AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum for combination skin
Niacinamide
Squalane
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Glutathione
Rice Bran ExtractHigh
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 high suitability for your combination skin, as niacinamide helps control oil and sodium hyaluronate provides essential hydration, addressing your oily shine concerns.
- The presence of niacinamide and glutathione effectively brightens and evens skin tone, reducing the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with no harsh ingredients that could cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, and right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏳for it to soak in.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive.
- Always do a patch test before using the serum for the first time, and avoid the eye area .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 15.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this lightweight serum is highly recommended for acne-prone and sensitive skin, effectively calming redness and gradually fading post-acne marks without causing irritation. It also hydrates and brightens the complexion. Users should note that consistent, long-term application is necessary to see significant results on dark spots, and it may not be potent enough for older or deeper hyperpigmentation.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “Beautiful gel-like texture”
- “Absorbs almost instantly”
- “Never feels sticky”
Fades acne marks Often Mentioned
- “Old acne marks fade”
- “Fades the dark spots really well”
- “Significant reduction in redness”
Gentle on sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “Doesn't irritate”
- “Calmed my troubled spots”
- “No reaction”
Slow results Often Mentioned
- “Takes a while”
- “Not an overnight fix”
- “Slow and steady process”
Brightens complexion Sometimes Noted
- “Skin feels brighter”
- “Gives a healthy glow”
- “Overall complexion was healthier”
Layers well Sometimes Noted
- “Sits well under makeup”
- “No pilling”
- “Non-sticky finish”
Ineffective for old scars Sometimes Noted
- “Did nothing for hyperpigmentation”
- “Better for new scars only”
- “Not strong enough for melasma”
Breakouts (rare) Rarely Noted
- “Broke me out”
- “Caused closed comedones”
- “Gave me cystic-like welts”
Herbal scent Rarely Noted
- “Smells like rosemary”
- “Scent is too herbal”
- “Dislike the tea tree smell”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Pump stops working”
- “Hard to get last drops”
- “Opaque bottle hides amount”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, oliveyoung.com, yesstyle.com, sokoglam.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum a great fit for combination skin?
This serum is a great fit for your combination skin because niacinamide helps control oil while sodium hyaluronate provides essential hydration for your dry areas. It also brightens and evens your skin tone to reduce dark spots without using harsh ingredients that could cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for combination skin?
Niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate make this serum a great fit because niacinamide helps control oil while sodium hyaluronate provides essential hydration for your combination skin. Niacinamide and glutathione also brighten and even your skin tone, and the formula is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014
What does Niacinamide do for combination skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oily areas by reducing excess shine and pore size while keeping dry patches hydrated and smooth. It also works to calm redness and even out skin tone, making it very suitable for combination skin.
What does Squalane do for combination skin?
Squalane helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. It supports the skin barrier and provides lightweight hydration that works well for both dry and oily areas.
Skin Health and Disease, 2024Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment serum goes in your evening routine, after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the evening keeps things simple and helps avoid any extra sun sensitivity.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this serum with retinol, and apply the retinol first followed by this treatment to keep your skin smooth and calm. The safe, gentle formula is unlikely to cause irritation when layered thoughtfully.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum fits well into your evening routine as a daily treatment to help brighten skin tone and manage oily shine. You can apply it every evening, as the gentle formula is safe and unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for combination skin because its formula has a very good safety profile with no harsh ingredients. Breakouts with this product are rare.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Topical oxidized glutathione significantly decreases the skin melanin index and improves moisture content, smoothness, wrinkle formation, and elasticity compared to placebo in healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical treatment of nicotinamide, alone or in combination with other active ingredients, reduces the progression of skin aging and hyperpigmentation in clinical trials while being well tolerated.
Antioxidants, 2021Topical application of a 5% Hippophae rhamnoides oil-in-water emulsion significantly improved skin hydration (p=0.0003) and transepidermal water loss (p=0.0087) compared to a placebo base formulation in 13 healthy male subjects over 84 days.
Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical 2% niacinamide significantly decreased sebum excretion rate in Japanese individuals and casual sebum levels in Caucasian individuals compared to placebo or baseline.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Topical application of a sea buckthorn fruit extract formulation significantly reduced skin sebum secretion in 10 healthy human volunteers compared to the control base over an 8-week period.
Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences, 2010Topical emulsions containing Hippophae rhamnoides and Cassia fistula plant extracts significantly reduced skin sebum contents compared to placebo in patients with grade I and grade II acne vulgaris.
Postepy Dermatologii I Alergologii, 2014Sea buckthorn seed oil prevents UV-induced disturbances in redox balance and lipid metabolism in human keratinocytes and fibroblasts by reducing reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation products while enhancing antioxidant levels.
Antioxidants, 2018Glutathione amino acid precursors effectively increase cellular glutathione levels, reducing oxidative stress, ATP depletion, and DNA damage in human keratinocytes, clinical subjects, and ex vivo skin compared to controls.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2024Topical glutathione improves hyperpigmentation, reduces ultraviolet-induced erythema and wrinkles, decreases transepidermal water loss, and enhances antioxidant capacity.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025RayGel reduced skin reaction severity with a lower average score of 93.7 compared to 123.3 for the placebo group in patients undergoing whole breast external-beam irradiation.
American Journal of Surgery, 2005Topical gel and cream formulations containing niosomes entrapped with rice bran bioactive compounds improved skin hydration, lightening, thickness, roughness, and elasticity in 30 human volunteers over 28 days compared to baseline.
Pharmaceutical Biology, 2012Gel and cream formulations containing rice bran bioactive compounds entrapped in niosomes increased in vitro antioxidant activity (ORAC values of 20-28 micromol TE/g versus 16-18 micromol TE/g for placebo), enhanced lipid peroxidation inhibition in human sebum by about 1.5 times, and improved in vivo human skin hydration by approximately 3 to 30% depending on the measurement technique.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2011Stirring Nukadoko fermented rice bran beds by hand leads to temporary settlement of microorganisms on human skin with quick shedding.
FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, Erythritol, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Rice Bran Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Acerola Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Chlorphenesin, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Glutathione, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Disodium Edta, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Oil Leaf Rosemary Oil Leaf
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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