Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream for acne-prone skin
Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Squalane
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
TocopherolAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open, 2025
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 moderate moisturizing and barrier resilience for your combination skin, with glycerin and shea butter providing hydration without significantly addressing your acne concerns.
- Squalane and sunflower seed oil offer additional nourishment, but the formula lacks potent ingredients for strong seboregulation, which would better suit your combination skin.
- The product is safe for your acne-prone skin, as it contains soothing ingredients like honey and panax ginseng root extract and avoids harsh or prohibited substances.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 300+ reviewsThis ultra-luxurious anti-aging cream is widely praised by users with dry and mature skin for its ability to deeply hydrate and visibly plump the complexion. While many report a subtle lifting effect and improved elasticity over time, the extremely high price point and rich texture make it a "splurge" product best reserved for those seeking a premium, sensory skincare ritual.
Highlights
Luxurious texture Mostly Mentioned
- “whipped butter consistency”
- “melts into skin”
- “rich but not heavy”
- “silky finish”
Extremely expensive Mostly Mentioned
- “hard to justify price”
- “way too pricey”
- “wallet hurts”
- “luxury splurge only”
Deep hydration Often Mentioned
- “skin feels plump”
- “instant glow”
- “erased dry patches”
- “moisturized all day”
Elegant packaging Sometimes Noted
- “beautiful moon jar”
- “looks like art”
- “stunning on vanity”
- “heavy and high-quality”
Firming effects Sometimes Noted
- “jawline looks sharper”
- “skin feels bouncier”
- “helped with sagging”
- “lines look softened”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like dirt”
- “overpowering herbal scent”
- “medicinal fragrance”
- “too strong for me”
Heavy for oily skin Rarely Noted
- “caused breakouts”
- “too greasy for day”
- “sat on top of skin”
- “clogged my pores”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “unhygienic dipping”
- “wish it had a pump”
- “messy without spatula”
- “air exposure concerns”
Sources: lovi.care, sulwhasoo.com, nordstrom.com, bloomingdales.com, reddit.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream work for acne-prone skin?
Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Cream works reasonably well for acne-prone skin, providing moderate moisture and soothing benefits without causing irritation, though other products fit this skin type better. A moisturizing treatment for acne-prone skin needs ingredients that help balance oil production, clear breakouts, and support hydration without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This cream works for acne-prone skin because it contains soothing honey and panax ginseng root extract, though an average fit like this needs targeted ingredients that help control oil to better manage breakouts.
What do Ginseng Saponins do for acne-prone skin?
Ginseng saponins help calm redness, lower the amount of oil that clogs pores, and ease acne symptoms while keeping the skin barrier healthy. They also help fight the bacteria that lead to breakouts and soothe the skin without causing irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Phytotherapy Research, 2019
What does Butyrospermum Parkii Butter do for acne-prone skin?
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter can feel quite rich on acne-prone skin and may clog pores for some people. A product of this type needs lightweight hydration and ingredients that balance oil without heavy blockage.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes near the end of your evening routine, right after your treatment step, and as the final moisturizing step in the morning before sunscreen. While it is safe for acne-prone skin, a moisturizer for this skin type needs oil-balancing ingredients to better manage blemishes.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying it after your retinol treatment helps keep your skin soft and calm. This type of skin needs a moisturizer that balances oil and clears pores to better handle retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Daily application helps keep your skin soft and hydrated while supporting your skin barrier.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts on acne-prone skin because it includes soothing ingredients and avoids harsh substances, though it offers only moderate care for this skin type. Acne-prone skin works best with products that provide strong oil control and active ingredients to keep pores clear.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes or on the body, as it has a safe profile and is unlikely to cause irritation. However, because skin thickness varies across the body, products used on delicate areas like the eyelids or thicker body skin often benefit from specialized formulations tailored to those specific regional needs.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, benzyl salicylate, limonene, and linalool). Cetearyl 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, 2017Microneedling combined with topical exosome therapy improved PIH severity scores from grade 2 to grade 1 and enhanced skin tone in two acne patients without causing adverse effects.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open, 2025Enzyme-modified ginseng extract cream significantly reduced the global photo-damage score and various roughness measures including total roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic roughness average compared to placebo in 23 human subjects.
Rejuvenation Research, 2015A red ginseng hydrogel formulation with 1,2-hexanediol promoted selective growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and decreased Cutibacterium acnes in 20 female subjects.
Journal of Ginseng Research, 2022A 1% fermented black ginseng cream significantly reduced eye wrinkles and brightened skin color in twenty-three human subjects compared to control cream and baseline.
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A, 2020A 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, 2025Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Acetyl hexapeptide-3 and tripeptide-10 citrulline demonstrated antiwrinkle efficacy and decreased transepidermal water loss in twenty-four healthy volunteers compared to control groups, though synergistic effects between the two peptides remained unclear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017Topical 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 moisturizers fit acne-prone skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Co-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
Water, Butylene Glycol, Triethylhexanoin, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Trisiloxane, 2-Hexanediol, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglycerin-3, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Parfum, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins Enzyme-Treated Red Ginseng Saponins, Glyceryl Caprylate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Propanediol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Methoxy Peg-114 Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract Carrot Root Extract, Benzyl Salicylate, Bioflavonoids, Hydrolyzed Proanthocyanidin, Honey, Miel, Limonene, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Polygonatum Odoratum Extract Rhizome, Linalool, Panax Ginseng Extract Berry, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Polyaspartate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Citric Acid, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sodium Hydroxide, Acetyl Octapeptide-3
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
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