Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster for sensitive skin
Niacinamide
Acetyl Glucosamine
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract
Panthenol Vitamin B5Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
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 benefits for your normal skin with sensitivity, as niacinamide and acetyl glucosamine work to even skin tone and minimize pores, while allantoin and dipotassium glycyrrhizate provide soothing support for redness and irritation.
- The formulation is highly suitable for normal skin types, with ingredients like niacinamide and allantoin supporting anti-inflammatory actions and barrier repair.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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 900+ reviewsUsers with oily and combination skin frequently praise this booster for its ability to visibly minimize pores and smooth rough texture, often describing the results as transformative for congestion and post-acne marks. A significant minority of reviewers experience adverse reactions, including breakouts and redness, while others find the price point high for the small quantity provided.
Highlights
Minimizes enlarged pores Mostly Mentioned
- “pores look smaller”
- “tightened my pores”
- “pores less visible”
- “refined pore size”
- “helped with congestion”
Improves skin texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels smoother”
- “softens rough patches”
- “glass skin effect”
- “bumps disappeared”
- “refined surface”
Lightweight & layerable Often Mentioned
- “watery consistency”
- “absorbs instantly”
- “mixes well with moisturizer”
- “non-greasy”
- “no pilling”
Controls oil production Sometimes Noted
- “less oily t-zone”
- “balanced sebum”
- “matte finish”
- “controlled shine”
- “less greasy during day”
Fades marks & redness Sometimes Noted
- “reduced post-acne marks”
- “calmed redness”
- “brightened complexion”
- “faded dark spots”
- “evened skin tone”
Causes breakouts/irritation Sometimes Noted
- “caused cystic acne”
- “tiny red bumps”
- “broke me out”
- “burning sensation”
- “skin barrier damage”
Expensive for size Sometimes Noted
- “tiny bottle”
- “pricey for amount”
- “runs out quickly”
- “not worth the cost”
- “expensive per ml”
No visible results Rarely Noted
- “did nothing”
- “saw no difference”
- “waste of money”
- “ineffective”
- “no change in pores”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “dropper is messy”
- “hard to get last drops”
- “bottle leaks”
- “crusty rim”
- “bad dispenser”
Sticky/tacky finish Rarely Noted
- “feels sticky”
- “tacky residue”
- “leaves a film”
- “sticky after application”
- “glue-like texture”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, paulaschoice.com, dermstore.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster work for sensitive skin?
This product works moderately well for sensitive skin, helping to even skin tone and minimize pores while soothing redness and irritation. To fit this skin better, a treatment of this type needs calming ingredients and antioxidants that relieve redness and irritation without causing irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
What does Niacinamide do for sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps calm sensitive skin by strengthening the skin barrier and reducing redness and irritation. It is very well tolerated and may improve overall comfort and resilience with regular use.
What does Acetyl Glucosamine do for sensitive skin?
Acetyl glucosamine helps keep skin hydrated and smooth while fading dark spots. It is generally gentle and unlikely to irritate dry or sensitive skin types.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing. Putting active serums in the evening helps keep your routine simple and adds extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
This treatment works for your sensitive skin, but since this skin type needs extra soothing ingredients and gentle barrier repair to handle strong actives comfortably, you should apply your retinol first and follow it with this booster.
How often should I use it?
This treatment is used in the evening routine. Sensitive skin needs a product of this type that balances active pore and tone ingredients with soothing plant extracts and barrier support.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
Yes, this product may cause breakouts or irritation for sensitive skin, as some reviewers report this issue. Sensitive skin needs gentle, fragrance-free formulas with soothing ingredients and strong skin barrier supporters to prevent breakouts and calm redness.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical 2% N-acetyl glucosamine reduced facial hyperpigmentation in an 8-week split-face clinical test, with an even greater effect observed when combined with 4% niacinamide.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Topical 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, 2005N-acetyl-glucosamine-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers successfully delivered the hydrophilic agent through the skin and reduced melanin distribution in healthy volunteers.
Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2016Topical cosmetic products containing hyaluronic acid, N-acetyl glucosamine, and gamma-amino butyric acid improved skin hydration by 24.28% to 33.60%, elasticity by 11.98%, and skin lightening by 5.26% over 2 months in 20 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2019Liposomes containing N-acetyl glucosamine prepared using the fusion method significantly increased skin moisture content compared to empty liposomes in human volunteers over a 5-hour period.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2013Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Moisturizer 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, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000Hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol, and isotonic saline nasal sprays all significantly improved dry nose symptoms over four weeks in 240 patients, with hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol providing superior nasal moisturisation compared to the other two.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Niacinamide, Acetyl Glucosamine, Ascorbyl Glucoside Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Glycerin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Beta-Glucan, Panthenol, Carnosine, Genistein, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
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
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