Palmer's Scar Serum for dry skin
Theobroma Cacao Butter
Vitamin E
Onion Bulb Extract
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Dimethicone
Average
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, 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 suitability for your dry skin due to the emollient action of Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter and Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, but it lacks sufficient humectants for optimal hydration.
- The presence of Tocopheryl Acetate and Onion Bulb Extract provides some scar treatment and skin regeneration benefits, which are mostly supportive rather than directly addressing your dry or flaky skin concerns.
- The product is safe for your dry skin as it contains no prohibited or harsh ingredients, minimizing the risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Apply this serum PM, starting 3×/week and working up to daily use as your skin adjusts.
- Place the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the serum on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
Questions and answers
How well does Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Scar Serum work for dry skin?
Palmer's Scar Serum offers moderate suitability for dry skin because its cocoa butter and safflower seed oil soften the skin, though it lacks sufficient water-attracting ingredients for deep hydration. It is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, but a treatment for dry skin needs rich hydrating and barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, or peptides.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry skin?
Cocoa butter and safflower seed oil provide moderate softening action for your dry skin, while vitamin E and onion extract offer supportive care. However, products for this skin need rich hydrating ingredients like ceramides, vitamin C, peptides, or propolis and niacinamide to deliver optimal moisture and support the skin barrier.
What does Cocoa Butter do for dry skin?
Cocoa butter is a rich moisturizer that helps soften dry skin and keep it smooth by locking in moisture. Because it is a poor fit for very dry skin on its own, this skin type needs products that combine rich moisturizers with soothing ingredients to stay comfortable.
What does Vitamin E do for dry skin?
Vitamin E helps dry skin feel softer and smoother by increasing moisture, keeping hydration locked in, and improving overall skin barrier function. It may also calm redness and reduce roughness over time with regular use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
Palmer's Scar Serum goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. This product works for dry skin, though it lacks sufficient water-attracting ingredients for optimal hydration, so dry skin needs added hydrating ingredients and rich moisturizers.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying your retinol product first and following with this serum in your evening routine, as it is safe and unlikely to cause irritation. To get better results for dry skin, this product needs to include rich moisture-attracting ingredients like glycerin or hyaluronic acid.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, applying it after cleansing and before moisturizing. To better support dry skin, a product of this type needs richer skin-softening oils and ingredients that draw and lock in moisture.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
Palmer's Scar Serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on dry skin because it has a safe formula with no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could lead to irritation. A product of this type needs rich moisturizers and water-attracting ingredients to properly quench and hydrate very dry skin.
What the research says
Topical onion extract improved scar colour compared to silicon gel, while silicon gel was superior in decreasing scar height in 60 patients with hypertrophic and keloid scars, with the most effective results obtained from combining onion extract and silicon gel.
Journal of Wound Care, 2007Silicone derivative plus onion extract gel reduced pain, itching, and pigmentation compared to placebo in patients after median sternotomy.
International Wound Journal, 2012Dermatological 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, 2021Vitamin E in O/W and W/O emulsions significantly increased stratum corneum hydration and enhanced water-binding capacity, with an optimum concentration of 5%.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 1998Topical 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, 2022Topical 12% onion extract gel applied early on Pfannenstiel's cesarean section scars in Asians improved scar height and scar symptoms compared to placebo, with no significant difference in scar redness, pliability, or overall appearance.
Dermatology Research and Practice, 2012Onion extract gel significantly improved scar softness, redness, texture, and global appearance compared to no treatment in 60 subjects with postsurgical scars on the upper chest over 10 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018Safflower oil body-human epidermal growth factor microgel emulsions mixed with xanthan gum enhance transdermal absorption, regulate inflammation, accelerate angiogenesis, and promote re-epithelialization and remodeling in full-layer skin wounds in rats.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
Why other serums fit dry skin better
Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Treatment with 14% ferulic acid and 12% l-ascorbic acid significantly reduced pigmentation and erythema while improving hydration and elasticity in 20 women with photoaged skin, with neither acid proving definitively more effective overall though ascorbic acid showed slightly greater skin lightening.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022
Ingredients
Tocopheryl Acetate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Onion Bulb Extract
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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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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