The Ordinary Skincare Review - AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution , Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG and Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Written by: Swati on:

When DECIEM came out with a whole line of products under The Ordinary banner, the beauty world could not stop talking & raving about it! I get why. They offered no-nonsense, clinical skincare products at affordable prices. (though unavailabilty in India still makes sourcing their products a bit steep).
An array of serums concentrating on individual ingredients targeting different concerns & skin needs. It allows you to pick ingredients suited to you & make your own regime.
Also, their products are usually fragrance-free, alcohol-free, silicone-free, oil-free, nut-free, cruelty-free and vegan.

It has taken me sometime to feature these products here, but I always like trying skincare for a good amount of time before sharing my thoughts with you all. Anyway, here you go! 


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1) AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution


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I am slowly becoming a fan of chemical exfoliation.
One of the few in my stash is the AHA BHA Peeling Solution by The Ordinary. A product that is hyped all over & loved by most. 
 



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The Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) - Glycolic, Lactic, Tartaric, Citric help in exfoliating the skin's surface. The Beta hydroxy acids (BHA) - Salicylic Acid exfoliate & help clear pore congestion
Additionally, it also has Tasmanian Pepperberry derivative to help reduce irritation associated with acid use ; Hyaluronic acid crosspolymer to make the solution comfortable, Vitamin B5 to assist healing & Black Carrot as an antioxidant

I have been using this for quite a few months now & do like it.
  • It always gives me brighter, more even toned skin
  • It definitely improves my skin texture 
  • It is easy to use. I smooth a 3-4 drops over clean face in a thin layer (avoiding eye and lip area), leave it on for 3 minutes (never ever more than 5 mins) & rinse with water thoroughly. 
Since this is a very concentrated product I use it once in a month. NOT MORE. And use only 3-4 drops at a time. 

 The Ordinary AHA BHA Peeling Solution review,  The Ordinary AHA BHA Peeling Solution review india

Please remember : This is a very strong product and it needs to be used very very cautiously. I would advise beginners to stay away from it. If you haven't tried any chemical exfoliants then it is better to start with something which is very mild & gentle. 

The brand says that you can use it twice a week, I would recommend you to use it far less frequently. unless you are absolutely sure that your skin can take it! 

Also, the liquid has a strong acid smell & stings when you apply it. It is not a pleasant sensation but I find it tolerable. 

** If you have extremely senstive skin, open wounds, active breakouts please stay clear of this. I would also recommend everyone to do a patch test before using this!! Again, please be careful. This is not a product to be taken lightly. Please read our Basics Of Chemical Exfoliation Post if you are new to acids.


2) Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

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This product has 5% caffeine + Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside (EGCG) from green tea leaves both of which work in reducing eye puffiness & dark circles.
The jar is tinted brown to help protect the forumla from sunlight degradation.


The solution is like a serum consistency (it's not as thin as water, but not completely gel like). It spreads easily & gets absorbed quicky & well. You only need a drop for both the eyes and 1 bottle will last you AGES!
I have been using it for over 3 months & here's what I think:

  • It does help reduce puffiness to an extent - I do not suffer from constant puffy eyes each day, but on certain days when I have, it has helped reduce it.
  • It did not have any visible effect on my dark circles - Please know that I do not suffer from extreme or chronic dark circles. This product maintained my eye area i.e. neither improved nor degraded my under eye discoluration.
  • Did not cause any adverse reactions - No milia (which I am very prone to), irritation, redness etc . 
Overall, it was an average product for me. There  is nothing special it did for me. It might work better and show visible effects on someone who has under eye issues especially puffiness. 

Since the Ordinary is not available in India yet, I will not prefer to spend money to repurchase this one (sourcing it from international websites turns out to be pretty expensive). 


3) Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

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This is the newest addition to my family of The Ordinary products. I haven't had a chance to use it consistently yet (the wedding came in between & I did not want to try out new products) so I cannot tell you how effective this is yet. 
But I have been trying it for the past few weeks on & off. So here are my first impressions

Niacinamide (vit B3) is known to be a skin-restoring ingredient which visibly improves the appearance of enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines & dullness.
The addition of Zinc in the solution makes this product quite fit for oily skins helping with congestion, blemishes & regulates sebum production. 

It is a clear liquid with thin consistency. It blends easily leaving a slightly tacky feeling just for a few mintues after which the skin looks completely matte. 
If I rub the solution in it starts turning into a white foamy consistency. So I just pat it in. 

So far I can say that it does not help with controlling oil formation (the weather is super hot at the moment). I haven't seen any effects on pores as well. It is too early to say anything yet. I will update you all about it once I have used the product more
I feel with Niacinamide, you can start to see results over longer consistent use. 

My all time favourite product with zinc which surely helps in controlling breakouts has to be Serozinc. Full review here. Another ingredient which I like for breakouts and pores is Salicylic acid. 


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Left to Right : AHA BHA Peeling Solution ; Caffeine Solution ; Niacinamide Solution

For more information about the products you can visit The Ordinary website here

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xoxo,
Swati

P.S. We will be talking more about exfoliation super soon! So, keep a lookout!
UPDATE : Discussing all about PHYSICAL EXFOLIATION in this post! All the methods, their advantages & disadvantages & our top picks!
Find the detailed post on Chemical Exfoliation Here

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