Tree of Life Hyaluronic Acid Serum for oily acne-prone skin

Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it 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
- Offers moderate moisturizing for your oily skin due to Sodium Hyaluronate and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, which provide hydration but do not directly address your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- Witch hazel offers astringent properties suitable for oily skin, but the formula lacks sufficient seboregulating ingredients for optimal results.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation from harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 25.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is a popular, affordable option that provides surface-level hydration and a plumping effect for normal, combination, and oily skin types. Many users appreciate its gentle, botanical-infused formula, though those with sensitive or reactive skin should be cautious due to the inclusion of witch hazel and geranium essential oil.
Highlights
Affordable price Mostly Mentioned
- “Can't beat the price”
- “Great value”
- “Budget-friendly option”
Hydrates skin Often Mentioned
- “Leaves skin soft”
- “Provides deep moisture”
- “Relieves tight skin”
Lightweight feel Sometimes Noted
- “Fresh-feeling”
- “Absorbs well”
- “Not greasy”
Plumping effect Sometimes Noted
- “Skin looks plump”
- “Gives glass skin”
- “Smooths skin surface”
Fragrance presence Sometimes Noted
- “Strong herbal scent”
- “Too much geranium”
- “Avoid if sensitive to scent”
Modest results Sometimes Noted
- “Didn't see difference”
- “Average at best”
- “Not concentrated enough”
Potential irritant Sometimes Noted
- “Caused redness”
- “Stung my skin”
- “Not for sensitive skin”
Witch hazel base Rarely Noted
- “Too much witch hazel”
- “Drying for some”
- “Not a pure HA serum”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, dermapproved.com, skinsort.com, cvs.com, woot.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Tree of Life Hyaluronic Acid Serum work for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum offers moderate hydration for your oily skin, but it does not directly address your acne and breakouts. A product of this type needs ingredients like Niacinamide and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid or ceramides to balance oil, manage blemishes, and provide lightweight moisture without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Sodium Hyaluronate and aloe vera make this serum a good fit by giving your oily skin moderate moisture without feeling heavy, while witch hazel helps tone oil. A product for this skin needs ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or targeted acne-fighters to balance oil and manage breakouts effectively.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What does Aloe Vera Leaf Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Aloe vera leaf extract helps soothe oily, acne-prone skin by calming redness and reducing blemishes. It has a very safe profile and works well to keep skin clear and smooth when used regularly in your routine.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This treatment serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizing. Oily acne-prone skin needs a product of this type that also brings oil-balancing and blemish-clearing ingredients to effectively manage breakouts.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol, applying the serum before your retinol product to keep your skin hydrated. This product provides moderate moisture for oily skin, but to better handle breakouts and control oil, oily acne-prone skin needs a treatment with ingredients that actively balance oil and target blemishes.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your routine, though some similar serums can also be used in the morning or twice a day. This product provides moderate moisture for oily skin and is safe to use without harsh irritation risks. For this skin type, a product needs strong oil-balancing ingredients and targeted acne-fighting actives to work best.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
Tree of Life Hyaluronic Acid Serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on your oily skin, as its ingredients have a good safety profile. However, an ideal product for this skin type should include ingredients that directly control oil and target blemishes to keep your face clear.
Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this serum on your body and around the eyes, as it is gentle and well-tolerated on skin. However, because skin is exceptionally thin around the eyes and thicker on various body parts, results may vary depending on where you apply it.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Hyaluronic acid extracts are safe and efficacious products for skin repair when used in tissue regeneration alone or in combination with herbal or Western medicine.
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Hamamelis bark proanthocyanidins strongly increased the proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes and reduced transepidermal water loss and erythema formation in SLS-irritated skin, whereas the polysaccharide fraction had no effect.
Phytochemistry, 2001Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023Topical 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, 2019A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced air pollution-induced skin pigmentation and proinflammatory gene expression ex vivo, and improved skin aging signs in 40 healthy adult females after 90 days of daily use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022A 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, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Topical 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, 2020Moisturizer 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 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
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
Gluconolactone 14% solution significantly improved mild to moderate acne by reducing inflamed and non-inflamed lesions similarly to 5% benzoyl peroxide, but with fewer side-effects in 150 patients.
The Australasian Journal of Dermatology, 1992A 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 panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Witch Hazel, Cassia Angustifolia Polysaccharide Seed Sodium Hyaluronate Seed, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Dimethyl Sulfone, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate Ascorbic Acid, Jojoba Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil Essential Oil Geranium Oil Essential Oil, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Dandelion Extract, Geranium Extract, Hydroxyethyl Ethylcellulose, Chondrus Crispus Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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