Our Top 9 Picks Of Serums That Work Wonders for Acne Prone Skin

Salicylic Acid is one of the most sought after ingredients to opt for when dealing with acne. Salicylic acid is a BHA, which helps exfoliate skin and keep pores clean and unclogged to prevent acne. The Minimalist 2% salicylic acid serum is lightweight, fast absorbing and made with aloe vera juice to suit even sensitive skin types. It helps with the prevention and clearing of blackheads, balancing oils and keeping pores clean. It's good to know that the product is free from fragrance, silicones, sulphates, parabens, essential oils and dyes. 

User Rating: 4.4/5 (on the basis of 12,982 ratings)

Another salicylic acid serum option is from The Derma Co. We've used this one and seen results within weeks. It's an oil-based serum that absorbs into your skin quickly. It has additional benefits of witch hazel and willow bark in this serum soothes and prevents moisture loss during exfoliation. While it's suitable for all skin types, oily and acne-prone skin types will benefit the most from it.

User Rating: 4.4/5 

Niacinamide is an excellent ingredient to add to your skincare routine if you have stubborn acne scarring, or even inflammation from acne (as it's anti-inflammatory and helps soothe skin irritation). It's a form of vitamin B-3 that helps in boosting hydration, helps with hyperpigmentation and also has anti-ageing benefits. It's one of the easy options to pick that does a bit of everything. As dermatologist Dr Garegar says, 'Niacinamide is the jack of all trades but master of none'.

This serum has all those benefits with the addition of 1% zinc that reinforces skin barrier function, improves skin smoothness, and increases skin radiance over time.

User Rating: 4.5/5 

COSRX offers a highly concentrated (15%) niacinamide serum for acne control that helps improve skin's texture, fade dark spots and minimise the visibility of pores. The serum is non-comedogenic (doesn’t clog pores)—an essential characteristic when shopping for serums that work on acne prone skin. The 1% Zinc PCA in this serum helps prevent potential breakouts from occurring.

User Rating: 4.5/5

Aminu is a homegrown skincare brand, and its clarifying concentrate is full of ingredients that help treat and fight acne. This one is made from complex herbs, niacinamide, phyto-actives, azelaic acid, amino-acids and hyaluronic acid and is most suitable for oily skin types. What this serum does is regulate sebum production, prevent bacteria build up (it has antimicrobial plant extracts), calm and soothe the skin, all while keeping it moisturised and hydrated.

User Rating: 4/5 

A blend of niacinamide, zinc PCA and alpha arbutin (helps with improving skin barrier) this serum from 3AM's Tvach range is a good pick for post-acne scarring and hyperpigmentation. The formula claims to be lightweight and one that absorbs quickly. 3AM is a recent find of ours, we've been using their face mist daily and it hasn’t disappointed at all!

User Rating: 5/5 

Lactic acid is an antioxidant as well as an exfoliant (AHA), which helps with sebum production, fades scars, and according to a study, also increases cell turnover rate, by which your skin sheds old cells and replaces them with new ones (cell renewal). It's important to note that you must not skip sunscreen while using this ingredient as it may increase skin sensitivity. Fun fact, this ingredient is naturally found in milk and yogurt (possibly the reason why the skin feels soft and new after doing a DIY mask at home). Studies suggest that it helps with reducing acne too. Yes, it's one ingredient that does a lot.

Love Earth's Lactic Acid serum not only helps with evening out your skin tone but also has carrot extract, tamarind extract and hyaluronic acid, which keeps your skin radiant and also hydrated.

User Rating: 4.3/5

Deconstruct's exfoliating serum has 5% lactic acid with 1.5% probiotics, making it a good option for someone who wants to start with lactic acid. It's good for someone whose aim is to even out skin tone and reduce dark sports as the formulation is best for increasing cell renewal.

User Rating: 4.3/5 

Now sunscreen isn’t typically what will help reduce acne, but it will help significantly with developing hyperpigmentation from acne. Especially after using any exfoliant, it becomes even more important to protect the skin from UV rays. Cos-IQ's sunscreen serum has full spectrum UVA and UVB protection, claims to have zero white cast has antioxidants to fight the pollutants, is sweat and water-resistant and is lightweight to use because of a serum formula.

User Rating: 4.3/5 

Pro-Tip: You want to look for a sunscreen that works for you, if you need more options check out this list.