broken”
- “Leaked in the box”
- “Dispenser stops working”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, walmart.com, ulta.com, lovelyskin.com, laroche-posay.us, and more
Questions and answers
How well does La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil work for combination skin?
La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil offers moderate suitability for your combination skin because glycerin and niacinamide provide hydration and help regulate sebum, though it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas. A cleanser for combination skin needs ingredients that safely balance oil production, maintain hydration for oily shine, and soothe the skin without causing irritation.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and niacinamide make this cleanser a fit for combination skin by providing hydration and helping regulate sebum. However, a cleanser of this type for combination skin needs ingredients that provide optimal oil control on oily areas while maintaining moisture without irritation.
What does Niacinamide do for combination skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oily areas by reducing excess shine and pore size while keeping dry patches hydrated and smooth. It also works to calm redness and even out skin tone, making it very suitable for combination skin.
What does Shea Butter do for combination skin?
Shea butter helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by supporting the skin barrier and providing gentle moisture. This ingredient is unlikely to clog pores when used in balanced amounts, helping to calm dry areas while keeping the oily zones comfortable.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the first or second cleansing step. To better manage oily areas on combination skin, this type of product needs extra ingredients for oil control.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
This cleanser works safely with retinol when you use it as the first step in your routine before applying your treatment. Because it gently cleans pores without harsh ingredients, it is unlikely to cause extra irritation while you use retinol.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in the morning and evening as part of your routine. It is safe for your skin and helps cleanse pores, though a product for combination skin also needs stronger ingredients to control oil on your shiny areas.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause clogged pores, breakouts, or purging for combination skin because it has a very safe formula with gentle cleansing agents that effectively clear pores without harsh ingredients or irritation. However, since it only offers moderate suitability for combination skin, a product of this type needs stronger oil-controlling ingredients to properly manage shine on your oily areas.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but it is best to avoid the very thin skin directly around your eyes. This product type works well on thicker areas, while delicate zones need gentler formulas with targeted hydrating and soothing ingredients.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum).
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 post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005A 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, 2025Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 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, 2012A dermocosmetic formulation containing Vichy volcanic mineralizing water, Vitreoscilla filiformis extract, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E accelerated skin renewal, improved antioxidant defenses, enhanced skin barrier recovery after acute stress, and improved microbiome recovery compared to untreated skin.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022The combination of Vitreoscilla filiformis extract and Vichy volcanic mineralizing water strengthens the skin barrier by stimulating skin differentiation and tight junctions, enhances biochemical defenses via antimicrobial peptides, and supports cellular immune defenses by increasing the IL-10/IL-12 ratio and protecting Langerhans cells from ultraviolet radiation compared to controls.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022
Why other cleansers fit combination skin better
A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sucrose, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide, Parfum, Peg-75 Shea Glycerides Butter, Polysorbate 20, Ppg-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitreoscilla Ferment
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?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.