PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY NATURAL MOISTURIZING FACTORS + PHYTOCERAMIDES - What Are Ceramides? What Does Ceramide Do to Your Skin? Do Ceramides Reduce Wrinkles?
THE ORDINARY | NATURAL MOISTURIZING FACTORS + PHYTOCERAMIDES
I’m a big fan of The Ordinary! In fact, the first skincare products I use every day are all from The Ordinary.
I wake up every morning at about the same time (yes, without an alarm!) – 5 a.m. No, the first thing I do isn’t my skincare routine. That would be really obsessive. The first thing I do is feed Orpheus, my 17-year-old tuxedo cat!
Once Orpheus is happily fed, I make myself coffee. Then, yes, I do my first skincare routine of the day. I’ll refer to it is as my first-thing-in-the-morning routine.
After a gentle cleanse to remove any product still on my face from the night before, my first-thing-in-the-morning routine includes: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG to address any under-eye puffiness, the super-watery humectant serum Marine Hyaluronics for instant rehydration, and The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide + HA Serum – formerly known as “Buffet”. After this skincare quickie, I go to the gym or go for a 10-mile bike ride across Brooklyn.
You can catch my reviews of all of three of these products under the header the “Best Products from The Ordinary” on the blog here.
Best Products From The Ordinary
So what’s in my complete morning skincare routine – the one I actually do to start my day? And what should a full skincare routine be in the morning?
Well, IMO the best AM skincare routine should center around antioxidants and sunscreen. It’s summed up in two words: environmental defense.
My am routine usually looks something like this:
After I get back from my workout, I cleanse in the shower with a gel cleanser like The Inkey List’s Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser. I’m also fond of the brand’s Salicylic Acid Cleanser to help clear my pores of the sweat, dirt and pollution that can clog pores and lead to acne breakouts.
Next, I nearly always tone with the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. The toning step is immediately followed by the application of a Niacinamide serum. If you’ve been following my skincare shenanigans for a while, you already know that the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is my longtime go-to. But lately I’ve been obsessed with the new Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum, too. At $65, it ain’t cheap; but it’s worth every delicious antioxidant-infused drop!
PRODUCT REVIEW: SUNDAY RILEY B3 NICE 10% NIACINAMIDE SERUM
Of course, no morning routine would be complete without Vitamin C for superior environmental defense and a collagen boost. Some of the best Vitamin C face serums, all personal faves, are the Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum and the Bubble Day Dream Vitamin C + Niacinamide Tone and Texture Serum – the best Vitamin C serum for oily skin that I’ve come across. Both are super affordable, and under $20.
You can catch both my Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum review and Bubble Day Dream Vitamin C + Niacinamide Tone and Texture Serum review on the blog here.
After these targeted Niacinamide and Vitamin C serums, I’ll usually try something new; lately that’s a peptide serum. And peptides are hot AF these days. It’s not a coincidence that The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide + HA Serum is at the top of the skincare charts – and why the brand decided to reposition, rename and repackage their iconic “Buffet” peptide serum. Skincare trends are no joke!
Two new standout face serums with peptides are the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid + Collagen Activating Serum and First Aid Beauty Bounce-Boosting Serum with Collagen + Peptides. Stay tuned for my product reviews of these on the blog soon!
PRODUCT REVIEW: BUBBLE DAY DREAM VITAMIN C + NIACINAMIDE TONE AND TEXTURE SERUM
Then it’s time to seal it all in with a face cream for dry skin. Hey, it’s the end of winter here in Brooklyn and my skin can still dry out if I’m not careful about moisture replenishment.
Last week, I featured the popular La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer on the blog. Despite having worked on La Roche-Posay’s sister brand Kiehl’s at L’Oreal for seven years, I had never tried a single thing from the La Roche-Posay brand until now. And I have to admit that the Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer is surprisingly pleasurable. I get why it’s so popular.
At just about $23, it’s a straight-up basic moisturizer with two seriously pro-skin health actives Niacinamide and ceramides. I certainly wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. You can find my La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer review here.
As extensive as The Ordinary’s skincare product offerings are, it’s always surprised me that the brand has only offered a single conventional moisturizer – The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA. I like to make a distinction between a face cream and a facial oil – which The Ordinary has in spades. Both formats help to moisturize the skin and prevent dehydrating trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL.
PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY NATURAL MOISTURIZING FACTORS + HA – BEST MOISTURIZER FOR DRY SKIN
Most people are accustomed to using a face cream moisturizer for moisture replenishment, not a facial oil. That’s despite the fact that The Ordinary offers numerous distinct, one-note facial oils, including The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane and its lighter twin, the $5 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane.
