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A skin care routine for acne-prone skin is incomplete without a serum. Picking the right serum to use day and night can make a big difference in keeping breakouts at bay. Serums are packed with potent ingredients that not only treat acne, but also keep skin hydrated, improve skin tone and texture, control excess sebum production and brighten dark spots left behind by acne.
Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Look no further, we put together a list of the best K-Beauty serums for acne-prone skin.
SOME BY MI − Yuja Niacin 30 Days Blemish Care Serum
Add SOME BY MI’s Yuja Niacin 30 Days Blemish Care Serum to your routine and say goodbye to blemishes, dark spots and dull skin tone. The serum is formulated with Korean yuja extract to moisturize and brighten skin, glutathione and arbutin to fade hyperpigmentation, and 12 kinds of vitamins to revive a dull complexion.
RNW − DER. CONCENTRATE Niacinamide Plus
Niacinamide is a great ingredient for acne-prone skin. While the ingredient helps fade hyperpigmentation and minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores, it also regulates sebum production and protects your skin from environmental stressors such as pollution. RNW’s fast-absorbing serum targets dark spots and leaves your skin looking extra dewy.
COSRX − AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
Another serum formulated with niacinamide is the AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum from COSRX. In addition to niacinamide, the formula contains EGF and ceramide, ingredients your skin needs to heal breakouts and repair the skin barrier. The serum also relieves redness, thanks to its CentellAC-RX formula containing three types of centella asiatica extracts.
iUNIK − Tea Tree Relief Serum
If you suffer from inflammation due to acne or hyperpigmentation (also known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), it’s best to use a serum with skin-soothing ingredients. Try iUNIK’s Tea Tree Relief Serum, which is enriched with tea tree and centella asiatica extracts to tone down inflammation and soothe skin.
TIRTIR − Cica Care Serum
TIRTIR’s Cica Care Serum is another item worth adding to your skin care routine. The serum features the brand’s active ingredient CICA 7X Complex, which contains centella asiatica extract and peptides to calm skin and reduce redness and inflammation.
make p:rem − Poncirus Trifoliata C Dark Spot Serum
Hyperpigmentation can take a while to completely fade. If you’re searching for a product to speed up the process, you can’t go wrong with make p:rem’s Poncirus Trifoliata C Dark Spot Serum. Formulated with a Vitamin C derivative and poncirus trifoliata extract, the serum improves the appearance of dark spots over time. It may not work miracles overnight, but as long as you stay consistent with using it daily, you’ll slowly notice a difference.
Goodal − Green Tangerine Vita C Dark Spot Serum
Using a Vitamin C serum is essential to fighting dark spots, plus it provides antioxidant benefits to protect skin against free radicals and environmental stressors. For a serum that targets post-acne dark spots or treats blemishes before they become spots, Goodal has you covered with its Green Tangerine Vita C Dark Spot Serum.
numbuzin − No.5 Goodbye Blemish Serum
numbuzin’s No.5 Goodbye Blemish Serum is worth adding to your regimen to combat acne. Packed with vitamins derived from hippophae rhamnoides, the serum is gentle enough to treat both inflamed and non-inflamed breakouts. Its lightweight gel formula makes it perfect for daytime use, especially if you have oily skin.
ROVECTIN − Clean LHA Blemish Ampoule
Looking for a vegan-friendly or cruelty-free serum? ROVECTIN’s Clean LHA Blemish Ampoule is a great option. Offering brightening and soothing benefits, along with sebum control and gentle exfoliation, the serum has it all. It’s formulated with LHA (lipohydroxy acid), which is a derivative of salicylic acid that gets rid of dead skin cells and leaves you with a bright and smooth complexion.
AXIS-Y − Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum
Another vegan-friendly and cruelty-free serum that’s made without artificial colorants and fragrances is the Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum from K-Beauty brand AXIS-Y. The serum contains niacinamide to heal spots and breakouts, plant-derived squalane to deeply nourish skin, calendula extract to soothe irritated skin, and papaya fruit extract to slough away dead skin cells and even out skin tone.