Curology Formula for combination skin
Tretinoin
Azelaic Acid
ClindamycinAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other serums fit it 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 excellent treatment for acne lesions and blemishes due to the presence of tretinoin and azelaic acid, which effectively reduce acne lesions and blemishes for your combination skin. These ingredients promote exfoliation and reduce sebum production, targeting oily shine and acne.
- Clindamycin offers additional benefits by targeting acne-causing bacteria, further supporting your skin's clarity.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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
★4.2Overall rating based on 15.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users frequently report significant improvements in acne-prone skin, with reduced breakouts and smoother texture being common outcomes. Some users experience initial irritation or purging, and a smaller number encounter issues with subscription management or packaging. Overall satisfaction is high, particularly regarding the effectiveness for acne and skin texture improvement.
Highlights
Acne clearance Mostly Mentioned
- “Cleared my cystic and hormonal acne”
- “Only thing that worked in 10 years”
- “No more breakouts here”
- “Cystic acne is finally gone”
Improved texture Often Mentioned
- “Skin has gotten smoother”
- “Scars fade, texture smoothes out”
- “Got that glow back”
- “Confident to stop wearing foundation”
Simplified routine Sometimes Noted
- “Simplifies my nightly routine”
- “3 actives in one bottle”
- “Don't need extra serums”
- “Streamlined my skincare steps”
Telehealth access Sometimes Noted
- “Convenient to order from home”
- “No need to drive anywhere”
- “Easy to text a question”
- “Skips the pharmacy line”
Packaging problems Sometimes Noted
- “Pump stops coming out”
- “Bottles are deceptively large”
- “Dispenser takes multiple pumps”
- “Packaging feels cheap”
Subscription issues Sometimes Noted
- “Charged me after I cancelled”
- “Struggled to cancel subscription”
- “Hard to adjust shipment dates”
- “Billed while on hold”
Customer service Rarely Noted
- “Initial contact is unhelpful bot”
- “Hard to reach a human”
- “Generic copy-paste responses”
- “Support email is slow”
Skin reactions Rarely Noted
- “Caused a burning sensation”
- “Face began to break out”
- “Dryness and discoloration”
- “Ruined my moisture barrier”
Sources: lovi.care, influencer.com, trustpilot.com, highya.com, reddit.com, innerbody.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Curology Formula work for combination skin?
Curology Formula works reasonably well for combination skin by using tretinoin and azelaic acid to target breakouts and oily shine, while clindamycin helps clear up acne-causing bacteria. It is safe for this skin type and is unlikely to cause irritation. However, a treatment for combination skin needs ingredients like niacinamide, propolis, and zinc PCA to provide balanced hydration and regulate oiliness without risking imbalance.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for combination skin?
Tretinoin, azelaic acid, and clindamycin make this treatment a good fit by reducing acne blemishes, targeting oily shine, and clearing acne-causing bacteria. To fit combination skin even better, a treatment of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and propolis to balance hydration and regulate oiliness.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022
What does Tretinoin do for combination skin?
Tretinoin helps clear breakouts and smooth out uneven texture by speeding up skin renewal. Because it can be drying, combination skin needs a gentle moisturizer and daily sunscreen to protect the skin barrier while using this ingredient.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 2022
What does Azelaic Acid do for combination skin?
Azelaic acid helps combination skin by calming redness, clearing breakouts, and fading dark spots while keeping the skin smooth. It is unlikely to irritate dry areas while working on oily spots. Combination skin of this type needs a balanced routine with gentle exfoliants and soothing hydrators.
Postepy Dermatologii I Alergologii, 2023Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Combination skin works well with treatments like this, though other products fit it better by providing extra soothing hydration and gentle balancing ingredients to keep both dry and oily areas comfortable.
Can I use this treatment with niacinamide, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with niacinamide by applying niacinamide first in your routine to keep your combination skin calm and smooth. Combination skin works best with products that balance oil and add gentle moisture.
How often should I use this treatment?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine once a week to start, then carefully use it more often if your skin handles it well. This type of product for combination skin needs ingredients that help target breakouts and oily shine while keeping the skin calm.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause new breakouts on combination skin, as Tretinoin and Azelaic Acid help clear blemishes and reduce oily shine. However, the skin may experience some mild purging or peeling when first starting out as the ingredients promote skin renewal. Combination skin of this type needs products that balance oil and promote gentle cell turnover without causing irritation.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022
What the research says
Azelaic acid nanocrystal hydrogel 10% achieved a higher success rate and greater lesion reduction than azelaic acid cream 20% in patients with mild to moderate facial acne.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Tretinoin-loaded nano lipid carriers resulted in a significantly higher rate of decrease in acne lesions and greater reduction in porphyrin production compared to conventional tretinoin cream in patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022Application of 15% azelaic acid gel significantly reduced post-inflammatory erythema and hyperpigmentation, decreased hemoglobin and melanin content, improved quality of life, and contributed to acne improvement in patients with mild to moderate acne compared to placebo.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2024Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel achieved significantly greater treatment success and lesion reductions compared to vehicle in participants with moderate-to-severe acne.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023A galenic compound containing essential oils and tretinoin demonstrated anti-acne efficacy and anti-inflammatory activity, significantly reducing papular erythema and retinoid-induced rashes compared to clindamycin-tretinoin gel in sixty volunteers over 30 days.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2020Topical tretinoin improves clinical appearance of photoaging in terms of wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, sallowness, and lentigines and is safe and well tolerated.
International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 2022Topical tretinoin daily application for 10 to 12 months produced an 80 percent increase in collagen I formation in photodamaged human skin compared with a 14 percent decrease with vehicle alone.
The New England Journal of Medicine, 1993Topical application of a dermocosmetic containing Myrtus communis extract and azelaic acid reduced acne relapses and helped maintain remission compared to a light moisturizing cream in adult females in the acne maintenance phase over 16 weeks.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2023Topical administration of 20% azelaic acid cream and 5% tranexamic acid solution comparably improved acne-related postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with acne vulgaris, while tranexamic acid demonstrated a significantly better safety profile at week 4.
Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023Azelaic acid 15% gel showed comparable efficacy to adapalene 0.1% gel in reducing lesions, severity, and Dermatology Life Quality Index in women with adult acne, with significantly lower dryness and scaling, and demonstrated superiority during maintenance compared to no further treatment.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2015Clindamycin-BPO 2.5% aqueous gel applied once daily provided statistically significant greater efficacy than individual active ingredients and vehicle in reducing inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions and acne severity in 2813 patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008Topical 4% nicotinamide and 1% clindamycin gels showed similar overall efficacy in reducing acne grade in patients with moderate inflammatory facial acne vulgaris over 8 weeks, with nicotinamide being more effective for oily skin and clindamycin for non-oily skin.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2013The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events and colitis in patients exposed to topical clindamycin for acne vulgaris is extremely low across pharmacovigilance, retrospective, and clinical trial data.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2024
Ingredients
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
How does it fit your skin?
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