🇨🇦Canada

The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum for oily acne-prone skin

High

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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

  • Highly suitable for your oily skin as niacinamide and bisabolol work to regulate sebum and reduce inflammation, addressing your concerns with acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
  • The serum also provides excellent skin barrier support and soothing effects, enhancing resilience and calming the skin.
  • The product has a safe profile with no risks of irritation for your oily skin, thanks to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your PM routine. Start 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply your serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the serum on clean, dry skin to help manage your blemishes safely.
  • Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area.

People Say

★4.4Overall rating based on 2.0k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this serum is widely praised for its ability to rapidly repair damaged skin barriers, hydrate dry patches, and reduce redness, leaving a glowy finish.

Highlights

  • Hydrating and plumping Often Mentioned
    • “skin felt plumped”
    • “super hydrated”
    • “boost in hydration”
  • Reduces redness Often Mentioned
    • “calmed down my skin”
    • “rashes subsided instantaneously”
    • “reduced look of redness”
  • Repairs skin barrier Often Mentioned
    • “heals damaged barrier”
    • “skin feels stronger”
    • “soothed irritation”
  • Glowy finish Sometimes Noted
    • “gives a nice glow”
    • “dewy finish”
    • “glass skin effect”
  • Good absorption Sometimes Noted
    • “absorbs pretty fast”
    • “not sticky”
    • “silky feel”
  • Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
    • “small pustules all over”
    • “caused tiny whiteheads”
    • “broke me out”
  • Ineffective for some Rarely Noted
    • “didn't notice a difference”
    • “no reduction in redness”
    • “did nothing”
  • Packaging complaints Rarely Noted
    • “dropper is messy”
    • “prefer a pump”
    • “hard to apply”
  • Texture issues Rarely Noted
    • “sticky on application”
    • “gloopy texture”
    • “pilling under makeup”
  • Unpleasant smell Rarely Noted
    • “smells like yeast”
    • “whiff of cardboard”
    • “smells like beeswax”

Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, theordinary.com, sephora.com, reddit.com, independent.co.uk, and more

Questions and answers

What makes The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is a great fit for oily acne-prone skin because niacinamide and bisabolol help regulate oil and calm breakouts. It also supports your skin barrier and soothes irritation with a very safe profile that is unlikely to cause any negative reactions.

Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?

Niacinamide and bisabolol make this serum a great fit for oily acne-prone skin because they help control oil and calm redness. The formula also includes soothing ingredients like Asiaticoside and Madecassic Acid, which support your skin barrier and reduce breakouts without causing irritation.

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021

What does Niacinamide do for oily acne-prone skin?

Niacinamide helps balance oil production, calms redness, and is unlikely to irritate oily, acne-prone skin while improving blemishes. Clinical tests show it reduces excess oil and helps clear up both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne breakouts.

Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

What does Asiaticoside do for oily acne-prone skin?

Asiaticoside helps manage oily acne-prone skin by calming redness and supporting skin healing. It works to improve overall skin health while maintaining a very safe profile with little chance of irritation.

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016

Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting treatments in the evening helps keep things simple and adds safety around sun exposure.

Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?

Yes, you can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to help calm the skin and support your skin barrier, followed by your retinol. This approach is unlikely to cause irritation and may help reduce the skin discomfort often linked to retinoids.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

How often should I use this serum?

This serum fits your oily acne-prone skin well and is used in the evening as part of your routine. It helps regulate oil and calm blemishes safely without irritating your skin.

Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is unlikely to irritate your skin or cause breakouts, as it is a great fit for oily skin and has a safe profile with no harsh ingredients. Niacinamide and bisabolol help regulate oil and calm redness, while Centella asiatica components help soothe the skin without clogging pores.

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021

Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.

What the research says

  • Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.

    Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
  • A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

    Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
  • Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.

    Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020
  • The novel high-payload nanosuspension system of Centella asiatica extract increased skin accumulation of asiatic acid, madecassic acid, and asiaticoside by 5-, 4-, and 4.5-fold respectively compared to a marketed cream in porcine skin, with no local skin irritation in normal rats.

    International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021
  • Topical 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, 2021
  • Topical 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, 2021
  • Topical 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, 2008
  • Topical 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, 2005
  • Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
  • Topical treatment with 5% vitamin C and 0.1% madecassoside significantly improved clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration, along with functional and structural remodeling of the elastic fiber network in 20 female volunteers with photoaged skin after 6 months compared to baseline.

    Experimental Dermatology, 2008
  • Treatment with an asiaticoside-containing cream applied twice daily for 12 weeks significantly improved periorbital wrinkles in 65% of 27 female volunteers compared to a vehicle control cream.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2008

Ingredients

Water, Propanediol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Hexyldecanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xylitylglucoside, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Anhydroxylitol, Ethyl Linoleate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Naringenin, Cyanocobalamin, Panthenyl Triacetate, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Bisabolol, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Sphingolipids, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Propyl Gallate, Xylitol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Stearic Acid, Dicetyl Phosphate, Isoceteth-20, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, P-Anisic Acid, Phytic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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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Prices checked 10 Oct – 6 Nov 2026

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