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Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Booster for oily skin

High

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

A great choice for oily skin; a few serums fit it even 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

  • Highly suitable for your oily skin due to the presence of salicylic acid and niacinamide for seboregulation and anti-inflammatory action.
  • Offers excellent treatment for acne-prone skin due to the presence of salicylic acid and lactic acid for exfoliating and decongesting pores in moderate concentrations.
  • The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or 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

★4.4Overall rating based on 200+ reviews

This booster is highly praised for its ability to rapidly clear stubborn spots and prevent future breakouts, particularly for those with oily, combination, or acne-prone skin. While most users find it gentle and non-drying, a small subset of individuals with highly sensitive skin may experience stinging or dryness.

Highlights

  • Fast-acting results Mostly Mentioned
    • “Cleared my face so quick”
    • “Spots gone in days”
    • “Works in 2 days”
  • Effective spot treatment Often Mentioned
    • “Clears stubborn spots”
    • “Works like a treat”
    • “Best spot treatment”
  • Non-drying formula Often Mentioned
    • “Doesn't dry out skin”
    • “Gentle on my skin”
    • “No irritation”
  • Easy to layer Sometimes Noted
    • “Invisible under makeup”
    • “Layers under moisturizer”
    • “Not sticky”
  • Can cause dryness Sometimes Noted
    • “Dries out skin”
    • “Need to use moisturizer”
    • “A bit drying”
  • Inconsistent effectiveness Rarely Noted
    • “Didn't find it worked”
    • “Doesn't make huge difference”
    • “Just ok”
  • Potential stinging Rarely Noted
    • “Caused major stinging”
    • “Feels like intensive astringent”
    • “Too strong”

Sources: lovi.care, dermalogica.com, dermalogica.co.nz, lovelyskin.com, spacenk.com, ulta.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Booster a great fit for oily skin?

Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Booster is a great fit for oily skin because it contains salicylic acid and niacinamide to help control oil and calm redness. It also uses salicylic acid and lactic acid in moderate amounts to gently clear dead skin cells and unclog pores, while keeping a very safe and gentle profile for your skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for oily skin?

Salicylic acid and niacinamide make this treatment a great fit for oily skin because they help balance oil and calm redness. Salicylic acid and lactic acid also help clear out pores to keep skin smooth and clear.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

What does Salicylic Acid do for oily skin?

Salicylic acid helps oily skin by reducing excess oil and keeping pores clear. It may also improve overall skin hydration while managing breakouts.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019

What does Niacinamide do for oily skin?

Niacinamide helps balance oily skin by significantly reducing excess oil production and shine. It is well tolerated and may improve skin texture without clogging pores.

Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Antioxidants, 2021

Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for oily skin?

This treatment goes in the evening routine, placed after your cleansing toner and before your moisturizer. Starting it once a week is best, and you may use it more often if your skin tolerates it well.

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

You can use this treatment with retinol, but it is best to apply them on alternate nights or separate them into your morning and evening routines to avoid overloading your skin. Using strong exfoliants alongside retinol may increase your likelihood of dryness or irritation.

How often should I use this treatment?

Start by using this treatment once a week in the evening, and if your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. It helps clear pores and calm breakouts with ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, while having an excellent safety profile that is unlikely to irritate oily skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?

This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as it contains salicylic acid and lactic acid to clear pores and help keep skin smooth. It has an excellent safety profile with a very low chance of irritation, though moderate dryness may sometimes happen.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
  • The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010
  • Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
  • Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.

    The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008
  • Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 2005
  • 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, 2017
  • The 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, 2020
  • Ten 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, 2001
  • Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.

    Cutis, 2004
  • Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992
  • A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.

    The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020
  • Lipid extracts of Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis protect Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts against UVA-induced oxidative stress and 2-propanol-induced IL-6 expression in vitro.

    Food Science and Technology International = Ciencia Y Tecnologia de Los Alimentos Internacional, 2026
  • Oral and topical administration of ROQUETTE Chlorella sp. at higher doses significantly reduced skin inflammation scores and improved the healing process and duration of skin wounds in mice compared to untreated models.

    Anti-inflammatory & Anti-allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 2014
  • Resilient factor (RF, an aqueous extract fraction of Chlorella) suppressed PMA- and UVB-induced MMP1 production, protein, and gene expression, prevented UVB-suppressed elastin protein, and increased pro-collagen mRNA expression in human skin fibroblasts compared to untreated controls.

    European Journal of Dermatology, 2008

Ingredients

Water, Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Thymol, Terpineol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Propanediol, Gluconolactone, Silica, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol

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.

How does it fit your skin?

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How does it fit your skin?

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