The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Review
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 from the Ordinary is a good product.
The product’s different forms of hyaluronic acid add up to 2%. At this concentration, hyaluronic acid is very effective. This ingredient is a water magnet. It adds hydration to the skin.
Apart from hyaluronic acid, the product has close to 4 other ingredients that add hydration to the skin.
B5 in the product’s name stands for panthenol, a multi-function ingredient. Based on its location on the ingredient list, this product appears to use a lower concentration of panthenol than the recommended amount.
Panthenol hydrates and calms the skin. Calming skin is needed because if it is irritated, it can weaken the skin’s barrier function. A weak barrier means the skin loses hydration and becomes prone to breakouts. Irritated skin also leads to dull and pigmented skin.
This product adds a good amount of hydration to the skin. Hydrated skin is plump and radiant. When skin is plump, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles reduces. They are not very prominent.
The product’s marketing claims that it smoothes out wrinkles and fine lines. It is important to note that this product will not erase the fine lines or wrinkles. For that to happen, we need a product that can produce collagen. This product does not do that. What this product does is hydrate. When skin is hydrated, the appearance of these lines reduces. Skin becomes plump, and the fine lines become much less prominent.
A word of caution
The product’s marketing claims that it smoothes out wrinkles and fine lines. It is important to note that this product will not erase the fine lines or wrinkles. For that to happen, we need a product that can produce collagen. This product does not do that. What this product does is hydrate. When skin is hydrated, the appearance of these lines reduces. Skin becomes plump, and the fine lines become much less prominent.
How to use the product?
How to use the product?
Cleanse your face. Take a few drops of this product in your palm and gently pat it on your skin. Avoid rubbing it on the skin. Instead, pat the product.
Keep it on the skin for a minute or two. Then, apply a cream. A cream usually has emollient and/or occlusive ingredients. These ingredients will help lock in the Ordinary product’s hydration to the skin.
It is important to apply a cream on top of the product. Otherwise, the hydration this product provides will eventually evaporate.
Tip: Pat this product straight after a warm shower when steam is still in the bathroom. Steam means a lot of humidity in the air, which means a lot of hydration for hyaluronic acid to attract.
Ingredient 1 – Water
Function: Solvent
It helps in dissolving other ingredients in the product.
Dissolved ingredients can spread better on the skin.
Ingredient 2 – Sodium Hyaluronate
Function: Humectant
It attracts and binds to water molecules, thus keeping skin hydrated.
This ingredient is a form of hyaluronic acid. Its molecular size is smaller than other forms of hyaluronic acid, and this allows it to penetrate deeper into skin. Deeper penetration means it is more effective.
Ingredient 3 – Propanediol
Function: Humectant, Emollient, Solvent, Texture enhancer
When applied to the skin’s surface, it draws water molecules from the atmosphere to the skin and thus hydrates the skin. It also forms a thin surface on the skin’s surface and helps to retain the hydration (reduces the evaporation of hydration into the atmosphere).
It helps in dissolving other ingredients in the product.
It enhances the texture of the product.
Ingredient 4 – Pentylene Glycol
Function: Solvent, Humectant
It helps in dissolving other ingredients.
Dissolved ingredients can spread and penetrate better.
They attract water to themselves and keep skin hydrated, plump, and firm.
Ingredient 5 -Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Function: Humectant
It attracts and binds to water molecules, thus keeping skin hydrated.
This ingredient is a form of hyaluronic acid. It has a smaller molecular size than standard hyaluronic acid, allowing it to penetrate deeper into skin.
Ingredient 6 – Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Function: Humectant
It attracts and binds to water molecules, thus keeping skin hydrated.
This ingredient is a form of hyaluronic acid. Its molecular size is smaller than other forms of hyaluronic acid, and this allows it to penetrate deeper into skin. Deeper penetration means it is more effective.
Crosspolymer makes this sodium hyaluronate more effective than the standard sodium hyaluronate.
Ingredient 7 – Phospholipids
Function: Humectant
It attracts and binds to water molecules, thus keeping skin hydrated.
Ingredient 8 – Sphingolipids
Function: Skin barrier repair
Helps skin make more ceramides. Ceramides stregthens skin’s barrier function. A strong barrier keeps skin hydrated and prevents breakouts on skin.
Ingredient 9 – Panthenol
Function: Humectant, Anti-inflammatory
It attracts and binds to water molecules, keeping skin hydrated. It is very effective in reducing inflammation on skin. It calms and soothes the skin.
Panthenol is also called pro-vitamin B5.
Ingredient 10 – Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Function: Emollient
Conditions the skin. Skin conditioners leave skin soft and smooth. They work by forming a thin layer on top of the skin and reducing water loss from skin through evaporation.
It also calms and soothes the skin.
This ingredient is a type of red algae.
