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La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum for oily skin

Average

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for oily skin; other serums fit it 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

  • Offers moderate brightening and smoothing for your oily skin due to ascorbic acid and salicylic acid, which promote exfoliation and even skin tone.
  • Hyaluronic acid and salicylic acid provide general hydration and mild exfoliation, supporting your oily skin.
  • The product is safe for your oily skin with no risks of irritation, as it lacks prohibited or 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.

People Say

★4.3Overall rating based on 1.4k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this serum is frequently praised for visibly brightening dull complexions and smoothing skin texture, leaving skin feeling softer and more hydrated. However, a very high number of users report that the formula oxidizes quickly, turning orange, and a high number find the texture sticky and difficult to layer. Moderate numbers of users also mention a strong fragrance and issues with the dropper packaging.

Highlights

  • Oxidizes quickly Mostly Mentioned
    • “Turns orange fast”
    • “brown within weeks”
    • “goes bad quickly”
    • “stains pores orange”
  • Brightens and adds radiance Often Mentioned
    • “Instant glow”
    • “skin looks brighter”
    • “restores radiance”
    • “removes dullness”
  • Smoothes skin texture Often Mentioned
    • “Skin feels softer”
    • “refined texture”
    • “smoother complexion”
    • “pores look smaller”
  • Unpleasant texture Often Mentioned
    • “Very sticky”
    • “tacky finish”
    • “thick and gloopy”
    • “pills under makeup”
  • Gentle for many Sometimes Noted
    • “No stinging”
    • “good for sensitive skin”
    • “didn't irritate”
    • “gentle exfoliation”
  • Hydrating formula Sometimes Noted
    • “Plumps skin”
    • “moisturizing feel”
    • “good for dry skin”
    • “hydrating finish”
  • Poor packaging Sometimes Noted
    • “Messy dropper”
    • “leaks around rim”
    • “crusty bottle neck”
    • “hard to close”
  • Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
    • “Overpowering scent”
    • “smells too floral”
    • “fragrance is strong”
    • “lingering perfume”

Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, beautycrew.com.au, lookfantastic.ie, lovelyskin.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more

Questions and answers

How well does La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 work for oily skin?

La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum works moderately well for oily skin by helping brighten and smooth your complexion through vitamin C and salicylic acid. Because other products fit this skin type better, an option for oily skin needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid to control excess shine and manage pores.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

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

Ascorbic acid and salicylic acid make this serum a good fit for oily skin by offering moderate brightening and smoothing, while promoting gentle exfoliation and even skin tone. To achieve a better fit for oily skin, a treatment needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid to control sebum production and manage oily shine.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

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, 2005

What does Neurosensine do for oily skin?

Neurosensine helps calm redness and soothe irritation for sensitive skin. It is unlikely to cause greasy feelings and may help ease stinging when your skin is reactive.

Skin Research and Technology, 2024Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2016

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

This serum goes in your evening routine, applied after cleansing and toning and before your moisturizer. Oily skin typically works best with lightweight hydration and gentle exfoliation ingredients to keep pores clear and skin smooth.

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

You can use this serum with niacinamide by applying niacinamide first and waiting a few minutes before putting on this vitamin C treatment, or by using niacinamide in your morning routine and this serum at night. Combining them helps brighten your skin and keep it smooth, though oily skin often does better with a lightweight, oil-balancing serum that controls shine and provides gentle exfoliation without heavy oils.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

How often should I use this serum?

Use this serum in the evening once a week to start, and if your skin feels comfortable, you may carefully use it more often. An oily skin product of this type needs antioxidants like vitamin C, gentle exfoliants like salicylic acid, and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to brighten and smooth without irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

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

This serum is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but to truly thrive, oily skin needs a lightweight formula with oil-controlling ingredients like niacinamide and gentle exfoliants that keep pores clear without heavy or greasy additives.

Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It contains fragrance (parfum) and drying alcohol (alcohol denat).

What the research says

  • A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
  • The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
  • 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, 2003
  • Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.

    Journal of Periodontology, 2009
  • Topical 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, 2022
  • Cryotherapy 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, 2010
  • A 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, 2020
  • Treatment 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, 2024
  • Topical 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, 2011
  • Topical 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, 2022
  • Treatment 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, 2019
  • Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.

    Life, 2023
  • Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.

    The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024
  • A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025

Ingredients

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Potassium Hydroxide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysilicone-11, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Poloxamer 338, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Disodium Edta, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Laureth-7, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Xanthan Gum, Toluene Sulfonic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Tocopherol, Salicylic Acid, Parfum

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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