🇺🇸United States

Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil for dry skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil

Low

  • LowDry Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • ConcerningSafety

A weak match for dry skin; the serums alongside fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, 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 skin due to salicylic acid, which can also exacerbate dryness, and a lack of deeply hydrating ingredients to counteract this effect.
  • While hexylresorcinol and licorice root extract help with blemishes and brightening, the formula's primary focus is not on addressing your dry or flaky skin concerns.

How to apply

  • Apply this serum PM, starting 3×/week and working up to daily use as your skin adjusts.
  • Place the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the serum on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture.
  • Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.

People Say

★4.6Overall rating based on 1000+ reviews

This medicated dry oil is widely praised by users with oily and acne-prone skin for its ability to rapidly clear cystic acne and congestion without causing dryness. While many users report smoother texture and diminished redness overnight, results regarding blackhead removal are mixed, and the product's potent herbal scent is a polarizing feature.

Highlights

  • Rapidly clears acne Mostly Mentioned
    • “shrinks pimples overnight”
    • “vanished in 2-3 days”
    • “cleared hormonal breakouts”
    • “stopped cystic acne”
  • Strong medicinal scent Mostly Mentioned
    • “smells like oregano”
    • “pungent herbal smell”
    • “scent is repulsing”
    • “smells like dirt”
  • Fast absorption Often Mentioned
    • “sinks in immediately”
    • “dry oil texture”
    • “not greasy at all”
    • “mattified appearance”
  • High price point Often Mentioned
    • “very expensive”
    • “hefty price tag”
    • “not budget friendly”
    • “pricey for the size”
  • Fades scars/redness Sometimes Noted
    • “diminished facial redness”
    • “faded acne scars”
    • “evened skin tone”
    • “calms inflammation”
  • Non-drying formula Sometimes Noted
    • “doesn't dry out skin”
    • “hydrating but clarifies”
    • “no flaky patches”
    • “leaves skin soft”
  • Caused breakouts/purging Rarely Noted
    • “caused tiny bumps”
    • “broke me out”
    • “irritated my skin”
    • “made acne worse”
  • Ineffective for blackheads Rarely Noted
    • “didn't clear blackheads”
    • “pores look same”
    • “no change in congestion”

Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, spacenk.com, sephora.sg, sephora.co.uk, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more

Questions and answers

Why is Sunday Riley U.F.O. Oil a weak match for dry skin?

This oil is a weak match for dry skin because it offers moderate exfoliation that can make dryness worse, and it lacks deeply hydrating ingredients to balance that out. A treatment for dry skin needs soothing ingredients and rich hydrators like ceramides, niacinamide, and vitamins to nourish the skin barrier without causing irritation.

Which ingredients make this oil a poor fit for dry skin?

Salicylic acid makes this oil a poor fit for dry skin because it provides moderate exfoliation that can worsen dryness, while the formula lacks deeply hydrating ingredients to counteract this effect. Dry skin needs formulas rich in soothing, deeply hydrating ingredients and skin barrier support like propolis, niacinamide, ceramides, vitamin C, bifida fermentation, and peptides without any risk of irritation.

What does Salicylic Acid do for dry skin?

Salicylic acid is generally not a good fit for dry skin, as it is meant to clear out pores and remove dead skin rather than hydrate. Because dry skin needs soothing and moisture rather than exfoliation, a product for dry skin needs nourishing ingredients like urea to lock in moisture and keep the skin soft.

What does Licorice Root Extract do for dry skin?

Licorice root extract helps soothe dry and itchy skin by calming irritation and decreasing redness. It also provides antioxidants that protect stressed skin from daily damage, helping keep it soft and comfortable.

Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2013Experimental Dermatology, 2015

Where does this oil go in a skincare routine for dry skin?

This oil is a treatment that goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Because it contains salicylic acid and lacks deeply hydrating ingredients, it can make dry skin even drier. Dry skin needs products with nourishing oils, soothing plant extracts, and rich moisturizers to keep it soft and comfortable.

Can I use this oil with retinol, and in what order?

Using this oil with retinol is a weak match for your dry skin, because the salicylic acid inside can make dryness and flaking worse without enough deep hydration to balance it. To care for dry skin properly when combining powerful treatments, you need rich, deeply hydrating ingredients and nourishing oils that lock in moisture and keep the skin soft and smooth.

How often should I use this oil?

This oil is a weak match for dry skin because it may dry you out further with salicylic acid without giving you deep hydration, so dry skin needs a gentle formula packed with nourishing oils and rich moisturizers instead. Start by using it once a week in the evening to see how your skin responds, and if you tolerate it well without getting flaky, you can carefully use it more often.

Can this oil clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?

This oil may cause further dryness and irritation on dry skin because it contains salicylic acid and lacks deeply hydrating ingredients to counteract it. A product for this skin needs rich, nourishing ingredients and gentle moisture-locking oils to keep skin soft and smooth.

Is this oil fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It contains fragrance (linalool, limonene, farnesol, and geraniol) and drying alcohol (isopropyl alcohol).

What the research says

  • Topical 1% hexylresorcinol is equivalent to 2% hydroquinone in significantly reducing the appearance of facial and hand pigmentation in healthy female participants over 12 weeks, with both treatments showing no adverse effects.

    Archives of Dermatological Research, 2023

  • A formulation combining 4-hexylresorcinol and niacinamide significantly improved hyperpigmentation, skin tone, fine lines, wrinkles, and firmness compared to niacinamide alone in Chinese subjects without adverse events.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 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

  • Combining 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, 2015

  • Licochalcone 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, 2015

  • Bioactive 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

  • Thymoquinone-loaded liposomal chitosan gel demonstrated superior in vivo anti-inflammatory activity over thymoquinone gel and a comparable effect to marketed indomethacin gel in rats with carrageenan-induced paw edema.

    AAPS PharmSciTech, 2018

  • Thymoquinone pre-treatment attenuated UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial apoptosis in human HaCaT keratinocytes through COX-2 inhibition via the activation of the NrF2/ARE pathway.

    Molecular Immunology, 2021

  • Topical application of thymoquinone treated with cold plasma significantly improved wound healing potential, augmenting skin regeneration indices, reducing tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and enhancing hyaluronic acid, collagen type I, interleukin-10, alpha smooth muscle actin, and vascular endothelial growth factor compared to thymoquinone alone in a rat wound model.

    International Immunopharmacology, 2023

  • Silybum marianum flower extract increased human hair follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation and VEGF production while suppressing cellular senescence, and in a clinical study using hair shampoo, it significantly increased hair density and total hair count at 16 and 24 weeks compared with a placebo group.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Topical 0.5% silymarin-loaded antioxidant serum applied twice daily significantly reduced clinical acne severity, lesion counts, and melanin pigmentation in 22 Korean acne patients over 4 weeks without associated adverse events.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023

  • Topical silymarin cream 1.4% showed comparable results to salicylic acid 30% peels in reducing acne severity in 30 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

    Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 2024

Why other serums fit dry skin better

Ingredients

Silybum Marianum Seed Oil Milk, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Cucumis Sativus Seed Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Cranberry Seed Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Licorice Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Apricot Kernel Oil, Hexylresorcinol, Ethyl Linoleate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Oil Flower, Citrus Aurantium Amara Oil Flower, Melia Azadirachta Neem Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus Sunflower Seed Oil, 4-Terpineol, Linalool, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Limonene, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Amber Powder, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Isopropyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Rosemary Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Water, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Leaf Extract Flower, Salicylic Acid

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play