Finally reviewing the Alpha arbutin serum from The Ordinary, after years of being attracted to the brand. I’m no longer a fan but since I already purchased this one (and I had some thoughts on it), I might as well just share my review. I’ll keep it short though.
I also bought the niacinamide serum but I will not be reviewing it, I didn’t like it that much anyway.
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About The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin + HA Serum
The The Ordinary serum is a concentrated serum with hyaluronic acid and alpha arbutin to improve uneven skin tone and reduce the appearance of age spots and hyperpigmentation. It “visibly targets hyperpigmentation and dark spots”.
I got it specifically to fade my acne dark spots but I also use it for my face in general. It comes in a standard size of 30ml, at a price of $20 on Yesstyle; you can shop from other authorised retail stores. There’s also a 60ml size but so far, I have only seen that on the The Ordinary website. The prices are also cheaper there.
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Ingredients
The highlight ingredients are as expected; 2% purified alpha arbutin, and hyaluronic acid. One thing I’ll admit though, it’s smart how they market the brand as an “ordinary” brand; no fuss, just products with minimal but specific ingredients to target specific concerns. It’s also marketed as fragrance-free.
Full Ingredients list (source: product packaging):
Aqua (Water), Alpha-arbutin, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lactic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
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Thoughts
Like most The ordinary serums, it comes in a thick glass-like bottle and a dropper for dispensal. On the outside, it looks like it has some sort of light brown color but it’s actually colorless with slightly runny gel texture.
(Same thing with the niacinamide serum)
It also has a peculiar smell, not sure whether I like or hate it but it doesn’t really bother me. It can feel quite sticky, and makes my skin feel somewhat tight minutes after application.
I’ve been using it diligently for a bit and although it has not faded all my spots, it has faded the ones on some areas of my face significantly, and improved the other areas. Still, I hope I can see more results before the bottle finally runs out.
Before purchasing it, I had heard stories about some of the brand’s products causing breakouts, so I did some patch-testing before including it fully into my routine. I’d advise you do the same as well.
Finally, it’s suitable for morning and night use so I use it whenever I feel like; that just means it’s also up to you.
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Other skincare posts to check out:
– HARUHARU Wonder Black Rice Cleansing Gel Review
Final Thoughts
Will I recommend? From a purely skincare perspective, it’s worth the try if you want to tackle dark spots and hyperpigmentation. I mean, it did help with some of my spots and I think it could fade all of them, with consistent use. Otherwise, no recs.
Will I repurchase? Unfortunately, no. Let’s just say I try my best to support the BDS movement and The Ordinary seemed to not have passed the “vibe check”.
However, that’s just my choice, which is why I spoke from a purely skincare perspective in my recommendation.
**All pictures used in this post are mine except the ads. Do not repost/reuse without permission.
Thank you for reading and I hope the review was quite helpful! You can use the link above to purchase the serum and my discount code as well.
Don’t forget to let me know if you’ve tried this product and what you think of it in the comments!🖤 Oh and also if you’ve had to stop purchasing from any brands recently, in your bid to support the BDS movement.
Till Next Time,
With Love,
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