Tatcha The Silk Serum for oily skin
Squalane
Hydrolyzed Silk
Saccharomyces Rice Ferment Filtrate
Tetrapeptide-4
Glycerin
Average
- AverageOily 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 suitability for your oily skin as glycerin and betaine provide essential hydration without exacerbating oiliness, while hydrolyzed silk and sericin work to improve skin texture and elasticity.
- The inclusion of Saccharomyces Rice Ferment Filtrate and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract offers soothing benefits, contributing to overall skin comfort.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of calming components.
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
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with sensitive or reactive skin find this serum to be a gentle, hydrating option that smooths texture and calms redness without causing irritation. Many reviewers, however, feel the high price is not justified by the subtle or slow-to-manifest anti-aging results compared to traditional retinoids.
Highlights
Improves skin texture Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels silky”
- “softens rough patches”
- “smooths uneven tone”
Gentle retinol alternative Often Mentioned
- “effective for sensitive skin”
- “no "purge" phase”
Hydrating and plumping Often Mentioned
- “instantly boosts moisture”
- “leaves dewy finish”
- “plumps fine lines”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “expensive for size”
- “low value for money”
- “overpriced at $98”
Luxurious experience Sometimes Noted
- “lightweight milky texture”
- “absorbs quickly”
- “spa-like scent”
Soothing properties Sometimes Noted
- “calms visible redness”
- “reduces irritation”
- “comforts barrier”
Lack of potency Sometimes Noted
- “results are subtle”
- “not as effective as retinol”
- “no change in deep wrinkles”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “scent is overpowering”
- “smells like perfume”
- “irritates sensitive noses”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pump malfunctions”
- “opaque bottle hides level”
- “heavy/bulky component”
Skin reactions Rarely Noted
- “caused breakouts”
- “clogged pores”
- “triggered rash”
Sources: lovi.care, tatcha.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, spacenk.com, mecca.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Tatcha The Silk Serum work for oily skin?
This serum works moderately well for oily skin, as glycerin and betaine provide essential hydration without adding excess oil, while soothing extracts help keep skin comfortable. To work best for oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide and zinc PCA to control shine and address enlarged pores.
Skin Research and Technology, 2003Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily skin?
Glycerin and betaine make this serum a good fit for oily skin by providing essential hydration without making it oily, while hydrolyzed silk and sericin help improve skin texture. To work best for oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid to control excess oil and shine while keeping pores clear.
Skin Research and Technology, 2003Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What does Squalane do for oily skin?
Squalane helps keep oily skin soft and smooth without feeling heavy, though oxidized forms may sometimes trigger irritation. To work well for oily skin, this type of product needs lightweight, non-clogging ingredients that balance moisture without adding excess grease.
What does Hydrolyzed Silk do for oily skin?
Hydrolyzed Silk helps keep oily skin feeling soft and smooth by holding onto moisture without adding heavy oils. This ingredient gives a light, comfortable feel that is unlikely to clog pores.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. Putting it at night keeps things simple and helps avoid extra safety concerns with sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum alongside retinol by applying the treatment after your retinol product in your evening routine. It helps keep your skin calm and hydrated without adding extra oiliness, though oily skin often does better with a lightweight treatment containing niacinamide or salicylic acid to control shine and keep pores clear.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum works well in your evening routine, where you can use it every day. To get a better fit for your oily skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydration without heavy oils and soothing plant extracts.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on oily skin because it has a safe profile with no harsh ingredients, though other products with lighter hydrators and oil-control ingredients may fit this skin type better.
Skin Research and Technology, 2003Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (citral, limonene, and linalool).
What the research says
A combination of Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and trimethylglycine in a 1:1 mass ratio synergistically increased aquaporin 3 expression by up to 380% in keratinocytes and safely improved skin hydration in healthy volunteers.
Molecules, 2024A 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, 2017L-ascorbic acid and betaine-based therapeutic deep eutectic system significantly enhanced transdermal delivery through porcine skin compared to ascorbic acid alone or physical mixture, and reduced aging markers while inducing an even skin tone in humans.
Pharmaceutics, 2024An anti-acne hydrogel containing Aloe barbadensis, Garcinia mangostana, and Camellia sinensis extracts showed superior antiacne and antiblotch activities compared to 1% clindamycin gel in sixty subjects with mild-moderate acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Soaps containing betaine caused the least skin irritation compared to other tested soaps in twenty-eight healthy subjects, though irritation did not decrease with increasing concentrations of betaine.
Skin Research and Technology, 2003Squalane 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, 2025Bacterial cellulose wound dressing containing silk sericin and PHMB improved wound quality and reduced pain compared to Bactigras in patients with split-thickness skin graft donor-site wounds.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2018A bacterial nanocellulose wound dressing incorporating polyhexamethylene biguanide and sericin showed no skin irritation in healthy volunteers and significantly promoted wound healing with lower wound size and higher collagen formation in full-thickness rat wounds compared to controls.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2016Topical application of sericin gels increased skin intrinsic moisturization, hydroxyproline content, and epidermal hydration while decreasing transepidermal water loss and skin impedance in healthy human volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2005Daily application of a cream containing niosomes loaded with purple glutinous rice extract in 20 human volunteers for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in melanin index and skin roughness by -14.05% and -9.95%, and increases in skin hydration and elastic recovery by +48.73% and +35.98% compared to initial values.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020The iontophoretic delivery of hyaluronic acid nanogel-loaded Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate significantly reduced advanced glycation end products and mitigated skin stiffening in an ex vivo skin tissue glycation model.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2025Red rice extract suppressed UVB-induced inflammation and skin aging in human skin fibroblasts by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway, leading to decreased NF-kappa B and AP-1 activation, reduced ECM degradation, and increased ECM synthesis compared to UVB-irradiated controls.
Natural Product Communications, 2016The 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, 2012
Ingredients
Water, Saccharomyces Rice Ferment Filtrate, Glycerin, Betaine, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Cranberry Fruit Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract, Squalane, Sericin, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Tetrapeptide-4, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Bergamot Oil Fruit, Lemon Peel Oil, Citrus Latifolia Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil Lavender Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Oil Bark, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Disodium Edta, Potassium Hydroxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891
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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