Kate Somerville Cold Cream for combination skin
Shea Butter
Glycerin
Coconut Oil
Jojoba Oil
Vitamin EAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
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 combination skin as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide humectant action, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on oily areas.
- The formula provides excellent cleansing with coconut oil and glycerin to remove impurities while hydrating, though it does not directly address your main goal of managing oily shine.
- The product is safe for your combination skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components like aloe barbadensis leaf juice and chamomile extract.
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
★4.8Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, this product is a modern, whipped take on traditional cold cream that effectively melts away makeup, including waterproof mascara, while leaving skin feeling soft and hydrated. It is particularly praised by users with dry or sensitive skin for its ability to cleanse without stripping moisture. Some users find the jar packaging less hygienic and the price point high.
Highlights
Hydrating finish Mostly Mentioned
- “Soft skin, non-drying, glowing, moisturized.”
Effective makeup removal Often Mentioned
- “Melts waterproof mascara, removes heavy makeup, dissolves dirt.”
Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
- “Whipped, lightweight, creamy, fluffy.”
Gentle on skin Sometimes Noted
- “Soothing, no irritation, good for sensitive skin, cooling sensation.”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “Fresh floral, spa-like, jasmine and rose, not powdery.”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “Expensive, pricey for a cleanser, $48 price point.”
Incomplete removal Rarely Noted
- “Smudged mascara, needed second cleanse, didn't remove everything.”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “Unhygienic, dipping fingers in, messy, prefer pump/tube.”
Residue or film Rarely Noted
- “Requires washcloth to remove, feels heavy, leaves film.”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “Scent too strong, potential irritant for some.”
Sources: lovi.care, nordstrom.com, influenster.com, gopicky.com, newbeauty.com, refinery29.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Kate Somerville Cold Cream work for combination skin?
Kate Somerville Cold Cream offers moderate suitability for combination skin because glycerin and sodium hyaluronate draw in moisture, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on oily areas. A cleanser for combination skin needs ingredients that effectively cleanse without stripping moisture, manage oily shine, and support the skin balance.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate help make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin by drawing in moisture, while coconut oil effectively removes impurities. Because this product is an average fit for combination skin, cleansers of this type need ingredients that better manage oily shine while hydrating dry areas.
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.
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
Where does it go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser goes in the morning and evening routine for combination skin. Combination skin of this type needs lighter cleansers with oil-control ingredients to keep oily areas fresh while cleansing.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying the cleanser first on damp skin and following with your retinol treatment. This cleanser helps keep skin calm and hydrated without harsh ingredients, but combination skin also needs ingredients that manage oily shine.
How often should I use it?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. It gently cleans and hydrates, though combination skin needs extra oil-controlling ingredients to manage shine on oily areas.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
Kate Somerville Cold Cream is unlikely to cause breakouts or purging on combination skin because it is free of harsh ingredients, though it may leave a heavy feel since it lacks enough oil-controlling ingredients for oily areas. This skin type needs lightweight cleansers with oil-balancing and clarifying ingredients to manage shine properly without feeling heavy.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but you should take care around the thin skin of the eyes. This product works for combination skin, though this skin type needs extra oil-controlling ingredients to manage shine.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Cetearyl 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, 2017A 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, 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, 2012Overnight virgin coconut oil application provides a skin protective effect against damage and increased TEWL from frequent alcohol-based hand sanitizer usage in 60 volunteers, resulting in a 25% increase in perceived moisture content compared to the control group.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Clay 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 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, 2019Combined ascorbyl palmitate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate treatment significantly reduced facial sebum secretions in healthy female volunteers compared to a placebo control over 90 days.
Drug Research, 2017
Ingredients
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Esters, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Disodium Edta
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
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.