Peter Thomas Roth Even Smoother Glycolic Retinol Resurfacing Serum for acne-prone skin
Glycolic Acid Complex
Time-Released Microencapsulated Retinol
Niacinamide
Squalane
Ascorbic AcidHigh
- SuperiorCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 excellent skin smoothing and texture improvement for your combination skin, as glycolic acid and retinol work synergistically to exfoliate and minimize fine lines while niacinamide and ceramides support the skin barrier and regulate oil production.
- The serum provides moderate exfoliation beneficial for your acne, blemishes, and breakouts, with additional soothing ingredients like allantoin and panthenol to enhance comfort.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine and start 3x/week before working up to daily use.
- Apply this treatment after cleansing and toner, and before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product on clean, dry skin to help manage your breakouts safely.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers report this serum effectively resurfaces skin, leading to smoother texture and reduced fine lines. Many praise its hydrating qualities and ability to even skin tone. A minority of users experienced stickiness upon application or purging breakouts.
Highlights
Smoothes skin texture Often Mentioned
- “Texture is improving and smoothing”
- “Made my skin smooth and felt amazing”
- “Rough texture improved significantly”
- “Skin feels so soft”
Evens skin tone Sometimes Noted
- “Evened out my skin tone overall”
- “Dark spots are getting lighter”
- “Skin looked renewed and less dull”
- “Helped with post-hyperpigmentation”
Non-drying and gentle Sometimes Noted
- “Skin finally feels hydrated and plump”
- “Doesn't sting like other retinols”
- “Did not feel tight or dry”
- “Softness lasts all day”
Reduces fine lines Sometimes Noted
- “Reducing appearance of lines”
- “Smile lines are not as visible”
- “Crows feet and expression wrinkles are better”
- “Diminished look of forehead crinkles”
Sticky after application Sometimes Noted
- “Product felt a little sticky”
- “Leaves a tacky film on skin”
- “Sticky right after using”
- “Takes a while to dry down”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Got some deep pimples”
- “Led to breakouts initially”
- “Experienced purging”
No visible results Rarely Noted
- “Haven't seen a difference”
- “Waiting to see any changes”
- “Did not work for my skin”
Unpleasant smell Rarely Noted
- “Smells like paint”
- “Has a strong chemical odor”
- “Scent is unpleasant”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, macys.com, lovely.com, qvc.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Peter Thomas Roth Even Smoother Glycolic Retinol Resurfacing Serum a great fit for acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit because it provides moderate exfoliation that helps with acne, blemishes, and breakouts, while glycolic acid and retinol smooth the skin and niacinamide helps control oil. Soothing ingredients like allantoin and panthenol also enhance comfort and support a very safe, irritation-free experience.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it uses glycolic acid and retinol to gently exfoliate and clear breakouts, while niacinamide helps control oil production. Soothing ingredients like allantoin and panthenol are also included to keep your skin calm and comfortable.
What does Glycolic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing blemishes and breakouts, while also improving dark spots left behind after acne clears. It works by gently removing dead surface skin cells to keep pores clean. Products of this type for acne-prone skin need soothing ingredients and gentle exfoliating acids to help control oil and breakouts without irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Dermatologic Surgery, 2014
What does Retinol do for acne-prone skin?
Retinol helps clear acne-prone skin by speeding up cell turnover and calming inflammation, which keeps pores clear and reduces breakouts. It is unlikely to cause irritation when used properly, but needs to be introduced gradually into your routine.
Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2020The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This treatment serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizing. Lovi routines place treatments in the evening for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with BHA, and in what order?
It is best to use this serum and a BHA product on different nights to avoid making your skin too dry or sensitive. Using strong exfoliating acids together may raise the likelihood of irritation, so alternating them helps keep your skin calm and smooth.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your acne-prone skin, offering moderate exfoliation and texture improvement while keeping irritation unlikely with soothing ingredients. Start using it once a week in your evening routine, and if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for acne-prone skin because it provides moderate exfoliation to help with breakouts while keeping irritation low. Soothing ingredients like panthenol and allantoin enhance comfort, and complaints of breakouts from reviewers are low.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol).
What the research says
Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Topical 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, 2002Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene showed no hindrance compared to adapalene monotherapy and provided benefits in reducing complications in 25 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Repeated 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, 2017Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2018Topical stabilized retinol treatment induced HAS gene expression and increased hyaluronic acid production in human skin in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo compared to vehicle.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2017Topical application of all-trans-retinol induced epidermal thickening and increased retinoid binding protein expression similar to all-trans-retinoic acid in normal human skin, but without causing significant erythema or measurable retinoic acid levels.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1995Topical 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, 2005Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Topical 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, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Glycolic Acid, Propanediol, Sodium Hydroxide, Jojoba Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Polyglyceryl-2 Distearate, C9-12 Alkane, Arachidyl Alcohol, Zea Mays Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Retinol, Collagen, Adenosine, Squalane, Allantoin, Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Lecithin, Ceramide Np, Volcanic Soil, Pullulan, Sodium Phytate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Amylopectin, Polysorbate 20, 1,2-Hexanediol, Silica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sclerotium Gum, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Lysolecithin, Pentylene Glycol, Potassium Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Behenyl Alcohol, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Mica Ci 77019
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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