🇫🇷France

Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum for oily acne-prone skin

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

  • Highly suitable for your oily skin, this serum utilizes Zinc PCA for seboregulation and a potent blend of Vitamin C derivatives like Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid to provide antioxidant protection and brighten your complexion.
  • The formula offers moderate benefits for your acne, blemishes, and breakouts by helping to regulate sebum production and deliver antioxidant protection.
  • This product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation 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

★4.6Overall rating based on 500+ reviews

Users consistently praise this serum for its gentle formulation that brightens and hydrates without irritating sensitive skin. A significant number of reviewers feel the high price tag is not justified by the subtle results, with some noting they achieved similar effects with more affordable alternatives.

Highlights

  • Gentle on Skin Mostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin”
    • “no stinging upon application”
    • “gentle yet effective”
  • Very Expensive Mostly Mentioned
    • “price tag is out of budget”
    • “overpriced”
    • “too expensive for the results”
  • Brightens Complexion Often Mentioned
    • “skin looks brighter”
    • “gives a healthy glow”
    • “reduced pigmentation”
  • Elegant Texture Often Mentioned
    • “sinks in quickly”
    • “milky texture”
    • “not sticky or heavy”
  • Hydrating & Plumping Sometimes Noted
    • “skin feels softer”
    • “hydrated and plump”
    • “leaves face feeling supple”
  • Subtle/Slow Results Sometimes Noted
    • “didn't do anything”
    • “no major change”
    • “hasn't blown me away”
  • Caused Breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “appearance of imperfections”
    • “caused small bumps”
    • “minor breakout at start”
  • Runny Consistency Rarely Noted
    • “serum is runny”
    • “watery texture”
    • “dispenser drips easily”

Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, bluemercury.com, spacenk.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, amazon.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?

Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum is a great fit because it uses zinc PCA to help balance oil and powerful vitamin C to brighten your complexion and protect against damage. The formula is safe for your skin, with no risk of irritation since it lacks harsh ingredients.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is a great fit because it uses vitamin C and zinc PCA to brighten your skin, calm breakouts, and help control oily shine without causing irritation. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and ascorbic acid provide antioxidant protection, while the gentle formula keeps your skin feeling smooth and balanced.

The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020

What does Vitamin C do for oily acne-prone skin?

Vitamin C helps brighten skin, smooth out texture, and improve uneven spots for oily acne-prone skin. It may also help fade marks left behind by blemishes.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023

What does Aloe Vera Leaf Juice do for oily acne-prone skin?

Aloe Vera Leaf Juice helps calm redness and reduces acne breakouts for oily skin. Studies show it effectively targets acne lesions and lowers redness when used regularly.

Clinical Pharmacology, 2018The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2014

Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, keeping it simple and safe around sun exposure. It is a great fit for your oily skin because it uses Zinc PCA to help balance oil and Vitamin C to brighten your complexion.

Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this serum with retinol by applying this vitamin C serum in the morning and your retinol at night to keep your skin calm and clear. Using them at separate times of day helps you get the brightening and blemish-fighting benefits without overloading your skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

How often should I use it?

This treatment is used in the evening routine. It is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin because it helps regulate oil production and brighten your complexion with vitamin C while remaining safe and unlikely to cause irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts for oily acne-prone skin because it is formulated without harsh ingredients and includes zinc PCA to help regulate oil production. Reviewers rarely report breakouts, and the product has a safe profile with no risk of irritation.

The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020

Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, 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, 2020
  • Topical nicotinamide plus an antibacterial adhesive agent and zinc-pyrrolidone carboxylic acid combined with adapalene significantly reduced noninflammatory acne lesions by the second week of therapy compared to placebo with adapalene in patients with moderate acne vulgaris.

    The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020
  • A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.

    Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
  • 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, 2003
  • Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.

    Journal of Periodontology, 2009
  • Topical 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, 2022
  • Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.

    Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018
  • Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.

    Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010
  • Formulations containing 0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50% freeze-dried Aloe vera extract increased stratum corneum water content compared with the vehicle in 20 female subjects, while transepidermal water loss was not modified.

    Skin Research and Technology, 2006
  • Topical 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, 2011
  • Topical 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, 2022
  • Treatment 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, 2019

Ingredients

Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract Olive Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Zinc Pca, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Glycerides, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Sodium Sulfite, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sclerotium Gum, Tocopherol

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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Prices checked 10 Oct – 15 Oct 2026

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