St. Ives Renewing Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer for acne-prone skin
Collagen
Elastin
GlycerinLow
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for acne-prone skin; the moisturizers alongside fit it better.
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
- Offers moderate moisturizing for your combination skin due to glycerin and hydrolyzed collagen, which hydrate and improve elasticity, but the inclusion of mineral oil poses a significant risk of worsening your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- While Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil helps balance hydration, the lack of targeted ingredients for your primary concerns means the product's functionality is limited for your specific needs.
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
★4.6Overall rating based on 22.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this moisturizer is widely praised as a budget-friendly "holy grail" for softening skin and smoothing fine lines without feeling heavy or greasy. While it is marketed for renewing skin with collagen and elastin, users with very dry or sensitive skin sometimes find the hydration insufficient or the fragrance irritating, though it remains a favorite for those seeking a lightweight, daily glow.
Highlights
Great value Mostly Mentioned
- “huge tub lasts forever”
- “unbeatable price for the amount”
- “great bang for your buck”
- “economical daily moisturizer”
Soft and smooth Mostly Mentioned
- “makes my skin feel so soft”
- “leaves skin silky smooth”
- “texture feels plumper”
- “softens rough patches”
Lightweight feel Often Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly”
- “no greasy film”
- “lightweight under foundation”
- “doesn't clog pores”
Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells fresh and clean”
- “light pleasant scent”
- “love the classic smell”
- “scent isn't overpowering”
Jar packaging Sometimes Noted
- “wish it had a pump”
- “hate dipping fingers in”
- “unsanitary jar packaging”
- “prefer a squeeze tube”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused small bumps”
- “broke me out in T-zone”
- “clogged my pores”
- “woke up with whiteheads”
Fragrance irritation Rarely Noted
- “scent is too strong”
- “fragrance irritated my eyes”
- “caused redness due to perfume”
- “wish it was fragrance-free”
Not for dry skin Rarely Noted
- “not moisturizing enough for winter”
- “skin felt dry an hour later”
- “need to reapply often”
- “too light for dry patches”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, walmart.com, influenster.com, youtube.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer a weak match for acne-prone skin?
This moisturizer is a weak match for your acne-prone skin because the mineral oil in it poses a significant risk of worsening your breakouts. To properly care for acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs targeted ingredients that manage breakouts, soothe irritation, and provide hydration without heavy oils.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a weak match for acne-prone skin because the mineral oil in it poses a significant risk of worsening your breakouts and blemishes. A product for this skin needs targeted ingredients that manage acne while keeping skin calm and balanced, without heavy oils that clog pores.
What does Collagen do for acne-prone skin?
Collagen does not directly target breakouts, but it helps keep dry or aging acne-prone skin soft and hydrated without clogging pores. Because this skin type often needs lightweight moisture and soothing care, a product of this type needs non-greasy hydrators and calming ingredients to support clear skin.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2019
What does Hydrolyzed Elastin do for acne-prone skin?
Hydrolyzed elastin helps keep acne-prone skin soft and smooth while supporting moisture retention, though it does not directly treat breakouts. A product of this type for acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-greasy hydrators and soothing ingredients to maintain skin balance without clogging pores.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a weak match for acne-prone skin because the mineral oil poses a significant risk of worsening breakouts. A moisturizer for this skin needs light, non-clogging hydrators like glycerin along with targeted ingredients that help keep pores clear and calm blemishes.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, but it may not be the best match because mineral oil can clog your pores and worsen breakouts. To use them together, apply your retinol first, let it dry completely, and then smooth on this moisturizer. Acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-clogging hydrators along with targeted ingredients that help clear blemishes and calm redness.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a weak match for your acne-prone skin because mineral oil poses a significant risk of worsening your breakouts. To safely care for acne-prone skin, a moisturizer needs oil-free hydration and targeted ingredients that clear blemishes without clogging pores.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cream is a weak match for your acne-prone skin because the mineral oil in it poses a significant risk of worsening breakouts. Acne-prone skin needs lightweight, non-clogging hydrators and targeted ingredients that keep pores clear without heavy oils.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
This cream is suitable for use on the body and around the eyes, where skin thickness varies across regions. It helps keep skin soft and hydrated, though acne-prone skin needs a lightweight product with targeted blemish-fighting ingredients and no heavy mineral oils.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum, linalool, hexyl cinnamal, coumarin, and geraniol). Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Both oral and topical collagen supplements help delay the skin aging process by improving moisture, elasticity, and hydration, with no differences arising between the two types of collagen.
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022The use of cosmetic products containing collagen or its peptides improves the general condition of the skin, reduces wrinkle depth, improves hydration and density, reduces transepithelial water loss, and delays the aging process, while oral bioactive collagen peptides also reduce nail breakage.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024Topical application of TAC/Collagen postbiotics gel improved skin moisture score and inflammation index, and reduced porphyrins and brown spots in 20 volunteers with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical collagen tripeptide application improved skin wrinkles, elasticity, and density while reducing advanced glycated end products in 22 Asian women over 4 weeks.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022Marine collagen extracted from Greenland halibut skin showed a non-cytotoxic effect on fibroblast cells and provided a slight skin hydration effect when incorporated into cosmetic hydrogel formulations at dosages of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5% in 23 healthy volunteers.
Marine Drugs, 2023Topical application of a 0.1% copper-zinc malonate-containing cream significantly enhanced elastin biosynthesis and induced elastic fibre regeneration in photoaged facial skin of 21 female patients after 6 weeks of treatment compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2009A betaine-based deep eutectic solvent successfully enhanced the transdermal delivery of elastin peptide, which improved skin barrier repair, reduced melanin secretion and deposition, and stimulated the secretion of procollagen I and elastin.
Biomaterials Advances, 2024Bioactive recombinant humanized elastin (RHE) gel effectively restores skin elasticity, reverses UV-induced damage and oxidative stress, and promotes extracellular matrix remodeling in zebrafish and aged mice models compared to commercial vitamin E and recombinant humanized collagen gels.
Materials Today. Bio, 2025A 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, 2017The 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, 2001
Why other moisturizers fit 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, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Parfum, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Geraniol, Sorbitol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract Sunflower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Yellow 5 Ci 19140, Red 4 Ci 14700, Red 33 Ci 17200, Blue 1 Ci 42090
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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