Product Reviews Rated 4.18 out of 5 stars
1246 Reviews
Most Helpful Positive Review Miracle Elixir of the Gods I have been struggling with acne my entire life. I'm 31 and had HAD IT with still dealing with acne in my adult years. I also had severe forehead scarring from acne and major hyper pigmentation. Almost any new product I tried would cause a breakout. After trying hundreds of creams, soaps, topical treatments, masks, medications, cleansers, etc. over the years and following different skin care blogs, I came across this product. It sounded unlike anything I had ever tried and the price was so fantastic I gave it a go. After the first use I saw a 20% improvement in redness reduction. By day 3, I noticed a significant shrinkage in my pores. By week 2, my forehead pores (which were pitted and scarred by years of acne) were much finer. Even the bumps I had were gone and my entire face was even in both tone and texture. It has been a little over 4 weeks now and I have a completely NEW face thanks to this serum! Honest!!! I…for literally the first time in my life…have a face I actually love. My makeup goes on so smoothly and I use 50% less foundation and almost zero powder now. My skin is smooth and there is no redness. And…no breakouts!!! The serum is even repairing the discoloration I had from acne around my lips and on my chin. My ridiculously oily forehead is now completely normal. It was once like an oil slick. My face skin is now 90% healed and I would actually leave the house makeup free. I almost don't recognize myself. I am a user for life!!! And I pray to GOD that The Ordinary never stops making this miracle serum. It has boosted my confidence and self-love and saved my life.
Most Helpful Critical Review Chemical burn I have dry skin and some eczema. My skin is textured and had discoloration is some small places also my skin can be dull at some times. My skin is also sensitive.I used this product for 3 days. After the first day I used it I got bumps but I read a lot of reviews saying that they had bumps at first but that they went away after a while. So I continued to use it. When I apply it I feel a stinging and burning sensation on around my nose and around my mouth which is were I have eczema. Today which is my third day of use I applied it over my face on top of my Lactic Acid 10% which is also from the ordinary (the lactic acid has never cause me any irritation). It then felt a crazy amount of stinging around my nose and around my mouth. I then looked in the mirror and noticed the product had made a develop a chemical burn from right side of my bottom lip all the way down to my jaw. Thankfully it wasn't too bad bec I washed it off as fast as I could and once I did it took 1min for it to feel better. I still a chemical burn but hopefully it will heal within the past few days.
Reviewed by 1246 customers Niacinamide is a secret weapon 5
ELA from Tampa Florida.
This is such a magical product for hyper pigmentation ! Anytime I breakout the worst part is how long the dark spot/scar stays on my face. Also the best part about using products from the ordinary is that you can mix them with other things! I use this with my moisturizer or my sunscreen or my nighttime serum or by itself ! Love it and for the price I don't understand how this is legal.
Events texture and reduces pores. Bought because of Hyram! 4
A from New Hampshire
make sure to wait until your face is completely dry before applying, otherwise can be sticky.
MUST HAVE IN SKINCARE ROUTINE 5
Dnisjsmamksjs from Florida
this is such an amazing product, it has made my darkspots go down so quick. It also decreased my oil production
I would buy this product again 4
Ruth from Bridgeview, Illinois
I use this product in my morning and night routine. It's very easy to apply.
WOWWWWW 5
Luck from NYC
Honestly was skeptical but I used for a while now and my dark spots are fading and evening out my skin tone
I can't believe it !
Broke me out and made skin worse 1
Gio from Florida
I used this product every day for nearly 2 months and my skin was not improving at all. It made me breakout. I got new pimples on my face in a different location every couple of days. There were even some nights I would go to sleep after putting it on and I would wake up with huge new whiteheads on my pimples. I stopped using this product for almost 2 weeks now and my skin is finally clear! It seems like forever since I've had clear skin. So I'm pretty sure this product was causing my breakouts. Will not use again. Unfortunately doesn't work on my skin.
Holy grail 5
S from CO
Nothing has ever worked to clear my acne and keep my skin glowy like this serum. I hope they never get rid of it
Looooooooove 5
Tiffany from Airway heights Wa
I was using curology until I got pregnant and had to stop due to the salicylic acid in it and needed a back up. I saw this, snatched a bottle up and within a week I noticed a difference
LOVE THIS PRODUCT!! 5
Cynthia from Indiana
I have struggled with acne for years and nothing has helped me as much as this product!! For reference, I have combination skin that's more towards the oily side. This has also helped a lot with getting rid of hyperpigmentation in my skin due to previous acne. I recommend this product!
Good for large pores and oily skin 4
TB from NV
I have oily to combo skin and I struggle with large pores and congestion. I get blackheads and with this product I noticed less congestion and helps the blackheads to extract. The thing I noticed is where the blackhead gets extracted it seems to scar a bit not sure if in time it will heal itself or scar forever. Time will tell.
