The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum for acne-prone skin
Tranexamic Acid
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Squalane
Lactobacillus FermentAverage
- 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 moderate brightening for your combination skin due to tranexamic acid and ascorbyl glucoside, which help to even skin tone and provide general hydration with glycerin and squalane.
- While the formula is safe and provides some hydration, it lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target your acne, blemishes, and breakouts, and could benefit from enhanced oil control for combination skin.
- The product is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation from 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
★4.2Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers frequently praise this serum for its ability to fade post-acne marks and hyperpigmentation, noting its lightweight, non-irritating gel texture that layers well. Many report brighter, more even skin tone after consistent use. However, a significant number of users dislike its distinct "meaty" scent and find the pump dispenser frustrating.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “Gel consistency”
- “Absorbs quickly”
- “Non-greasy finish”
Unpleasant smell Mostly Mentioned
- “Smells like BBQ/meat”
- “Burnt rubber smell”
- “Smells like plastic”
- “Sulfur smell”
Affordable price Often Mentioned
- “Great value for money”
- “Budget-friendly option”
- “Good entry-level active ingredient”
Fades dark spots Often Mentioned
- “Visibly reduces acne scars”
- “Lightens sun spots”
- “Evens out skin tone”
Faulty packaging Often Mentioned
- “Pump breaks easily”
- “Dispenses too much product”
- “Hard to control the amount dispensed”
Gentle formula Sometimes Noted
- “Non-irritating formula”
- “Suitable for sensitive skin”
- “No stinging or redness”
Slow results Sometimes Noted
- “Takes months to see results”
- “Requires a lot of patience”
- “Only subtle changes observed”
Prevents breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Helps prevent new breakouts”
- “Keeps skin clear”
- “Reduces redness associated with acne”
Drying or sticky Rarely Noted
- “Can feel tacky on the skin”
- “Requires moisturizer to combat dryness”
- “Slightly drying for some users”
Sources: lovi.care, cultbeauty.com, boots.com, sephora.hk, spacenk.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid work for acne-prone skin?
This serum works reasonably well for acne-prone skin by offering moderate brightening and general hydration, though it lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target breakouts. An acne-prone skin needs a treatment of this type to include ingredients like niacinamide, propolis, or zinc PCA that provide excellent benefits for blemishes while offering better oil control.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This serum works for acne-prone skin because tranexamic acid and ascorbyl glucoside help even skin tone while glycerin and squalane provide general hydration. However, to truly fit this skin type well, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and propolis to effectively target blemishes and breakouts while controlling oil.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does tranexamic acid do for acne-prone skin?
Tranexamic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing redness, calming breakouts, and fading dark spots left behind by pimples. It is unlikely to cause irritation, making it a gentle option for improving skin tone and texture.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023
What does ascorbyl glucoside do for acne-prone skin?
Ascorbyl glucoside is generally suitable for acne-prone skin, helping to brighten dark spots left by blemishes and provide antioxidant protection. Vitamin C derivatives like this one may help calm the skin and improve overall complexion.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2016Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2012
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. While it is safe and provides gentle hydration, this skin needs specialized blemish-fighting ingredients and oil control to get the best results.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to give your skin moisture, followed by your retinol. This product is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, but a product for acne-prone skin also needs ingredients that target breakouts and control oil.
How often should I use it?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, applying it after cleansing and toning. This serum works for acne-prone skin, though a product of this type needs specialized ingredients to target breakouts and enhanced oil control to be a better fit.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on acne-prone skin, as it contains safe, gentle ingredients. However, because it lacks specialized blemish-fighting ingredients and oil-control agents, an acne-prone routine needs added ingredients that help clear pores and balance oil.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
Treatment 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, 2009A 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, 2017An acai oil-based organogel containing hyaluronic acid showed no cytotoxicity and provided a high level of hydration, thermal protection, and hyaluronic acid release after 6 hours of application in in vitro and ex vivo tests.
Pharmaceutics, 2024Topical 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, 2008Phenolic compounds from açai fruit, specifically malvidin and cyanidin derivatives, strongly protect immortalized fibroblasts against UV-A-induced oxidative stress by preventing ROS production, GSH depletion, lipid peroxidation, and stress-pathway protein phosphorylation compared to unprotected irradiated cells.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. B, Biology, 2017Nanotechnological hydrogels containing desonide nanocapsules and açai oil increased epidermal drug retention and reduced ear edema and inflammatory cell infiltration comparably to a commercial formulation with twice the drug concentration in an animal model of acute skin inflammation.
Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2022Squalane 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, 2025Probiotic-derived lotion successfully reduced inflammatory acne lesion counts and erythema index comparably to 2.5% benzoyl peroxide in patients with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris, while causing fewer side effects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical application of Lactobacillus plantarum-GMNL6 enhanced collagen synthesis and SPTSSA gene expression while reducing melanin synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and Cutibacterium acnes proliferation, leading to clinical improvements in skin moisture, color, spots, wrinkles, UV spots, and porphyrins in human volunteers.
International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021Lactobacillus plantarum extracellular vesicles modulated extracellular matrix related gene expression in vitro and suppressed wrinkle formation and pigmentation in clinical trials.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2022
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 panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A 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
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tranexamic Acid, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Cetearyl Olivate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lecithin, Squalane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Polysorbate 60, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Isostearate
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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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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