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Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream for sensitive skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream

High

  • HighNormal Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

A great choice for sensitive skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 normal skin, the presence of glycerin and honey provides excellent humectant action, while licorice root extract calms inflammation and smooths skin texture.
  • The formulation offers moderate benefits for your redness and irritation due to the soothing properties of concentrated licorice root extract.
  • The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your sensitive skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.

How to apply

  • Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
  • Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
  • Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
  • You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
  • Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .

People Say

★4.7Overall rating based on 400+ reviews

This rich, whipped cream is widely praised by users with dry and dehydrated skin for its ability to deeply moisturize and create a "bouncy," plump complexion. While many report visible improvements in skin elasticity and texture, the strong herbal ginseng scent and heavy finish make it a polarizing choice for those with oily or sensitive skin.

Highlights

  • Deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up”
    • “wake up with plump skin”
    • “keeps skin hydrated until noon”
  • Luxurious texture Mostly Mentioned
    • “texture is thick and luxurious”
    • “whipped cream texture”
    • “melts beautifully without feeling heavy”
  • Firming effect Often Mentioned
    • “noticeable lifting effects”
    • “skin felt soft and bouncy”
    • “visibly improves skin firmness”
  • High price Often Mentioned
    • “price is steep”
    • “very pricey for a moisturizer”
    • “wallet was furious”
  • Herbal scent Sometimes Noted
    • “scent feels special”
    • “calming herbal ginseng scent”
    • “smells like a spa”
  • Heavy finish Sometimes Noted
    • “feels sticky and greasy”
    • “too oily for summer”
    • “takes time to rub in”
  • Strong scent Sometimes Noted
    • “fragrance is a bit strong”
    • “smells like ginger or menthol”
    • “scent slightly overpowering”
  • Potential breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “caused blemishes”
    • “notice some blemishes start to appear”
    • “too heavy for acne-prone skin”

Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, nordstrom.com, macys.com, influenster.com, yesstyle.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream a great fit for sensitive skin?

Sulwhasoo Essential Firming Cream is a great fit because glycerin and honey provide deep hydration while licorice root extract helps calm irritation and smooth your skin texture. It has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients, making it very unlikely to cause irritation on sensitive skin.

Experimental Dermatology, 2015

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?

Glycerin and honey make this cream a great fit for sensitive skin by keeping it soft and hydrated, while licorice root extract calms redness and smooths texture. Its safety profile is excellent, with no harsh ingredients to cause irritation.

What does Jisun Firming Complex do for sensitive skin?

Jisun Firming Complex helps calm sensitive skin while improving hydration and firmness. This type of product works best when it includes soothing ingredients and barrier-repairing components to keep dry or easily irritated skin feeling soft and smooth.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2022

What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?

Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999

Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?

This cream goes in the evening routine as a treatment, applied after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer. It is unlikely to irritate your sensitive skin thanks to its gentle formula and lack of harsh ingredients.

Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this cream alongside retinol by applying the cream first to help cushion your skin, as a well-tolerated moisturizer with soothing ingredients and glycerin is unlikely to cause irritation while improving barrier function and supporting your treatment. Studies show that using a gentle moisturizer alongside strong active ingredients helps reduce dryness and redness without lowering treatment effectiveness.

Cutis, 2006The Journal of Dermatology, 2014

How often should I use this cream?

This cream is a great fit for your sensitive skin and is used in the evening routine. It is unlikely to cause irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.

Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?

This cream is unlikely to cause breakouts for sensitive skin because it avoids harsh ingredients and has a very low risk of causing pimples. Glycerin and honey draw moisture into the skin while licorice root extract helps calm irritation.

Experimental Dermatology, 2015

Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?

This cream is generally safe to use on delicate areas like the face and body, though its rich formula is primarily designed for facial moisturizing. Its gentle ingredients are unlikely to cause irritation, but very thin skin areas may need lightweight hydrators rather than heavy creams.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Experimental Dermatology, 2015

Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, limonene, linalool, citronellol, citral, and geraniol). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.

What the research says

  • Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.

    Experimental Dermatology, 2015

  • 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, 2017

  • The 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, 2020

  • Ten 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, 2001

  • Niacinamide/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, 2012

  • Honey-based dressings reduced mean healing duration, length of hospital stay, and VAS pain scores compared with povidone iodine-based dressings in 1236 participants.

    Journal of Wound Care, 2021

  • Topical honey application improved the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and healing time compared to acyclovir cream in 16 adult patients with recurrent labial and genital herpes lesions.

    Medical Science Monitor, 2004

  • Partially purified paeoniflorin protected human keratinocytes and mouse skin from UV-induced DNA damage and reduced facial wrinkles in human volunteers.

    Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2006

  • Paeonia suffruticosa callus extract downregulated inflammatory factors, alleviated DNA damage, and increased total collagen content in in vitro and in vivo evaluations.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025

  • Topical application of Paeonia lactiflora root extract and paeoniflorin significantly decreases melanin content by 23% to 30% in reconstructed pigmented human epidermis compared to vehicle control.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2016

  • Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.

    Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015

  • Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.

    Advanced Science, 2025

  • Topical application of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Sophora japonica flavonoid-rich fractions individually and in combination significantly increased the wound healing rate and reduced oxidative stress compared to wound and Nolaver-treated groups.

    Molecules, 2023

Ingredients

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate Dicaprate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Peg-100 Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylate-13, Parfum, Polyisobutene, Honey Mel Miel, Limonene, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Root Extract Rhizome, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Sorbitan Isostearate, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 60, Kaolin, Linalool, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Citronellol, Citral, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Hydrolyzed Soybean Extract, Tocopherol

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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How does it fit your skin?

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QR code: get the Lovi app
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