Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser for combination skin
Hyaluronic Acid
Tremella Fuciformis
Shea Butter
Coconut Oil
Aloe BarbadensisAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other cleansers 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 Hyaluronic Acid provide hydration, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas.
- The cleansing agents Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine effectively cleanse pores, offering general skincare benefits like soothing and hydration.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 1000+ reviewsThis cleanser is widely praised as a gentle, non-foaming option that excels for dry, sensitive, and winter-ravaged skin by leaving the moisture barrier intact. While users love its soothing, "lotion-like" feel, many note it struggles to remove heavy makeup on its own and is best used as a morning cleanse or second step in a double-cleansing routine.
Highlights
Extremely hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “leaves skin soft and cushioned”
- “perfect for winter dryness”
- “skin feels plump”
- “doesn't strip moisture”
Gentle & soothing Often Mentioned
- “calms my redness”
- “no stinging or irritation”
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “very mild formula”
Poor makeup removal Often Mentioned
- “leaves makeup residue”
- “struggles with mascara”
- “need to double cleanse”
- “doesn't remove foundation well”
Improves skin barrier Sometimes Noted
- “healed my moisture barrier”
- “stopped my flaking”
- “skin feels stronger”
- “less tight after washing”
Pleasant milky texture Sometimes Noted
- “feels like a cloud”
- “smooth milky consistency”
- “creamy and cushioning”
- “glides over skin”
Leaves a film Sometimes Noted
- “leaves a filmy layer”
- “feels slightly sticky”
- “hard to rinse off completely”
- “residue sits on skin”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “gave me closed comedones”
- “caused small bumps”
- “broke me out”
- “too heavy for acne-prone skin”
Lack of lather Rarely Noted
- “doesn't foam at all”
- “feels like washing with lotion”
- “miss the bubbles”
- “hard to tell if it's working”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, thayers.com, target.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser work for combination skin?
Thayers Hydrating Milky Cleanser offers moderate suitability for your combination skin because glycerin and hyaluronic acid provide hydration, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas. Cleansers that fit this skin type best need ingredients that manage oily shine while hydrating without irritation.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and hyaluronic acid help make this cleanser a good fit for your combination skin by providing hydration. A cleanser for this skin also needs ingredients that manage oily shine and balance the oily and dry areas.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for combination skin?
Hyaluronic acid is a great fit for combination skin because it quenches dry areas with a boost of hydration while keeping oily zones balanced. Regular use helps smooth out fine lines and makes your skin feel soft and plump without causing irritation.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
What does Tremella Mushroom do for combination skin?
Tremella mushroom helps combination skin by holding onto moisture and fighting daily damage from the sun and environment. It may keep your skin feeling soft and smooth while supporting your natural skin barrier without clogging pores.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2015Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2023
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the first step of cleansing, after any makeup remover at night. It safely washes your pores with gentle ingredients, though combination skin needs extra ingredients for better oil control in oily areas.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying it before your retinol treatment in your evening routine. It is safe for your skin and helps keep it clean and hydrated, though a cleanser for combination skin also needs specific ingredients to help balance oil on your oily areas.
How often should I use this cleanser?
This cleanser fits your combination skin with moderate suitability, so you can use it daily as part of your morning and evening routine. It hydrates with glycerin and hyaluronic acid while keeping your skin calm and safe from irritation, though a cleanser for this skin also needs ingredients for better oil control on oily areas.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cleanser is safe for combination skin and is unlikely to cause irritation, but some reviewers have reported minor breakouts. Combination skin generally needs a cleanser that balances dry areas while providing oil control for oily spots.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but you should use caution around the thin skin of your eyes since it is not specially formulated for that area. A cleanser of this type needs extra soothing and gentle moisturizing ingredients to safely care for delicate eye areas.
Is this cleanser 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, 2017Sodium cocoyl isethionate micelles are too large to penetrate stratum corneum aqueous pores, resulting in significant steric hindrance that prevents skin barrier perturbation and explains its skin mildness.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007Topical 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, 2019Snow mushroom alcohol-based hand rub gel significantly improved skin moisture better than the placebo through 180 minutes while maintaining comparable antiseptic efficacy in 20 human volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Tremella fuciformis extract demonstrates potential cutaneous benefits including skin antiaging, photoprotection, wound healing, and barrier protection based on in vitro and animal models.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2023Tremella fuciformis inhibits melanogenesis by decreasing melanin content and tyrosinase expression in B16F10 cells while promoting wound healing in human HaCaT keratinocytes and Detroit 551 fibroblasts.
In Vivo, 2022A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Overnight virgin coconut oil application provides a skin protective effect against damage and increased TEWL from frequent alcohol-based hand sanitizer usage in 60 volunteers, resulting in a 25% increase in perceived moisture content compared to the control group.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010
Why other cleansers fit combination skin better
A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Combined ascorbyl palmitate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate treatment significantly reduced facial sebum secretions in healthy female volunteers compared to a placebo control over 90 days.
Drug Research, 2017
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Allantoin, 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.
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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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