Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream for acne-prone skin
Micronized Amino Acid
Glacial Glycoprotein
Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract
Glycerin
Salicylic Acid
High
- SuperiorCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
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 excellent moisturizing for your combination skin due to high concentrations of glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which hydrate and plump the skin, while salicylic acid provides moderate exfoliation to aid in pore cleansing and renewal for your acne and blemishes.
- The inclusion of Menthoxypropanediol and Cucumis Sativus Cucumber Fruit Extract Juice further supports soothing effects, making it well-suited for your acne-prone skin.
- The product has a good safety profile with no risks of irritation for your acne-prone skin.
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
★4.5Overall rating based on 500+ reviewsThis lightweight gel moisturizer is highly recommended for oily and combination skin, providing hydration without greasiness or pore-clogging. Users frequently praise its oil control and refreshing feel, making it ideal for warmer weather. However, individuals with dry skin often find it lacks sufficient moisture, and a small number of sensitive users have reported stinging or a sticky residue.
Highlights
Lightweight & non-greasy Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly without residue”
- “feels like water on skin”
- “super light gel texture”
- “doesn't feel heavy at all”
Excellent oil control Often Mentioned
- “keeps my T-zone matte”
- “no midday grease”
- “controls oil all day”
- “shine-free finish”
Hydrating for oily Often Mentioned
- “perfect balance of moisture”
- “hydrated but not oily”
- “doesn't clog my pores”
- “great summer moisturizer”
Insufficient for dry Often Mentioned
- “skin felt tight after an hour”
- “not enough for winter”
- “dry patches remained”
- “need to layer it”
Alcohol-free formula Sometimes Noted
- “no longer smells like alcohol”
- “doesn't dry me out like the old one”
- “gentler on my barrier”
- “improved ingredient list”
Cooling & refreshing Sometimes Noted
- “feels cool on contact”
- “refreshing burst of hydration”
- “great for hot summers”
- “soothes heated skin”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “way too pricey for a basic gel”
- “jar is too small for the cost”
- “expensive for what it is”
Sticky/tacky finish Sometimes Noted
- “leaves a tacky film”
- “feels sticky to the touch”
- “hair sticks to face”
- “takes a while to dry down”
Pilling issues Rarely Noted
- “pills under my makeup”
- “rolls off when I rub my face”
- “doesn't play well with sunscreen”
- “clumps up”
Stinging sensation Rarely Noted
- “burned my cheeks”
- “stung upon application”
- “caused redness and heat”
- “irritated my sensitive skin”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, kiehls.com, reddit.com, lookfantastic.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream a great fit for acne-prone skin?
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream is a great fit because glycerin and sodium hyaluronate hydrate and plump the skin, while salicylic acid helps clear pores and blemishes. Additionally, cucumber fruit extract and menthoxypropanediol help soothe acne-prone skin with a low risk of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017BioMed Research International, 2020
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate hydrate and plump your skin, while salicylic acid gently exfoliates to clear pores and reduce blemishes. Additionally, cucumber fruit extract and menthoxypropanediol help soothe your skin with a low risk of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017BioMed Research International, 2020
What does Micronized Amino Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Micronized Amino Acid helps calm acne-prone skin by reducing breakouts, balancing oil, and supporting overall skin health without causing irritation. This type of product works best when it also includes ingredients like salicylic acid and ceramides to clear pores and keep skin smooth and moisturized.
What does Glacial Glycoprotein do for acne-prone skin?
Glacial Glycoprotein helps keep dry skin feeling soft and smooth while protecting it from moisture loss. For acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydration and ingredients that calm irritation without clogging pores.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes near the end of your morning and evening routines, right before sunscreen in the morning. It helps hydrate your skin and clear pores while keeping irritation unlikely.
BioMed Research International, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this cream alongside retinol by applying it after your retinol treatment to help soothe your skin and keep it comfortable. This moisturizer has a safe formula that is unlikely to cause irritation on acne-prone skin.
How often should I use it?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your skin hydrated and clear. Regular daily application is unlikely to cause irritation and helps improve overall skin texture while supporting pore cleansing.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a great fit for your acne-prone skin because it uses salicylic acid to help cleanse pores and keep your skin clear while providing hydration. It also includes cucumber extract and menthoxypropanediol to help soothe your skin, and it is very unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts.
BioMed Research International, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This moisturizer is suitable for use on the body, but you should avoid applying it directly to the thin skin around your eyes. It is very safe for your acne-prone skin and is unlikely to cause irritation.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002BioMed Research International, 2020
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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 moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023The 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, 2012Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Edta, Tocopheryl Acetate, Menthoxypropanediol, Pseudoalteromonas Extract Ferment, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sarcosine, Salicylic Acid, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Propanediol, Cucumis Sativus Cucumber Fruit Extract Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
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
How does it fit your skin?
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