The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% for combination skin
Ascorbic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid Spheres
Squalane
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
Glucomannan
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for combination skin; other serums fit it 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
- Offers moderate brightening and smoothing for your combination skin due to the high concentration of Ascorbic Acid, which helps improve skin tone and texture. Sodium Hyaluronate provides essential hydration, balancing both oily and dry areas effectively.
- While beneficial for general skincare, the formula lacks specific ingredients to target your primary concern of oily shine.
- The product is generally safe for your skin, with a low risk of irritation from Ascorbic Acid.
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
★3.5Overall rating based on 2.6k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is widely polarized; users with resilient skin praise its high potency for rapidly fading hyperpigmentation and brightening dull complexions at an unbeatable price. A significant number of reviewers find the gritty, sandy texture and strong stinging sensation unpleasant, often deeming it unsuitable for sensitive skin or daytime use.
Highlights
Affordable price Mostly Mentioned
- “very affordable”
- “great price point”
- “best value vitamin C”
Gritty texture Mostly Mentioned
- “feels like sandpaper”
- “grainy and rough”
- “unpleasant sandy feel”
Brightens skin Often Mentioned
- “skin looks incredibly brighter”
- “wake up with radiant skin”
- “immediate glow”
Fades dark spots Often Mentioned
- “acne scarring fading faster”
- “reduced dark spots”
- “evened out skin tone”
Stinging and irritation Often Mentioned
- “burns upon application”
- “strong tingling sensation”
- “caused redness and peeling”
Smooths texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin feels plumper”
- “smooths texture”
- “softens fine lines”
Greasy finish Sometimes Noted
- “sits on skin”
- “looks very oily”
- “leaves greasy film”
Pilling issues Sometimes Noted
- “balls up immediately”
- “rolls off skin”
- “doesn't layer well”
Sources: lovi.care, theordinary.com, sephora.com, ultabeauty.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension work for combination skin?
This product works fairly well for combination skin, helping to brighten your tone and keep both dry and oily areas balanced with hydration, though it lacks ingredients to manage oily shine. A treatment of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, or propolis to properly control oiliness while keeping the skin healthy and glowing.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for combination skin?
Ascorbic Acid makes this treatment a good fit by offering moderate brightening and smoothing, while Sodium Hyaluronate provides essential hydration that helps balance both oily and dry areas. To work even better for combination skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, or propolis to regulate oiliness and manage oily shine.
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.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for combination skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps combination skin by boosting hydration, smoothing texture, and keeping moisture balanced across dry and oily areas. Clinical studies show it significantly increases skin moisture and improves overall smoothness without causing irritation.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2019
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after your cleansing toner and before your moisturizer. It works for your combination skin by helping improve skin tone and texture while balancing oily and dry areas, but a product of this type needs ingredients that target oily shine.
Can I use this treatment with niacinamide, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with niacinamide by applying niacinamide first and waiting a few minutes before putting on this vitamin C formula. This order helps prevent any potential tingling while letting both ingredients brighten and smooth your combination skin.
How often should I use this treatment?
This treatment fits into your evening routine once a week to start, but you can carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results. To truly suit combination skin with oily shine, this type of product needs extra ingredients that help balance and control excess oil.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on combination skin, though it may feel a bit greasy for you. A product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and oil-controlling ingredients to properly balance oily shine.
Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
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, 2020Topical 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, 2019Squalane 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, 2025Glucomannan isolated from Candida utilis suppressed UVB-induced decreases in keratinocyte viability and apoptosis in vitro, and decreased UV-induced skin erythema formation in human volunteers in vivo.
Carbohydrate Research, 2008A novel Konjac glucomannan/silver nanoparticle composite sponge exhibited good antibacterial activity and effectively accelerated wound healing, promoted fibroblast growth, and accelerated epithelialization in animal models while demonstrating good cytocompatibility with L929 cells.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2018Carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan-chitosan composite sponges possessed high swelling ratio, proper water vapor transmission rate, and good biocompatibility, and effectively healed full-layer skin defect wounds in male ICR mice compared to untreated conditions.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2018
Why other serums fit combination skin better
Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.
BioMed Research International, 2022A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Ascorbic Acid, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Coconut Alkanes, Ethylene Propylene Styrene Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucomannan, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Butylene Ethylene Styrene Copolymer, Acrylates Ethylhexyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trihydroxystearin, Bht
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
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.