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Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum for oily acne-prone skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

Superior

  • SuperiorOily Skin Fit
  • SuperiorEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

One of the best products for oily acne-prone skin.

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

  • Excellent suitability for your oily skin is provided by the high concentrations of glycolic acid and salicylic acid, which effectively exfoliate and regulate oil production to address your acne and breakouts.
  • The inclusion of Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Allantoin further supports skin health by soothing and calming the skin, ensuring a comfortable experience.
  • The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of beneficial soothing components.

How to apply

  • Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but before your final moisturizer step.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the product directly onto clean, dry skin for the best results against breakouts.
  • Avoid the sensitive eye area and always use a daily SPF since exfoliating makes skin more sensitive to the sun.

People Say

★4.4Overall rating based on 4.2k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this potent chemical exfoliant is widely praised for its ability to dramatically smooth skin texture and clear congestion, often described as a 'magic potion' for dullness and acne. Many users report waking up with a radiant glow, though a significant number caution that the strong formula can cause stinging or purging and that the high price point is a major barrier.

Highlights

  • Smoothes skin Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin felt like a baby's butt after just one use”
    • “resurfaces dull congested skin”
    • “bumps on my face were either gone or reduced”
  • Expensive price tag Mostly Mentioned
    • “price is painful”
    • “way too expensive”
  • Clears acne Often Mentioned
    • “holy grail for acne marks”
    • “dissolving blackheads”
    • “pores are diminished”
  • Improves radiance Often Mentioned
    • “waking up with doll like skin”
    • “restored to a healthy and radiant glow”
    • “complexion from lifeless to luminous”
  • Effective packaging Sometimes Noted
    • “twist-up mechanism allows for hygienic use”
    • “pump makes it easy to dispense”
    • “airless pump bottle”
  • Little goes long way Sometimes Noted
    • “spreads easily”
    • “one pump to cover my entire face”
    • “bottle will last a while”
  • Stinging sensation Sometimes Noted
    • “stung a tiny bit upon application”
    • “can be a bit tingly at first”
    • “slight stinging sensation initially”
  • Initial purging Rarely Noted
    • “increase blemishes for the first few days”
    • “skin broke out horribly”
    • “caused little red bumps”
  • Sticky texture Rarely Noted
    • “leaving my skin just the tiniest bit sticky”
    • “feels very heavy weight”
    • “leave my skin feeling sticky”

Sources: lovi.care, sephora.sg, amazon.com, ulta.com, spacenk.com, refinery29.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum one of the best fits for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is one of the best fits because its high levels of glycolic acid and salicylic acid effectively exfoliate and help control oil to clear up breakouts. Soothing ingredients like aloe vera and allantoin also keep your skin calm and comfortable.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

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

Glycolic acid and salicylic acid are the main reasons for the great fit, as they gently exfoliate and help control excess oil to clear up breakouts. Soothing ingredients like aloe and allantoin also keep your skin calm and comfortable.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

What does Glycolic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?

Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing pimples and soothing breakouts. It exfoliates the surface to keep pores clear and leaves the skin feeling smooth.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Dermatologic Surgery, 2014

What does Salicylic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?

Salicylic acid helps clear breakouts and keeps oily skin balanced by reducing oil levels and calming inflammation. It is well suited for oily, acne-prone skin because it targets pimples while helping keep the skin hydrated and protected.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019

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

This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizing. Start using it once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often.

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

It is best to use this serum and retinol on alternating nights rather than together to keep your oily skin calm and comfortable. Applying strong exfoliants and retinol in the same routine may raise the likelihood of irritation.

How often should I use this serum?

Start using this serum once a week in the evening, and if your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. This gentle approach helps prevent irritation while effectively managing breakouts.

Dermatologic Surgery, 2003Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021

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

This serum is unlikely to clog pores and is a great fit for oily acne-prone skin because high concentrations of glycolic acid and salicylic acid effectively exfoliate and regulate oil production. Reviewers do report a low likelihood of initial purging as the treatment works, while soothing ingredients like aloe leaf juice and allantoin help keep skin calm.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

  • A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.

    BioMed Research International, 2020

  • A 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, 2018

  • Repeated 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, 2000

  • Serial 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, 2017

  • Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.

    CMAJ, 2010

  • Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010

  • A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

  • Topical raspberry ketone increased dermal IGF-I production through sensory neuron activation, promoting hair growth and increasing skin elasticity in mice and humans.

    Growth Hormone & IGF Research, 2008

  • A liposoluble extract of Rubus idaeus cell cultures induced genes for skin hydration, stimulated ceramide production, increased extracellular matrix synthesis in cultured fibroblasts, and showed skin-hydrating capacity in vivo.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2015

  • Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.

    Cutis, 2004

  • Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992

  • A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.

    The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020

  • Topical application of a 3% horse chestnut extract gel significantly decreased wrinkle scores at the corners of the eye and lower eyelid skin compared with controls in 40 healthy female volunteers.

    Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2006

  • Topical horse chestnut extract increases wound tensile strength and collagen organization in rats without inducing fibroblast to myofibroblast conversion in vitro, though it induces fibronectin-rich extracellular matrix formation.

    Molecules, 2020

Ingredients

Water, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract Grape Juice Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract Raspberry Fruit Extract, Yeast Extract, Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Galactoarabinan, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, 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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play