I slathered this viral 10% niacinamide goo on my face every single morning for a month — no days off, even when I was hungover and lazy.
The real reason this matters? My T-zone has been an oil slick since 2009, and every “pore-refining” product I’ve tried has either burned or lied. This one didn’t do either.
It’s a 30ml dropper bottle, roughly $28, and the claim that got me was “visible pore refinement in 14 days.” Bold. I called bullshit. Then I tested it.
10% Pure Niacinamide
Zero fluff — this is a clinical-strength dose, not the 2% you find in moisturizers.
Zinc PCA Complex
The sidekick that actually calms my angry redness instead of just masking it.
No Fragrance, No Dyes
Smells like nothing. Absorbs in about 20 seconds. Doesn’t pill under my SPF.
Photo: pmv chamara / Unsplash
It’s a stripped-back formula — no 40-ingredient flex, just the stuff that works. The texture is a watery gel that disappears before I finish blinking.
- Niacinamide: Shrinks the look of pores by regulating oil production
- Zinc PCA: Anti-inflammatory that nukes active breakouts
- Hyaluronic Acid: Pulls in water so the niacinamide doesn’t dry you out
- Allantoin: The quiet hero that prevents irritation
Photo: kevin laminto / Unsplash
Day 1: Feels like water. Day 5: My chin broke out — I almost quit. Day 12: The purge cleared and my skin looked… calm?
The surprise? By week three, my makeup stayed matte until 3pm instead of sliding off by noon. I didn’t expect a serum to fix my foundation game.
Photo: Chalo Garcia / Unsplash
My nose pores are visibly smaller — not gone, not photoshopped, but smaller. The oil slick is now a light sheen. Blackheads? Still there, but less… angry.
Photo: Greg Rakozy / Unsplash
I’d rebuy this tomorrow. It’s not magic, but it’s the closest thing I’ve found to a pore-minimizing oil-control cheat code.