Neutrogena Stubborn Marks PM Treatment for mature skin
Retinol Sa
Ascorbic Acid
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Hydrolyzed Myrtus Communis Leaf ExtractAverage
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for mature skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with mature skin: fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. 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 benefits for wrinkles and fine lines due to the presence of retinol and ascorbic acid, which promote skin renewal and collagen production, making it suitable for your normal skin.
- Sodium hyaluronate and BHT further support skin hydration and provide antioxidant protection, enhancing the overall efficacy for your primary goal.
- The product is safe for your normal skin, as it contains soothing ingredients and lacks harsh or prohibited substances.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week, and work up to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this serum after your toner and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- You can apply the serum on dry skin for the best results against fine lines.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the sensitive eye area.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers with acne-prone skin report that this treatment effectively fades post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and dark spots, often showing visible results within a few weeks. While many praise its ability to smooth skin texture and even out tone, a significant number of users experience initial dryness, flaking, or stinging as their skin adjusts to the retinol formula.
Highlights
Fades dark spots Mostly Mentioned
- “acne marks have disappeared within weeks”
- “dark spots are fading”
- “visibly faded my spots”
- “noticeable difference in lightening”
Improves skin texture Often Mentioned
- “skin vibrant and smooth”
- “leaves skin super moisturized”
- “soft and smoother”
- “improves clarity and tone”
Small quantity Often Mentioned
- “1 oz goes by in 1-2 weeks”
- “wish it were in a bigger size”
- “bottle is very small”
- “run out too quickly”
Fast absorption Sometimes Noted
- “absorbs very quickly”
- “lightweight formula”
- “doesn't feel greasy”
- “spreads out really nice”
Prevents breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “keeps acne away”
- “haven't popped a zit in a while”
- “reduces frequency of breakouts”
- “clears up my skin”
Drying and irritation Sometimes Noted
- “skin felt super dry”
- “mild redness and flaking”
- “slight burning sensation”
- “dried my face out”
Ineffective on wrinkles Rarely Noted
- “didn't do much for fine lines”
- “falls short on anti-aging”
- “no difference in wrinkles”
- “better for marks than lines”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “noticeable chemical odor”
- “smells like a lotiony chemical”
- “scent is not pleasant”
- “weird smell”
Sources: lovi.care, neutrogena.com, walmart.com, target.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Neutrogena Stubborn Marks work for mature skin?
Neutrogena Stubborn Marks PM Treatment works moderately well for mature skin, offering helpful benefits for fine lines and wrinkles through retinol and vitamin C. However, this skin type generally needs a treatment that combines exceptionally safe, high concentrations of potent antioxidants and hydrating ingredients to deliver optimal anti-aging results without any irritation.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for mature skin?
Retinol SA and ascorbic acid make this treatment a good fit for mature skin by helping smooth out fine lines and supporting firmness. For this skin type, a product needs a higher concentration of potent anti-aging ingredients, rich antioxidants, and extra hydrating components to deliver optimal results.
What does Retinol SA do for mature skin?
Retinol SA helps smooth out fine lines and wrinkles on mature skin while improving overall firmness and texture. It promotes skin renewal to refresh tired-looking areas, though it may occasionally cause mild dryness or irritation when you first start using it.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025The British Journal of Dermatology, 2010
What does Vitamin C do for mature skin?
Vitamin C helps mature skin by smoothing out wrinkles, brightening dark spots, and boosting firmness. It works by encouraging collagen production to keep skin looking youthful and radiant.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for mature skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. To best care for mature skin, a product of this type needs powerful antioxidants, collagen-boosting ingredients like retinol or vitamin C, and deep hydrators like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to smooth fine lines and keep the skin soft.
Can I use this treatment with benzoyl peroxide, and in what order?
It is best to use benzoyl peroxide and this treatment at different times of the day, or alternate nights, to help prevent dryness and irritation on mature skin. Applying a retinol treatment at night and benzoyl peroxide at another time helps protect your skin barrier while keeping your routine effective.
How often should I use this treatment?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your routine. Because this product is an average fit for mature skin, a routine for this skin needs nourishing antioxidants, hydrating ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and glycerin, and effective retinols to properly support aging skin.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for mature skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for mature skin, but it may cause mild drying and irritation at first. To better support mature skin, products of this type need extra nourishing oils and richer hydrators to keep the face soft and smooth while smoothing lines.
Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Stearyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical 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, 2022Optimized transfersomes loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate and hyaluronic acid increased cell viability while reducing lipid peroxidation, intracellular ROS, and MMP expression in HaCaT cells, and exhibited higher skin permeation and deposition compared to plain EGCG.
Drug Delivery, 2017Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2018Topical stabilized retinol treatment induced HAS gene expression and increased hyaluronic acid production in human skin in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo compared to vehicle.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 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, 2022Topical 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 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 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 treatments including podophyllotoxin, sodium nitrite, myrtle leaf extract, phenol, salicylic acid with lactic acid, SB206, and VP-102 were more efficacious than control in patients with molluscum contagiosum, whereas cantharidin, potassium hydroxide, and imiquimod showed varying degrees of efficacy.
Clinics in Dermatology, 2021Topical Myrtle solution significantly reduced inflammatory lesions and acne severity index compared to 1% clindamycin solution in patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Journal of Pharmacopuncture, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Ceteareth-20, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Trisiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Chlorphenesin, Hydrolyzed Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract, Polysorbate 20, Bht, Retinol, Disodium Edta, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbic Acid, Laureth-7, Sodium Hydroxide
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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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
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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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