Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Whipped Cream for combination skin

6 African Oils
Ceramides
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Glycerin
Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for combination skin; other moisturizers 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 sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer provide excellent hydration, but the formula lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control to address your oily shine concerns.
- Plantago lanceolata leaf extract offers some soothing benefits, which is supportive for your combination skin type.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like ceramides.
How to apply
- Use this moisturizer in your AM and PM routine every day to control shine. Always pair with SPF in the morning.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin and avoid harsh rubbing. Let it ⏳absorb for a minute.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help it lock in moisture better. This keeps your combination skin balanced.
- Avoid the eye area when applying the moisturizer. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this rich, whipped moisturizer is widely praised as a "rescue" cream for dry, dehydrated, and sensitive skin, particularly effective at repairing the skin barrier and combating winter dryness. While many users report plump, soothed skin without irritation, those with oily or acne-prone skin often find it too heavy or occlusive, occasionally leading to congestion.
Highlights
Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Drinks it up like water”
- “saved my winter skin”
- “woke up glowing and hydrated”
Hygienic packaging Often Mentioned
- “Love the push pump”
- “keeps ingredients fresh”
- “no dipping fingers in jar”
Soothing texture Often Mentioned
- “Butter-like texture”
- “thick but absorbs well”
Expensive product Often Mentioned
- “too pricey for the amount”
- “finished it in a month”
Barrier support Sometimes Noted
- “Fixed my damaged barrier”
- “calmed my retinol irritation”
- “great for sensitive skin”
Heavy feel Sometimes Noted
- “Felt like a mask”
- “too heavy for day use”
- “left a greasy film”
Unpleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “Smells like cooking oil”
- “has a stale scent”
- “weird playdough smell”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Gave me tiny bumps”
- “broke me out immediately”
- “too rich for acne-prone skin”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, amazon.com, spacenk.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Drunk Elephant Lala Retro work for combination skin?
This moisturizer works reasonably well for combination skin by delivering good hydration, but it lacks enough oil-controlling ingredients to manage shiny areas. To work best for this skin type, a moisturizer needs effective brightening and oil-reducing ingredients along with balanced hydration that does not make oily zones heavier.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer make this cream a good fit by providing deep hydration, while plantago lanceolata leaf extract and ceramides help calm and support the skin. To work best for combination skin, a moisturizer of this type also needs ingredients for optimal oil control and brightening.
What do African Oils do for combination skin?
African oils help balance combination skin by softening dry areas while keeping oily zones calm and smooth. They absorb well without feeling heavy, making them a great fit for skin that needs both moisture and light care.
What do Ceramides do for combination skin?
Ceramides help balance combination skin by supporting the skin barrier to keep dry areas hydrated without feeling heavy on oily zones. This type of skin needs lightweight hydrators and barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides and cholesterol to maintain a smooth and calm feel across both dry and oily areas.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2003Scientific Reports, 2022
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cream goes after your hydrating toner in the morning and after your treatment in the evening. A moisturizer of this type works well for combination skin when it includes balancing ingredients to control oily shine.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first, letting it absorb, and then smoothing on this moisturizer. Using a moisturizer with ceramides helps keep your skin calm and comfortable while it adjusts to retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizer twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Daily application helps keep your skin hydrated and supported, though combination skin also needs targeted oil-control ingredients to properly manage shine.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause irritation on combination skin, but some reviewers do report breakouts. To better manage oily shine, combination skin needs a moisturizer with ingredients that help control excess oil.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is generally safe to use on the body and around the eyes, as its gentle ingredients are unlikely to cause irritation. Because the skin in these areas can be quite thin and prone to dryness, a moisturizer of this type works well when it provides deep hydration and helps lock in moisture.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. 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, 2017Topical application of an aucubin-containing cosmetic macroemulsion decreases transepidermal water loss, increases skin hydration, and improves SELS and skin macrorelief parameters in 25 female volunteers compared to a base cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical 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, 2012Plantain leaf proteins exhibit a wound-healing effect on vertebrate skin both in vitro and in vivo.
Prikladnaia Biokhimiia I Mikrobiologiia, 2011Plantago lanceolata water extract improves skin wound healing in rats by inducing the transition of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, increasing wound contraction rates, and enhancing tensile strength through greater extracellular matrix protein organization compared to untreated wounds.
The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2015Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata extracts incorporated into 3D-printed polysaccharide dressings enhanced fibroblast wound closure to 64% and 52%, respectively, compared to 29% for the control.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2026
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Isostearate, Pseudozyma Epicola Camellia Sinensis Glucose Glycine Soja Seed Oil Extract Ferment Filtrate Soybean Seed Oil Extract Ferment Filtrate Meal Malt Yeast Seed Oil Extract Ferment Filtrate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Watermelon Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate, Cholesterol, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ceramide Np, Phytosphingosine, Ceteareth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
