KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief for combination skin
Niacinamide
Squalane
Calophyllum Inophyllum Oil
Ceramide Np
Centella Asiatica
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 combination skin, this product's niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate provide excellent humectant action and barrier repair, addressing your oily shine by hydrating and controlling sebum. The inclusion of ceramides further enhances barrier resilience, strengthening your skin's natural defenses.
- Squalane and urea contribute to moderate benefits for oily shine and combination skin by offering hydration and sebum control.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like niacinamide and urea.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, and right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏳for it to soak in.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive.
- Always do a patch test before using the serum for the first time, and avoid the eye area .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 400+ reviewsThis serum is widely praised as a "reset button" for compromised skin barriers, effectively soothing redness, irritation, and sensitivity caused by over-exfoliation or environmental stressors. Users with acne-prone and dry skin report significant improvements in hydration and texture, though the unique earthy scent of tamanu oil is a polarizing feature.
Highlights
Soothing & calming Mostly Mentioned
- “calms redness”
- “soothes irritation”
- “relieves itchiness”
- “reduces inflammation”
Hydrating texture Often Mentioned
- “creamy but lightweight”
- “absorbs well”
- “non-greasy finish”
- “plumps skin”
Restores skin barrier Often Mentioned
- “heals damaged skin”
- “strengthens barrier”
- “reset button”
- “saved my skin”
Strong scent Often Mentioned
- “smells like celery”
- “earthy/nutty smell”
- “funky odor”
- “smell is off-putting”
Fades hyperpigmentation Sometimes Noted
- “fades acne scars”
- “brightens complexion”
- “evens skin tone”
- “helps with dark spots”
Price point Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for size”
- “small bottle”
- “pricey”
- “runs out quickly”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused bumps”
- “triggered acne”
- “clogged pores”
- “broke me out”
Greasy for oily skin Rarely Noted
- “too heavy”
- “left oily residue”
- “sticky finish”
- “shiny face”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.sg, pickyskincare.com, skinsort.com, influenster.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
What makes KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief a great fit for combination skin?
This product is a great fit for your combination skin because its niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate help control oily shine while hydrating, and ceramides strengthen your skin's natural defenses. It also has a very safe profile with soothing components and no harsh ingredients, making irritation unlikely.
Scientific Reports, 2024Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for combination skin?
Niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, squalane, urea, and ceramides make this treatment a great fit by hydrating your skin, controlling oily shine, and strengthening your skin barrier. These ingredients provide excellent soothing benefits without any harsh components that might cause irritation.
What does Niacinamide do for combination skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oily areas by reducing excess shine and pore size while keeping dry patches hydrated and smooth. It also works to calm redness and even out skin tone, making it very suitable for combination skin.
What does Squalane do for combination skin?
Squalane helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. It supports the skin barrier and provides lightweight hydration that works well for both dry and oily areas.
Skin Health and Disease, 2024Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025
Where does it go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after your cleansing toner and before your moisturizer. Putting it in the evening keeps things simple and helps avoid extra safety concerns around sun exposure.
Can I use this treatment with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment alongside retinol by applying the treatment first and following with your retinol product, or by using them on alternating nights to keep your skin calm. This helps reduce the likelihood of skin discomfort while keeping your skin hydrated.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your routine. It is unlikely to cause irritation and helps control oily shine while keeping your skin hydrated.
Scientific Reports, 2024Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for combination skin because it has a great safety profile with soothing ingredients and low complaints of breakouts from reviewers. It helps hydrate and control shine without heavy oils.
Dermatology Online Journal, 2013Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Treatment with a combination of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid improved skin aging signs and demonstrated a senomorphic effect by decreasing SASP and autocrine signaling genes in women.
Scientific Reports, 2024Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Hyaluronic acid extracts are safe and efficacious products for skin repair when used in tissue regeneration alone or in combination with herbal or Western medicine.
Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Urea is a safe and effective dermatologic therapy with wide-ranging clinical utility for various skin conditions and minimal, non-systemic side effects based on a review of the clinical literature.
Dermatology Online Journal, 2013Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical 2% niacinamide significantly decreased sebum excretion rate in Japanese individuals and casual sebum levels in Caucasian individuals compared to placebo or baseline.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Tamanu oil emulsion induced cell proliferation, glycosaminoglycan and collagen production, wound healing activity, and modulated gene expression in human skin cells compared to untreated cells.
Planta Medica, 2016Tamanu oil bigels demonstrated wound-healing and scar-reduction potential with good binding affinity to the TGF-beta1 receptor and better healing properties than a commercial formulation in rats, without causing dermal irritation in rabbits.
Pharmaceuticals, 2024Topical application of tamanu oil accelerated the formation of macrophage-granulation tissues and fibrosis while resulting in less wound contraction compared to normal saline and Centella asiatica in rats with induced wounds.
Journal of Wound Care, 2021Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020A 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, 2017Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, Propanediol, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Polysorbate 60, Rosa Canina Oil Fruit, Glyceryl Oleate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitan Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Serine, Acetyl Glutamine, Glycine, Ceramide Np, Oleic Acid, Sodium Pca, Glycosyl Trehalose, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Glycine Soja Soybean Sterols, Saccharide Isomerate, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour Oat Kernel Flour, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Urea, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Magnesium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glyceryl Caprylate, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Edta
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?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.