The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Hyaluronic acid is the reason to consider this serum, with Pro-vitamin B5 behind it.
The case for it
- Hyaluronic acid, strong evidence for hydration
- Pro-vitamin B5, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readThe Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is a serum built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Crosslinked sodium HA. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and very dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Skip it if you already own something similar: it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
12 of the 17 sit above the 1% line. The other 5, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
What it delivers
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
Crosslinked sodium hyaluronate that forms a hydrated gel matrix at the surface. Used in serums for longer lasting hydration that visibly softens fine lines while it is in place.
Humectant and soothing ingredient that helps calm irritation and supports barrier repair and recovery.
Short chain diol that works as a light humectant, co solvent and preservative booster. It keeps a formula less sticky and microbially stable while hydrating the outer layers.
How to use it
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Crosslinked sodium HAderived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Pentylene Glycolderived from what it is
- Pro-vitamin B5derived from what it is
5 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
Against the average serum
It scores lower than the median serum on anti-aging and brightening.
On hydration, barrier repair and oil control it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 15 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 17 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua (Water)Solvent (base)
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- PropanediolHumectant
- Sodium Hyaluronate CrosspolymerHumectant
- PanthenolHumectant
- Ahnfeltia Concinna ExtractBotanical extract
- GlycerinHumectant
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Isoceteth-20Emulsifier
- EthoxydiglycolSolvent
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Ethylhexylglycerin down, these 5 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- Hexylene GlycolHumectantmild irritant
- 1,2-HexanediolPreservative booster
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua (Water), Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 23 comparisons
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 10
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Medik8 Liquid Peptides
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Torriden DIVE-IN Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs iUNIK Beta Glucan Power Moisture Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Anua Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Serum
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs The Ordinary GF 15% Solution
- Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster
Common questions
Is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, very dry skin. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is a serum built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Crosslinked sodium HA. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and very dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid, Crosslinked sodium HA, Pro-vitamin B5, Pentylene Glycol. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Pentylene Glycol and Pro-vitamin B5 in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
