The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% High-Strength Vitamin and Mineral Blemish formula. The cult classic product that's got every skincare influencer, junkie and their mothers talking about it! Literally, I kid you not - I've seen some reviews by 75+ year olds!
The internet hosts many rave reviews about how this product transformed their skin, with people seeing a reduction in blemishes and scarring, tightening of pores, and their skin generally clearing up.
So what really is in the product? Who is it for? And honestly - Who are The Ordinary!?
The Ordinary - The Abnormal Beauty Company
DECIEM, the parent firm of the skincare brand The Ordinary, and nine other brands, launched in 2013. They call themselves "The Abnormal Beauty Company" as they set themselves to breaking most of the existing norms in the beauty industry.
With the motto, "Clinical formulations with integrity", the brand focuses on developing products that hero the key active ingredients, with simple clinical formulations, and without adding a plethora of other ingredients. And here's the kicker - majority of their products are affordable ($5 to approx. $35) which is approx. INR 370 to about INR 2,600. You might say that is quite a pretty penny, and not exactly affordable, however, we need to keep in mind that you're getting the necessary key active ingredients (best suited for your skin needs) at much higher concentrations - making them more effective - and without unnecessary additives that the big players in the industry include.
All DECIEM products, across all their brands including The Ordinary, are free of sulphates, parabens, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone & methylisothiazolinone (preservatives that have been known to sensitize the skin), animal oils, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde (preservative), mercury, and oxybenzone (chemical sunscreen active). Also, DECIEM does not test on animals, and do not support any affiliates who would.
The Ordinary is currently unavailable in India (retail), however, their products can be sourced either directly from their website (will cost you a kidney and then some), or websites such as CultBeauty UK and Lookfantastic (buying a bunch of products will save you on Shipping Costs).
What's in my product?
Ingredients: Aqua(Water), Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc PCA, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Green - Yay!! Blue - Good/Fair Orange - Bleh! Red - Nope!
The key two ingredients, or the active ingredients in this water-based formulation are Niacinamide (at a concentration of 10%) and Zinc PCA (at a concentration of 1%) with the rest of the ingredients provided to enhance the actives and ensure the product reaches the lower layer of skin to really work it's magic.
Let's look at the key ingredients to understand how they all work together -
1. Niacinamide:
Niacinamide, also commonly known as Vitamin B3 (or nicotinamide), is a water soluble vitamin that is touted to visibly minimize enlarged pores, tighten lax pores, improve uneven skin tone, soften fine lines and wrinkles, diminish dullness, and strengthen weakened skin barriers. It also helps to reduce the impact of environmental damage, such as those caused by pollution, continued exposure to the sun, dust etc. - Something we specifically know and experience way too much!
Niacinamide is unique in the sense that it can be paired with most other active ingredients such as, Retinol, Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, AHAs, BHAs and most forms of Vitamin C (more on this later). To add on, it can be used by sensitive skin-types, and is commonly clinically prescribed for those with Acne, Rosacea, Eczema and dry flaky skin.
How it works? Yes, from the list of benefits above, it seems way too far a stretch and almost impossible for this simple vitamin to be such a heavy weight! Let's dive into how it actually works?
From the existing research, the understanding is that niacinamide has a normalizing ability on the pore lining, i.e., bringing it back to it's normal state or condition, which helps in keeping debris from getting backed up. Clogged pores lead to your pores having to stretch to accommodate the debris, apart from breakouts and whiteheads. Niacinamide also has sebum (the oily substance our skin produces that can cause pimples & acne, and lead to oily skin) regulating and anti-inflammatory properties - All in all, a blessing for those with oily skin and acne prone skin!
