Seoul Ceuticals Ultra Brightening Kojic Acid Serum for dry sensitive skin
Kojic Acid
Alpha Arbutin
Glycolic Acid
Salicylic Acid
Licorice Root ExtractCaution
- LowDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A poor match for dry sensitive skin; the serums alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 exfoliation for your dry and flaky skin due to Glycolic Acid and Willow Bark Extract, which can be too harsh and potentially worsen dryness or flakiness for your sensitive skin.
- The formulation provides moderate brightening for uneven skin tone from alpha arbutin and kojic acid, but the presence of these acids may cause irritation for your dry skin.
How to apply
- Use this PM routine for your evening skincare. Start using the serum 3 times a week and increase to daily use if your skin feels comfortable.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer. This step locks in deep hydration for dry skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin using your palms. Let it absorb completely for a minute ⏱ before applying your next product.
- Since your skin is sensitive, apply the serum on completely dry skin for better tolerance and less irritation.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Always do a patch test before your first use to ensure your skin reacts well.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers report this serum effectively fades dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation, providing a noticeable glow. The lightweight texture absorbs quickly and is generally well-tolerated by sensitive skin, though a small minority experienced breakouts or irritation.
Highlights
Brightens Complexion Often Mentioned
- “skin glowing”
- “skin looks brighter”
- “radiance-boosting”
- “even skin tone”
Fades Dark Spots Often Mentioned
- “dark spots fading”
- “reduces appearance of dark patches”
- “good for hyperpigmentation”
- “fades acne scars”
Gentle on Skin Sometimes Noted
- “gentle on sensitive skin”
- “no side effect”
- “didn't irritate”
- “soothing”
Lightweight Texture Sometimes Noted
- “absorbs quickly”
- “light texture”
- “water gel”
- “feels good”
Irritation & Breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused irritation”
- “breakouts all over”
- “tingling sensation”
- “redness”
Price & Value Rarely Noted
- “price is too high”
- “bottle size”
- “expensive for results”
- “small bottle”
Slow or No Results Rarely Noted
- “still have dark spots”
- “didn't notice much”
- “didn't do much for me”
- “no change”
Unpleasant Scent Rarely Noted
- “scent is not that good”
- “smell”
- “weird scent”
- “not pleasant”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, target.com, ulta.com, nordstrom.com, clinikally.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Seoul Ceuticals Ultra Brightening Kojic Acid Serum for dry sensitive skin?
This serum offers moderate exfoliation and brightening, but the acids in it can be too harsh and may worsen dryness or cause irritation for your sensitive skin. A product of this type needs effective moisturizing and nourishing ingredients that provide excellent hydration and texture improvement without any risks of irritation, along with components that support the skin barrier.
Which ingredients make this serum a poor fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycolic acid and willow bark extract can be too harsh for dry sensitive skin, potentially worsening dryness or flakiness, while kojic acid and alpha arbutin may cause irritation. Treatments of this type need soothing and hydrating ingredients that protect the skin barrier and provide deep moisture without causing irritation.
What does Kojic Acid do for dry sensitive skin?
Kojic acid may not be the best fit for dry sensitive skin because it can sometimes cause stinging and contact irritation. A product for this skin type needs gentle brightening ingredients and soothing, moisturizing benefits to keep the skin calm and soft.
What does Alpha Arbutin do for dry sensitive skin?
Alpha arbutin helps fade dark spots and uneven tone, but for dry sensitive skin it may need pairing with gentle moisturizers to keep skin soft and comfortable.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This treatment serum goes in the evening routine after your cleansing and soothing toner steps, followed by a moisturizer. Because your dry sensitive skin may experience worsened dryness, flakiness, or irritation from the exfoliating and brightening acids, this type of product needs gentle hydrators and soothing ingredients to protect your skin barrier.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
Using this serum with retinol is likely to cause excessive irritation and dryness for your dry sensitive skin. To safely address dark spots without harsh acids, this skin needs gentler brighteners combined with deeply hydrating and soothing ingredients.
How often should I use this serum?
You should use this serum only once a week on your dry sensitive skin, because its exfoliating acids may cause irritation and worsen dryness. A product of this type needs gentle hydrating ingredients and soothing agents to calm your skin while it brightens.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for your dry sensitive skin, but the exfoliating acids in it may worsen dryness or cause irritation. To care for dry and sensitive skin safely, a product of this type needs gentle hydrating ingredients and soothing plant extracts without harsh exfoliating acids.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Encapsulation of alpha arbutin in an optimized ethosomal gel significantly improved skin melanin reduction, moisture content, and elasticity in human volunteers compared to conventional formulations.
Heliyon, 2023A topical formulation containing kojic acid, emblica extract, and glycolic acid demonstrated efficacy parity compared with hydroquinone 4% in multiethnic participants with mild to moderate facial dyschromia.
Cutis, 2010A nanoemulsion containing 1 mg/mL kojic dipalmitate and 5% rosehip oil demonstrated high incorporation efficiency, suitable physicochemical stability, antioxidant and depigmenting efficacy close to 1 mM ascorbic acid, and no cytotoxicity at concentrations from 0.06% to 1% in vitro.
Pharmaceutics, 2023Topical application of iron chelators kojic acid and deferiprone significantly accelerated wound healing in rats compared to control groups, with deferiprone showing superior efficacy due to higher antioxidant and iron chelation abilities.
International Wound Journal, 2013A non-hydroquinone topical formulation (SKNB19) improved hyperpigmentation by 28.5% in patient self-assessment and 27% in independent reviewer assessment compared with 4% hydroquinone in 18 adult subjects, while showing significantly less irritation and better tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Combining a home-based radiofrequency device and arbutin cream reduced mMASI scores by 25.6% and melanin index by 22.8% at 8 weeks compared to baseline in 38 participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Polyvinyl pyrrolidone-K90/Eudragit RL100 dissolving microneedle patches loaded with alpha-arbutin and resveratrol enhanced intradermal delivery by approximately 2.6 times compared to cream and slightly decreased the melanin index in human participants without causing skin irritation.
Biomaterials Science, 2023Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Combining 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, 2025
Ingredients
Water Deionized Water, Witch Hazel Water, Cassia Angustifolia Polysaccharide Seed Sodium Hyaluronate Seed, Alpha Arbutin, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract Reishi Kojic Acid Extract, Dimethyl Sulfone, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Glycolic Acid, Willow Bark Extract Willow Salicylic Acid Bark Extract, Anise Extract, Cochlearia Armoria Root Extract Horseradish Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Schisandra Chinensis Extract, Melissa Officinalis Extract, Fennel Extract, Panax Quinquefolius Root Extract Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Melissa Officinalis Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Centella Asiatica Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract Horsetail Plant Extract, Geranium Extract, Dandelion Extract, Hydroxyethyl Ethylcellulose, Chondrus Crispus, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
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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