Vichy Liftactiv Specialist B3 Serum for acne-prone skin
Niacinamide
Glycolic Acid
Tranexamic Acid
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
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
- Offers excellent skin tone evening and brightening for your combination skin due to niacinamide and glycolic acid, which also provide moderate exfoliation and blemish control for your acne-prone skin.
- Niacinamide helps regulate sebum production, while glycolic acid offers keratolytic action, making the formula highly suitable for your skin type and concerns.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like niacinamide and allantoin.
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 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is highly praised by users dealing with hyperpigmentation, dullness, and uneven skin tone for its ability to visibly fade dark spots and brighten the complexion. Its lightweight, fast-absorbing formula is frequently noted as gentle on sensitive skin. Some users indicate that consistent, long-term use is necessary to see significant results on stubborn dark spots and deep wrinkles.
Highlights
Evens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “it has seemed to have evened my skin tone as I used to have alot of dark patches”
- “My skin looks brighter and more plump”
- “I can see my skin is brighter and glowing after 3 weeks.”
- “Now I have radiant, even and smooth skin.”
Fades dark spots Often Mentioned
- “I have definitely noticed a difference in my dark spots they seem to be slowly fading”
- “helps me correct some dark pigmentation spots I had on my left cheek.”
- “Helps with smoothing fine lines & fading dark spots!”
- “diminishing the appearance of dark spots and evening out skin tone.”
Lightweight and fast-absorbing Often Mentioned
- “The formula is so light and doesn't leave skin feeling oily.”
- “It absorbs quickly into my skin and is so smooth”
- “This lightweight, non-greasy serum absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving a sticky residue.”
- “The serum is light and Its absorbs quite quickly and it's not sticky”
Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes Noted
- “This is a great serum for sensitive skin.”
- “I like it doesn't irritate my skin.”
- “didn't cause me any negative reaction and my skin felt smoother”
- “gentle on sensitive skin.”
Takes time for results Sometimes Noted
- “haven't seen a change in dark spots but I need to give it more time”
- “It's still too early to tell any visible difference”
- “hopeful that with continued use I will see the changes”
- “Repeated use and time will tell.”
Applicator design issues Rarely Noted
- “The only issue I have with it is the applicator, I wish it had a drop applicator instead so I don't waste so much product”
- “The applicator... is a bit unique. With the long pointed tip offering precision, I felt like a scientist”
- “I wish it had a drop applicator instead so I don't waste so much product”
Ineffective on deep wrinkles Rarely Noted
- “so far have not seen any improvement in my deep wrinkles.”
- “I'm hoping in time I will see some results.”
- “haven't seen any improvement in my deep wrinkles.”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lookfantastic.com, walmart.ca, my-origines.com, lovelyskin.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Vichy Liftactiv Specialist B3 Serum a great fit for acne-prone skin?
Vichy Liftactiv Specialist B3 Serum is a great fit because it uses niacinamide to help control oil and glycolic acid to gently clear pores, keeping blemishes at bay. Soothing components like allantoin and niacinamide help keep your skin calm with little risk of irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide and glycolic acid make this serum a great fit for acne-prone skin because niacinamide helps balance oil and soothe the skin, while glycolic acid gently removes dead skin cells to help keep blemishes under control.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Antioxidants, 2021
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 Glycolic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing pimples and breakouts. It also helps fade dark spots left behind by acne and controls skin oiliness, with very few side effects when used properly.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Dermatologic Surgery, 2014
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine. Applying it at night helps keep things simple and adds extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
Vichy Liftactiv Specialist B3 Serum is a great fit for your acne-prone skin because niacinamide helps balance oil and glycolic acid clears pores. You can use it alongside retinol, but to keep your skin calm and avoid irritation, apply your retinol on alternate nights or ensure your routine includes soothing ingredients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your acne-prone skin and is designed to be used in your evening routine. Lovi routines start exfoliating treatments once a week, and people who tolerate them well and see good results can carefully use them more often.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Facial Plastic Surgery, 2014
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
Vichy Liftactiv Specialist B3 Serum is a great fit for acne-prone skin because niacinamide helps regulate oil production while glycolic acid gently clears pores. The formula also has a very safe profile with soothing ingredients like allantoin and niacinamide, so it is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Niacinamide 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, 2002Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene showed no hindrance compared to adapalene monotherapy and provided benefits in reducing complications in 25 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Topical 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, 2021A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020Topical 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, 2005Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream significantly improved global clinical scores, increased skin microrelief density, and induced elastic tissue repair in photoaged skin compared to excipient control in healthy female volunteers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical application of VC-IP cream twice daily for 8 weeks reduces periorbital wrinkles in female subjects compared to a placebo cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Rice protein hydrolysate and its characteristic peptides Leu-Leu-Lys, Leu-Pro-Lys, and pyroGlu-Lys reduced melanin content, tyrosinase activity, and ROS production in UVB-induced human epidermal melanocyte PIG1 cells by regulating the JNK/Β-Trcp/NFΗB-p65/MITF signaling pathway and lowering TRP-1 and TRP-2 expression.
Food & Function, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Propylene Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Tranexamic Acid, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Vitreoscilla Ferment, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol
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?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.