Studies have shown that niacinamide can boost the production of collagen, as well as other important proteins required by the body and skin
Additionally, it has been observed to suppress the transfer or movement of cells carrying the melanin pigment (melanosomes) to the skin cells in the top layer of the skin (called keratinocytes)
Niacinamide can also increase the synthesis of free fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramide (commonly known as the cement that keeps all the skin cells together), resulting in a healthy and strong skin barrier, which helps in keeping the water locked within the skin and keeps the skin hydrated
How safe is it? Niacinamide is naturally found in many foods including green vegetables, beans, cereal grains, meat, fish, milk, eggs and yeast, and in fact is naturally produced by the body as well, and is key for the proper functioning of fats and sugars in the body and to maintain healthy cells. It is also commonly found in many Vitamin B complex supplements that we pop in without thinking twice. So in my opinion, if it's okay to ingest, it's safe for my skin.
2. Zinc PCA
Zinc PCA is a skin-conditioning ingredient that is synthetically derived from zinc. This ingredient is claimed to be a promising anti-aging active, as well helps in fighting acne causing bacteria.
How it works?
It has the ability to thwart destructive enzymes that are produced in the skin that can potentially damage the skin's surface, which leads to the skin appearing aged and wrinkled
Zinc helps normalize sebum production, as well as reduce and limit the growth of acne causing bacteria
PCA, though it sounds very chemical, is found and produced naturally in our skin, and is one of the biggest Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) component of the skin. The NMF is a chemical protective layer on the top layer of the skin, comprising mostly of amino acids, PCA (Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid) and salts to retain moisture and keep the skin hydrated
How safe is it? Zinc has been proven to be healthy not just for the skin, but also for our overall health. Zinc applied topically has been proved to be anti-inflammatory in nature. Additionally, the form used here is Zinc PCA, the PCA portion as discussed earlier is naturally occurring, and helps keep a healthy skin barrier.
Others - Other ingredients used in the formulation are predominantly to aid the key active ingredients penetrate deep into the layers of skin, allow controlled delivery of key ingredients, texture enhancers, stabilizers and humectants (preservers of moisture in the skin)
This serum contains Phenoxyethanol, a preservative that does carry some risk of sensitizing the skin, i.e., might cause some irritation. This preservative is in most of your skin care products, so if you do not have an issue with your current skincare routine, there is nothing to worry about. However, if you do have issues with this ingredient, you might want to stay away. This is the ONLY reason I have marked the ingredient in Orange.
My thoughts on the product
I have so many points about this product, some that I absolutely love, and some I'm not the biggest fan of. So let us break this down into first impressions including packaging, touch & feel of the product, how to use, changes within a week, and changes within a month.
1. Packaging :
The outer packaging is a white cardboard box, that isn't too flimsy nor too strong - just good enough to hold the product within safely. What I love however, is what's inside. A frosted glass bottle with a dropper to ensure you get exactly how much product you want.
The beauty of The Ordinary brand's packaging is the simplistic packaging and colour schemes (white, black & grey), which make you feel that it is a clinical product, and made me believe in the product.
2. Touch & Feel :
The product is light weight, spreads well and absorbs into the skin quite quickly. 2-3 drops is more than enough to cover the entire face and neck.
The product is predominantly transparent with the slightest touch of milkiness.
The Ordinary products do not have any added fragrances, and this product doesn't particularly have a strong smell - but just a chemical one I guess. I personally do not have any issues with it, and the smell is gone within the first 5-10 seconds.
The serum is slightly tacky, and leaves a mild sticky feeling after application (do not use more than 2 drops just for your face). However, under a moisturizer and an SPF, it doesn't make your skin look oily or greasy. In my opinion, I like the slight tackiness as it helps keep my make-up in place.
3. How-to-Use :
The general rule of thumb while using any skincare products is to go from thinnest to thickest in terms of consistency
The directions on the packaging recommend using the product twice a day (AM & PM) underneath heavier creams, and that's pretty much all it mentions.
Personally I like to use this during the day, and use other serums which have skin repairing and replenishing properties in the night (which might or might not have impacted the time it took to see a difference). Additionally, the tackiness helps keeping my make-up in place, so I feel it works better for me.
I generally avoid using a toner or essence beneath this serum post cleansing my skin when I am applying make-up, as it just makes the whole thing extremely heavy. However, when I stay at home, depending on how I feel, I would use either a toner or an essence but never both.
