Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel for acne-prone skin
Niacinamide
Tranexamic Acid
Alpha-Arbutin
Azelaic Acid
Kojic Acid DipalmitateHigh
- SuperiorCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even 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
- Excellent suitability for your combination skin as niacinamide and azelaic acid provide seboregulation and anti-inflammatory action, targeting your acne, blemishes, and breakouts effectively.
- The high concentrations of niacinamide, tranexamic acid, alpha-arbutin, kojic acid dipalmitate, glutathione, and azelaic acid synergistically brighten and even skin tone, offering relevant benefits for hyperpigmentation.
- The safety profile is excellent due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing agents like Niacinamide and Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, ensuring no irritation for your combination skin.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine and start 3x/week before working up to daily use.
- Apply this treatment after cleansing and toner, and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product on clean, dry skin to help manage your breakouts safely.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 2.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users find this serum highly effective for fading hyperpigmentation, post-acne marks, and melasma, with many reporting success where other products have failed. A significant number of reviews mention that results take time, typically 1-3 months, and note a strong, unpleasant sulfur-like smell and fragile packaging.
Highlights
Fades dark spots Mostly Mentioned
- “lightened dark bullseye on forehead”
- “faded stubborn post-acne marks”
- “visible reduction in sun spots”
- “helped old scars finally fade”
Unpleasant smell Mostly Mentioned
- “smells like rotten eggs”
- “strong sulfur/chemical scent”
- “smells like perm solution”
- “scent lingers for a while”
Evens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “skin looks more uniform”
- “reduced overall redness”
- “gave me a glowy complexion”
- “corrected uneven patches”
Poor packaging Often Mentioned
- “metal tube cracked on side”
- “product oozes out uncontrollably”
- “leaked all over my bag”
- “cap broke off easily”
Gentle but effective Sometimes Noted
- “didn't burn my sensitive skin”
- “effective without damaging barrier”
- “gentle enough for daily use”
- “moisturizing unlike other actives”
Improves texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin feels much smoother”
- “softened rough patches”
- “helped with texture bumps”
- “reduced look of pores”
Breakouts or purging Sometimes Noted
- “caused tiny whiteheads”
- “broke me out in cysts”
- “clogged my pores”
- “triggered fungal acne”
Texture issues Rarely Noted
- “feels sticky/tacky on skin”
- “pills under makeup/sunscreen”
- “too heavy for oily skin”
- “leaves a weird film”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, amazon.com, mytopicals.com, reddit.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Topicals Faded a great fit for acne-prone skin?
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel is a great fit because ingredients like niacinamide and azelaic acid calm redness and help clear breakouts, while soothing agents keep skin comfortable without irritation. This formula safely targets dark spots and uneven skin tone to help leave skin smooth and clear.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for acne-prone skin because niacinamide and azelaic acid help balance oil and calm breakouts. These ingredients, along with tranexamic acid, alpha-arbutin, and kojic acid dipalmitate, also work together to fade dark spots and even out your skin tone.
What does Niacinamide do for acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps acne-prone skin by reducing both inflamed and uninflamed breakouts and calming redness. It is also very helpful for keeping oily skin balanced by cutting down on excess oil production, and it is well tolerated by most people.
What does Tranexamic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Tranexamic acid helps calm red marks left behind by breakouts and reduces inflammatory bumps like pimples on acne-prone skin. It is unlikely to cause irritation and works well to improve uneven skin tone without significant side effects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizing. Starting it once a week helps your skin adjust safely before using it more often if tolerated well.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol, but it is best to apply them on alternate nights or keep them in separate routines to avoid overwhelming your skin. Using soothing ingredients alongside active treatments helps keep your skin calm and is unlikely to cause irritation.
How often should I use it?
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel is a great fit for your acne-prone skin, as ingredients like niacinamide and azelaic acid help calm breakouts and brighten uneven tone. You can use it in your evening routine, starting once a week and slowly using it more often if your skin tolerates it well.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Gel is a great fit for acne-prone skin because ingredients like niacinamide and azelaic acid calm breakouts and help control oil. Reviewers mention that breakouts or purging may happen, but the formula has a very safe profile with soothing agents that help keep irritation low.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Behenyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
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, 2021Application 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, 2024Niacinamide 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, 2014Moisturizer 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, 2019Topical 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 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, 2005A non-hydroquinone topical formulation (SKNB19) improved hyperpigmentation by 28.5% in patient self-assessment and 27% in independent reviewer assessment compared with 4% hydroquinone in 18 adult subjects, while showing significantly less irritation and better tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Encapsulation of alpha arbutin in an optimized ethosomal gel significantly improved skin melanin reduction, moisture content, and elasticity in human volunteers compared to conventional formulations.
Heliyon, 2023Combining a home-based radiofrequency device and arbutin cream reduced mMASI scores by 25.6% and melanin index by 22.8% at 8 weeks compared to baseline in 38 participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Topical 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, 2015A topical formulation containing kojic acid, emblica extract, and glycolic acid demonstrated efficacy parity compared with hydroquinone 4% in multiethnic participants with mild to moderate facial dyschromia.
Cutis, 2010A nanoemulsion containing 1 mg/mL kojic dipalmitate and 5% rosehip oil demonstrated high incorporation efficiency, suitable physicochemical stability, antioxidant and depigmenting efficacy close to 1 mM ascorbic acid, and no cytotoxicity at concentrations from 0.06% to 1% in vitro.
Pharmaceutics, 2023Topical application of iron chelators kojic acid and deferiprone significantly accelerated wound healing in rats compared to control groups, with deferiprone showing superior efficacy due to higher antioxidant and iron chelation abilities.
International Wound Journal, 2013
Ingredients
Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Stearate, Tranexamic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Jojoba Seed Oil, Alpha-Arbutin, Behenyl Alcohol, Kojic Acid Dipalmitate, Glutathione, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ethylene Brassylate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Azelaic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Melatonin, Phytic Acid, Squalane, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Arginine, Lecithin, Glycine Soja Soybean Sterols, Cetyl Palmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sclerotium Gum, Zinc Ricinoleate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Phenoxyethanol
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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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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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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