Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Serum for oily acne-prone skin
Niacinamide
Tranexamic Acid
Azelaic Acid
Kojic Acid
Alpha ArbutinHigh
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.
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
- Highly suitable for oily skin, this serum effectively targets hyperpigmentation and breakouts with niacinamide and azelaic acid for seboregulation and anti-inflammatory action, while tranexamic acid and glycolic acid work to fade dark spots and refine skin texture.
- The formula also includes ingredients like alpha arbutin and kojic acid to further enhance brightening effects, supporting your goal of clearer, more even-toned skin.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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
★4.5Overall rating based on 2.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users highly praise this serum for effectively fading hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and dark spots, especially on melanated skin. While results are impressive, a significant number of reviews mention a strong, sulfur-like smell that users must tolerate. Some users also report an initial purging phase before experiencing clearer, brighter skin.
Highlights
Fades dark spots Mostly Mentioned
- “scars are noticeably lighter”
- “fades dark spots”
- “impressed with effectiveness”
- “minimized appearance of marks”
Unpleasant smell Mostly Mentioned
- “smells like sulfur”
- “rotten eggs”
- “smells like rust”
- “scent is off-putting”
Brightens skin Often Mentioned
- “skin looks clearer”
- “more radiant”
- “brightens your skin”
- “leaves a glow”
Absorbs well Sometimes Noted
- “lightweight texture”
- “absorbs quickly”
- “layers well under moisturizer”
- “non-greasy”
Improves texture Sometimes Noted
- “smooths skin texture”
- “skin feels calmer”
- “softens rough patches”
Safe for melanated skin Sometimes Noted
- “made with melanated skin in mind”
- “safe for all ethnicities”
- “works on darker skin tones”
Causes purging Sometimes Noted
- “face exploded with acne”
- “exacerbated comedones”
- “broke me out”
- “caused purging”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “tube cracks easily”
- “product spills out”
- “hate the metal tube”
- “leaks everywhere”
Potential irritation Rarely Noted
- “slightly irritating”
- “caused burning”
- “too strong for sensitive skin”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, amazon.com, mytopicals.com, skinsort.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Topicals Faded a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Topicals Faded is a great fit because it targets breakouts and dark spots using niacinamide and azelaic acid to calm the skin and balance oil, while glycolic and tranexamic acids help clear texture and fade marks. These ingredients work together safely to give you a clearer, more even-toned complexion without harsh irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin because niacinamide and azelaic acid help balance oil and calm breakouts, while tranexamic acid and glycolic acid fade dark spots and smooth your skin texture. Ingredients like alpha arbutin and kojic acid provide extra brightening power to help you achieve a clearer, more even-toned look safely without irritation.
What does Niacinamide do for oily acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oil production, calms redness, and is unlikely to irritate oily, acne-prone skin while improving blemishes. Clinical tests show it reduces excess oil and helps clear up both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Tranexamic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Tranexamic acid helps reduce redness and inflamed spots like pimples and pustules on oily, acne-prone skin. It may also fade lingering dark marks left behind by breakouts with a very low chance of irritation.
Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, fitting well into the routine for oily acne-prone skin. Using it at night helps avoid extra sun sensitivity while targeting dark spots and breakouts.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first and following it with your retinol, but because both products are quite active, you may want to alternate nights to keep your skin calm and avoid irritation.
How often should I use this serum?
This treatment serum fits into your evening routine once a week to start, as exfoliating acids and actives are best introduced gradually. If your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you may carefully use it more often.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This serum is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin, though it may cause some temporary purging as it works to clear out your pores. It helps target breakouts and fade dark spots without heavy oils, making it unlikely to clog pores.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Azelaic acid nanocrystal hydrogel 10% achieved a higher success rate and greater lesion reduction than azelaic acid cream 20% in patients with mild to moderate facial acne.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Application of 15% azelaic acid gel significantly reduced post-inflammatory erythema and hyperpigmentation, decreased hemoglobin and melanin content, improved quality of life, and contributed to acne improvement in patients with mild to moderate acne compared to placebo.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2024Encapsulation of alpha arbutin in an optimized ethosomal gel significantly improved skin melanin reduction, moisture content, and elasticity in human volunteers compared to conventional formulations.
Heliyon, 2023Topical 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, 2021Topical 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, 2008Topical 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, 2005Topical application of a dermocosmetic containing Myrtus communis extract and azelaic acid reduced acne relapses and helped maintain remission compared to a light moisturizing cream in adult females in the acne maintenance phase over 16 weeks.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2023Topical administration of 20% azelaic acid cream and 5% tranexamic acid solution comparably improved acne-related postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with acne vulgaris, while tranexamic acid demonstrated a significantly better safety profile at week 4.
Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2023Azelaic acid 15% gel showed comparable efficacy to adapalene 0.1% gel in reducing lesions, severity, and Dermatology Life Quality Index in women with adult acne, with significantly lower dryness and scaling, and demonstrated superiority during maintenance compared to no further treatment.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2015A topical formulation containing kojic acid, emblica extract, and glycolic acid demonstrated efficacy parity compared with hydroquinone 4% in multiethnic participants with mild to moderate facial dyschromia.
Cutis, 2010A nanoemulsion containing 1 mg/mL kojic dipalmitate and 5% rosehip oil demonstrated high incorporation efficiency, suitable physicochemical stability, antioxidant and depigmenting efficacy close to 1 mM ascorbic acid, and no cytotoxicity at concentrations from 0.06% to 1% in vitro.
Pharmaceutics, 2023Topical application of iron chelators kojic acid and deferiprone significantly accelerated wound healing in rats compared to control groups, with deferiprone showing superior efficacy due to higher antioxidant and iron chelation abilities.
International Wound Journal, 2013A non-hydroquinone topical formulation (SKNB19) improved hyperpigmentation by 28.5% in patient self-assessment and 27% in independent reviewer assessment compared with 4% hydroquinone in 18 adult subjects, while showing significantly less irritation and better tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Combining a home-based radiofrequency device and arbutin cream reduced mMASI scores by 25.6% and melanin index by 22.8% at 8 weeks compared to baseline in 38 participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Polyvinyl pyrrolidone-K90/Eudragit RL100 dissolving microneedle patches loaded with alpha-arbutin and resveratrol enhanced intradermal delivery by approximately 2.6 times compared to cream and slightly decreased the melanin index in human participants without causing skin irritation.
Biomaterials Science, 2023
Ingredients
Niacinamide, Tranexamic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Alpha Arbutin, Licorice Root Extract, Melatonin, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Squalane, Glycerin, Water, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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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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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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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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