After experiencing that beginning of winter skin freakout, I’ve been on a real skincare kick. After getting the dryness and irritation under control, I’ve really enjoyed layering different products that I have and the whole ritual of morning and evening skincare application – it’s been more than simply going through the motions for me. Recently, I’ve discovered a few products in my arsenal that I haven’t reviewed as of yet but want to share my thoughts on. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% ($6.70 CDN/ 30 mLs) is one of these products.

For the sake of this post not being a few thousand words, i won’t get into the controversy over Deciem’s ownership and their ex-CEO – The Ordinary is one of the many brands under the Deciem umbrella. This product is a simple chemical exfoliant formula with some hydrating and soothing properties. It contains 10% of the alpha hydroxy acid, lactic acid to gently exfoliate the surface of the skin, help to unclog pores, smooth and hydrate the skin’s surface and decrease the look of imperfections and discolourations over time. I will emphasize that this won’t exfoliate the pore to the same degree as salicylic acid does so if clogged pores are your primary concern, I’d be more tempted to try salicylic as your chemical exfoliant of choice. It did do all of these things mentioned above in a gentle fashion because it’s formulated at the correct pH and does not contain irritants such as drying alcohols, or irritating plant extracts and essential oils. It performed well as a gentle alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant for me but I will note that I didn’t notice a real wow impact of using it compared to other products in the category upon first use. However, I may be biased because I continuously use acids in my regimen. It definitely helped to even out the texture of my skin and to keep my skin clear but I found this lactic-acid based exfoliant shined at drawing moisture back into my dehydrated skin. The formula does include 2% hyaluronic acid which is incredibly helpful as a humectant, especially in combination with lactic acid and glycerin. Another novel ingredient of note in the formula is the Tasmanian pepper berry that has research indicating that it has excellent anti-inflammatory activity and can function as an antioxidant. I believe that the addition of these soothing and hydrating ingredients play a part in how gentle the formula is whilst being effective.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.

The acid is housed in a frosted glass bottle container with a dropper, which works well to dispense the gel-serum texture of the exfoliant. I suppose it’s slightly sticky in texture but most skin types will need to apply something over the top in order to seal the moisture into the skin (as it contains humectants) and consequently, the tackiness should not be an issue. The dropper works well for the fluid texture of the product and I don’t believe that this product contains anything that could be compromised by this packaging style. It feels lightweight and hydrating on the skin, quickly sinking in. If you’re interested in trying a water-binding acid exfoliant, I’d highly recommend trying this one. It’s not complicated and is effective and gentle at a very affordable price tag. I do find that I go through the bottle a little more quickly than some other acid exfoliants but it’s so affordable that I don’t care. It’s free of animal testing, I believe. I will note, however, that the formula isn’t as robust as some of the much more expensive exfoliants I also enjoy from Paula’s Choice.

Any thoughts?

Maggie, x