KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief for oily skin
Niacinamide
Squalane
Calophyllum Inophyllum Oil
Ceramide Np
Centella Asiatica
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for oily skin; a few serums fit it even better.
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 niacinamide for seboregulation and lactic acid for mild exfoliation, effectively addressing oily shine.
- The inclusion of glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provides essential hydration, while ceramides and urea work to strengthen your skin's barrier, enhancing overall resilience.
- This product is safe for your skin, with no risk of irritation due to its gentle formulation and absence of harsh ingredients.
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
★4.6Overall 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 oily skin?
This treatment is a great fit for oily skin because it uses niacinamide to help control shine and lactic acid for gentle exfoliation. It also delivers essential hydration with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate while strengthening your skin barrier with ceramides and urea.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily skin?
This cream is a great fit for oily skin because niacinamide helps control extra shine and lactic acid gently exfoliates. Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide lightweight hydration, while ceramides and urea help strengthen your skin without causing irritation.
What does Niacinamide do for oily skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oily skin by significantly reducing excess oil production and shine. It is well tolerated and may improve skin texture without clogging pores.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Antioxidants, 2021
What does Squalane do for oily skin?
Squalane helps keep oily skin soft and smooth without feeling heavy, though oxidized forms may sometimes trigger irritation. To work well for oily skin, this type of product needs lightweight, non-clogging ingredients that balance moisture without adding excess grease.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the evening keeps things simple and avoids extra safety concerns around sun exposure.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying the retinol first, letting it absorb, and then following with this product to keep your skin calm and hydrated. This approach helps reduce the dryness and irritation that often come with retinol use.
How often should I use this cream?
This treatment fits into your evening routine as an extra step, and you may use it once a week to start. If your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This product is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on oily skin because it has a gentle formulation with a low risk of irritation. It helps balance oil and maintain clear skin without harsh ingredients.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A 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, 2017Tamanu 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 treatment of nicotinamide, alone or in combination with other active ingredients, reduces the progression of skin aging and hyperpigmentation in clinical trials while being well tolerated.
Antioxidants, 2021Topical 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, 2021Topical 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, 2005Squalane 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, 2016Topical 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, 2021Tamanu oil extract from Calophyllum inophyllum increased cell proliferation and collagen type III expression in human fibroblasts in vitro, indicating healing, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antiseptic properties.
Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 2019Topical 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, 2020Moisturizer 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, 2019Topical 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, 2008
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?
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