True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster for oily skin

Ascorbic Acid
Ferulic Acid
Tapioca Starch
I-Ascorbic Acid
Botanicals
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
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 as ascorbic acid and ferulic acid offer antioxidant benefits and mild exfoliation to combat oily shine.
- The tapioca starch helps absorb excess oil, further complementing your skin type and main goal.
- The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the 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.
Questions and answers
What makes True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster a great fit for oily skin?
True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster is a great fit for oily skin because ascorbic acid and ferulic acid help clear away shine with mild exfoliation and antioxidants. The tapioca starch absorbs excess oil to keep your skin feeling balanced. It is also unlikely to cause irritation since the formula leaves out harsh ingredients.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for oily skin?
Ascorbic acid and ferulic acid help combat oily shine with antioxidant benefits and mild exfoliation, while tapioca starch absorbs excess oil. The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation.
What does Vitamin C do for oily skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten skin tone and smooth texture while providing antioxidant protection that prevents sebum oxidation. For oily skin, this type of product typically needs to be paired with oil-controlling or pore-clearing ingredients like salicylic acid or plant extracts.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
What does Ferulic Acid do for oily skin?
Ferulic acid helps protect oily skin from sun damage and environmental stress when used as part of a daytime antioxidant serum. It is often combined with vitamins C and E to boost overall defense and keep skin healthy.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, after cleansing and before moisturizing. Vitamin C antioxidant serums are generally placed here for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying them on alternating nights or keeping them in separate routines to avoid overloading your skin. This formula is unlikely to cause irritation when used thoughtfully, as it lacks harsh ingredients.
How often should I use this treatment?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine once a week to start, and then carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results. This formula is unlikely to irritate oily skin because it lacks harsh ingredients, while its antioxidants and tapioca starch help manage oily shine.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
It is unlikely to clog pores, cause breakouts, or lead to purging on oily skin. The formula features tapioca starch to help absorb excess oil, and it contains no harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation.
What the research says
Topical 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, 2022Treatment with 14% ferulic acid and 12% l-ascorbic acid significantly reduced pigmentation and erythema while improving hydration and elasticity in 20 women with photoaged skin, with neither acid proving definitively more effective overall though ascorbic acid showed slightly greater skin lightening.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Combining fractional microneedle radiofrequency with a topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced wrinkle severity by 29.9% versus 18.0%, increased elasticity by 12.9% versus 2.3%, and improved aesthetic outcomes in 31 participants compared to radiofrequency and placebo.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2025Pretreatment with a topical antioxidant mixture of vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin attenuated ultraviolet-induced sunburn cell formation, thymine dimer formation, matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, p53 protein expression, and the suppression of CD1a-expressing Langerhans cells in human skin compared to vehicle control.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008
Ingredients
Tapioca Starch, Ascorbic Acid, Ferulic Acid
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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