La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Crème for dry sensitive skin
Thermal Water
Niacinamide
Glycerin
Squalane
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
High
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for dry sensitive skin; a few moisturizers fit it even 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
- Highly suitable for your dry and sensitive skin as glycerin and squalane provide excellent hydration and barrier support, effectively addressing dryness and flakiness.
- Niacinamide further enhances skin comfort by soothing sensitivity and improving overall skin health.
- The formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and including beneficial components like glycerin and niacinamide to prevent 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
★4.4Overall rating based on 800+ reviewsUsers with sensitive, reactive, and combination skin widely praise this moisturizer for its ability to instantly soothe irritation, reduce redness, and alleviate tightness without clogging pores. While the lightweight, fragrance-free formula is celebrated for restoring the skin barrier and sitting well under makeup, some users with extremely dry skin find it insufficiently hydrating, often suggesting the "Riche" version instead.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “Absorbs quickly without grease”
- “Light and airy on skin”
- “Non-sticky and leaves no residue”
- “Perfect base under makeup”
Gentle & safe Often Mentioned
- “Safe enough for my baby”
- “Finally a cream that doesn't sting”
- “Completely fragrance and alcohol-free”
Soothing and calming Often Mentioned
- “Instantly calmed my stinging skin”
- “Redness disappeared within days”
- “Stopped the burning sensation immediately”
Price vs. quantity Often Mentioned
- “Tube is too small (40ml)”
- “Runs out in two weeks”
- “Expensive for the amount provided”
- “Wish it came in a larger size”
Restores skin barrier Sometimes Noted
- “Fixed my damaged skin barrier”
- “Skin feels less fragile now”
- “Helped repair over-exfoliated skin”
- “Skin feels plump and protected”
Not moisturizing enough Sometimes Noted
- “Skin felt dry again after an hour”
- “Not rich enough for winter”
- “Need to apply multiple layers”
- “Better for combo skin than dry”
Breakouts/reactions Rarely Noted
- “Caused small whiteheads”
- “Broke me out in cystic acne”
- “Stung my face upon application”
- “Caused a rash the next morning”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Pump stopped working halfway”
- “Hard to get the last bit out”
- “Tube feels half empty”
Sources: lovi.care, boots.com, superdrug.com, laroche-posay.co.uk, cocooncenter.co.uk, beautycrew.com.au, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Toleriane Sensitive Crème a great fit for dry sensitive skin?
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Crème is a great fit because glycerin and squalane provide deep hydration to relieve dryness and flakiness while repairing your skin barrier. Niacinamide further helps calm sensitivity and keeps your skin feeling soft and comfortable. The formula is very safe and gentle, with no harsh ingredients to cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and squalane make this cream a great fit because they provide deep hydration and support the skin barrier to stop dryness and flakiness. Niacinamide further helps by soothing sensitivity and keeping the skin calm and comfortable.
What does Thermal Water do for dry sensitive skin?
Thermal Water helps calm dry sensitive skin by reducing redness and soothing irritation. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may support a more comfortable feel for reactive skin types.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2020Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2011
What does Niacinamide do for dry sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps dry sensitive skin by calming irritation and keeping moisture locked in so your face feels soft and smooth. It works to build up your skin barrier and calm redness while being very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2013
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This cream goes as the final step in your evening routine, and right before your moisturizing sunscreen in the morning. Using a moisturizer helps lock in hydration and soothe dryness, making it a key step for keeping your skin comfortable and soft.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying it after your retinol treatment in your evening routine. Using a moisturizer helps keep your skin comfortable and supports your skin barrier while you use retinol.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is suitable for daily use morning and night as part of your regular routine to keep dry skin hydrated and comfortable. Applying it consistently helps maintain moisture and calm sensitivity, supporting your skin barrier against dryness and flakiness.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Sensitive Crème is unlikely to cause breakouts or reactions, as it has a low complaint rate for clogged pores and contains soothing niacinamide to help keep skin calm. Glycerin and squalane further support the skin barrier without heavy ingredients.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizer around your eyes and on your body because its gentle formula is safe and well-tolerated by sensitive skin. Glycerin and squalane help keep dry skin hydrated and comfortable across different body areas.
Is this cream 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, 2017Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005The 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, 2012Squalane 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, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Squalane, Dimethicone, Zea Mays Corn Starch, Ceramide Np, Myristyl Myristate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid
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
How does it fit your skin?
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