Erno Laszlo Phelityl Pre-Cleansing Oil for acne-prone skin
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil
Persea Gratissima Oil Avocado Oil
Jojoba Seed Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other pre-cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 excellent makeup removal for your combination skin, as mineral oil and apricot kernel oil effectively dissolve impurities, though the blend of oils may not fully balance oilier areas.
- The inclusion of Bisabolol and Tocopherol provides soothing benefits, which are supportive for your acne-prone skin.
How to apply
- Use this makeup remover PM as the first step of your evening routine to clear away dirt and oil. Start 3x/week and work up to daily use if your combination skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this makeup remover before cleansing and using the rest of your skin products. This ensures all makeup and impurities are fully washed away.
- Gently press a small amount of the makeup remover onto your face using a soft cotton pad. Avoid rubbing the skin too harshly to prevent irritation.
- Apply the makeup remover on dry skin to easily dissolve makeup and clear out blemishes. There is no need to dampen your face beforehand.
- Do a patch test before first use to ensure your skin reacts well. Avoid the delicate eye area while applying.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsThis pre-cleansing oil is highly praised for its ability to effectively remove heavy makeup and dissolve impurities without stripping the skin's natural moisture, leaving it feeling soft and plump. It is particularly favored by those with dry or mature skin, contributing to a desirable glow. While many appreciate its performance as the first step in a double-cleansing routine, some users find the process to be time-consuming.
Highlights
Effective makeup remover Mostly Mentioned
- “Dissolves dirt and debris”
- “removes stubborn waterproof mascara”
- “breaks down makeup easily.”
Deeply moisturizing Often Mentioned
- “Infuses skin with moisture”
- “skin did not feel dry after use”
- “best moisturizer I have ever used.”
Improves skin texture Often Mentioned
- “Skin felt softer & smoother”
- “refined and I look younger”
- “leaves skin fresh and plump.”
Expensive price point Often Mentioned
- “Pricey”
- “$95 a bottle”
- “expensive but worth it.”
Gentle and soothing Sometimes Noted
- “Product application felt gentle”
- “soothing essential oils”
- “smells lovely and spa-like.”
Long-lasting product Sometimes Noted
- “Product really lasts a long time”
- “bottle lasts for months”
- “good value despite price.”
Requires second step Sometimes Noted
- “Needs a triple cleanse to get off”
- “meant to be used with the bar”
- “hard to remove alone.”
Heavy oily texture Rarely Noted
- “Thick and viscous”
- “unpleasant oily feel”
- “heavy on the skin.”
Packaging concerns Rarely Noted
- “Plastic bottle feels cheap”
- “wish it was glass”
- “leaked in shipping.”
Sources: lovi.care, ernolaszlo.com, lovelyskin.com, lookfantastic.com, amazon.com, dermstore.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Erno Laszlo Phelityl Pre-Cleansing Oil work for acne-prone skin?
This oil works okay for your acne-prone skin, though other makeup removers fit it better. A product of this type needs lighter hydrating ingredients and soothing plant extracts that calm breakouts without heavier oils that may clog pores.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Bisabolol and Tocopherol provide soothing benefits that are supportive for your acne-prone skin. Acne-prone skin needs nourishing oils and extracts that offer soothing properties and relevant skincare benefits for blemishes, while cleansing without any risk of irritation.
What does Safflower Seed Oil do for acne-prone skin?
Safflower seed oil is unlikely to be a good fit for acne-prone skin because it can lack the specific balancing and soothing properties needed by oily or breakout-prone skin. Skin of this type generally needs ingredients like linoleic acid or autophagy-activating peptides to help reduce clogged pores and surface oil.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 1998Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
What does Apricot Kernel Oil do for acne-prone skin?
Apricot kernel oil may help nourish acne-prone skin, but because it is a heavier oil, it is unlikely to provide the deep balancing and barrier support that this skin type needs. To truly care for acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs lightweight, soothing plant oils and extracts that hydrate without clogging pores.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This makeup remover goes in the evening routine before your cleanser, and as a weekly step before your cleanser. Because this oil blend may not fully balance oilier areas, acne-prone skin needs a lighter makeup remover or a cleansing water with gentle purifying and clarifying ingredients.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this makeup remover in your evening routine before your cleanser, but acne-prone skin needs a lightweight, oil-free formula that helps balance oilier areas without heavy oils.
How often should I use it?
You can use this makeup remover in the evening as the first step of your routine to take off makeup. Because this oil blend may not fully balance oilier areas on acne-prone skin, a makeup remover of this type for your skin needs lightweight, non-clogging oils and soothing ingredients to help clear impurities without feeling heavy.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cleansing oil works for acne-prone skin, though other products may fit it better because its rich blend of oils might not fully balance oilier areas. Acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-greasy cleansers with calming ingredients that lift away makeup without leaving a heavy layer behind.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, benzyl alcohol, benzyl salicylate, citral, citronellol, coumarin, eugenol, geraniol, isoeugenol, limonene, and linalool).
What the research says
Safflower oil body-human epidermal growth factor microgel emulsions mixed with xanthan gum enhance transdermal absorption, regulate inflammation, accelerate angiogenesis, and promote re-epithelialization and remodeling in full-layer skin wounds in rats.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022Topical cream containing saffron extract and avocado oil improved wrinkle grading, reduced nasolabial fold area and volume, and increased skin elasticity in twenty healthy volunteers over 12 weeks without allergic reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical treatment with SSFAO 50% or avocado oil increased wound contraction, reepithelialization, collagen density, and tensile strength while showing anti-inflammatory activity compared to petroleum jelly in rats.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012Topical application of jojoba wax reduced LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα by approximately 30% and increased the synthesis of pro-collagen III and hyaluronic acid compared to untreated skin in an ex-vivo human skin organ culture model.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2024Topical jojoba oil application in male mice decreased exercise-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression (Il-1b and Il-6 in soleus, Il-1b in gastrocnemius) compared to untreated exercised mice.
Biomolecules, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Why other pre-cleansers 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
Ingredients
Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil Huile Minerale Mineral Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Parfum, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil Avocado Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Oil Flower, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil Grape Seed Oil, Corylus Americana Seed Oil Corylus Avellana Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Taraktogenos Kurzii Seed Oil, Bht, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Bisabolol, Ci 40800 Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool
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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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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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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