Olay Retinol 24 Night Serum for acne-prone skin
Retinol
Niacinamide
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Glycerin
Dimethicone
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 excellent treatment for fine lines and wrinkles for your combination skin due to retinol and retinyl propionate, while niacinamide helps regulate oil production.
- While Dimethicone and Glycerin provide general hydration, they do not directly address your primary concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The formulation is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine and start 3x/week before working up to daily use.
- Apply this treatment after cleansing and toner, and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product on clean, dry skin to help manage your breakouts safely.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsUsers consistently praise this serum for its gentle, non-drying formula that leaves skin feeling silky and hydrated, making it an excellent choice for retinol beginners. While many report noticeably smoother texture and a brighter complexion, some users note that deep wrinkle reduction takes significant time and the product can pill if layered incorrectly.
Highlights
Gentle & non-irritating Mostly Mentioned
- “virtually no irritation”
- “no redness or peeling”
- “great for sensitive skin”
Smoother skin texture Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels soft and smooth”
- “improved skin texture”
- “leaves face silky”
Hydrating formula Often Mentioned
- “hydrates for 24 hours”
- “non-drying”
- “leaves skin plump”
Lightweight absorption Often Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly”
- “lightweight texture”
- “no sticky residue”
Brightening effect Sometimes Noted
- “lovely glow”
- “brighter complexion”
- “woke up radiant”
Product pilling Sometimes Noted
- “pilling really bad”
- “rolls off in chunks”
- “clumps under moisturizer”
Slow results Sometimes Noted
- “no immediate results”
- “hard to see drastic difference”
- “takes months to work”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “dropper is unpredictable”
- “hard to dispense”
- “don't like the bottle”
Price point Rarely Noted
- “price is steep”
- “expensive for drugstore”
- “wait for a sale”
Sticky residue Rarely Noted
- “slightly sticky finish”
- “felt a film”
- “tacky after application”
Sources: lovi.care, chemistwarehouse.com.au, sayso.com.au, byrdie.com, walmart.com, target.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Olay Retinol 24 work for acne-prone skin?
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps regulate oil production for acne-prone skin, while retinol and retinyl propionate treat fine lines. However, a product of this type needs ingredients like propolis or zinc PCA to provide better benefits for acne and breakouts.
What does Retinol do for acne-prone skin?
Retinol helps acne-prone skin by speeding up cell turnover and clearing pores to reduce breakouts. It regulates skin growth and fights inflammation, though it may cause some mild peeling or stinging when you first start using it.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2022The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
What does Niacinamide do for acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps acne-prone skin by reducing both inflamed and uninflamed breakouts and calming redness. It is also very helpful for keeping oily skin balanced by cutting down on excess oil production, and it is well tolerated by most people.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, as evening application helps keep your skin safe from sun exposure. Acne-prone skin needs products with ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to directly target blemishes and breakouts.
Can I use this serum with vitamin C, and in what order?
You can use this serum with vitamin C by applying vitamin C in your morning routine and this serum at night. This helps keep your skin calm while giving you both anti-aging and brightening benefits without overwhelming your skin.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your nighttime routine. To keep your acne-prone skin clear and smooth, a product of this type needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients alongside oil-regulating and soothing components.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This serum works for acne-prone skin, though it is an average fit because its hydration ingredients do not directly target breakouts. It helps smooth fine lines with retinol, but acne-prone skin needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to effectively clear blemishes and prevent clogged pores.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
Topical 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, 2019A 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, 2017Topical 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, 2017Silicone 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 stabilized retinol treatment induced HAS gene expression and increased hyaluronic acid production in human skin in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo compared to vehicle.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2017Topical 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, 2005The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
Why other serums fit acne-prone skin better
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, 2020A 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, 2018Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.
BioMed Research International, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Retinyl Propionate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Retinol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Bht, Butylene Glycol, Dimethiconol, Niacinamide, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-4, Laureth-7, Disodium Edta, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyacrylamide, Peg-100 Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Tin Oxide, C13-14 Alkane, Dmdm Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Benzyl Alcohol
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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