The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum for sensitive skin
Tranexamic Acid
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Squalane
Lactobacillus FermentAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 normal skin due to tranexamic acid and ascorbyl glucoside, which help even skin tone, though these ingredients may pose a slight irritation risk for your sensitive skin.
- Glycerin and squalane provide essential hydration and emollient benefits, supporting overall skin health without directly addressing your primary concerns of redness and irritation.
- The product is generally safe for sensitive skin, with a low risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
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 sensitive skin?
This serum is an average fit because its brightening ingredients may pose a slight irritation risk, though glycerin and squalane help keep skin hydrated. A treatment for this skin needs ingredients that reduce redness and irritation without any risk of irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin and squalane make this serum a fit by providing essential hydration and keeping skin soft, while generally being safe for sensitive skin. However, treatments that fit sensitive skin better need ingredients that directly calm redness and irritation without any risk of irritation.
What does Tranexamic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Tranexamic acid helps calm sensitive skin by strengthening the skin barrier and reducing redness and flushing. It is unlikely to cause severe reactions, making it a well-tolerated choice for reactive or easily irritated skin.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2014Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2024
What does Ascorbyl Glucoside do for sensitive skin?
Ascorbyl Glucoside helps brighten skin, smooth out dark spots, and protect against daily damage without causing irritation. Studies show it is gentle and stable, making it a great option for sensitive skin to look brighter and more even.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2012International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2021
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
Apply this serum in the evening after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer. Treatments are used at this time for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure, and sensitive skin needs products with calming ingredients and barrier-supporting hydrators like glycerin and squalane to avoid redness.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol, but apply your retinol first and follow with this treatment to help manage any potential irritation on sensitive skin. Because this product has an average fit for your skin, sensitive skin of this type needs gentle calming agents and soothing plant extracts to protect against redness while brightening.
How often should I use this serum?
This treatment is used in the evening once a week to start, and can be used more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results. It is generally safe for sensitive skin with a low risk of irritation, though the active ingredients may pose a slight irritation risk.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This serum is generally safe for sensitive skin with a low risk of irritation, though it may pose a slight irritation risk because of brightening ingredients. Products for this skin need soothing ingredients that directly calm redness and irritation.
Is this serum 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, 2024A 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 application of a postbiotic Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus ferment complex for 28 days significantly modulated the scalp microbiome and achieved a 100% sensitive scalp syndrome alleviation effect in Chinese women with sensitive scalp syndrome.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Topical 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, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical 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, 2022An 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, 2024Phenolic 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 sensitive skin better
Topical application of TAT-SOD significantly suppresses UVB-induced erythema formation, blood flow rise, and apoptotic sunburn cell formation in human volunteers compared to a vehicle control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2016
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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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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