LANEIGE Water Bank Moisture Cream for oily acne-prone skin
Glycerin
Squalane
Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract
Niacinamide
Sodium HyaluronateAverage
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 oily skin, as ingredients like squalane and dimethicone provide emollient action, though they may not be sufficiently mattifying for very oily skin.
- The formula provides excellent hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which will help plump your skin, but it lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like niacinamide and urea.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 6.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is widely praised for its unique ability to provide deep, long-lasting hydration while maintaining a surprisingly lightweight and non-greasy texture, making it a favorite for normal to combination skin types. A significant number of users find the floral fragrance overpowering and the packaging cumbersome, with some very dry skin types noting it isn't rich enough for winter use.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly into skin”
- “feels like cool water”
- “super light, not heavy”
- “glides on silky smooth”
Intense hydration Often Mentioned
- “skin feels plump all day”
- “cured my dry patches”
- “leaves a dewy glow”
- “moisture lasts until morning”
Non-greasy finish Often Mentioned
- “no sticky residue left”
- “doesn't make me oily”
- “perfect balance, not shiny”
- “sinks in completely”
Strong floral scent Often Mentioned
- “smells like old perfume”
- “scent is too overpowering”
- “lingers way too long”
- “gave me a headache”
Makeup compatibility Sometimes Noted
- “foundation sits beautifully”
- “acts like a primer”
- “no pilling under makeup”
- “smooths texture for base”
Bulky packaging Sometimes Noted
- “hard to open lid”
- “takes up too much space”
- “heavy plastic waste”
- “awkward square shape”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “too expensive for 50ml”
- “pricy for basic cream”
- “finished it too fast”
- “refills are still costly”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “gave me small bumps”
- “broke me out badly”
- “clogged my pores”
- “caused redness and itch”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, amazon.com, reddit.com, laneige.com, yesstyle.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Water Bank Moisture Cream work for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream works moderately well for oily skin, though other products fit it better because it lacks specialized ingredients to target acne and breakouts. It provides good hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but an ideal product for this skin needs lightweight ingredients that control excess oil while clearing blemishes without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin, squalane, and sodium hyaluronate make this cream a good fit for oily skin by providing gentle moisture without adding heavy oils. To work best for oily acne-prone skin, this type of product also needs specialized ingredients that target breakouts and blemishes while keeping a lightweight feel.
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Squalane do for oily acne-prone skin?
Squalane may help keep oily skin soft and smooth, but oxidized squalene can trigger inflammation in acne-prone skin. Because of this, oily acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-greasy ingredients that balance moisture without clogging pores.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes near the end of your morning routine after a hydrating toner and before your SPF, and as the final step of your evening routine. It provides good hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but oily acne-prone skin also needs lightweight, mattifying ingredients and specialized blemish-fighting actives.
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 to help soothe your skin and keep it hydrated. Oily and acne-prone skin needs a moisturizer of this type to feel soft and comfortable, along with lightweight, oil-absorbing ingredients to control shine and targeted ingredients like salicylic acid to help clear breakouts.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. Regular daily application helps improve skin moisture and supports the skin barrier.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to cause irritation for your oily skin, though it may not be sufficiently mattifying and lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target breakouts. Oily acne-prone skin needs lightweight, oil-free hydration alongside ingredients that help control excess oil and clear blemishes.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around your eyes and on your body, but it is formulated primarily for facial hydration. Because the skin around the eyes is very thin, a gentle formula with good skin tolerance like this one is generally safe to apply there, though body skin may require richer hydration.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Petrolatum-based skin protectants demonstrated protection against irritants and maceration while providing skin hydration, whereas dimethicone and zinc oxide products showed varying or limited performance across parameters among 18 healthy volunteers compared to positive and negative controls.
Ostomy/wound Management, 2005A 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, 2017Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022The 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, 2025Topical quinoa bioester application upregulated skin barrier proteins and antioxidant enzymes, shifting proteomic profiles to predict lower biological skin ages compared to vehicle-treated skin by median differences of 11 and 16 years for participants under and over 50.
Communications Biology, 2026Quinoa bioester exposure in human reconstructed epidermis tridimensional cell cultures increased the abundance of proteins related to preventing premature aging, homeostasis, tissue regeneration, and protection against ultraviolet radiation and oxidative damage compared to untreated counterparts.
Scientific Reports, 2020Quinoa husk peptide fraction reduces melanin content via Akt signaling and apoptosis pathways in A375 cells and rat skin cells.
IScience, 2023Topical 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, 2005Topical 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
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A facial serum containing snail secretion filtrate, Calendula officinalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract significantly reduced inflammatory acne lesions compared to placebo in 66 participants with mild-to-moderate maskne over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Bis-Peg-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cyclopentasiloxane, Sucrose Polystearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Urea, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Magnesium Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Copper Tripeptide-1, Ceramide Np, Phytosphingosine, Niacinamide, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Stearic Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Trisiloxane, Palmitic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Propylene Glycol, Peg-100 Stearate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Peg-5 Rapeseed Sterol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Tromethamine, Disodium Edta, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
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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