Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum for combination skin

Ascorbic Acid
Phas
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Extract
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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
- Highly suitable for your combination skin, this serum effectively brightens and smooths texture with 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Gluconolactone, which also offer antioxidant and mild exfoliating benefits for oily shine.
- The formula contains soothing ingredients like Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Tocopherol, ensuring a gentle experience for your skin.
- This product is safe for your skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and is formulated to avoid irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, and right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏳for it to soak in.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive.
- Always do a patch test before using the serum for the first time, and avoid the eye area .
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 2.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with dull or aging skin frequently praise this serum for its ability to instantly brighten the complexion and provide a glass skin glow, often noting improvements in texture and hydration. A moderate number of users report severe allergic reactions, including redness and swelling, suggesting it may be potent or irritating for sensitive skin types.
Highlights
Instant brightening Mostly Mentioned
- “gives a beautiful radiant glow”
- “skin looks glass-like”
- “instantly brightens dull areas”
- “complexion felt clearer and bouncier”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “absorbs fast without being sticky”
- “layers well under SPF”
- “makeup glides right over it”
- “feels lightweight going on”
Pleasant scent Often Mentioned
- “smells like fresh orange juice”
- “scent is lightly sweet”
- “refreshing citrus smell”
- “mood-boosting scent”
Hydrating and plumping Sometimes Noted
- “plumps the skin”
- “feels like a drink of water for my face”
- “helped with dryness”
- “skin feels dewier”
Allergic reactions Sometimes Noted
- “eyes and face were swollen”
- “red burning rash around nose”
- “tiny blistering pimples”
- “caused chemical burn”
Sticky residue Sometimes Noted
- “leaves face sticky for hours”
- “can't stand the stickiness”
- “feels tacky on the skin”
- “hair sticks to my face”
Misleading name Rarely Noted
- “expected banana scent”
- “smells nothing like bananas”
- “misleading name”
- “just smells like vitamin C”
Orange tint Rarely Noted
- “looks like orange juice”
- “stained my hands orange”
- “left an orange cast”
- “oxidized quickly”
Sources: lovi.care, influenster.com, ulta.com, sephora.com, olehenriksen.com, boots.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum a great fit for combination skin?
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum is a great fit because it brightens your skin and smooths texture while keeping oily shine in check using Ascorbic Acid and PHAs. It also includes soothing ingredients like Sodium Hyaluronate and Glycerin to help ensure a gentle and comfortable experience.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Skin Research and Technology, 2023
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for combination skin?
This serum is a great fit for your combination skin because it uses 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Gluconolactone to brighten your look and smooth your texture while helping with oily shine. It also includes soothing ingredients like Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Tocopherol to keep the experience gentle.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Skin Research and Technology, 2023
What does Vitamin C do for combination skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten dull areas and smooth out uneven texture on combination skin while protecting against daily environmental stress. It may also help keep pores clear and skin firm by supporting collagen production, though drier spots may need an added moisturizer to stay comfortable.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
What do PHAs do for combination skin?
PHAs help make combination skin feel smooth and soft while keeping it calm and hydrated. These acids are very well tolerated by sensitive areas and are unlikely to cause irritation.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine, applied after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting treatments in the evening helps provide extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol, but it is best to separate them into different routines or nights to avoid irritation. Apply this vitamin C serum in your morning routine and save your retinol for the evening, as using active brighteners and retinoids at the exact same time may be too harsh.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your combination skin and is used in the evening in your routine. You can start using it once a week, and then carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This serum is a great fit for your combination skin and is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts since it lacks heavy, pore-clogging ingredients. The formula contains gentle exfoliating acids that help keep pores clear, though you may want to patch test first as some reviewers report allergic reactions.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene, linalool, and citral).
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, 2020Combining 10% gluconolactone chemical peeling with oxybrasion or microneedle mesotherapy increased skin hydration and decreased sebum, pH, and TEWL in twenty-one Caucasian women, with no significant differences between the two methods.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023A topical formulation containing panthenol, niacinamide, and dipotassium glycyrrhizate increased skin hydration by 74.1% and reduced transepidermal water loss by 13.5% at 28 days compared to baseline and untreated control in 35 individuals with xerosis.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Miamo Renewal Peel Serum formulated with ELPA25 was very well tolerated by sensitive skin and significantly decreased skin roughness and wrinkle breadth while improving firmness and elasticity after 2 months compared to mandelic acid serum and placebo in 30 healthy Caucasian female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Topical 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, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical 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, 2022Topical 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, 2019A 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, 2017The 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, 2001
Ingredients
Water, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Gluconolactone, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Triethyl Citrate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Betaine, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Aminomethyl Propanol, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Gluconic Acid, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Succinoglycan, Phytic Acid, Mica, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caramel, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Phytate, Lemon Fruit Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891, Yellow 5 Ci 19140, Red 4 Ci 14700
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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