ma:nyo Heather Calming Essence for sensitive skin
Calluna Vulgaris Extract
Glycerin
Hyaluronic AcidAverage
- SuperiorNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 soothing benefits for your redness and irritation, as allantoin and dipotassium glycyrrhizate provide supportive effects for your sensitive skin. Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and beta-glucan offer superb humectant action and barrier repair, making it suitable for your normal skin type.
- The presence of panthenol and cholesterol further aids in barrier repair and hydration, complementing the primary soothing ingredients.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 1.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this essence is widely praised by users with sensitive and acne-prone skin for its incredibly lightweight, water-like texture that absorbs instantly without stickiness. While it is highly effective at soothing redness and maintaining a healthy barrier for most, some users find the results subtle or average rather than dramatic, noting it works best as a gentle daily maintainer rather than a potent treatment for severe issues.
Highlights
Lightweight absorbing Mostly Mentioned
- “Fresh and light on my skin”
- “Absorbs beautifully without pilling”
- “Flows like water—so lightweight.”
Non-sticky finish Often Mentioned
- “No sticky residue”
- “Leaves skin comfortable”
- “Applies smoothly without stickiness.”
Soothing and calming Often Mentioned
- “Calms down skin almost instantly”
- “Relieves irritation and redness”
- “Great for sensitive skin.”
Gentle and fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “No added fragrance or color”
- “Does not sting”
- “So gentle on my skin.”
Subtle or average Sometimes Noted
- “Didn't see dramatic results”
- “Just too average”
- “Mediocre across the board.”
Dry skin hydration Rarely Noted
- “Hydration might not be sufficient”
- “Felt even thinner than toner”
- “Needs layering.”
Price value Rarely Noted
- “Pricey when buying together”
- “Wish it went on sale more often”
- “Straightforward product without wow factor.”
Sources: lovi.care, shopee.ph, hwahae.co.kr, skinsider.co.uk, global.oliveyoung.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does ma:nyo Heather Calming Essence work for sensitive skin?
This essence works well enough for sensitive skin by offering moderate soothing benefits for redness and irritation, though other treatments fit it better. A treatment of this type needs strong soothing ingredients like centella extract, panthenol, and allantoin, along with a fragrance-free and hypoallergenic formula to truly calm sensitive skin.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this essence a good fit for sensitive skin?
Allantoin and dipotassium glycyrrhizate help calm your sensitive skin by offering moderate soothing benefits for redness and irritation. Additionally, ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, beta-glucan, and panthenol help keep your skin hydrated and support your skin barrier. Treatments that fit sensitive skin best need strong soothing ingredients and barrier-repairing components to effectively calm irritation without harsh additives.
What does Heather Extract do for sensitive skin?
Heather Extract helps calm sensitive skin and keeps it feeling soft and smooth. It is unlikely to cause irritation and supports a calm, comfortable feel.
What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?
Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, as treatments with active ingredients are kept to the evening for simplicity and extra safety. Sensitive skin works well with this product, though it needs calming ingredients like allantoin and barrier-repairing ingredients like glycerin and ceramides to fit this skin even better.
Can I use this essence with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying the essence first to calm your skin before putting on your retinol. Using a soothing routine helps keep your sensitive skin comfortable and reduces the irritation that retinol may cause.
How often should I use it?
Use this treatment in your evening routine to keep things simple and safe around sun exposure, starting once a day or a few times a week. Sensitive skin works well with products of this type when they combine gentle soothing plant extracts with barrier-repairing ingredients like glycerin and ceramides.
Can this essence clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This essence is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on sensitive skin, as it has a safe formula with no harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation. Sensitive skin still needs gentle soothing ingredients like allantoin and panthenol, alongside reliable hydrators like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, to stay calm and comfortable.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying 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, 2017Skin care regimens containing beta-glucan improved hemoglobin index, skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in 20 patients undergoing fractional laser therapy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Topical pretreatment with Calluna vulgaris and red grape seed extracts decreased GSH formation and glutathione peroxidase activity, inhibited lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production, and reduced caspase 3 activity in UVB-irradiated SKH-1 mouse skin.
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2011Topical application of Calluna vulgaris and Vitis vinifera extracts reduced UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, sunburn cells, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) in SKH-1 hairless mice compared to UVB irradiation alone.
Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2011Topical application of Calluna vulgaris extract modulated NF-κB/ERK signaling and reduced MMP-9 activity and secretion in SKH-1 hairless mice skin exposed to single or multiple doses of UVB irradiation.
Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2012The 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 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, 2019
Ingredients
Calluna Vulgaris Extract, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Erythritol, Rutin, Allantoin, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment, Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract, Chlamydomonas Extract, Chitosan, Lactobacillus Ferment, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Panthenol, Trehalose, Beta-Glucan, Cholesterol, Ceramide Np, Glycereth-26, Pentylene Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Propanediol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Succinic Acid, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitol, Water, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Dipropylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin
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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