The Ordinary Buffet for oily acne-prone skin

Peptides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Lactococcus Lysate Ferment
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Superior
- SuperiorOily Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best serums for oily acne-prone skin.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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
- Excellent suitability for your oily skin is provided by multiple peptides and hyaluronic acid derivatives, which hydrate without feeling heavy and support your skin barrier function. Glycerin and Allantoin further soothe your skin, ensuring no irritation for your oily skin.
- The formula offers excellent plumping and firming effects due to a high concentration of peptides like Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, which are known for their visible anti-aging effects.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your PM routine. Start 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply your serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the serum on clean, dry skin to help manage your blemishes safely.
- Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 4.1k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is a highly-rated, affordable option for anti-aging, with users frequently reporting improved hydration, plumpness, and skin texture. While generally well-tolerated, a notable number of users experience a sticky finish or pilling under makeup, and some sensitive skin types report breakouts.
Highlights
Great value Mostly Mentioned
- “unbeatable for the price”
- “worth the money”
- “affordable solid starter peptide serum”
- “great value compared to luxury brands”
Hydrates and plumps Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels lush and hydrated”
- “gives a bouncy, plump look”
- “my face feels so glowy and plump”
- “relieves dry, tight skin”
Gentle for most Often Mentioned
- “didn't cause any stinging”
- “nice for my sensitive skin”
- “no irritation or redness”
- “calmed my skin barrier”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “left my skin feeling so smooth”
- “improved the texture of my skin”
- “noticeably smoother skin in 8 weeks”
- “softens lines”
Sticky finish Often Mentioned
- “feels a bit tacky after applying”
- “sticky texture”
- “leaves a sticky residue”
- “viscosity of maple syrup”
Reduces fine lines Sometimes Noted
- “softened my forehead lines”
- “improvement in nasolabial fold wrinkles”
- “reduces appearance of crow's feet”
- “great for first wrinkles in your 20s”
No visible results Sometimes Noted
- “idk what it does honestly”
- “didn't see exceptional results”
- “no difference in elasticity”
- “just a basic hydrating serum”
Pills under makeup Sometimes Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “balls up under foundation”
- “peels off if I rub my face”
- “can't wear primer over it”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused whiteheads”
- “broke me out”
- “gave me milia”
- “skin didn't agree with the fermented ingredients”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, reddit.com, makeupalley.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Buffet one of the best fits for oily acne-prone skin?
This treatment is one of the best fits for your oily acne-prone skin because its peptides and hyaluronic acid derivatives hydrate without feeling heavy while supporting your skin barrier function. Glycerin and Allantoin further soothe your skin to ensure no irritation, backed by a formula free of harsh ingredients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Multiple peptides and hyaluronic acid derivatives make this serum a great fit because they hydrate your skin without feeling heavy while supporting your skin barrier. Glycerin and allantoin further help soothe your skin and are unlikely to cause irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
What do Peptides do for oily acne-prone skin?
Peptides help calm oily, acne-prone skin by targeting acne-causing bacteria and reducing redness and swelling. Advanced delivery methods like nanomicelles may also improve how deeply these helpful ingredients sink into the skin.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, applied after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the evening offers extra safety around sun exposure, and the formula hydrates without feeling heavy on your oily skin.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this treatment with retinol by applying the treatment first and following with your retinol. This pairing is unlikely to cause irritation for your oily skin because the formula hydrates without feeling heavy and includes soothing ingredients.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, and some of them can also be used in the morning or twice a day. It hydrates without feeling heavy and supports your skin barrier function while helping to smooth out wrinkles.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2013
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This product is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin because it lacks heavy ingredients and contains soothing components that keep irritation at bay.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A 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, 2017Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Argireline applied twice daily for 4 weeks achieved a total anti-wrinkle efficiency of 48.9% and notably reduced wrinkle depth compared to placebo in Chinese subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2013Chronomodulated daytime application of baicalin and nighttime application of palmitoyl tripeptide-1 synergistically improved skin luminance by 16.29%, nasolabial fold depth by -36.35%, and firmness by 24.35% in 30 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Topical application of Bifida Ferment Lysate strengthens the skin barrier function by upregulating barrier and antimicrobial peptide genes, exhibiting strong antioxidant properties, and decreasing inflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Topical 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, 2019The 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, 2012Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Acetyl hexapeptide-3 and tripeptide-10 citrulline demonstrated antiwrinkle efficacy and decreased transepidermal water loss in twenty-four healthy volunteers compared to control groups, though synergistic effects between the two peptides remained unclear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017Daily topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 showed a trend toward a longer time until return to baseline Jankovic Blepharospasm Rating Scale scores compared to placebo (3.7 months vs. 3.0 months) in 24 patients with blepharospasm receiving botulinum toxin therapy.
European Journal of Neurology, 2013
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Lactococcus Lysate Ferment, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Trehalose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, Urea, Sodium Pca, Pca, Sodium Lactate, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
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
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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