ZO Skin Health Retinol Skin Brightener for oily skin
Retinol
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Acetyl Glucosamine
Glutathione
Sweet Almond Oleosomes
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
One of the best serums for oily skin.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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
- Highly suitable for your oily skin, this formula leverages retinol and glutathione to regulate melanogenesis and provide antioxidant activity, effectively addressing your oily shine. Ascorbyl glucoside further enhances skin brightening and tone evening by promoting cell turnover.
- Glycerin and ascorbyl palmitate offer supportive hydration and soothing benefits, complementing the primary functions for oily skin.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components like Ascorbyl Glucoside and Glutathione.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but right before your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin. Let it absorb ⏱ for a minute before applying the next product.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive and you want to target oily shine. This helps control excess oil throughout the night.
- Avoid the delicate eye area and do a patch test before using the serum for the very first time.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users consistently praise this product as a potent treatment that effectively brightens the complexion, fades hyperpigmentation, and smooths skin texture, often delivering a noticeable "glow" and reducing fine lines. Due to its strength, many users report an adjustment period characterized by peeling and redness, emphasizing the need to introduce it gradually.
Highlights
Effective skin brightening Often Mentioned
- “gorgeous glow”
- “skin looks brighter”
- “radiant and luminous”
- “undeniable difference”
Evens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “reduced blotches”
- “faded dark spots”
- “hyperpigmentation gone”
- “cleared up melasma”
Initial irritation Often Mentioned
- “redness”
- “flakiness”
- “burning sensation”
- “peeling”
Anti-aging results Sometimes Noted
- “younger looking”
- “firmness improved”
- “lines softened”
- “restored radiance”
Smoother texture Sometimes Noted
- “softened fine lines”
- “refined pores”
- “smoother skin”
- “improved texture”
Acclimation required Sometimes Noted
- “not for faint hearted”
- “requires patience”
- “start slow”
- “build tolerance”
Dryness Sometimes Noted
- “drying”
- “needs moisturizer”
- “skin felt tight”
- “dry patches”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “expensive”
- “pricey”
- “investment”
- “costly”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstreet.com, skinpharmacy.co.uk, deepbluemedspa.com, face-dr.com, antiagingvancouver.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes ZO Skin Health Retinol Skin Brightener a great fit for oily skin?
ZO Skin Health Retinol Skin Brightener is a great fit because it uses retinol and glutathione to control oily shine and even out your skin tone. Ascorbyl glucoside helps brighten your skin, while glycerin and ascorbyl palmitate provide light, soothing moisture.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily skin?
Retinol and glutathione make this cream a great fit for oily skin because they help control your oily shine and even out your tone. Ascorbyl glucoside, glycerin, and ascorbyl palmitate add extra brightness and soothing hydration without causing irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024
What does Retinol do for oily skin?
Retinol helps oily skin by keeping pores clear and balancing sebum production, which may reduce shine and breakouts. Because it can sometimes cause dryness or peeling in the beginning, starting slowly is recommended.
What does Ascorbyl Glucoside do for oily skin?
Ascorbyl Glucoside helps brighten skin and fade dark spots, making it a good fit for oily skin when you want a more even complexion. It is unlikely to feel heavy or greasy, but oily skin also benefits from lightweight hydrators and gentle exfoliants to keep pores clear.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2016
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, as suggested by safety and simplicity for active ingredients around sun exposure.
Can I use this cream with niacinamide, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with niacinamide by applying niacinamide first and letting it absorb before putting on this cream. Both ingredients work well together to brighten your skin tone and help control oily shine without causing extra irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024
How often should I use this cream?
This treatment is great for your oily skin and is meant to be used in your evening routine. Using it helps brighten your tone, keep your skin smooth, and manage shine with a low risk of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Facial Plastic Surgery, 2014
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This treatment is a great fit for oily skin because it uses retinol and glutathione to control oil and brighten your skin tone. It is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts since it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing components.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (linalool, limonene, geraniol, coumarin, citronellol, and citral) and drying alcohol (alcohol).
What the research says
Topical oxidized glutathione significantly decreases the skin melanin index and improves moisture content, smoothness, wrinkle formation, and elasticity compared to placebo in healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014Treatment with ascorbyl glucoside-arginine complex lotion significantly decreased pigmentation scores and melanin index while increasing lightness in solar lentigos of Japanese females compared to placebo over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Ascorbyl palmitate incorporated into SLN and NLC hydrogels significantly improved skin moisture compared to placebo in short-term and long-term trials, and sustained AP penetration through excised human skin compared to NE.
Die Pharmazie, 2005Glutathione amino acid precursors effectively increase cellular glutathione levels, reducing oxidative stress, ATP depletion, and DNA damage in human keratinocytes, clinical subjects, and ex vivo skin compared to controls.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2024Topical 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 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 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 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, 2008Topical 2% N-acetyl glucosamine reduced facial hyperpigmentation in an 8-week split-face clinical test, with an even greater effect observed when combined with 4% niacinamide.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007N-acetyl-glucosamine-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers successfully delivered the hydrophilic agent through the skin and reduced melanin distribution in healthy volunteers.
Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2016Topical cosmetic products containing hyaluronic acid, N-acetyl glucosamine, and gamma-amino butyric acid improved skin hydration by 24.28% to 33.60%, elasticity by 11.98%, and skin lightening by 5.26% over 2 months in 20 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2019Topical glutathione improves hyperpigmentation, reduces ultraviolet-induced erythema and wrinkles, decreases transepidermal water loss, and enhances antioxidant capacity.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025RayGel reduced skin reaction severity with a lower average score of 93.7 compared to 123.3 for the placebo group in patients undergoing whole breast external-beam irradiation.
American Journal of Surgery, 2005Combining high-intensity focused ultrasound with a topical agent containing glutathione and hyaluronic acid significantly improves skin quality, fine wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, hydration, and brightness in female volunteers compared to the topical agent alone.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oleosomes, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Retinol, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Cetearyl Glucoside, Lecithin, Acrylamide Ammonium Acrylate Copolymer, Alcohol, 2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Glutathione, Nylon-12, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Hydroxide, Polyisobutene, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium Edta, Maltodextrin, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil Lavender Oil, Stachys Officinalis Stem Extract Flower Leaf, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil Flower, Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol, Coumarin, Citronellol, Citral, Zea Mays Oil, Soy Isoflavones, Beta-Carotene, Bht, Bha, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Sulfite
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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