Please Note: While layering with other products, I had mentioned that Niacinamide works well with almost every other active ingredient, however, till date there is some confusion regarding its pairing with Vitamin C. In the 1960s, a study claimed that these two actives together form niacin - a product that might cause a condition called flushing where the skin reddens and might be accompanied with a burning or itching sensation. However, the study used very unstable formulas of these actives, as well as were performed in environmental conditions that we are not exposed to. Also, the formulations used today are very stable, and there are a lot of new studies that disprove the old ones, and the actives are perfectly safe to be used together.
However, I am personally a bit of a skeptic and paranoid, so I generally tend to avoid using them together, except when Vitamin C is not a key ingredient or is in smaller concentrations. I use this serum in the day, and Vitamin C in my night routine.
4. After One Week :
I have normal to combination skin (oily T-Zone), my skin doesn't breakout very often but I do get very painful deep-seated pimples during my time of the month. My skin concerns are mostly unevenness of skin tone, dark spots/moles on my face - I lost count of how many of those I have, appearance of fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes, and a small degree of sensitivity.
After using this for a week every morning immediately after cleansing my face, I noticed that the pores I had on my forehead were less visible. In general, my skin just felt and looked happier and healthier.
5. After 1 Month :
Despite all the magic in that little 30 ml bottle, I unfortunately cannot say I saw everything that they claimed would happen, despite how much I wished that it would. But, I did see a few differences that I am happy about -
Positives:
My T-zone has always bothered me, especially during summers. Every photo of mine has a super shiny forehead and chin, I could almost reflect light on it - Trust me! After I've started using this serum, my forehead still gets slightly oily, but not as much as it used to before and almost nothing on my chin.
On continuous usage of the serum I see a slight difference in some of the fine lines I have around my eyes, however, do not see much difference on my forehead.
I also noticed that some of my dark spots have started to reduce, with one almost disappearing, however, this was after almost 2.5 months of usage.
(All anti-aging products I do use, I use it more so from a preemptive point of few, rather than to get rid of any signs of aging. My personal opinion is to start looking at the anti-aging space only post 25 years of age, and using products like Vitamin C to help take care of your skin till then)
Negatives:
The immediate changes I noticed was that the size of the pores on my forehead were reduced, and then followed by the pores on my nose. However, it didn't seem to change a lot in other places. Another thing I noticed, was that if I stopped using it, after two days I'd see my pores back to their normal size as if nothing had happened.
Growing up I had pretty sensitive skin, and over time my skin has gotten a whole lot better, but sometimes my skin does act out, especially in extreme weathers, either during winters or with extreme humidity. Given this context, even though this product is supposed to be good for all skin types, there were times when the serum caused my skin to tingle or have a mild burning sensation. Now I prefer to avoid using this product whenever I feel that my skin is sensitive.
Final thoughts
I find it quite difficult to summarize what I feel about this product, or give a definite Yes or No on whether I would buy the product again.
I do LOVE that it has reduced the oiliness in my T-zone, and for those with oily skin types who are looking for something to help - this might be a good product to try out.
For me personally, I've definitely enjoyed it in my skincare routine, and have seen the benefits of it - reduction in spots and fine lines - but these are not necessarily issues I am focusing on, and I personally hoped I would have seen more of an impact on the reduction in pores (which they have literally mentioned on their packaging as 1 of 2 benefits. When they have highlighted 2 benefits, you'd hope both of them work!)
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5
Personally would recommend for Oily skin types and if you have enlarged pores - Do go for this! I do truly believe it will help!
For normal to dry skin (and if you don't have particularly large pores), as hard it is for me to say this (because I really really did want to absolutely love this product), you can give this a miss!
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The product review is my personal opinion on the product, and what I understand from articles available online. The description on ingredients has been sourced from websites that specifically look to provide information on commonly used ingredients in skincare and make-up. If I have mentioned anything incorrectly or wrong, please do reach out to me, and we can update the same.
Wherever I have mentioned a specific fact or figure, these have been sourced either from Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim is to help people understand the various ingredients in their skincare and how those ingredients work, to help make intelligent purchase decisions with regards to skincare.
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