🇺🇸United States

Murad Cellular Hydration Repair Mask for combination skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Murad Cellular Hydration Repair Mask

Average

  • AverageCombination Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for combination skin; other nourishing masks 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 urea provide essential hydration without exacerbating oiliness. Vaccinium myrtillus seed oil and shea butter offer nourishing benefits, though they are not specialized for managing excess shine.
  • The formula is safe for your combination skin, containing no harsh or prohibited ingredients that would cause irritation.
  • It provides excellent moisturizing benefits, effectively hydrating and nourishing your skin.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using your creamy mask 3x a week and work up to daily use if your skin tolerates it.
  • Apply your creamy mask after cleansing and toning, but before your moisturizer to lock in benefits. This step fits nicely right in the middle of your daily routine.
  • Smooth an even layer of the creamy mask gently over your face, avoiding any unnecessary heavy rubbing. Let it sit for a few minutes ⏱ so your skin can drink it in.
  • Apply the creamy mask on clean and dry skin to help manage oily shine effectively. This ensures the product works best for your combination skin type.
  • Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a simple patch test before your very first use to make sure your skin is happy.

People Say

★4.8Overall rating based on 200+ reviews

This overnight mask is widely praised for its ability to rescue dry, sensitive, and sensitized skin by providing intense, barrier-strengthening hydration. Users consistently report visible improvements in skin plumpness, reduced redness, and a smoother complexion, making it a go-to treatment for skin stressed by active ingredients or environmental factors.

Highlights

  • Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry skin.”
    • “Provides excellent hydration.”
    • “Quenched dry flaky skin.”
  • Non-greasy texture Often Mentioned
    • “Not sticky or heavy.”
    • “Does not feel greasy.”
    • “Light, non-sticky texture.”
  • Reduces redness Often Mentioned
    • “Immediately took away irritation.”
    • “Helped calm and soothe.”
    • “Redness is reduced dramatically.”
  • Plumping effect Sometimes Noted
    • “Helped make skin plumper.”
    • “Experienced actual plumping.”
    • “Skin felt plumper next day.”
  • High price point Sometimes Noted
    • “Quite a lot of money.”
    • “Hefty downside is the cost.”
    • “Investment for most people.”
  • Slow absorption Sometimes Noted
    • “Takes a while to settle.”
    • “Stops feeling tacky after hours.”
    • “Slight tackiness when applied.”
  • Unusual scent Rarely Noted
    • “Odd plastic scent.”
    • “Funny smell, a bit clove-like.”
    • “Opinions on scent are mixed.”

Sources: lovi.care, murad.com, sephora.com, spacenk.com, britishbeautyblogger.com, womanandhome.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does Murad Cellular Hydration Repair Mask work for combination skin?

This mask works moderately well for combination skin because glycerin and urea provide essential hydration without making oily areas worse. However, it lacks specialized ingredients to manage excess shine. A nourishing mask for this skin needs soothing and calming ingredients, no risk of irritation, and effective benefits for managing oily shine while balancing dry and oily areas.

Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for combination skin?

Glycerin and urea make this mask a good fit for your combination skin because they provide essential hydration without making oily areas worse. However, to work even better for this skin type, a nourishing mask needs effective soothing ingredients, ingredients that help manage oily shine, and a balanced formula that addresses both dry and oily zones.

What does Butyrospermum Parkii Butter do for combination skin?

Butyrospermum parkii butter helps keep combination skin soft and smooth while supporting the skin barrier. This ingredient is generally well tolerated, though a product for this skin type also needs lightweight hydration to balance oilier zones without clogging pores.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2018

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 nourishing mask fits into a weekly routine as a special step after cleansing and before toning, moisturizing, and treatments. Combination skin needs a product that provides lightweight hydration for dry areas without heavy oils that can increase shine in oily zones.

Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this mask with retinol, applying the mask after your retinol treatment to help soothe and moisturize your skin. This type of routine helps keep your skin feeling soft and comfortable while lowering the chances of dryness or irritation.

Cutis, 2006

How often should I use it?

This nourishing mask works as a weekly treatment for your combination skin, helping to hydrate without adding extra oil. A product of this type for combination skin needs balancing ingredients that provide moisture while helping manage excess shine.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021

Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?

This mask is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on your combination skin because it contains gentle hydrating ingredients like glycerin and urea that give your skin moisture without adding extra oil. However, since it also includes rich shea butter and seed oil, combination skin needs a product that targets excess shine and oil control to get a truly great fit.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Arachidyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and behenyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, 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, 2017

  • A 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, 2025

  • A 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, 2025

  • The 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, 2020

  • Ten 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, 2001

  • Niacinamide/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

  • Topical 40% urea cream achieved improvement in less time and showed superiority over 12% ammonium lactate lotion in skin roughness, fissure reduction, thickness, and dryness at day 14 in patients treated for moderate to severe xerosis.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002

  • Topical treatment with K101 achieved a significantly higher mycological cure rate compared to placebo in patients with ≤50% nail involvement (27.2% vs 10.4%), while showing early visible improvements in nail appearance and no safety issues.

    Mycoses, 2012

  • Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.

    Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016

  • A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.

    Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020

  • An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.

    Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018

Why other nourishing masks fit combination skin better

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Diisostearyl Malate, Glyceryl Behenate, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Linoleic Acid, Phytosterols, Epilobium Angustifolium Stem Extract Flower Leaf, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Extract, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Tocopherol, Jojoba Esters, Allantoin, Helianthus Annuus Wax Seed Sunflower Wax Seed, Erythritol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polyglycerin-3, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Arachidyl Alcohol, Hectorite, Glyceryl Stearates, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arachidyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Glucose, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Aspergillus Ferment, Chlorphenesin

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play