Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum for acne-prone skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Butylene Glycol
Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment
Ethylhexylglycerin
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 moderate hydration and soothing benefits for your combination, acne-prone skin, as sodium hyaluronate and Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment hydrate drier areas and calm inflammation without exacerbating oiliness.
- Butylene glycol and leuconostoc radish root ferment filtrate further support hydration and skin barrier function, though more specialized ingredients would be needed to directly target acne and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring soothing components that minimize irritation risk.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 5.1k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users frequently describe this serum as a "splurge" product that delivers deep, non-greasy hydration and a noticeable "plumping" effect that smooths fine lines and revitalizes dull complexions. While many praise its ability to calm sensitive or acne-prone skin without irritation, a significant portion of reviewers feel the exorbitant price tag is not justified by the results, often citing comparable effects from more affordable alternatives.
Highlights
Deep Instant Hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “skin drank it up”
- “quenched dry patches”
- “long-lasting moisture”
- “relieved tightness”
Extremely Expensive Mostly Mentioned
- “way too expensive”
- “overpriced luxury”
- “hard on wallet”
Lightweight Absorption Often Mentioned
- “sinks in immediately”
- “non-greasy finish”
- “water-like texture”
- “weightless feel”
Plumps Fine Lines Often Mentioned
- “lines less visible”
- “bouncy texture”
- “youthful fullness”
- “smoother forehead”
Calms Sensitive Skin Sometimes Noted
- “reduced redness”
- “no breakouts”
- “gentle on acne”
Glow and Radiance Sometimes Noted
- “healthy glow”
- “dewy look”
- “revived dull skin”
- “fresh appearance”
Cheaper Alternatives Sometimes Noted
- “The Ordinary is better”
- “found cheaper dupes”
- “paying for brand”
- “similar to drugstore”
Minimal Results Sometimes Noted
- “did nothing”
- “saw no difference”
- “average performance”
- “just basic hydration”
Sticky Residue Sometimes Noted
- “tacky finish”
- “feels sticky”
- “left a film”
- “tacky to touch”
Pilling Issues Rarely Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “balls up”
- “flakes off”
- “doesn't layer well”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, nordstrom.com, spacenk.com, cultbeauty.com, bluemercury.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum work for acne-prone skin?
Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum works moderately well for acne-prone skin, as it provides hydration and calms inflammation without making oily areas worse. However, an acne-prone skin type needs specialized ingredients like niacinamide, peptides, or botanical extracts to directly target breakouts and manage blemishes effectively.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Sodium hyaluronate and Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment make this serum a good fit by hydrating drier areas and calming inflammation without making oiliness worse. To best care for acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs specialized ingredients that directly target breakouts and blemishes, such as niacinamide, peptides, or advanced botanical extracts.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps acne-prone skin by soothing irritation, calming redness, and keeping the skin balanced without clogging pores. When combined with targeted ingredients like zinc oxide, it may also help reduce breakouts.
What does Butylene Glycol do for acne-prone skin?
Butylene glycol helps active ingredients soak into acne-prone skin more easily while drawing in moisture to keep skin soft. It is unlikely to clog pores, making it a common choice for lightweight hydration.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting treatments in the evening keeps things simple and helps avoid extra safety risks around sun exposure.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use it with retinol by applying this treatment first to hydrate and soothe your skin before putting on your retinol. Using a moisturizer this way helps lower the risk of unwanted skin irritation. For acne-prone skin, this type of product also needs specialized ingredients that directly target breakouts.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your routine. It offers moderate hydration and calms inflammation without making your skin oily, though acne-prone skin needs more specialized ingredients to directly target breakouts.
Health Science Reports, 2021Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores because it has a safe formula with soothing ingredients that help calm inflammation without adding extra oil. However, since it only offers moderate hydration, acne-prone skin typically needs more specialized ingredients that directly target breakouts and blemishes.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around your eyes and on your body, as its gentle ingredients are safe for delicate skin. However, because this product provides only moderate hydration, treating dry areas on the body or specialized concerns around the eyes needs richer moisturizers or targeted anti-aging ingredients.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Portulaca oleracea extract ameliorated skin barrier damage and inflammation induced by combined exposure to glycolic acid and UVB in HaCaT cells.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022Facial masks containing low-temperature extracted Portulaca oleracea protect sensitive skin from photothermal stimulation and improve skin barrier function during photorejuvenation.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025Dipropylene glycol, propylene glycol, and butylene glycol increased molecular mobility in stratum corneum lipids and affected keratin filaments, with butylene glycol and propylene glycol providing significant permeation enhancement.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2022Topical application of a crude extract of Portulaca oleracea accelerates wound healing by decreasing wound surface area and increasing tensile strength in Mus musculus JVI-1, with the greatest contraction achieved at a single dose of 50mg compared to other dosages.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2003Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Topical purslane at 5% and 10% concentrations achieved alleviation of symptoms and lesion remission comparable to topical 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in 34 subjects with oral lichen planus over 90 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2023A polysaccharide fraction (VPOP3) from Portulaca oleracea L. reduced reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, inhibited UVB-induced apoptosis, and downregulated melanogenic signaling pathway proteins in cells and zebrafish.
Phytomedicine, 2023The 10% ethanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea L. subsp. sativa aerial parts showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects after intraperitoneal and topical administration, but not oral administration, compared to diclofenac sodium.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2000
Why other moisturizers fit acne-prone skin better
A peel-off facial mask containing myoinositol and trehalose-loaded liposomes improved adult female acne by decreasing lesion counts, sebum production, GAGS scores, and local androgen levels while increasing beclin-1 levels.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017A Tris/Arg-formulated cleanser significantly decreased noninflammatory and inflammatory acne and pore size with keratotic plugs compared to an AEC/AC cleanser in male Thai subjects with mild to moderate acne over 4 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment, Sodium Hyaluronate, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate
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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