Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Serum for oily skin
Ascorbic Acid
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone
Tocopherol Vitamin E
Pinus Pinaster Bud Extract Bark
Average
- HighOily 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 brightening and smoothing for your oily skin, as ascorbic acid and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid work to hydrate and even skin tone. Tocopherol also contributes to antioxidant activity and helps regulate sebum, making it suitable for oily skin.
- While the formula provides general hydration, its benefits are primarily supportive and do not directly address your main concern of oily shine.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.
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
★4.3Overall rating based on 4.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users report this serum effectively brightens dull complexions and evens skin tone, with many seeing radiance within weeks. Its lightweight, fast-absorbing texture is often appreciated, even by those with sensitive skin. Some users note a sticky finish, and a smaller number experience issues with the product oxidizing or an unpleasant smell.
Highlights
Brightens complexion Mostly Mentioned
- “skin looks more radiant”
- “gave me an instant glow”
- “illuminated my dull face”
- “complexion looks brighter”
Evens skin tone Often Mentioned
- “lightened my sun spots”
- “faded acne scars”
- “skin tone is much more even”
- “reduced dark spots”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels smoother”
- “texture is refined”
- “face feels plump”
- “softens rough patches”
Fast absorption Sometimes Noted
- “absorbs immediately”
- “soaks right in”
- “lightweight and non-greasy”
- “layers well under makeup”
Gentle on skin Sometimes Noted
- “didn't sting my face”
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “no redness or irritation”
- “gentle formula”
Sticky finish Sometimes Noted
- “leaves a sticky film”
- “feels tacky to the touch”
- “hair sticks to my face”
- “residue doesn't dry down”
Oxidation issues Rarely Noted
- “turned orange in a month”
- “oxidized quickly”
- “stained my pillow yellow”
- “product went bad fast”
Packaging flaws Rarely Noted
- “dropper leaks everywhere”
- “messy to apply”
- “bottle design is poor”
- “hard to dispense drops”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “caused whiteheads”
- “broke me out”
- “gave me tiny bumps”
- “slight burning sensation”
Unpleasant smell Rarely Noted
- “smells like hot dog water”
- “metallic scent”
- “weird earthy smell”
- “strong chemical odor”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, ulta.com, dermstore.com, vichyusa.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Vichy Vitamin C Serum work for oily skin?
Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Serum works moderately well for oily skin, offering brightness and smoothness, though it does not directly control shiny oiliness. Oily skin works best with treatments containing niacinamide to control sebum production and manage excess oil while boosting radiance.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily skin?
What does Vitamin C do for oily skin?
Vitamin C helps brighten skin tone and smooth texture while providing antioxidant protection that prevents sebum oxidation. For oily skin, this type of product typically needs to be paired with oil-controlling or pore-clearing ingredients like salicylic acid or plant extracts.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
What does Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid do for oily skin?
Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid helps keep oily skin well-hydrated without feeling heavy, and it is unlikely to clog pores. This lightweight hydration may help balance skin and improve texture while keeping your skin calm and smooth.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting treatments in the evening helps with simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure, though some can also be used in the morning or twice a day.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum in your morning routine and your retinol in the evening. This helps you avoid mixing strong active ingredients at the same time while still giving your skin brightening benefits safely.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, as suggested by Lovi routines for simplicity and extra safety around sun exposure. This serum is unlikely to irritate your oily skin and helps smooth it, though oily skin of this type also needs ingredients that directly target and control shine.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for oily skin, as it is safe with no harsh ingredients to cause irritation. However, because it does not directly target oily shine, an oily skin type needs lightweight products with oil-controlling ingredients like niacinamide or salicylic acid to help manage excess oil.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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, 2020A topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced air pollution-induced skin pigmentation and proinflammatory gene expression ex vivo, and improved skin aging signs in 40 healthy adult females after 90 days of daily use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Profhilo gel combined with Dysport Botox significantly improved skin hydration, skin thickness, and GAIS scores compared to Dysport Botox injection alone in 19 participants seeking neck rejuvenation.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Topical 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, 2019Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A xanthan gum and alginate-based bioadhesive film loaded with pycnogenol provides sustained drug release within 24 hours, achieves a safe maximum concentration of ~ 0.2 mg/mL for keratinocytes, and absorbs simulated wound fluid, demonstrating suitability for topical wound treatment.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Topical treatment with Pinus brutia bark extract cream significantly accelerated incision wound healing in albino rats, demonstrating a 35% decrease in MDA and a 46.8% increase in SOD activity compared to the control group.
Die Pharmazie, 2013Pretreatment with pycnogenol significantly inhibited interferon-gamma-induced adherence of T cells and expression of ICAM-1 in human HaCaT keratinocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner by suppressing Stat1 activation.
Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 2000
Why other serums fit oily skin better
A 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, 2024Niacinamide 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, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Ascorbic Acid, Alcohol Denat, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Laureth-23, Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Pinus Pinaster Bud Extract Bark
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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