The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA has long been their only face cream option dating back to the initial launch of the brand by parent company Deciem in 2016. You can catch my Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA product review on the blog here.
As I’ve said previously, it’s a perfectly functional and somewhat utilitarian face cream. The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA delivers everything skin needs from a face cream on a basic level: moisture replenishment, lipid replenishment and hydration. Yet for many people, particularly those with dry or very dry skin, it’s perhaps not quite rich enough.
A COMPLETE OILY SKIN ROUTINE FROM THE ORDINARY - BEST SKINCARE FOR OILY SKIN
And it’s got such a weird name! I know you’ve probably wondered at some point, what are natural moisturizing factors? I know I had never heard the term “natural moisturizing factors” until I came across The Ordinary’s sole face cream!
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice research team,
Natural Moisturizing Factors, otherwise known as NMFs, are substances within skin’s uppermost layers that help keep it smooth, hydrated and healthy-looking. Topical application helps reinforce skin’s surface so skin takes on a younger, replenished appearance.
NMFs make up an expansive group of ingredients that include amino acids, lactic acid, sodium PCA, various sugars and minerals, and peptides. Together with the naturally-occurring lipids in skin (examples would be ceramides, cholesterol, and glycosaminoglycans), NMF’s work to keep skin’s surface intact and supple. It is worth noting that routine exposure to sensitizing ingredients like drying cleanising agents and denatured alcohol cause serious depletion of skin’s natural moisturizing factors, leading to visibly dry, tight-feeling, flaky skin.
So, it’s funny (and cool!) that The Ordinary’s new, richer face cream is essentially an amped up version of the original. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides has just been introduced on the brand’s website and is soon to become widely available at retailers around the world.
There are two key distinctions between the The Ordinary’s two face creams with NMF. The new Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides is a bit richer with enhanced moisture replenishment for dry skin (and dry climates!). In fact, The Ordinary says that “this new formulation provides rich surface hydration, containing nearly twice the moisturizing emollients of The Ordinary's original Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA – making this ideal for those concerned with dryness or within this t dehydration.”
And, well, as the name asserts, it’s got ceramides – or phytoceramides, to be exact. What are Phytoceramides? Well, Phytoceramides are plant-derived fatty acids that work similarly to traditional ceramides, helping retain moisture, protect the skin barrier, and reduce inflammation. They can be taken orally in supplement form or applied topically in skincare products as with The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides.
What are ceramides and what do ceramides do for skin?
Ceramides are lipids, or fats, that are naturally produced by the skin.
Ceramides help to maintain skin barrier integrity, retain moisture, and protect against environmental damage.
Ceramides can also help reduce inflammation and irritation, while also helping to improve overall texture and skin tone.
Ceramides can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
As I’ve been doing since the beginning of 2023, I’m taking advantage of groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology to more deeply answer questions related to skincare, skincare actives, and the needs of the skin itself. I posed a few key questions to the AI at you.com about ceramides, skin lipids, and even NMF.
Here’s how the artificial intelligence responded:
What are ceramides and what do ceramides do for skin?
Ceramides are complex lipids that play a central role in cell membrane integrity [1], hydration, and protection of the skin. They are the primary component of the skin’s lipid barrier, which helps to protect the skin from environmental damage and dehydration. Ceramides are important for skin health and contribute to the maintenance of a healthy, hydrated, and youthful skin appearance. Studies have demonstrated that topical application of ceramides can improve skin hydration, barrier function, and elasticity, as well as reduce skin irritation and inflammation. It has also been suggested that ceramides may be useful in the treatment of atopic dermatitis and other skin disorders.
Sources: [1] Ceramides: A class of lipids with links to heart disease - Mayo Clinic
What are examples of skin lipids and what do they do?
Skin lipids are a group of substances that play a key role in skin health and function. Some examples of skin lipids include ceramides, free fatty acids, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Ceramides are important for protecting skin from external damage and for maintaining skin hydration. Free fatty acids are involved in skin barrier formation and have antimicrobial properties. Cholesterol is the primary component of the skin barrier and helps the skin conserve water. Triglycerides are important for skin elasticity and are also involved in skin barrier formation.
Sources: [1] Motta, M. L., & Cestari, T. (2018). Skin lipids: an update. Anais brasileiros de dermatologia, 93(4), 514–523. [2] Pappas, A., & Maibach, H. I. (2010). The role of lipids in the skin. In Skin Lipids (pp. 3–24). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
What are natural moisturizing factors in the skin?