Not the best from The Ordinary, strong alcohol smell 3
Jeanette from Los Angeles
It's not the best from this brand. Didn't notice a real difference in my skin with this. It gave a strong alcohol smell after a while in the bottle so I stopped using it. The bottle also stopped closing all the way so maybe that's why it started smelling?
eh 2
:( from my couch
it did slightly lighten some of my acne scars and reduce my sebum production however it also caused new pimples to form over night. this product is kind of overhyped and i really wanted to like it.
Best for Redness 5
Tonja from Colorado
i have used this product every night for a month, and because I wanted to REALLY be sure of any changes, I took a picture once a week. looking back over the picture I see a huge change in my skin tone. I have Hyper pigmentation and a lot of redness and it's visible in the pics that its improving with this product!
Acne Worsened 1
R Hood from Providence, RI
I've been having a bad breakout for a few months now and have heard so many good things about The Ordinary and this product especially. I was hoping that this would help but unfortunately my acne got way worse. I had huge red, painful pimples (which I've never had before) all over my cheeks after using this for about 2-3 weeks. This past week I stopped using it and I immediately saw my skin start to clear up a bit.
Best skincare addition ever!! 5
Summer from MO
I'm in my 30s attempting to undo several poor decisions from my younger days which have made my skin not super great. After scouring YT vids, assorted beauty articles and reviews, I decided this product should be added to help with my cavernous cheek pores. I've been using this stuff nightly for maybe 3 weeks now, along with a vit C serum and retinol, all started at the same time. And already, the difference in my skin texture and fine lines is incredible!! I do have to let it set for ~15min because it feels quite tacky after applying, and if I don't wait long enough I'll have really bad pilling. But the results have been well worth the occasional minor annoyance.
I would give this a 6 star if I could! 5
Julia from Michigan
I forever swear by this product!! I had bad fungal acne for about a year, then I used this product with a cetaphil cleanser and it cleared my skin!!! It makes my skin so much less oily and I love it!!!
BUY IT 5
C from Grand Rapids
I have been wanting to try this product for a while now, and I finally was able to purchase it. I've used it about four times now with the drunk elephant polypeptide cream, and wow can I see the difference. I have been struggling with combination skin (I am oily in the T-zone). I have been looking for something that works for oily skin, acne, and large pores - this is it! For me, this product has done everything it said it would. And at only $5, what do you have to lose? So worth it, buy it while you can!
Amazing! 5
SB from MD
I have been using this for about a week now. First thing I have noticed even a day or two after using it is that my skin has literally never been softer. I'm talking about pores and just bumpy skin in general, it is literally SO smooth. I usually get really bad hormonal breakouts and I wouldn't necessarily say that it helps them or at least I haven't been using it long enough to see a difference. Using this in addition to Ceraves vitamin C serum (niacinamide at night and vitamin c in the mornings) has made my acne scarring soooo much better. I love this product and would 10/10 recommend to anyone interested in it. I also have pretty sensitive skin and this has not irritated it in the slightest!
Results after first time use 😍 5
Juli from Mesquite, Tx
I just used this for the first time & my blackheads have never looked so good. I've had a nose full of blackheads my entire life & after 1 use my blackheads are minimized. I can't imagine what they will look like with prolonged use.
A lot better than I expected 4
Lou Lou from Morganton, NC
This is the first serum that I've ever owned and it pretty much matched my expectations. What's great about it is how light weight it feels on your skin and how easily it goes on. The only two negatives would be that it has a strange metallic smell and if I use it in the mornings it makes me look oily throughout the day. But over all great product.
Idk how I feel about this product 3
Lil from New York
I haven't noticed any difference to my skin and I've been using for about 2 weeks, it's made my skin slightly worse. I was told it's purging but I'm still not noticing differences.
Essential Buy 5
Jules™ from South Carolina
I use this product twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). Three small drops cover my whole face! This product has lasted me a long time and let me tell you -- this is extremely wonderful for my oily girls out there! It helps to control sebum production; this allows your skin to stay drier throughout the day. I rarely have a need to use blotting sheets!
love it! 4
Suzie from New Jersey
I have combination skin (oily t-zone and some dryness everywhere else) that's usually pretty sensitive, so I'm looking for something to address my adult acne and help with anti-aging. I was worried this would mess with my skin, but this didn't aggravate my skin at all. I started out with a small amount for the first couple of nights and now I'm using the recommended amount once per night after washing my face. My pores have definitely gotten smaller and my blackheads are clearing up. It's not a miracle product, but I can definitely see some improvement in my skin! And no purging so far!!
I wanna give this 5 stars, but I have only been using it for about a week.
Nothing happened- 1
Alex from California
I've used this since March (4 months) and i see no difference. I have combination skin. I got this for my blackheads but nothing changed. Kinda disappointed :(
TikTok Suggestion Worth It 5
BeautyBrittany from Syracuse, NY
I watched this on TikTok by skin care by Hiram and bought it. I use this before bed after I wash my face! I add it to my oily T zone and wow! It works wonders at controlling the oil and reducing pore size!
