As an esthetician, it’s a question I’m asked on an almost daily basis—how can I make my pores disappear? The short answer is, you can’t. Pores are an essential part of our skin structure and allow our skin to function healthily—there’s absolutely no way to get rid of them.
What you can do, however, is reduce the appearance of pores. Yes, pore minimising primers can help, but skincare plays a huge role. Pores appear more noticeable when they become enlarged, which can happen when skin is dry and dehydrated (because it thins and stretches) and when the skin is oily and congested (because oil and dead skin builds up in the pores). Pore size can also increase as we age, or if skin is subject to sun damage—both of which result in a decrease in collagen and elastin in the skin, causing pores to widen. It’s important to note also that genetics, hormones, and even gender can have an impact on the appearance and size of our pores.
While I really do think we ought to give our pores a little more grace—without them, after all, our skin literally wouldn’t be able to function—I totally understand why some people feel conscious of their pores and wish to reduce their visibility. So, if enlarged and visible pores are amongst your top skin concerns, I’ve compiled a list of the best pore minimising serums, tried and tested.
Shop the Best Pore Minimising Serums:
- Dr. Sam’s Flawless Nightly Serum
- Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum
- Beauty Pie Superdrops Niacinamide
- Byoma Clarifying Serum
- Dr. Barbara Sturm The Better B Niacinamide Serum
- Dr. Jart+ Pore Remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum
- The Inkey List Ectoin Barrier Repair Serum
- Perricone MD High Potency Smoothing Serum
- The Ordinary Balancing & Clarifying Serum
- Glossier Super Pure Clarifying Face Serum
- Naturium Retinol Complex Serum
What are pores?
Pores are tiny openings in our skin—everyone has them, approximately 5 million of them, in fact. They cover every inch of our skin (except for our palms and the soles of our feet), and we have around 20,000 of them on our faces alone. These tiny openings contain hair follicles and oil glands, and are responsible for releasing oil and sweat onto the surface of the skin. In doing so they help to release sebum, which naturally moisturises the skin, while sweat helps to regulate our body temperature.
What causes visible pores?
Pores are often more visible in areas of our skin where we have more oil glands, such as the ‘T zone’ of the face (your forehead, nose and chin). They also become more visible when they become clogged with excess oil and dead skin, causing open comedones, also known as blackheads and whiteheads. This can trap bacteria in the pore, leading to inflammation and breakouts.
While many people associate enlarged pores with oily skin, pores can also become more visible when skin is dehydrated. This is because the skin is no longer plumped with moisture—when it’s thin and stretched out, pores appear more noticeable. For the same reason, pores become more obvious as we age, and lose the collagen and elastin which also gives our skin plumpness and structure.
How can you minimise pores?
You can minimise the appearance of pores by keeping skin well hydrated and using collagen-stimulating ingredients like retinoids, so it is plumped up and pores are not stretched. Cleansing regularly and exfoliating skin using products with ingredients like niacinamide and salicylic acid can also help to prevent and clear congestion from pores.
The Best Pore Minimising Serums:
1. Dr. Sam’s Flawless Nightly Serum
Dr Sam’s
Flawless Nightly 2% Retinoid Serum
Best for: Mature skin
Key ingredients: Granactive retinoid, niacinamide, azelaic acid, bakuchiol
Additional benefits: Resurfaces skin texture, softens lines, clears breakouts, adds glow.
Esthetician review: “This is one of my most-recommended products to clients who list enlarged pores as one of their concerns, but are also dealing with signs of skin ageing, congestion, and hyperpigmentation. It’s a great multitasking product with potent ingredient doses, so it really does (and quite quickly) make a visible difference.”
Customer review: “I have been using this serum for 6 weeks and I can definitely see the improvement to my pores. Serum absorbs into the skin with a buttery texture. Love it!”
2. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum
Dr. Dennis Gross
Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum
Best for: Congested skin
Key ingredients: Glycolic acid, malic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, mandelic acid, and salicylic acid.
