The Ordinary Skincare Serums in my Routine: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Advanced Retinoid 2% & Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%

Good skincare doesn’t have to be expensive you know? If you have the budget then go ahead but if you don’t, there are other brands out in the market that works just as effective, if not more. Take for example DECIEM‘s youngest child, The Ordinary.

NOTHING ORDINARY ABOUT THIS SKINCARE

The Ordinary is an evolving collection of treatments offering familiar, effective clinical technologies positioned to raise pricing and communication integrity in skincare. The brand was created to celebrate integrity in its most humble and true form. Its offering is pioneering, not in the familiar technologies it uses, but in its honesty and integrity. The Ordinary is born to disallow commodity to be disguised as ingenuity. The Ordinary is “Clinical formulations with integrity”.

First off, let’s talk about their packaging. I think we’re all familiar with their tubes and bottles by now as they’re some of the most talked about products at the moment. The ones I have are in a no-nonsense clear or brown bottle with a dropper. There’s no fancy logos or colorful strips of labels. And their names are simple as the active ingredient you’re looking to add in your regimen. A brand is finally giving us the good stuff straight up.

NIACINAMIDE 10% + ZINC 1%

I’ve been curious about Niacinamide ever since I became a Dermatology resident. The skin benefits are certainly promising but the only thing that stopped me from trying out any product with it as an active ingredient are the mixed reviews. Not about the product per se but about Niacinamide itself. Now that I’ve been using it, I have become a convert.

Its consistency is thicker than water but it has a lightweight feel to it and leaves the skin with a slight sticky feeling once absorbed. Good news for those with sensitive noses because it doesn’t have any scent. Personally, I have noticed some minor changes on my face after using it for more than a month. A friend also has recently mentioned that I have a glow nowadays. If that is because of this serum, who knows. The oiliness of my skin is still the same but my skin tone has evened out a bit. Maybe the other benefits will become more obvious if I continue using it. I do plan on keeping it as part of my daytime regimen in the long run. At the moment, I am currently alternating it with a Vitamin C serum.

ADVANCED RETINOID 2%

I only just about realized how having a retinoid in my regimen has helped prevent drastic wrinkling around my eye areas. I’ve started using a retinol cream 2 years ago on my under eye area and fast forward to the present, I think with continuous use, I may have less wrinkles because of it. That’s the reason why I chose the Advanced Retinoid 2% serum from the list of The Ordinary products I wanted to try out first.

It has a milky, yellowish-white runny liquid that smells distinctly like plastic. It doesn’t bother me at all but some might find it unpleasant. I added this to my regimen because of its anti-aging properties and less so with acne. The thing I love most about this product is that it’s in a serum form. I feel like serums do a better job than most creams because the skin absorbs them better. I’ve used other retinol/retinoid products before and I absolutely detest the peeling that happens afterwards. This one does not do that. In fact, I use it everyday at night and I have not experienced a little bit of redness or peeling. I also notice that all my acne marks take a shorter time to lighten up.

LACTIC ACID 10% + HA 2%

FYI, I have comedonal acne. My jawline, chin and forehead are peppered by these bumps which have plagued me to no end. I have used a lot of topical medications for mild, comedonal acne but none have blown me away. Not like The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%. And I didn’t have to wait for one month to see results. The change was noticeable the following day. My skin was softer and smoother with less bumps along my problem areas.

This serum also has a sticky sensation after application on the skin. It has an odd, sweet and fruity scent that I really like. I started to use this every other day because it causes some mild itchiness after application. But other than that, this has neither caised any redness or peeling. If your skin is not familiar with any hydroxy acids, you might want to try the milder version (Lactic acid 5% + HA 2%) to prevent any skin irritation.

The last two serums are needed to be applied at night because it makes your skin sensitive to UV. As such, wearing sunblock (at least SPF 30) in the morning is an important part of daytime skincare regimen. If you haven’t been wearing sunblock before, then you certainly should with using this.

I am truly and incredibly impressed by these serums that I am giving them TWO THUMBS UP and HOLY GRAIL statuses from here on out. I’m planning to try other serums from the line in a few months or so therefore, I need your opinion on what else I should get. Tell me down below what other Ordinary skincare products you think I need to try.

By the way, I managed to get all these thru @designerdepotph. Send her a message if you’re interested to get some for yourself.

What Deciem products have you got in your stash?