Physiogel Hydrating Facial Cream for oily acne-prone skin
Glycerin
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Hyaluronic Acid
Squalane
Hydrogenated Lecithin
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2020
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
- Highly suitable for your oily skin, this cream effectively moisturizes with glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which hydrate without adding excess oil, supporting your goal of managing oiliness.
- While it provides excellent hydration beneficial for acne-prone skin, it lacks specialized ingredients to directly target your concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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
★4.7Overall rating based on 2.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this facial cream is highly praised for its deep and long-lasting hydration, making it excellent for dry, sensitive, or atopic skin. Users frequently note its gentle, fragrance-free formula. Some users find the rich texture can feel heavy or greasy, especially for oily skin types or in warmer weather.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “Hydration is top-notch”
- “Keeps dryness at bay”
- “Skin feels soft and hydrated.”
Gentle/Non-irritating Mostly Mentioned
- “Doesn't cause irritation”
- “Perfect for sensitive skin”
- “No adverse reactions.”
Fragrance-free Often Mentioned
- “Appreciated that it's fragrance-free”
- “No unnecessary fragrance”
- “Safe for sensitive skin.”
Barrier repair Sometimes Noted
- “Supports or rebuilds skin barrier”
- “Strengthens moisture barrier”
- “Skin feels healthy.”
Greasy or heavy Sometimes Noted
- “Felt greasy”
- “A bit rich”
- “Feels heavy when applied.”
Small packaging Sometimes Noted
- “Wish it came in larger size”
- “Repurchase often is a hassle”
- “Small size.”
Makeup pilling Rarely Noted
- “Caused some pilling”
- “Makeup doesn't lift off”
- “Heavy before makeup.”
Potential breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Blemishes seem to be getting worse”
- “Might develop small blemishes”
- “Rich texture.”
Sources: lovi.care, hwahae.com, nykaa.com, youtube.com, gopicky.com, lemon8-app.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Physiogel Hydrating Facial Cream a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is a great fit for your oily skin because it uses glycerin and hyaluronic acid to hydrate without adding excess oil, helping you manage oiliness while keeping skin soft. It has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients, meaning it is unlikely to irritate your skin.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin and hyaluronic acid make this cream a great fit for your oily skin because they hydrate without adding excess oil. It has a very safe formula that is unlikely to cause irritation.
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 Butyrospermum Parkii Butter do for oily acne-prone skin?
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter helps protect the skin barrier, but because it is quite heavy, it may feel too rich for oily acne-prone skin. Skin of this type usually needs lighter, balancing ingredients like natural plant oils with a higher linoleic acid to oleic acid ratio that help keep pores clear and smooth.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream goes as the third step in your morning routine after a cleanser and hydrating toner, and as the last step in your evening routine after a treatment. It keeps your skin hydrated without adding excess oil, and is very unlikely to cause irritation.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, applying the retinol first and following with the cream. This order helps keep your skin soft and comfortable while reducing the dryness that retinols often cause.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this cream twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to keep your skin hydrated without adding excess oil. Daily use helps maintain moisture balance and is unlikely to cause irritation.
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 or breakouts on your oily skin because it has a very safe formula without harsh ingredients, though a few reviewers have mentioned potential breakouts. It hydrates your skin without adding excess oil, but it does not contain specialized ingredients to directly target acne and blemishes.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this cream around your eyes and on your body, as its gentle ingredients and safe formula suit those areas well. The thin skin around the eyes and various body regions benefit from this hydration, though skin thickness varies across the body.
Is this cream 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, 2017Lecithin-based nanoemulsions showed superior viability in human skin cells compared to SDS-based formulations, with components remaining in superficial stratum corneum layers indicating low skin irritation risk.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2020The 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, 2012A 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, 2025Topical 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, 2019Squalane 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, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Squalane, Hyaluronic Acid, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, 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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