e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free — Efficacy 4.2/5.0, Safety 4.4/5.0 | DemythSkin
++++
[ DemythSkin Verdict ]
e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free
e.l.f.

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free

MoisturizerHydration
Efficacy
Strong
4.2 / 5.0
Safety
Safe
4.4 / 5.0
System Verdict
A solid, well-built drugstore moisturizer that prioritizes hydration and barrier support over flashy hype. The efficacy score is driven by a genuinely useful humectant-emollient base with glycerin, butylene glycol, trehalose, sodium hyaluronate, squalane, and panthenol in meaningful positions, plus niacinamide high enough to matter for barrier support and tone over time; the peptide duo adds some anti-aging potential, but likely at a low concentration, so this is good formula design rather than a miracle treatment.
Active Ingredients Detected
A Tier: Good BasicsProven Results
GlycerinNiacinamideTrehaloseSqualaneSodium HyaluronatePanthenol
B Tier: Supporting IngredientsPromising Ingredients
Stearyl HeptanoateAluminum Starch OctenylsuccinatePolymethylsilsesquioxanePalmitoyl Tripeptide-1Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7Polyacrylate-13Polyisobutene
D Tier: Potential IrritantsBe Cautious
Isopropyl IsostearatePolyethylene
What Each Ingredient Does
Water (Aqua)
solvent, base
Isohexadecane
emollient, slip agent
Stearyl Heptanoate
emollient, texture aid
Glycerin
humectant, water binder
Butylene Glycol
humectant, solvent
Isopropyl Isostearate
emollient, spreadability aid
Niacinamide
barrier-supporting active
Cetearyl Olivate
emulsifier, texture stabilizer
Trehalose
humectant, moisture support
Squalane
emollient, barrier support
Dimethicone
occlusive, slip enhancer
Stearic Acid
fatty acid, thickener
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
absorbent, texture modifier
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
texture enhancer, blurring agent
Silica
absorbent, texture modifier
Sodium Hyaluronate
humectant, water binder
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
signal peptide, anti-aging
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
signal peptide, skin support
Panthenol
humectant, soothing support
Sorbitan Olivate
emulsifier, texture stabilizer
Cetearyl Alcohol
fatty alcohol, emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
emollient, emulsifier
PEG-100 Stearate
emulsifier, stabilizer
Polyethylene
texture enhancer, structurant
Full Ingredient List (INCI)

Water (Aqua), Isohexadecane, Stearyl Heptanoate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Trehalose, Squalane, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Silica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Panthenol, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyethylene, Disodium EDTA, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer

Frequently Asked

Is e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free worth it?

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free scores 4.2 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Strong) and 4.4 out of 5.0 for safety (Safe) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. A solid, well-built drugstore moisturizer that prioritizes hydration and barrier support over flashy hype. The efficacy score is driven by a genuinely useful humectant-emollient base with glycerin, butylene glycol, treha

What are the key active ingredients in e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free?

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free contains no gold-standard actives — its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.

Does e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free contain fragrance or known irritants?

DemythSkin flags these ingredients in e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free as potential irritants: Isopropyl Isostearate, Polyethylene.

How is e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free scored?

DemythSkin grades every product on two independent axes: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are classified S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. No brand pays for a score.

Analyze on DemythSkin

Analysis last updated: 2026-09-09. DemythSkin is an independent ingredient analyzer. Scores are computed by a deterministic rubric from published clinical evidence — no brand pays for a score.