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Aestura A-Cica 365 Blemish Calming Serum for oily acne-prone skin

High

  • SuperiorOily Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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

  • Excellent suitability for your oily skin is provided by niacinamide and squalane, which help regulate sebum and offer emollient action, respectively, addressing your concerns with acne, blemishes, and breakouts. Madecassoside and beta-glucan further enhance barrier strengthening and calming effects for irritated skin.
  • The serum offers moderate effectiveness for your skin issues due to the presence of niacinamide and madecassoside.
  • The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing ingredients like Madecassoside and Beta-Glucan.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your PM routine. Start 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply your serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the serum on clean, dry skin to help manage your blemishes safely.
  • Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area.

People Say

★4.5Overall rating based on 2.3k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this serum is highly praised by users with sensitive and acne-prone skin for its ability to rapidly soothe redness and repair the skin barrier without causing irritation. The lightweight, non-sticky formula is effective for calming inflammation and improving texture. However, many users find the small bottle size and high price point to be significant drawbacks.

Highlights

  • Expensive for size Mostly Mentioned
    • “Price is steep”
    • “Small bottle”
    • “40ml goes quickly”
    • “Not much product”
  • Calms redness fast Often Mentioned
    • “Redness calm down”
    • “Soothes sensitive skin”
    • “Inflamed acne calmed”
    • “Faded redness morning”
  • Gentle, non-irritating Often Mentioned
    • “No irritation”
    • “Great for sensitive skin”
    • “Dermatology grade”
    • “Hypoallergenic”
  • Lightweight, non-sticky Often Mentioned
    • “Absorbs beautifully”
    • “Not sticky at all”
    • “Fresh and moist”
    • “No greasy residue”
  • Hydrating for oily Sometimes Noted
    • “Hydrated and dewy”
    • “Perfect for oily skin”
    • “Balanced hydration”
    • “Good moisture”
  • Improves texture Sometimes Noted
    • “Skin felt smooth”
    • “Refined complexion”
    • “Softens skin”
    • “Smoother finish”
  • Not enough for dry Sometimes Noted
    • “Feels a bit dry”
    • “Need layering”
    • “Not rich enough”
    • “Light for dry skin”
  • Heavy for summer Rarely Noted
    • “Heavy during summer”
    • “Bit rich for heat”
    • “Too dewy in humidity”
  • Slightly tacky Rarely Noted
    • “Feels a bit sticky”
    • “Wish finish smoother”
    • “Tacky at first”
    • “Slight residue”

Sources: lovi.care, oliveyoung.com, hwahae.co.kr, skinsort.com, yesstyle.com, incidecoder.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Aestura A-Cica 365 Blemish Calming Serum a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is a great fit for your oily, acne-prone skin because niacinamide and squalane help regulate oil while keeping your skin soft. Madecassoside and beta-glucan further strengthen your skin barrier and calm irritation without clogging pores or causing flare-ups.

Molecules, 2023Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016

Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?

Niacinamide and squalane make this serum a great fit by helping regulate excess oil and smoothing your skin, which helps address blemishes and breakouts. Madecassoside and beta-glucan further strengthen your skin barrier and calm irritation.

Molecules, 2023

What does Centella Asiatica do for oily acne-prone skin?

Centella asiatica helps calm redness, reduce acne breakouts, and improve moisture while supporting skin barrier repair. It may also help decrease inflammation and excess oil.

Molecules, 2023Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016

What does Niacinamide do for oily acne-prone skin?

Niacinamide helps balance oil production, calms redness, and is unlikely to irritate oily, acne-prone skin while improving blemishes. Clinical tests show it reduces excess oil and helps clear up both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne breakouts.

Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?

This treatment serum goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the evening keeps your routine simple and helps prevent any sun sensitivity.

Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to help calm and soothe your skin before putting on your retinol. This approach is unlikely to cause irritation because the product contains soothing ingredients that help strengthen your skin barrier.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Molecules, 2023

How often should I use this serum?

This treatment is applied in the evening. It helps calm irritated skin and is unlikely to cause irritation.

Molecules, 2023

Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?

This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on oily, acne-prone skin because it contains soothing and barrier-strengthening ingredients like madecassoside and beta-glucan. It has a great safety profile with no harsh ingredients, helping to calm irritated skin without triggering irritation.

Molecules, 2023

Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).

What the research says

  • Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.

    Molecules, 2023
  • Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.

    Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
  • Skin care regimens containing beta-glucan improved hemoglobin index, skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in 20 patients undergoing fractional laser therapy.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
  • 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, 2017
  • Topical 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, 2020
  • Moisturizer 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, 2019
  • Topical 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
  • Topical 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, 2021
  • Topical 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, 2008
  • Topical 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, 2005
  • Treatment with topical formulations containing beta-glucan combined with nanofractional radiofrequency plus magnetic nanofractional radiofrequency showed the best efficacy and was tolerable and effective in Chinese women with abdominal stretch marks compared to control groups.

    Dermatology and Therapy, 2023
  • Topical beta-glucan mildly improved striae gravidarum, 1565-nm non-ablative fractional laser showed better results than topical beta-glucan, and the combined strategy further improved striae gravidarum atrophy compared to single treatment.

    The Journal of Dermatology, 2022
  • Topical application of oat beta-glucan ameliorates epidermal hyperplasia and accelerates epidermal barrier recovery by promoting keratinocyte differentiation through dectin-1-mediated ERK and p38 signaling pathways that upregulate CaSR expression.

    International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2021
  • A single use of an alpha-tocopherol-enriched rinse-off product strongly increases alpha-tocopherol levels in skin barrier lipids maintained for at least 24 hours and significantly inhibits squalene photooxidation in human volunteers compared to a control product.

    Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2005
  • The investigated actives incorporated into alkyl polyglucoside emulsifier-stabilized creams showed no skin irritation and provided increased skin hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss in 76 healthy volunteers.

    Vojnosanitetski Pregled, 2016
  • Topical treatment with a mixed RetinSphere - vitamin E formulation significantly decreased lipid peroxidation levels and oxidized squalene percentage, reduced interleukin-1α concentration in lesional areas, and led to clinical improvement in 18 patients with mild comedonal acne.

    Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2014

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Betaine, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alcohol Denat, Squalene, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Sucrose Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Phytosterols, Caprylyl Methicone, Carbomer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Propanediol, Cellulose Gum, Disodium Edta, Madecassoside, Beta-Glucan, Tocopherol

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.

How does it fit your skin?

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