CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum for oily acne-prone skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Ceramides
Vitamin B5
Glycerin
DimethiconeAverage
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it 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
- Offers moderate suitability for your oily skin as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide excellent hydration and plumping effects, though it lacks specific ingredients for strong seboregulation to address your primary concerns of acne and breakouts.
- While supportive for acne and oiliness, the formula's general hydration benefits are not targeted for your specific issues.
- The product is generally safe for your oily skin, with minimal risks of irritation from alcohol denat and citric acid.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 2.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users frequently praise this serum for its lightweight, gel-cream texture that effectively hydrates without stickiness, making it suitable for sensitive or normal-to-dry skin. However, a notable number of recent reviews mention issues with defective pumps, inconsistent product texture such as clumping or solidifying, and occasional pilling when layered with other products.
Highlights
Lightweight texture Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly into skin”
- “non-greasy gel-cream”
- “no sticky residue”
- “feels weightless on face”
Effective hydration Often Mentioned
- “skin felt intensely hydrated”
- “plump and hydrated appearance”
- “leaves skin soft and smooth”
- “great for dry patches”
Gentle formula Often Mentioned
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “fragrance-free and non-irritating”
- “doesn't cause breakouts”
- “soothing vitamin B5”
Defective packaging Often Mentioned
- “pump stopped working”
- “dispenser never worked”
- “hard to get product out”
- “broken pump mechanism”
Good for layering Sometimes Noted
- “sits well under makeup”
- “works well under moisturizer”
- “no pilling for me”
- “smooth base for foundation”
Product consistency Sometimes Noted
- “watery with solid chunks”
- “texture like cottage cheese”
- “product had solidified”
- “thick and wax-like”
Texture issues Sometimes Noted
- “balled up on face”
- “pills under sunscreen”
- “silicone texture peels off”
- “clumps when rubbed”
Lack of results Rarely Noted
- “didn't notice a difference”
- “not hydrating enough”
- “dried my skin out”
- “just okay, nothing special”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, target.com, cocooncenter.co.uk, ulta.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum work for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum works moderately well for your oily skin, as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide good hydration, but it lacks ingredients to control oil and breakouts. A product for this skin type needs lightweight hydration along with soothing ingredients and components that help balance oil production without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate make this serum a good fit for your oily skin by providing essential hydration. To better target oily acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs ingredients that regulate oil production and soothe blemishes.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What do Ceramides do for oily acne-prone skin?
Ceramides help restore the protective barrier of oily, acne-prone skin, which often lacks these vital lipids and suffers from moisture loss and irritation. Using products with ceramides supports skin hydration, calms redness, and improves overall texture while managing breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This product goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Oily acne-prone skin needs a product of this type that also includes ingredients to control oil and breakouts.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to give your skin a boost of moisture before using retinol. Using a moisturizer with ceramides alongside retinol helps protect your skin barrier and keeps it feeling calm and comfortable.
How often should I use it?
Apply this treatment in the evening as part of your routine. Daily application helps boost hydration and supports the skin barrier, with a low likelihood of irritation.
Health Science Reports, 2021Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum is generally safe for oily skin and is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts, though it provides only moderate suitability since it lacks specific ingredients to control oil. Oily acne-prone skin needs products with ingredients like salicylic acid or other targeted acids to help manage breakouts and reduce excess oil.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This product is safe to use around the eyes and on the body, as its gentle hydration is well-tolerated by thin and delicate areas. However, because skin thickness varies across the body from very thin on the eyelids to thicker areas elsewhere, moisturizing treatments of this type need lightweight hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to absorb easily without feeling heavy.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
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, 2017Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021A novel composition containing salicylic acid, capryloyl salicylic acid, HEPES, glycolic acid, citric acid, and dioic acid showed similar tolerance and efficacy compared with clindamycin 1% and benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in subjects with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Drugs in 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, 2019Moisturizer 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, 2019Panthenyl triacetate (PTA) demonstrated skin de-acetylation into panthenol, stimulated energetic and synthesis metabolic pathways, and achieved a statistically significant improvement in wound healing after 72 hours compared to saline treatment in human volunteers, outperforming panthenol in long-lasting wound healing action.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2012A comprehensive topical regimen incorporating niacinamide, Pro-Xylane, and panthenol following PicoWay laser treatment decreased transepidermal water loss, increased hydration and skin elasticity, reduced wrinkles and redness, and improved skin tone in 88 Chinese females compared to a standard care control group.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2026The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
A Tris/Arg-formulated cleanser significantly decreased noninflammatory and inflammatory acne and pore size with keratotic plugs compared to an AEC/AC cleanser in male Thai subjects with mild to moderate acne over 4 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Epigallocatechin-3-gallate significantly improved acne in patients compared to the control side during an 8-week clinical trial.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2013A peel-off facial mask containing myoinositol and trehalose-loaded liposomes improved adult female acne by decreasing lesion counts, sebum production, GAGS scores, and local androgen levels while increasing beclin-1 levels.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Dimethicone, Alcohol Denat, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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