After a run of Lagom products undercut by fragrance, this serum is a genuine relief — and it happens to be the best of the bunch. The Cellus Refining Purple Serum is fragrance-free, built around one of dermatology's most useful actives, and the kind of formula that suits the sensitive skin the rest of the line tends to exclude. Two things define it: the color is cosmetic, and the active is excellent.
Start with the color, since it's the name. The purple tint comes from cyanocobalamin — vitamin B12, which is naturally violet in solution — present in a small amount and contributing visual signature far more than measurable benefit. So 'purple' is a nice touch, not the reason to buy. The reason to buy is the active sitting high on the ingredient list: azelaic acid.
Azelaic acid is quietly one of dermatology's best multitaskers. It calms the redness and bumps of rosacea, has antibacterial and anti-comedogenic effects that help acne and congestion, fades post-inflammatory marks and evens tone, and offers antioxidant activity — a remarkable range for one gentle ingredient. Crucially, it's well-tolerated and is one of the very few actives considered safe to use during pregnancy, which makes this serum a genuinely useful option for pregnancy-related acne or melasma. Here it's buffered with ceramide NP, panthenol and allantoin, plus an antioxidant botanical blend (resveratrol, milk thistle, turmeric, eggplant), so it gets azelaic acid into a routine comfortably, with barrier support that helps it suit reactive skin.
And then the headline feature for this line: it's fragrance-free. No added fragrance, no essential oils, no fragrant herbs — a striking and welcome contrast to the brand's fragranced cleansers, toners and other serums. That single choice makes this the Lagom product that's actually appropriate for sensitive, rosacea-prone and reactive skin, the audience azelaic acid serves so well. The very low irritation profile reflects it.
The caveats are minor and honest. Azelaic acid can cause a mild, transient tingle on application, especially early on; it usually settles quickly, and the soothers help, but very reactive skin should introduce it gradually. The base contains caprylic/capric triglyceride, lecithin and a polyglyceryl ester, so it isn't reliably fungal-acne safe (though azelaic acid itself is generally fine for fungal-acne-prone skin). And azelaic serums can occasionally pill under certain layers, a texture quirk rather than a flaw. It's vegan in composition.
Who it suits is unusually broad: normal, combination, oily, dry and sensitive skin can all use it, and it specifically helps rosacea, acne, post-acne marks and uneven tone. As a gentle, fragrance-free, do-a-lot active serum, it's hard to find much to complain about.
In use, it's a light, faintly purple gel-serum that absorbs smoothly with no scent, possibly a brief tingle, and a calming feel; over weeks, redness looks calmer and, with longer use, tone evens and marks fade. Paired with daily sunscreen, it's a quietly excellent everyday treatment.
The brand context makes it notable: in a fragrance-heavy line, this is the disciplined, fragrance-free, derm-aligned formula, and the complete INCI confirms a well-built azelaic serum whose only 'gimmick' is a harmless cosmetic tint.
Using it is straightforward: a few drops after toner, morning or night, under moisturizer, with daytime sunscreen to support the tone-evening. Azelaic acid can give a mild, transient tingle early on, so very reactive skin can start every other day and build up, and applying it to mostly-dry skin and letting it set helps avoid the occasional pilling azelaic serums can show. What makes this genuinely worth recommending — and the standout of an otherwise fragrance-heavy line — is the combination of a versatile, well-tolerated active and a clean, fragrance-free base. Azelaic acid quietly does what few single ingredients can: calm rosacea redness, help clear acne, fade post-inflammatory marks and even tone, all gently, and it's one of the rare actives considered safe in pregnancy, which makes this a real option for pregnancy-related breakouts or melasma when most actives are off-limits. Buffered with ceramide NP, panthenol and allantoin, it stays comfortable even on sensitive skin. The only things to keep in mind are minor: the base isn't reliably fungal-acne safe (though azelaic itself usually is), the percentage isn't disclosed, and the purple is purely cosmetic B12. For the breadth of concerns it addresses, gently and fragrance-free, it's a quietly excellent, broadly useful serum.
The bottom line: a genuinely good, fragrance-free azelaic acid serum that calms redness, helps acne and evens tone — gentle, broadly suitable, pregnancy-safe, and the standout of Lagom's lineup. Buy it if you want a multitasking active for redness, rosacea, breakouts, post-acne marks or uneven tone, especially if your skin is sensitive or you're pregnant and need a safe active. Skip it only if you're specifically managing fungal acne (patch test the base) or are among the few whose skin can't tolerate even gentle azelaic acid. For most people, it's an easy, well-earned recommendation — and proof Lagom can leave the fragrance out.
