The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% Zinc 1% Review: Before/After 6 Months

It’s so rare! Not only did I finish this The Ordinary serum in record time, but I also scoured the internet to find my second bottle, in the middle of nowhere in Nicaragua. For someone who regularly switches up their skincare products, I can hardly believe it myself. That’s when I knew I had to tell you about it.

This post is not NOT sponsored

I fell for the products The Ordinary after my trip to the United States. It’s just easier to have the products right in front of you, and especially to have a brand advisor right there. They have a store in New York, and it’s as minimalist as the ingredient lists of The Ordinary products.

What is The Ordinary?

It’s a brand known for its high concentration of active ingredients in its products – without the price tag high price tag that comes with it.

So you can get access to peeling, hydrating, barrier-repairing products… with the star ingredients of facial skincare – for under €10

The product names pretty much sum up everything that’s inside – which makes for somewhat long names, but for fanatics who love analyzing labels, it’s holy grail.

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

~~This serum is the only product I’ve tested from The Ordinary~~. Since then, I’ve tried many more, but it remains my favorite.

It’s one of the bestsellers and having seen the effects of niacinamide in another overpriced product, I figured I’d better buy a serum where niacinamide is the star ingredient.

Niacinamide is a water-soluble B3 vitamin that’s ultra-hydrating. It improves the skin’s barrier function by stimulating lipid synthesis, limiting water loss, and fighting dryness. It boosts collagen production (reduces wrinkles), has an anti-inflammatory effect (against acne), and diminishes and regulates melanin production (great for dark spots). Plus, this serum contains 1% Zinc – an ingredient I absolutely love. Zinc works particularly well for me and helps fight off unsightly breakouts.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc PCA, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

The Price

€5.90 for 30ml or €10.6 for 60ml.
I know, it’s so cheap it becomes suspicious. But that’s the brand’s philosophy!

You can buy it from France on their official website here (the 60ml version has recently become available on their site) – shipped from England, no customs fees.
You can buy it also at Sephora France (online only, not in stores)
FeelUnique (link) and Lookfantastic (link) are also authorized retailers

Packaging & Texture

I don’t like its packaging. This is my second bottle, so I can confidently say it’s the packaging itself, not a rare manufacturing defect. While the bottle is glass, the cap is cheap plastic. And the two don’t fit together well. There is no risk of leakage, but you have to be careful every time you close it. Also, the product always leaves white residue on the bottle, which is not very glam.

The liquid is viscous and smells like metal. However, it absorbs very well into the skin, and the cooling effect is pleasant.
I use it as a serum, and unfortunately, if you apply a moisturizer on top, you have to choose THE moisturizer that works well with it, because with some moisturizers, it pills.

Update May 2020: I just bought the new 60ml bottle, it’s also glass but we still have this plastic cap issue.

Effectiveness

Let’s forgive it for all these flaws. Because in terms of effectiveness, I rate it 10/10. If I no longer have any breakouts even before and during my period, it’s thanks to this product.

I told you it improved the skin barrier function, well, I got scientific proof that my skin barrier improved. I had a skin scan at the spa, and within a year, the machine showed that I had fewer “holes” in my skin.

Regarding breakouts, let me show you a before/after photo to illustrate my point. Keep in mind that these results were also achieved thanks to other products like Foreo, SkinCeuticals, Mario Badescu… (learn more about my anti-acne routine here) but The Ordinary is one of the products that gave the most “wow” effect.

How did I know? Well, when I finished the first bottle, I didn’t do anything. I was in Nicaragua, I couldn’t be bothered to find a replacement. And 2 weeks later, the breakouts came back. I had to rush to get a second bottle – it wasn’t easy in Nicaragua – and once the serum was applied to my skin, the breakouts disappeared again and my skin returned to normal. Phew.

Recently, due to lockdown, I ran out of stock and couldn’t be bothered to order more, thinking that since I wasn’t going out, it would be fine. Unfortunately, it showed right away: hello breakouts!

I don’t see the reappearance of breakouts when stopping the product as a sign of addiction. Rather, it’s linked to the mechanism of hormonal breakouts. Hormonal breakouts are caused by excess sebum, and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% helps regulate it effectively. So, I ordered my 3rd bottle, this time in 60ml, to avoid having to order too often.

Why is this serum so effective?

Because it limits excess sebum. No excess sebum, no breakouts. It’s that simple.

That’s also the criticism you could make of it, especially on combination skin – because there are areas where you don’t need to limit sebum production – and by using this serum, some areas can appear drier. So, you need to know your skin and only use the serum on areas that need it. In my case, I now use it only as a preventive measure – on areas that are prone to breaking out, especially BEFORE my period and on areas with enlarged pores. Its effects on enlarged pores are impressive, but the effect isn’t lasting, meaning as soon as you stop using it, pores look large again. I use it daily with another hydrating serum, the one and only anti-thirst serum from Clarins (Sephora link, Marionnaud link)

I would, however, recommend doing a patch test before using it – because some people have had purging issues (meaning they got more breakouts when using it than before). Basically, it’s hit or miss. But for €5.9, it’s worth a try, really! Do a patch test first and use just 2 drops for your whole face. Start by using it every other day, and if it goes well, you can use it up to twice a day like me.

September 2020 update: for those whose skin doesn’t like this serum, know that the main culprit is the Zinc in this product. That’s why the brand came out with the “niacinamide” powder version, to simply mix with your serum (read my detailed review here). Your serum just needs to be free of Vitamin C, with a pH below 5

Where to buy?

You can buy it from France (Belgium, Luxembourg… well, Europe) on their official website here (the 60ml version has recently been sold on their site): the price is the same as in the US, i.e. 5,90€, you don’t pay customs fees because they’re shipped from England (£4.99 shipping, or free shipping on orders over £25).
- Covid update: I placed an order on the site on Sunday, May 10, 2020, the parcel was dispatched on Thursday, May 14, and I received it at home (someone rang my doorbell) on Monday, May 18.
You can buy it also at Sephora France (Sephora link) (online only, not in stores)
FeelUnique (link) and Lookfantastic (link) are also authorized retailers

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