Natural moisturizing factors (NMF) are substances found in the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin, that help to keep the skin hydrated and healthy. NMF compounds are composed of water-soluble molecules such as urea, amino acids, lactic acid, and electrolytes, which help to attract and retain water in the skin. Additionally, NMF compounds are important for the skin's barrier function and can help to protect the skin from environmental damage.
Sources: [1] Evaluation of an HPLC Method for the Determination of Natural ...
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides Review
The Ordinary’s new Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides has surprised me and I have not quite been able to put my finger on it. For me, it’s one part texture, one part formula – and all about its potential to promote skin health.
To be honest, the first thing I thought when dispensing the Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides for the first time was that it seemed like a big beauty brand moisturizer. It’s just so luxurious. From its birth in 2016, The Ordinary has been all about disruption with bare-bones products that were about function, skin health, and actives – not about luxurious, pleasurable textures.
Since the brand’s acquisition by The Estee Lauder Companies last year, I’ve been watching closely for any big beauty influence on the indie beauty brand. As I’ve said, I worked in-house at Kiehl’s Since 1851. I witnessed the slow progression of L’Oreal’s influence on Kiehl’s over my 7+ years on the brand in the early 2000s. I know how it works. It’s like a frog in boiling water, or however the expression goes!
Curious about my first impressions?
Get a closer look at the texture of The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides and catch my TikTok unveiling of it here.
So, while I love how it feels, the texture doesn’t seem like The Ordinary to me. And that’s not to say it’s a bad thing – or a thing at all. It’s just an observation. I actually love how the Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides cream applies to my skin. But luxurious isn’t the right word for it; it’s more like a sophisticated texture. And definitely richer than the original, now classic Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.
But I don’t want to dwell entirely on texture; it’s just the first thing you notice about a product, right? I prefer to focus on the formula INCI and what a face cream or serum has the potential to do for your skin – and, most importantly, whether it can actually promote your skin health.
With its blend of fatty acids, humectants, amino acids and glycolipids like the product’s phytoceramides, the formula is actually highly pro-skin health. Why? Well, it does an effective job at addressing what your skin needs most from a moisturizer: water-binding humectants and moisturizing lipids like fatty acids and ceramides. In short, it helps to promote both skin barrier health and skin barrier repair.
SKINCARMA ON TIKTOK
One more indicator of the big beauty influence on a brand is the use of clinicals to prove a formula’s efficacy. Beauty conglomerates like The Estee Lauder Companies and L’Oreal have vast in-house resources including R&D labs replete with high-tech tools and equipment that can evaluate a product’s effects on the skin.
Indie brands don’t have that kind of expensive machinery. And clinical tests aren’t cheap. In fact, for most companies, they’re not an option. So it’s not lost on me that, for the first time I can recall, The Ordinary is citing a clinical test result for one of their products.
The brand offers the following observation made on 30 people after just one application: “This rich and replenishing cream immediately boosts skin hydration by 68%, helps strengthen the skin barrier, and offers all-day hydration, making it ideal for dry skin.”
That’s not insignificant. It’s nice to know that the product has that kind of immediate hydrating effect on the skin. And I certainly appreciate that the brand didn’t cite anything hyperbolic or vague.
Just this morning, I saw a promotional reel from Brad Pitt’s new, overpriced skincare brand, Le Domaine. The short video was touting the allegedly exceptional efficacy of the brand’s $220 face cream with the claim that it delivered an “85% anti-aging effect on the skin.” What TF does that even mean?!
So, yeah, I always take the marketing claims with more than a bit of skepticism and particularly when they’re just absurd. 85% compared to what? I can’t.
What I really want to know about The Ordinary’s moisturizers is what you’re probably asking yourself as well. What’s the difference between The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides?
Well, without a bit of hyperbole, The Ordinary asserts that the new Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides “is our most nourishing moisturizer, formulated with nearly four times more moisturizing emollients and two times more humectants than our Natural Moisturising Factors + HA.”
Ya gotta love it! And you gotta try it for yourself…
What I like about it: The Ordinary’s new Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides is clearly the brand’s best face cream to date. I can appreciate how they took something good and made it better. I love the texture and its pro-skin health potential. Seriously, it’s just packed with what your skin needs most from a basic moisturizer. And for just $22.50!
What I don’t like about it: I honestly like everything about it.
Who it’s for: All skin types except oily, very oily or acne-prone.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides for $22.50 here.
The Ingredient List of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides:
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Glycosphingolipids, Glycolipids, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Proline, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine HCl, Betaine, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Triolein, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
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