NIVEA Creme for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Lanolin Alcohol
Mineral Oil
Panthenol
Microcrystalline Wax
Caution
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for sensitive skin; the moisturizers alongside 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 moisturizing for your normal skin due to the presence of paraffinum liquidum and glycerin, which hydrate and enhance barrier resilience, but these benefits are mostly supportive and irrelevant for your redness and irritation.
- The formula provides general skincare benefits, but lacks sufficient ingredients to optimally address your specific concerns.
How to apply
- Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
- You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
- Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 12.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users consistently describe this product as a heavy-duty moisturizer that excels at healing extremely dry, flaky, and rough skin, particularly during harsh winter months. While widely praised for its ability to soften tough areas like elbows, knees, and hands, results on the face are mixed; many love the glow it provides, but those with acne-prone or oily skin frequently report clogged pores and breakouts.
Highlights
Intense deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight”
- “Relieves tightness and discomfort caused by dry skin”
- “Keeps me moisturized all winter long”
- “Heals cracked hands and rough elbows instantly”
Versatile multi-purpose use Often Mentioned
- “Use it on face, body, hands, and feet”
- “Great as a night cream and makeup primer”
- “A staple for the whole family”
- “Perfect for dry spots anywhere on the body”
Greasy/oily residue Often Mentioned
- “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away”
- “Takes forever to absorb into the skin”
- “Too oily to use during the day”
- “Leaves fingerprints on everything I touch”
Classic nostalgic scent Sometimes Noted
- “Smell brings me back to childhood”
- “Clean, fresh, and comforting scent”
- “Loves the signature Nivea fragrance”
- “Smells like clean laundry and comfort”
Unbeatable value Sometimes Noted
- “Works better than expensive luxury creams”
- “Affordable price for such high quality”
- “A little goes a long way, lasts months”
- “Best budget moisturizer on the market”
Causes breakouts (face) Sometimes Noted
- “Clogged my pores and caused bad acne”
- “Too heavy for my face, caused whiteheads”
- “Woke up with new pimples after one use”
- “Not safe for acne-prone skin types”
Thick/hard to spread Sometimes Noted
- “Consistency is like a thick paste or sunblock”
- “Have to drag it across skin to apply”
- “Needs to be warmed up in hands first”
- “Difficult to rub in completely”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “Scent is too overpowering for sensitive noses”
- “Wish they had an unscented version”
- “Fragrance irritated my sensitive skin”
- “Smell lingers too long”
Sources: lovi.care, influencer.com, walmart.com, hometesterclub.com, shespeaks.com, target.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Nivea Creme for sensitive skin?
Lovi advises caution because this moisturizer lacks the ingredients needed to calm redness and irritation on sensitive skin. A product for this skin needs soothing and calming ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, ceramides, and nourishing oils to strengthen the skin barrier and provide gentle hydration without overwhelming it.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for sensitive skin?
This cream is a poor match because it lacks the soothing ingredients needed to calm redness and irritation, relying instead on heavy oils and waxes that do not address these specific concerns. To properly care for sensitive skin, a moisturizer needs calming additions like fermented Centella Asiatica and ceramides to soothe irritation and strengthen the skin barrier without causing flare-ups.
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
What does Lanolin Alcohol do for sensitive skin?
Lanolin alcohol is unlikely to work well for sensitive skin because it is a known contact allergen that may cause irritation or allergic reactions. Sensitive skin needs gentle, soothing ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide to help calm redness and protect the skin barrier.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cream is used as a moisturizer in the evening routine, and sensitive skin needs a product with calming and soothing ingredients to help manage redness and irritation.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You may use this cream to help keep your sensitive skin soft while using retinol, applying the retinol first and letting it absorb before putting on the cream. This product helps lock in moisture, but a sensitive skin type needs a gentle moisturizer with soothing ingredients like ceramides or centella asiatica to help calm redness and irritation.
How often should I use this cream?
You should use this cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine, though it may not fully address your sensitive skin concerns. Regular use helps keep skin soft and supported, but this skin type needs soothing and calming ingredients to truly stay calm and comfortable.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This cream may cause breakouts and leave a greasy residue on sensitive skin, as reviewers frequently report clogged pores and heavy buildup. A product for this skin needs lightweight, calming ingredients that hydrate without heavy waxes or mineral oils.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is suitable for use on the body and around the eyes, where the skin is thin. Because it offers only moderate hydration, sensitive skin in these areas generally needs a richer moisturizer packed with soothing extracts and barrier-strengthening ingredients to effectively calm redness and irritation.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene, geraniol, linalool, and citronellol).
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, 2017The 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, 2012Repeated application of concentrated water-in-oil emulsions over four weeks caused no skin irritation, positively affected skin properties, and delivered almost 50% of the applied fluorescein sodium, with isopropyl myristate showing superior penetration performance compared to liquid paraffin in healthy volunteers.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019Topical 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, 2002Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000
Ingredients
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Microcristallina Cera, Glycerin, Lanolin Alcohol Eucerit, Paraffin, Panthenol, Magnesium Sulfate, Decyl Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Aluminum Stearates, Citric Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Limonene, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, 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.
-
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.