belif Hungarian Water Essence for acne-prone skin
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 combination skin, this essence utilizes Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate to provide excellent hydration and plumping effects, while Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract helps to regulate sebum production.
- The inclusion of Centella Asiatica Extract and Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract offers moderate benefits for your acne and blemishes by providing soothing and antioxidant properties.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like rosemary and lavender extracts.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 400+ reviewsUsers consistently praise this essence for its ultra-lightweight, watery texture that provides instant hydration without clogging pores, making it ideal for oily, combination, and dehydrated skin types. Those with very dry skin often find it insufficient as a standalone moisturizer, and recent reports suggest it may be difficult to find or discontinued in some regions.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “feels like water”
- “super light gel”
- “no heavy residue”
- “perfect for summer”
Instant absorption Often Mentioned
- “sinks in immediately”
- “drinks it up”
- “disappears into skin”
- “no wait time”
Non-greasy hydration Often Mentioned
- “plumps without oil”
- “hydrates oily zones”
- “dewy not greasy”
- “balances combination skin”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “expensive for amount”
- “pricey for just water”
- “bottle runs out fast”
- “steep cost”
Makeup prep Sometimes Noted
- “great primer”
- “foundation glides on”
- “smooths dry patches”
- “prevents cakey makeup”
Pleasant herbal scent Sometimes Noted
- “refreshing spa smell”
- “light herbal fragrance”
- “subtle rosemary notes”
- “clean and calming”
Availability issues Sometimes Noted
- “hard to find”
- “discontinued in stores”
- “out of stock”
- “can't repurchase”
Insufficient for dry skin Sometimes Noted
- “need more moisture”
- “too light for winter”
- “dry spots remained”
- “not enough alone”
Sticky finish Rarely Noted
- “tacky after drying”
- “leaves a film”
- “slightly sticky residue”
- “feels tacky initially”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “scent too strong”
- “irritated sensitive nose”
- “smells like alcohol”
- “overpowering herbs”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, influenster.com, amazon.com, thehappysloths.com, gardenofmuses.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes belif Hungarian Water Essence a great fit for acne-prone skin?
This essence is a great fit for your acne-prone skin because it uses glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to deliver lightweight hydration while rosemary extract helps control excess oil. It also includes centella asiatica extract to calm breakouts and soothe redness without causing irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Which ingredients make this essence a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This essence is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it includes Centella Asiatica Extract to calm breakouts and Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract to help balance oil, along with Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate to keep skin hydrated without clogging pores. These soothing ingredients help calm redness and irritation, making it very gentle for sensitive skin.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Molecules, 2023
What does Water do for acne-prone skin?
Water-based hydration helps keep acne-prone skin balanced by providing essential moisture without adding excess oil. Proper hydration also helps reduce dryness and flakiness that can sometimes result from harsh acne treatments.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps acne-prone skin by soothing irritation, calming redness, and keeping the skin balanced without clogging pores. When combined with targeted ingredients like zinc oxide, it may also help reduce breakouts.
Where does this essence go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This essence is applied in the evening step of your routine, after cleansing and before moisturizing. It has a very safe profile and is unlikely to cause irritation on acne-prone skin.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this essence with retinol by applying the essence first to hydrate your skin and then following with your retinol. Using a hydrating moisturizer like this helps soothe your skin and is unlikely to cause irritation when combined with acne treatments.
How often should I use this essence?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, applying it after your cleansing toner and before your moisturizer. Daily application helps keep your skin hydrated and balanced while soothing minor blemishes.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This essence is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it uses glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to hydrate without heavy oils, while centella asiatica and rosemary extracts help soothe breakouts. It is very unlikely to clog pores or cause irritation since it leaves out harsh ingredients.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Can I use this essence around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on your body because its lightweight formula provides deep hydration and soothing benefits without irritation. It helps keep these areas soft and calm with ingredients like glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and centella asiatica extract.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (citronellol and limonene).
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, 2017Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Co-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, 2023Treatment with a rose extract activated newly identified skin olfactory receptors and prevented epinephrine-induced skin stress responses in epidermal keratinocytes and human skin explants, while clinically decreasing the appearance of under-eye dark circles in stressed women.
Molecules, 2020Topical 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, 2019The 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, 2012Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical treatment with 5% vitamin C and 0.1% madecassoside significantly improved clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration, along with functional and structural remodeling of the elastic fiber network in 20 female volunteers with photoaged skin after 6 months compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2008Rose petal extract improves stratum corneum moisture levels in humans by upregulating HAS2 expression via the GLK-MAP2K-MAPK signaling pathway.
BioFactors, 2023Rosa gallica petal extract (RPE) exerts skin whitening by attenuating tyrosinase activity and melanin accumulation and exhibits anti-wrinkle activity by suppressing MMP-1 levels in human cells.
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2020Damask rose stem-cell-derived exosome therapy improved scar appearance, skin elasticity, hydration, and tissue quality across four patients with diverse dermatological conditions compared to pretreatment status.
Pharmaceutics, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract Rosemary Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract Lavender Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Peucedanum Graveolens Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Rose Extract, Poncirus Trifoliata Fruit Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Nepeta Cataria Extract, Rubus Idaeus Leaf Extract Raspberry Leaf Extract, Baptisia Tinctoria Root Extract, Chickweed Extract, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Triethylhexanoin, Tromethamine, Sclerotium Gum, Ammonium Acryloyldimethltaurate Vp Copolymer, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium Edta, Citronellol, Limonene
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
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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