Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum for oily acne-prone skin
Ascorbic Acid Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Licorice Root Extract Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Lactic Acid
Viola Odorata Extract Hadasei-3 Extract
Rice Ferment Filtrate
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.
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
- Offers moderate exfoliation and oil control for your acne-prone and oily skin due to the presence of lactic acid and glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, which help manage oiliness and blemishes.
- The serum provides excellent brightening and evening of skin tone due to the presence of bis-glyceryl ascorbate and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, which offer antioxidant and skin-brightening functions.
- There are no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your PM routine. Start 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply your serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the serum on clean, dry skin to help manage your blemishes safely.
- Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 3.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is frequently praised for its gentle yet effective formula that brightens the complexion and smooths skin texture, often resulting in a noticeable glow and softer skin. Some users, however, find the exfoliation to be too mild and feel the high price point is not justified by the results.
Highlights
Brightens and adds glow Mostly Mentioned
- “skin is clearer, glowier”
- “complexion is more even”
- “radiant than ever”
- “noticeable glow”
Gentle and non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “surprisingly gentle”
- “does not irritate”
- “calming effect”
- “great for sensitive skin”
Smoother skin texture Often Mentioned
- “skin is completely smooth”
- “drastically changed texture”
- “pores seem less clogged”
- “softens skin”
Expensive price point Often Mentioned
- “very pricey”
- “hard to justify cost”
- “expensive for vitamin C”
Fades dark spots Sometimes Noted
- “helped brighten dark spots”
- “fade acne scars”
- “reduced hyperpigmentation”
- “evened out skin tone”
Lightweight and fast absorbing Sometimes Noted
- “absorbs quickly”
- “non-sticky”
- “watery texture”
- “sinks in with zero residue”
No visible results Sometimes Noted
- “did nothing”
- “didn't notice difference”
- “no improvement in radiance”
- “expected more for price”
Sticky finish Rarely Noted
- “dries a little sticky”
- “tacky texture”
- “felt sticky”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “smell is weird”
- “strong scent”
- “smells like hot dog water”
Weak exfoliation Rarely Noted
- “not enough exfoliation”
- “too mild”
- “didn't replace my AHA”
Sources: lovi.care, tatcha.com, sephora.com, influenster.com, mecca.com.au, refinery29.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum is a great fit because it offers gentle exfoliation and oil control through lactic acid and licorice root extract to help manage blemishes and shine. It also brightens and evens out skin tone using vitamin C forms that provide antioxidant benefits with a very low likelihood of irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin because lactic acid and licorice root extract help manage oiliness and blemishes while keeping your skin calm. Ascorbic acid and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate further brighten your skin tone and provide antioxidant support without causing irritation.
What does Ascorbic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Ascorbic acid helps brighten dark spots and calms redness for oily, acne-prone skin while providing antioxidant protection. It is unlikely to clog pores, but this skin type also needs soothing and oil-balancing ingredients like niacinamide to keep breakouts under control.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2025Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004
What does Licorice Root Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Licorice root extract helps calm redness and swelling in oily, breakout-prone skin. Because acne-prone skin needs ingredients that soothe irritation and clear marks without clogging pores, this extract works well to keep skin smooth and comfortable.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum goes in your evening routine, applied after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing. Using it in the evening helps keep things simple and offers extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying this treatment first in your evening routine, followed by your retinol. The gentle formula of this serum helps manage oil and brighten skin while remaining unlikely to irritate oily skin.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is used in your evening routine once a week to start, and you can carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results. It is unlikely to cause irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin and is unlikely to cause irritation, clogged pores or breakouts due to the absence of harsh or heavy ingredients. It helps manage oiliness and blemishes while brightening your skin.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2017
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical 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, 2003Topical formulations containing ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, coenzyme Q10, green tea polyphenols, and resveratrol reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines and attenuated inflammatory signs compared to untreated skin and vehicle in 25 Japanese volunteers exposed to sodium dodecyl sulfate.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2017Ascorbic 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 treatment with 5% vitamin C and 0.1% madecassoside significantly improved clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration, along with functional and structural remodeling of the elastic fiber network in 20 female volunteers with photoaged skin after 6 months compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2008Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Application 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, 2020Daily application of a cream containing niosomes loaded with purple glutinous rice extract in 20 human volunteers for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in melanin index and skin roughness by -14.05% and -9.95%, and increases in skin hydration and elastic recovery by +48.73% and +35.98% compared to initial values.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020The iontophoretic delivery of hyaluronic acid nanogel-loaded Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate significantly reduced advanced glycation end products and mitigated skin stiffening in an ex vivo skin tissue glycation model.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2025Red rice extract suppressed UVB-induced inflammation and skin aging in human skin fibroblasts by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway, leading to decreased NF-kappa B and AP-1 activation, reduced ECM degradation, and increased ECM synthesis compared to UVB-irradiated controls.
Natural Product Communications, 2016
Ingredients
Water, Bis-Glyceryl Ascorbate, Saccharomyces Camellia Sinensis Cladosiphon Okamuranus Rice Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Callicarpa Japonica Fruit Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Crataegus Cuneata Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Grapefruit Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice, Lemon Juice, Citrus Aurantifolia Juice, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Morus Alba Root Extract, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Carboxyethyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Ppg-6-Decyltetradeceth-30, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
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
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