{"product_id":"mary-may-sensitive-soothing-gel-cream","title":"Mary\u0026May Sensitive Soothing Gel Cream","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkin-Nomad's Take — At a Glance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHouttuynia Cordata at 71.8% with Tea Tree at 9.7%, and no added fragrance*\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGel-cream texture suits all skin types, including oily skin that still needs moisture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbsorbs cleanly under SPF or makeup; no stickiness\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf your skin runs red and oily at the same time, you have probably found that the moisturisers calm enough to settle it are far too rich to wear. The Mary\u0026amp;May Sensitive Soothing Gel Cream is the exception, and the reason is what it is mostly made of: \u003ca class=\"sn-ilink\" href=\"\/en-au\/collections\/heartleaf\"\u003eHouttuynia Cordata\u003c\/a\u003e extract at a declared 71.8%, with tea tree extract at 9.7% behind it,* in a gel emulsion light enough for daily wear on an oily complexion. Mary\u0026amp;May formulates in Seoul around high-concentration botanicals with the doses printed on the box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHouttuynia Cordata is not an extract in this formula, it is the formula:\u003c\/strong\u003e At 71.8% it replaces the water most gel creams are built on, and the herb known in Korea as dokudami carries the flavonoids, quercetin among them, behind its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial record. That concentration is the whole reason this reads as a calming product rather than a neutral one.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTea tree at 9.7% works on the bacterial half of a flare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Melaleuca Alternifolia extract has well-documented antibacterial activity, and at nearly a tenth of the formula it is present at a level where that matters rather than as a name on the front. It is the extract rather than the essential oil, which is what keeps it usable on skin that reacts to aromatic actives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFive forms of hyaluronic acid handle the water, and nothing seals it in:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sodium Hyaluronate appears at both 2,200,000 and 4,000 daltons alongside three other forms, so water is bound at the surface and further down at once, with no oils laid over the top. That is the reason oily and combination skin wear a calming moisturiser daily here without the congested feeling that rules richer ones out.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePanthenol and licorice cover comfort and repair:\u003c\/strong\u003e Panthenol converts to Pantothenic Acid in the skin and drives the lipid synthesis a strained barrier is short of, while Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, a licorice derivative, settles visible \u003ca class=\"sn-ilink\" href=\"\/en-au\/collections\/redness-irritation\"\u003eredness\u003c\/a\u003e. Neither is a headline ingredient and both are why the gel stays comfortable on skin that is already sore.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTexture \u0026amp; Finish\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gel emulsion is closer to a cool gel than a cream, and it sinks in within seconds to a clean, matte-leaning finish with no tack left behind. Nothing pills over it, so sunscreen and then makeup go on top without disruption, which is the practical reason it survives a real morning routine on oily skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c\/strong\u003e There is no added fragrance in the formula, and no essential oil either; the tea tree is present as an extract.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIdeal For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSkin types:\u003c\/strong\u003e All skin types, with the most to offer sensitive, redness-prone, oily and combination skin.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSkin concerns:\u003c\/strong\u003e Redness, sensitivity, barrier strain, dehydration, visible pores, and skin recovering from strong actives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest used by:\u003c\/strong\u003e People whose skin flares easily and turns shiny by lunchtime, and who have been alternating between a calming cream and a light gel because no single moisturiser did both jobs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: How does this compare with a plain hydrating gel moisturiser?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA: A plain hydrating gel adds water to the skin and avoids provoking it, which is useful but passive. The Mary\u0026amp;May Sensitive Soothing Gel Cream is built on a botanical at 71.8% with documented anti-inflammatory activity, so the calming is an ingredient doing something rather than an absence of irritants. The two are the same class of lightweight to wear; the difference shows in how reactive your skin is a month later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What is Houttuynia Cordata, and is it just another soothing plant?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA: It is a herb native to East and Southeast Asia, known as dokudami, used for centuries in Korean and Japanese traditional medicine. Its flavonoid content is the source of the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity it brings to skincare, and it is far less familiar in the UK than Centella despite a comparable record. At a trace level it would be a marketing note; at 71.8% it is the product.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Can I use this alongside a retinol?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA: Yes, and there are two sensible ways round. The conventional order puts the retinol on first with this gel cream over the top, which calms the skin once the active is on; used deliberately as a buffer, applying the gel cream first takes the edge off early retinoid sensitivity. Neither approach reduces what the retinol is doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quiet win here is a long one: a moisturiser that lowers how reactive your skin is means that in six months you are reaching for fewer products, not more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sn-claims\"\u003e\u003csmall\u003e* Concentrations as declared by Mary\u0026amp;May on the ingredient list: Houttuynia Cordata Extract 71.8%, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract 9.7%. The brand publishes no efficacy testing for this formula.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sn-explore-more\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExplore more\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover more \u003ca href=\"\/en-au\/collections\/heartleaf\"\u003eHeartleaf\u003c\/a\u003e formulas, soothe \u003ca href=\"\/en-au\/collections\/redness-irritation\"\u003eRedness \u0026amp; Irritation\u003c\/a\u003e, or browse the full \u003ca href=\"\/en-au\/collections\/mary-may\"\u003eMary \u0026amp; May\u003c\/a\u003e range.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mary\u0026May","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47822573994318,"sku":"1100063335","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0798\/5057\/0062\/files\/1100063335.png?v=1778671447","url":"https:\/\/skinnomid.com\/en-au\/products\/mary-may-sensitive-soothing-gel-cream","provider":"Skin-Nomad","version":"1.0","type":"link"}