La Mer Moisturizing Cream for dry sensitive skin
Miracle Broth
Algae Extract
Glycerin
Lime Tea Concentrate
Vitamin E
Average
- HighDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry skin due to glycerin and algae extract, which hydrate and smooth texture, while petrolatum and mineral oil provide emollient and occlusive actions to reduce water loss.
- While the formula provides general skincare benefits, the emollient properties of mineral oil and petrolatum are mostly supportive for your dry or flaky skin and sensitivity.
- The product is generally safe for your dry and sensitive skin, though fragrance and mineral oil carry some risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using this moisturizer 3 times a week and move to daily use if your dry skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toner in the morning, or after your serum in the evening. Always pair it with SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it harshly to protect your sensitive skin.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help with hydration absorption. This also works well for dry and flaky skin types.
- Do a patch test before your first use. Avoid the eye area to prevent any irritation.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 10.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is highly regarded for its intense hydration and soothing properties, with many users reporting a radiant complexion and improved skin texture. However, a significant number of users find the cream to be excessively expensive and note that its heavy texture can lead to clogged pores or breakouts, while some find the fragrance to be overpowering.
Highlights
Intense hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “heals dry patches overnight”
- “skin drinks it up”
- “saved my winter skin”
- “hydration lasts all day”
Exorbitant price Mostly Mentioned
- “astronomically expensive”
- “not worth the money”
- “glorified Nivea”
- “paying for the brand”
Plumping and glow Often Mentioned
- “gives the La Mer glow”
- “skin looks plump”
- “lines appear softened”
- “makeup sits beautifully”
Soothing Often Mentioned
- “soothed windburn instantly”
- “heals picking scars”
- “reduced redness significantly”
Luxurious experience Sometimes Noted
- “spa-like scent”
- “feels incredibly rich”
- “treat for myself”
- “relaxing ritual”
Breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “caused cystic acne”
- “clogged my pores”
- “gave me whiteheads”
- “bad for acne-prone skin”
Heavy texture Sometimes Noted
- “feels like paste”
- “sits on top of skin”
- “too greasy for day”
- “hard to spread”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “smells like old lady”
- “fragrance is overpowering”
- “scent gave me a headache”
- “too perfumey”
Sources: lovi.care, bluemercury.com, bloomingdales.com, sephora.com, influenster.com, nordstrom.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does La Mer Moisturizing Cream work for dry sensitive skin?
La Mer Moisturizing Cream works moderately well for dry sensitive skin, offering good moisture to smooth texture, though fragrance and mineral oil carry some risk of irritation. A product for this skin needs rich, highly effective soothing ingredients that provide deep hydration and skin barrier support without any risk of irritation or allergens.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and algae extract hydrate and smooth texture, while petrolatum and mineral oil lock in moisture to help your dry skin. A moisturizing treatment for dry sensitive skin needs soothing, highly nourishing ingredients that provide deep hydration without any risk of irritation or allergens.
What does Miracle Broth do for dry sensitive skin?
Miracle Broth helps calm and soothe dry sensitive skin by reducing irritation and restoring a comfortable feel. This type of skin needs gentle, hydrating ingredients and barrier-repairing agents like niacinamide or soothing plant extracts to stay calm and moisturized.
Marine Drugs, 2022International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2022
What does Algae Extract do for dry sensitive skin?
Algae extract helps calm dry and sensitive skin while reducing water loss and defending against irritation. It is unlikely to cause issues and may help keep the skin barrier strong and comfortable.
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 2012International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2021
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This cream works best as a moisturizing treatment in the evening routine for dry sensitive skin. A product of this type needs rich hydrators like glycerin and algae extract, alongside protective ingredients such as petrolatum and mineral oil, to soothe and soften dry skin while locking in moisture.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream in your evening routine after your retinol treatment to help lock in hydration and smooth your dry skin. This type of sensitive skin needs a moisturizer with soothing ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid to calm irritation and strengthen the skin barrier while using retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice daily to help keep your dry sensitive skin soft and smooth. Daily application is unlikely to cause issues, though the fragrance and mineral oil carry some risk of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cream may cause breakouts for some people with dry sensitive skin, as reviewers moderately complain about breakouts and the formula contains heavy ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum. To best care for dry sensitive skin without clogging pores, a moisturizer needs lighter hydrating ingredients like glycerin and soothing plant extracts that calm irritation while keeping skin soft.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream works well on the body and the thin skin around the eyes because it deeply hydrates and locks in moisture, though fragrance and mineral oil may occasionally cause irritation on sensitive areas. To properly care for dry and sensitive skin, a product of this type needs rich, soothing hydrators and protective sealants like glycerin, algae extract, and petrolatum.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene, geraniol, parfum, linalool, citronellol, citral, benzyl salicylate, and benzyl alcohol).
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 1% Fucus vesiculosus extract gel twice daily for five weeks significantly decreased skin thickness and improved elasticity in human cheek skin compared with controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2002Treatment with lipid algae extract reduced the level of oxidized proteins in human keratinocytes and stratum corneum skin cells.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004Topical astaxanthin-loaded algae extract hydrogel and lipogel formulations exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and successful in vitro release, suggesting their potential as anti-aging formulations.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Antarctic marine algae extracts increased cell viability, protected against inflammation, and enhanced the barrier integrity of human intestinal and keratinocyte cell lines damaged by lipopolysaccharide or ultraviolet radiation.
Marine Drugs, 2022The 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
Ingredients
Algae Extract, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Microcrystalline Wax, Lanolin Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf Eucalyptus Oil Leaf, Limonene, Geraniol, Hydrogenated Oil, Magnesium Sulfate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder, Medicago Sativa Seed Powder, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake Sunflower Seedcake, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal Seed, Sodium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, Potassium Gluconate, Paraffin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Parfum, Linalool, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Cinnamyl Alcohol
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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