M.A.C. Studio Moisture Cream

M.A.C.

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The M.A.C. Studio Moisture Cream is a moisturizer. Our analysis of its 39 ingredients (30 low-risk) rates it Excellent (88/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Moisturizers
Ingredients
39
Low-risk
30
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United States

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 15/4
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Stearate Behenyl Alcohol Cetyl Esters Squalane Ethylhexyl Palmitate Caprylic/Capric/Stearic Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Sodium Hyaluronate Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate Saccharomyces Lysate Extract Hordeum Vulgare Extract Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Dimethicone Cyclopentasiloxane Myristyl Myristate
Caution for dry skin
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract PEG-100 Stearate
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Sensitive Skin 5/10
Good for sensitive skin
Hypnea Musciformis Extract Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate BHT
Caution for sensitive skin
Ethylhexyl Palmitate Caffeine Butylene Glycol Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Methylparaben Phenoxyethanol BHT Propylparaben Fragrance

Ingredients list

39 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All39 Skin Conditioning28 Emollient12 Fragrance7 Emulsion Stabilising6 Masking5 Viscosity Controlling5 Solvent4 Humectant4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
2
3
B
Myristyl Myristate
(Emollient, Opacifying, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Caprylic/Capric/Stearic Triglyceride
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
B
Cetyl Esters
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
1
B
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Perfuming)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil
(Skin Conditioning)
Passiflora Alata Fruit Extract
(Hair Conditioning)
1
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
(Skin Bleaching Agent, Skin Conditioning)
1
Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
B
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
(Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Astringent, Emollient, Humectant, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Tonic, Uv Absorber)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Comb Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Hypnea Musciformis Extract
(Skin Protecting)
1
Gellidiela Acerosa Extract
1
Saccharomyces Lysate Extract
(Humectant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Caffeine
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Masking)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
9
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Squalane
(Emollient, Hair Conditioning, Refatting, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Sodium Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
2
Acrylamides Copolymer
(Antistatic Agent, Film Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
(Emulsifying)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
3
A
PEG-100 Stearate
(Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
A
Cyclopentasiloxane
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Solvent)
Silicone
Silicone
1
A
Glyceryl Stearate
(Emollient, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
6
Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Behenyl Alcohol
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Emollient, Viscosity Controlling)
8
Fragrance
(Deodorant, Masking, Perfuming)
6
A
BHT
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Masking)
2
A
Tetrasodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
4
A
Methylparaben
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
7
A
Propylparaben
(Fragrance, Preservative, Perfuming)
Paraben
Paraben

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

Browse similar moisturizer
No close formula match yet — browse other products like this

Key ingredients

Butylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning, Humectant
Dimethicone
Skin Protecting, Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric/Stearic Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Esters
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient

Benefits

Good for dry skin
Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains silicone
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) — higher EWG
Fragrance — higher EWG
Propylparaben — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Caprylic/Capric/Stearic Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmollientSkin conditioningSolvent
Cetyl Esters
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmollient
Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioning
Passiflora Alata Fruit Extract
Hair conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioning
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
Emollient, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmollientSkin conditioning
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
Skin bleaching agent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin bleaching agentSkin conditioning
Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Leaf Extract
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Comb Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Hypnea Musciformis Extract
Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin protecting
Gellidiela Acerosa Extract
Other
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1
Saccharomyces Lysate Extract
Humectant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 HumectantSkin conditioning
Caffeine
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 FragranceSkin conditioningMasking
Squalane
Emollient, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientHair conditioningRefattingSkin conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentGel formingViscosity controlling
+ 7 more — see the full ingredients list above
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient, Opacifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 2–3 CIR B EmollientOpacifyingSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B FragranceSkin conditioningEmollientPerfuming Fungal-acne trigger
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B AntimicrobialAntioxidantAstringentEmollientHumectantMaskingOral care agentSkin conditioningSkin protectingTonicUv absorber Good for Oily Skin
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)
Other
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 9 Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry Skin
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Surfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Cyclopentasiloxane
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientSolvent Silicone
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientEmulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether
Skin conditioning
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 Skin conditioning
Fragrance
Deodorant, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 8 DeodorantMaskingPerfuming
BHT
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 CIR A AntioxidantFragranceMasking
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
+ 2 more — see the full ingredients list above

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply near the end of your routine, after thinner serums.
  • 2 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.
  • 3 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Often avoided
Retinoids (Vitamin A) (Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A))

Topical retinoids (retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters) are widely advised against in pregnancy as a precaution. The strongest evidence is for ORAL retinoids; topical absorption is low, but most clinicians err on the side of caution.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Retinoids (Vitamin A) 0.01–1%

Most studied between 0.1% and 1%. Higher is not automatically better — irritation climbs with dose, so a well-formulated lower strength is often the sweet spot.

Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

From the community

0
Reviews
0
Saved by users
0
In collections

Ratings & reviews

Write a Review
0.0
from 0 ratings

Used this product? Rate it in 10 seconds

Alternatives