The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum for acne-prone skin
Polyglutamic Acid
Glycerin
Dimethicone
Butylene Glycol
Rice Bran Extract
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for acne-prone skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 combination skin, this serum effectively addresses your acne, blemishes, and breakouts with high concentrations of polyglutamic acid and glycerin, which provide excellent hydration and support your skin barrier function without feeling heavy.
- The formula's humectant properties ensure your skin remains plump and moisturized, enhancing overall skin health and resilience.
- This product is safe for your skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like glycerin and polyglutamic acid, minimizing any risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
- Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
- Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
- Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 1.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is frequently praised by users with dry or dehydrated skin for its ability to deeply hydrate and create a smooth, glass-like finish that works well under makeup. Many users find it superior to hyaluronic acid for plumping fine lines. A significant number of reviewers, however, note a strong chemical scent and a pump dispenser that can be difficult to control.
Highlights
Deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Super hydrating”
- “locks in moisture”
- “hydration party”
- “better than hyaluronic”
Excellent makeup base Often Mentioned
- “Brilliant makeup base”
- “perfect makeup canvas”
- “foundation glides on”
- “smooths skin texture”
Smooth/silky finish Often Mentioned
- “Glass skin”
- “velvety texture”
- “silky finish”
- “leaves skin soft”
Unpleasant scent Often Mentioned
- “Smells like chemicals”
- “burning sugar smell”
- “strong alcohol scent”
- “smells musty”
Plumping effect Sometimes Noted
- “Plumps fine lines”
- “bouncy skin”
- “softens wrinkles”
- “instant plumping”
Poor packaging Sometimes Noted
- “Pump squirts too much”
- “hard to control”
- “pump malfunction”
- “dispenses too much”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “Caused breakouts”
- “burning sensation”
- “gave me styes”
- “redness”
Sticky feel Rarely Noted
- “Sticky residue”
- “tacky texture”
- “feels heavy”
- “takes time to dry”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, boots.com, theinkeylist.com, ulta.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum a great fit for acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit because it provides deep hydration and supports your skin barrier without feeling heavy, effectively helping with blemishes and breakouts. Its combination of polyglutamic acid and glycerin keeps your skin plump and moisturized while minimizing the risk of irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Polyglutamic acid and glycerin make this serum a great fit for acne-prone skin because they provide deep hydration and support your skin barrier without feeling heavy. These ingredients help keep your skin plump and moisturized while keeping the risk of irritation low.
What does Polyglutamic Acid do for acne-prone skin?
Polyglutamic acid helps keep acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy, while supporting the skin barrier. Because acne skin needs lightweight moisture and barrier support, this ingredient helps retain water to keep skin smooth and calm.
What does Glycerin do for acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep acne-prone skin hydrated and calm without clogging pores or feeling heavy. It supports the skin barrier so it stays soft and smooth while handling everyday treatments.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008International Journal of Toxicology, 2019
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. Putting it on at night keeps things simple and avoids extra safety concerns around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with hyaluronic acid, and in what order?
You can use this serum with hyaluronic acid by applying whichever has the thinner, more watery texture first and letting it sink in. Both draw in moisture to keep your skin plump and hydrated without feeling heavy.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your acne-prone skin and is generally used in your evening routine, though some treatments can also be used in the morning or twice a day. It provides lightweight hydration and helps keep your skin plump without feeling heavy, supporting your skin barrier while addressing breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for acne-prone skin, as it provides lightweight moisture and supports your skin barrier without feeling heavy. Its gentle ingredients like glycerin and polyglutamic acid help keep your skin plump and hydrated while minimizing the risk of irritation.
Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this serum around the eyes and on the body because its lightweight, gentle formula with glycerin provides deep hydration without feeling heavy. It helps keep thin or dry areas smooth and plump while remaining safe for sensitive skin.
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, 2017Poly-gamma-glutamic acid derived from a novel Bacillus subtilis strain dose-dependently increased skin barrier markers, hyaluronic acid synthesis, and aquaporin 3 expression in keratinocytes, and elevated filaggrin, involucrin, CD44, and aquaporin 3 expression in a reconstructed skin model compared to the control.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025Curcumin-loaded polyglutamic acid and gum arabic electrospun nanofibers accelerated wound healing, increased TGF-beta1 and VEGF expression, reduced inflammatory factors, and enhanced re-epithelialization and tissue regeneration in a mouse model with acute full-thickness skin defects.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024Polyglutamic acid and polylysine composite hydrogels promote wound repair and hemostasis through high water absorption, bioadhesion, calcium ion-mediated coagulation factor activation, and inherent antibacterial properties in a deep skin defect model.
Macromolecular Bioscience, 2021The 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, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Topical gel and cream formulations containing niosomes entrapped with rice bran bioactive compounds improved skin hydration, lightening, thickness, roughness, and elasticity in 30 human volunteers over 28 days compared to baseline.
Pharmaceutical Biology, 2012Gel and cream formulations containing rice bran bioactive compounds entrapped in niosomes increased in vitro antioxidant activity (ORAC values of 20-28 micromol TE/g versus 16-18 micromol TE/g for placebo), enhanced lipid peroxidation inhibition in human sebum by about 1.5 times, and improved in vivo human skin hydration by approximately 3 to 30% depending on the measurement technique.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2011Stirring Nukadoko fermented rice bran beds by hand leads to temporary settlement of microorganisms on human skin with quick shedding.
FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Bis-Peg-12 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysilicone-11, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglutamic Acid, Sodium Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Propanediol, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 80, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Decyl Glucoside, Dimethylacrylamide Acrylic Acid Polystyrene Ethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Sorbitan Oleate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Rice Bran Extract
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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