Additional benefits: Removes dead skin, smooths texture, treats breakouts, reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Esthetician review: “This is a great option for anyone with particuarly stubborn enlarged pores. If you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing is working, this potent blend of acids will do just the trick—and will smooth and brighten skin in the process.”
Customer review: “I’ve always suffered with large, congested pores around my nose and chin and this serum is incredible for combatting this issue and helping with the overall texture of my skin. It’s also super light, so if you’re like me and hate the sticky or heavy feeling of some serums this is perfect for you. A new skincare must have!”
3. Beauty Pie Superdrops Brightening Niacinamide
Beauty Pie
Superdrops Brightening Niacinamide
Price shown is member price.
Best for: Dull skin
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, hydroxyacetophenone, cloudberry plant.
Additional benefits: Brightens skin, smooths texture, and reduces sensitivity.
Esthetician review: “Niacinamide is a brilliant ingredient for addressing any pore-related concerns, from visibility to congestion. I also love that it’s not a harsh ingredient, so it’s a great option for those with dry or sensitive skin. Plus, it’s multitasking, so will help to brighten and hydrate skin as well.”
Customer review: “This seems to control my oily skin without drying it out. It doesn’t claim to but I’ve definitely noticed a difference whilst using this since 1.5 years ago, I’ve had no hormonal acne, no oily patches and my pores are definitely tighter. At the same time it leaves skin hydrated and balanced rather than stripped of life!”
4. Byoma Clarifying Serum
Best for: Teen skin
Key ingredients: Ceramides, zinc, polyhydroxy acids (PHA).
Additional benefits: Reduces breakouts, inflammation, and oiliness.
Esthetician review: “This is exactly the kind of product I wish had been around when I was a teenager. It contains active ingredients to help reduce the appearance of pores and breakouts, but is also boosted with ceramides, which work to support the skin barrier and reduce dehydration and sensitivity.
Customer review: “I adore this stuff. I bought it to tighten pores. It’s done that, but it’s also faded the discolouration to the point that it’s not even noticeable anymore. Can confirm that this serum works to shrink stubborn little bumps, too. It’s earned a permanent spot in my morning routine. Please don’t ever change this formula!”
5. Dr. Barbara Sturm The Better B Niacinamide Serum
Dr. Barbara Sturm
The Better B Niacinamide Serum
Best for: Sensitive skin
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, ectoin, panthenol.
Additional benefits: Strengthens skin barrier, boosts hydration levels, and soothes irritation.
Esthetician review: “Although this serum comes with a rather hefty price tag, it contains a stellar lineup of ingredients at impressively potent strengths. Plus, there aren’t many serums that can tick off ‘reducing pore appearance’ and ‘reducing sensitivity’ in one go, so if you subscribe to both concerns, this is a great option.”
Customer review: “I have not been using this product long, but I really like the way that it makes my pores appear smaller and use my skin looking smooth and radiant. I mostly have oily skin, but but as I get older my skin is going more toward being combination skin. This product smooths out my skin and leaves it looking soft and supple. I have some very large pores and they look smaller after just a few uses.”
6. Dr. Jart+ Pore.remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum
Dr.Jart+
Pore.remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum
Best for: Oily skin
Key ingredients: Polyhydroxy acids (PHA), panthenol.
Additional benefits: Smooths skin texture, reduces excess oil, removes dead skin cells.
Esthetician review: “Polyhdroxy acids are a great alternative to the likes of glycolic and salicylic acids, especially if you have sensitive skin. They help to gently exfoliate, therefore removing congestion from pores that may be contributing towards an enlarged appearance.”
Customer review: “I knew I wanted to try this after seeing it on TikTok and I think it’s an amazing product considering the price. I have really big pores and this helps to shrink the look of them and also make my skin look smoother and brighter. It’s also so lightweight it literally feels like water so if you wanted to you could easily layer this under any other skincare you’re using.”
7. The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum
The Inkey List
Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum
Best for: Dry and dehydrated skin
Key ingredients: Ectoin, ceramides, hyaluronic acid.
