Obagi Clear for dry sensitive skin
Hydroquinone Usp
Ascorbic Acid
Glycerin
Lactic Acid
Tocopheryl AcetateAverage
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 skin brightening due to hydroquinone and ascorbic acid, which help to even skin tone, but provides only general skincare benefits that are mostly supportive for your dry or flaky skin and sensitivity due to the presence of glycerin and lactic acid in concentrations that provide moderate exfoliation.
- The formula is moderately unsuitable for your dry skin because sodium lauryl sulfate can strip natural oils, and it lacks sufficient emollient and occlusive ingredients to counteract dryness.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your dry and sensitive skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this PM routine for your evening skincare. Start using the serum 3 times a week and increase to daily use if your skin feels comfortable.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer. This step locks in deep hydration for dry skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin using your palms. Let it absorb completely for a minute ⏱ before applying your next product.
- Since your skin is sensitive, apply the serum on completely dry skin for better tolerance and less irritation.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Always do a patch test before your first use to ensure your skin reacts well.
Questions and answers
How well does Obagi Clear work for dry sensitive skin?
Obagi Clear works moderately well for dry sensitive skin by brightening uneven tone and providing supportive moisture, though sodium lauryl sulfate may strip natural oils and dry you out further. A treatment of this type needs effective moisturizing ingredients and rich hydrating components that provide excellent hydration and texture improvement without irritation, while supporting your skin barrier and moisture retention.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin and lactic acid help make this treatment a moderate fit for your skin by providing supportive moisture and mild exfoliation. However, a product for dry sensitive skin needs rich hydrating and nourishing ingredients, gentle moisture-locking sealants, and soothing barrier support like ceramides to keep skin soft and comfortable.
What does Hydroquinone do for dry sensitive skin?
Hydroquinone is unlikely to be a good fit for dry sensitive skin because it may cause irritation and inflammation. A product of this type for this skin needs gentle soothing ingredients and hydrating components that calm redness without causing reactions.
What does Vitamin C do for dry sensitive skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten and smooth dry sensitive skin while reducing wrinkles and improving elasticity. It is generally well tolerated and unlikely to cause irritation when properly formulated, leaving the skin looking more radiant.
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine after your toner and before your moisturizer. It is important for dry sensitive skin that a product of this type includes plenty of rich, soothing hydrators and protective barrier-repairing ingredients to lock in moisture and prevent flaking.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment in the evening after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer, but you should use caution when combining it with retinol on dry sensitive skin because it contains sodium lauryl sulfate which may strip natural oils and increase dryness. To properly support dry and sensitive skin, a product of this type needs rich moisturizing ingredients and protective barrier-locking ingredients to prevent irritation and moisture loss.
How often should I use it?
Apply this treatment in the evening, starting once a week to see how your skin responds. Because this product contains sodium lauryl sulfate and lacks rich moisturizers, dry and sensitive skin needs formulas with extra heavy oils and butters to lock in moisture and prevent flaking.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry sensitive skin, as its ingredients do not typically trigger acne. However, it may dry out your skin further because it lacks rich moisturizing ingredients and contains cleansing agents that can strip your natural oils.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Inflammation Research, 2010
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
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, 2020Sodium lauryl sulfate-induced skin barrier disruption alters the mRNA expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers and corneodesmosome-degrading enzymes during the repair phase in human skin.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical application of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) induces dose-dependent local inflammation and primary hyperalgesia to tactile and thermal stimulation in eight healthy subjects compared to vehicle.
Inflammation Research, 2010Sodium lauryl sulfate-induced skin irritation and recovery rates differ significantly between the upper back and volar forearms, with the upper back showing higher reactivity and faster recovery.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019TFC-1067 and 2% hydroquinone both significantly lightened facial dyschromia after 8 and 12 weeks in 48 healthy female subjects, but only hydroquinone also lightened normal skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical 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, 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, 2001Application 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, 2004Topical 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, 1992A 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, 2020Topical 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, 2025Dermatological 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, 2021Topical 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, 2024
Why other serums fit dry sensitive skin better
Tocopherol succinate-loaded ethosomal gel increased skin deposition, stability, moisture, and mechanical properties in 13 human subjects compared to a control gel over 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022In 50 participants with sensitive skin, a Ceramide NP C15-containing emollient improved skin barrier function with a significant reduction in transepidermal water loss and induced modest changes in skin microbiota compared to the vehicle.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2026Hydrogels containing vitamin E-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers exhibited better occlusive properties and long-lasting effects, while vitamin E-loaded nanoemulsions performed a faster skin hydration effect and were selected as more attractive for skin application.
Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2019
Ingredients
Hydroquinone Usp, Ascorbic Acid, Bht, Butylparaben, Cetyl Alcohol, Disodium Edta, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Methylparaben, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ppg-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Propylparaben, Saponins, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Stearyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water
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?
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