Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser for oily acne-prone skin

Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Caprylyl Glycol
Tocopherol
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 hydration for your oily skin with glycerin and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, which hydrate without exacerbating oiliness.
- While beneficial for general skin hydration, the formula lacks targeted ingredients to address your specific concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.4k+ reviewsThis moisturizer is highly regarded by users with oily, combination, and sensitive skin for its lightweight, oil-free formula that hydrates without causing breakouts or irritation. Based on a very large amount of data, this should be definitely taken into account.
Highlights
Lightweight and fast Mostly Mentioned
- “sinks in seconds”
- “feels like water”
- “disappears instantly”
Gentle and non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “no stinging”
- “calmed my redness”
- “safe for acne-prone skin”
Non-greasy finish Often Mentioned
- “no sticky residue”
- “matte finish”
- “doesn't look oily”
Good makeup base Sometimes Noted
- “foundation sits perfectly”
- “no pilling under makeup”
- “great primer substitute”
Not enough moisture Sometimes Noted
- “skin felt tight again”
- “need to reapply often”
- “not enough for winter”
Poor pump design Sometimes Noted
- “hard to get last bit”
- “pump stopped working”
- “wasteful packaging”
Small bottle size Rarely Noted
- “finished in 2 weeks”
- “expensive for amount”
- “tiny bottle”
Watery consistency Rarely Noted
- “too runny”
- “spills easily”
- “feels like a serum”
Sources: lovi.care, hollandandbarrett.com, lookfantastic.com, superdrug.com, cetaphil.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser work for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for oily skin by providing moderate hydration through glycerin and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid without making your face greasy or causing irritation. However, it lacks targeted ingredients for breakouts, so an oily and acne-prone skin type needs a formula with acne-fighting agents, soothing extracts, and light hydration that supports the skin barrier without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid help hydrate your oily skin without adding extra oil. Because it is an average fit, this skin needs a moisturizer that also brings in targeted ingredients for acne and blemishes, along with light textures, soothing extracts, and ingredients that support the skin barrier.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
Apply this moisturizer in the morning after your cleanser and hydrating toner, followed by your sunscreen, and in the evening as the last step after your treatment. It helps keep your skin hydrated without feeling greasy, though oily acne-prone skin also needs targeted ingredients to help manage blemishes.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizer with your retinol, and it works best when applied after your treatment step in the evening or right before your sunscreen in the morning. Using a gentle moisturizer alongside retinoids helps keep your skin soft and comfortable while lowering the chances of dryness or irritation.
How often should I use it?
You can use this moisturizer daily to keep your skin soft and hydrated without feeling greasy. For the best results on oily and acne-prone skin, a moisturizer of this type needs to include ingredients that help clear blemishes and breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores because it has a safe profile with no harsh or irritating ingredients, but it also lacks targeted acne-fighting ingredients to help clear blemishes. Oily acne-prone skin typically needs products with ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to help control breakouts and keep pores clear.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this moisturiser around the eyes and on the body because the formula has a very good skin safety profile. However, because the skin around the eyes is much thinner than on the body, it requires gentle, targeted ingredients to prevent irritation and address specific concerns like fine lines.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2009
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl 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, 2017Profhilo treatment led to significant improvements in superficial skin hydration and transepidermal water loss over time in Chinese females, while demonstrating good product tolerability.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026A preservative system containing 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol showed no delayed Type IV dermal sensitivity reactions in 200 subjects when tested as a 15% mixture in carbomer gel and in a cosmetic formulation.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2009Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The 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, 2012Topical 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 oily 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, 2023A 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, 2024A facial serum containing snail secretion filtrate, Calendula officinalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract significantly reduced inflammatory acne lesions compared to placebo in 66 participants with mild-to-moderate maskne over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Erythritol, Glycine Soja Oil, Homarine Hcl, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Pca, Tocopherol
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.