Additional benefits: Strengthens the skin barrier, reduces dryness, soothes irritation.
Esthetician review: “It’s a common misconception that to minimise pores you have to go in all guns blazing and attack your skin with harsh ingredients and exfoliators. I see a lot of clients who have really visible pores simply because their skin is so dehydrated. In which case, a hydrating serum like this one helps to restore moisture which has the effect of plumping skin up and therefore reducing the appearance of pore size. When skin is well-hydrated, it clogs less easily too, and makes it much easier to do extractions and removes blackheads.”
Customer review: “This serum has gone straight to the top of my skincare favourites! Its super hydrating and soothing on the skin, but doesn’t leave the skin feeling oily or greasy. Now a firm favourite in my skincare routine and shows you don’t have to spend lots for good products!”
8. Perricone MD High Potency Intensive Niacinamide-Rich Smoothing Serum
Perricone MD
High Potency Intensive Niacinamide-Rich Smoothing Serum 59ml
Best for: Mature skin
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, squalane, ceramides, silicones.
Additional benefits: Smooths rough texture, plumps thin skin.
Esthetician review: “This serum has a particularly high concentration of niacinamide, so if you want to see results fast, it’s a worthy addition to your skincare routine. Use it day and night for best results.”
Customer review: “I have always been a huge fan of Perricone MD however, I have never seen my skin respond to a product as quickly as I have with this serum. Within days, I started to see my skin smoother. I never realized that I had enlarged pores around my T Zone area. Now that they are smaller, I can see the difference.”
9. The Ordinary Balancing & Clarifying Serum
The Ordinary
Balancing & Clarifying Serum
Best for: Breakout-prone skin
Key ingredients: N-Acetylglucosamine (NAG), ectoin, adenosine, polylysine, sarcosine, L-carnitine.
Additional benefits: Reduces excess oil, smooths skin texture, brightens skin, fades pigmentation.
Esthetician review: “I really like that this serum steers clear of harsh and typical breakout-clearing and pore-minimising ingredients. Instead it uses naturally-occurring molecules sarcosine and L-carnitine to reduce the appearance of oiliness and shine, adenosine to reduce the appearance of pores and textured skin, and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) to gently exfoliate.”
Customer review: “I have been using this product for several weeks now. I have seen an improvement in skin texture, and it does a good job in removing dead skin cells. I have also seen improvement in skin texture and pores. So far, so good! Would definitely recommend it.”
10. Glossier Super Pure
Best for: Combination skin
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, zinc, glycerin, allantoin.
Additional benefits: Reduces excess oil, smooths skin texture, clears breakouts, brightens skin tone.
Esthetician review: “This serum has a short and sweet ingredient lineup, which allows its heroes—niacinamide and zinc—to do their thing. It’s another great multitasker which will help to soothe redness and breakouts as well as minimise the appearance of pores.”
Customer review: “I have bought a few bottles of Super Pure now and it’s in my everyday skincare routine. After cleansing and using a hydrating spray, super pure is my first product to layer under moisturiser or other actives. Love the texture and it helps control oil, minimise pore appearance and calm my skin.”
11. Naturium Retinol Complex Serum
Naturium
Retinol Complex Serum
Best for: Mature skin
Key ingredients: Retinol, glycerin, bakuchiol.
Additional benefits: Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improves skin firmness and tone.
Esthetician review: “Retinol is another ingredient that’s underestimated when it comes to targeting pore size. It encourages the skin to shed dead skin cells that clog pores and also increases collagen production, which keeps skin plump and firm, so pores appear less obvious. If you’re new to using retinol, this gentle serum is a good place to start.”
Customer review: “I’ve been using this retinol for a year now and I love it. I do have sensitive dry skin but it hasn’t bothered my skin at all. I have a problem with the pores on my nose and under my eyes being a bit bigger. My makeup did nothing to diminish the look of my pores. Using this retinol has really helped, I noticed when I used makeup a month ago (I don’t wear it a lot) that the pores weren’t as visible as they once were.”
