Kose Sekkisei Emulsion for dry skin
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Squalane
Gentiana Lutea Root Extract
Wheat Germ Oil
Tocopheryl AcetateAverage
- HighDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, 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 moderate suitability for your dry skin due to the presence of glycerin and squalane, which provide humectant and emollient actions, respectively, though it may not deliver optimal results in all areas.
- The formula provides excellent moisturizing benefits, enhancing barrier resilience and hydration for your dry or flaky skin.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your dry skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers generally praise this emulsion for its lightweight yet deeply hydrating formula that effectively brightens dull complexions and fades dark spots over time. While it is celebrated for creating a "snow-like" translucency and smoothing skin texture, those with oily or sensitive skin occasionally report issues with stickiness and the strong alcohol content.
Highlights
Lightweight hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Lightweight yet deeply hydrating”
- “Absorbs quickly without grease”
- “My dry skin drinks it up”
Brightens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “Skin complexion brightened up a lot”
- “Noticeably more radiant”
- “Whitening effect is visible”
Smooths skin texture Often Mentioned
- “Leaves skin feeling smooth and supple”
- “Soft smoothness I haven't experienced before”
- “Improves skin's texture”
Strong alcohol scent Often Mentioned
- “Smelled... with a light hint of alcohol”
- “Contains fragrance and alcohol”
- “Scent is too strong for me”
Fades dark spots Sometimes Noted
- “Helps minimize appearance of dark spots”
- “Prevents freckles and aging spots”
- “Dark spots are removed and lessened”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “Expensive for my budget”
- “Pricey for the size”
- “Bit expensive but worth it”
Sticky residue Sometimes Noted
- “Leaves a sticky and oily feeling”
- “Face looking a bit wet and oily”
- “Deep dry feeling after a few days”
Causes breakouts Rarely Noted
- “It broke me out each time”
- “Caused acne for oily skin”
- “ bumps appeared the next day”
Sources: lovi.care, kose-usa.com, influenster.com, cozycot.com, medium.com, dailysnippetsoflife.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does KOSÉ Sekkisei Emulsion work for dry skin?
This emulsion works moderately well for your dry skin, bringing you helpful hydration and skin barrier support with glycerin and squalane while leaving out harsh ingredients. However, it may not deliver optimal results in all areas, and dry skin often needs a product packed with highly effective, soothing ingredients and rich moisture-retaining agents for maximum hydration and nourishment.
Which ingredients make this moisturizer a good fit for dry skin?
This moisturizer works for dry skin thanks to glycerin and squalane, which help draw in moisture and soften the skin. To work even better for dry skin, a product of this type needs highly effective, soothing ingredients and rich moisturizers that provide deep hydration and skin barrier support without any risk of irritation.
What does Ascorbyl Glucoside do for dry skin?
Ascorbyl Glucoside helps brighten dark spots and protects dry skin from daily damage while keeping it smooth. Because dry skin often needs extra protection and help staying soft, products with this ingredient also benefit from added hydrating ingredients like glycerin or ceramides.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2016International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2021
What does Squalane do for dry skin?
Squalane helps keep dry skin soft and smooth by acting as a hydrating agent that locks in moisture and prevents water loss. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect the skin from damage while improving overall hydration.
Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 2012Molecules, 2009
Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. It is very unlikely to cause irritation on dry skin, but since it only offers a moderate fit, dry skin needs a product with richer nourishing oils and barrier-supporting ingredients for the best results.
Can I use this moisturizer with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizer with retinol by applying the retinol first, letting it absorb, and then following with the moisturizer. This routine helps keep your dry skin soft and comfortable while keeping irritation unlikely.
How often should I use it?
You can use this moisturizing treatment daily as part of your routine. Regular use helps boost hydration and supports skin barrier resilience for dry skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this moisturizer clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This moisturizer is unlikely to cause breakouts for dry skin due to its very safe formula, though a few reviewers do mention this issue. A product for this skin needs rich hydrating and nourishing ingredients like glycerin and squalane to keep pores clear while maintaining comfort.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This product is safe to use on the thin skin around your eyes and on your body because its formula lacks harsh ingredients. To properly care for dry skin in those areas, a product needs rich moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and squalane to boost hydration and keep the skin soft.
Is this moisturizer fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (ethanol).
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, 2017Herbal moisturizers containing wheat germ oil, Aloe vera extract, and turmeric extract showed the greatest increase in skin hydration up to 168.125% in healthy human volunteers compared to other formulations.
Pharmacognosy Research, 2010Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream significantly improved global clinical scores, increased skin microrelief density, and induced elastic tissue repair in photoaged skin compared to excipient control in healthy female volunteers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical application of VC-IP cream twice daily for 8 weeks reduces periorbital wrinkles in female subjects compared to a placebo cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Gentiana lutea extract increases lipid synthesis and triglyceride levels in human primary keratinocytes in vitro via p38 MAPK and PPARgamma signaling, and significantly increases skin lipid content in a proof-of-concept trial of 33 volunteers compared to placebo.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2017Topical application of Gentiana lutea extract reduced average roughness, relief of the upper eyelid skin, and redness of dark circles in 22 subjects after 14 days compared to placebo.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2023A topical preparation containing urea, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, wheat germ oil, and sodium pyruvate led to clinical improvement after a month in diverse hyperkeratotic skin conditions except pityriasis lichenoides.
Medicina Cutanea Ibero-latino-americana, 1986Topical application of wheat germ oil formulations induced dose-dependent wound healing in rats, with ointment formulations demonstrating significantly better activity than creams and the 20% WGO ointment achieving a 90% reduction in wound size diameter within three weeks compared to the control group.
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2021Topical 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
Water, Ethanol, 1,3-Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Gentiana Lutea Extract, Wheat Germ Oil, Dl-Α-Tocopherol Acetate, Glycerin Fatty Acid Ester, Dipentaerythritol Fatty Acid Ester, Cetostearyl Alcohol, 2-Ethylhexyl Paramethoxycinnamate, Polyacrylic Acid Amide, Polyethylene Glycol 400, Polyoxyethylene Lauryl Ether, Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monooleate, Sorbitan Monostearate, Light Liquid Isoparaffin, Squalane, Sodium Hydroxide, Absolute Ethanol, Paraoxybenzoic Acid Ester, Methyl Polysiloxane, Citric Acid, Button Extract, Sempukuka Extract, Disodium Edetate, Sodium Monohydrogen Phosphate, Polymethacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine Solution, Merosria Extract, L-Ascorbic Acid 2-Glucoside, Senpuka Extract, Hammamelis Extract, Hydrogenated Soybean Phospholipid
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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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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