The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA On your shelf ✓
€0.25 an application · about 25 usesOur review, in one look
Hyaluronic acid is the reason to consider this moisturizer, with Urea behind it.
The case for it
- Hyaluronic acid, strong evidence for hydration
- Urea, strong evidence for hydration
- 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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Sodium PCA. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and rough skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.25 an applicationabout 25 uses from 30 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €6 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.25 an application, about 25 uses from 30 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if you already own something similar: it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragrance-free by the label: no parfum, none of the 26
- a moisturiser in a tube
- no film-former or occlusive named on the label
- no silicone on the label
- no plant or mineral oil on the label
Facts off the label and the pack only. How it feels on a face is not something this page will say without having used it.
The formula, in order
every ingredient at its place on the label
Coloured by the job each one does here.
34 of the 46 sit above the 1% line. The other 12, 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
- fed it in culture
- fed M. furfur only
- inferred from the chain length
- did not feed it
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
3 ingredients on this label fed Malassezia in culture (stearic acid, lecithin, polysorbate 60), 3 are inferred to; the follicle species grew on two of them; polysorbate 60: M. furfur only, not the folliculitis species.
Each result is a pure ingredient on a lab dish, never this product on skin.
where this comes from
- cetyl alcoholInferred from the chain length: The growth of all Malassezia spp. in the presence of free acids, free acid esters, and fatty alcohols with a fatty chain length above 12 carbon atoms was observed.DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045
- stearyl alcoholInferred from the chain length: The growth of all Malassezia spp. in the presence of free acids, free acid esters, and fatty alcohols with a fatty chain length above 12 carbon atoms was observed.DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045
- linoleic acidInferred from the chain length: Except for elaidinic and nervonic acids, all saturated and unsaturated fatty acids tested support growth.PMID 1249447
- stearic acid
The growth of all Malassezia spp. in the presence of free acids, free acid esters, and fatty alcohols with a fatty chain length above 12 carbon atoms was observed.
DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045 - lecithin
The addition of DPPC or surfactant to the media enhanced the growth of most Malassezia yeasts and some Cryptococcus species.
PMID 39644437 - polysorbate 60M. furfur only
M. furfur indeed can assimilate palmitic acid or oleic acid as well as all Tween variants (Table 6 and Supplementary Figures S4, S5), including Tween 40, which represents the C16:0 fatty acid donor in this respect.
PMID 28959251
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A middleweight lotion, enough to comfort without feeling heavy. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Glycerin: This one works on contact: there is nothing to wait for.
how it was measured
Measured on stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance after a single application; on contact, by mechanism.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
Component of skin’s natural moisturizing factor that helps attract and hold water in the stratum corneum.
Humectant that at low levels hydrates and at higher levels gently dissolves built-up dead skin cells on rough, dry areas.
Essential fatty acid that helps correct sebum imbalance supports barrier lipids and acts as a comedolytic agent in mild acne.
Light emollient ester that improves slip and reduces transepidermal water loss. Its C8-C10 chains are below what Malassezia can use: no strain grew on it (Dobler 2019).
What only this label says
Glycerin is the 6th of 46 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 6 of 46 on the label as printed; compared with the 125 other labels in the catalogue that carry a polyol.
≈ €0.20/ml, above the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml).
why
~€6 for 30 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 28 moisturizers in the catalogue with a known size.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid, Sodium PCA and Urea.
All 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Water, then caprylic/capric triglyceride: a richer, emollient base.
why
The first two ingredients on the label, in the order printed; the second's role is read from its name (a row in our base).
34 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Tocopherol down, the order stops telling you anything.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Tocopherol at position 35 (see The formula, drawn).
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens. What the 26 are →
How to use it, and when
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Where in your skin it works
All 6 of its placed actives act on or in the dead surface layer, none below it: 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
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceridederived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Linoleic Acidderived from what it is
- Sodium PCAderived from what it is
- Ureaderived from what it is
6 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
How it compares with the average moisturizer
It scores higher than the median moisturizer on oil control.
On hydration, barrier repair, brightening and anti-aging 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.
Full ingredients list, decoded
41 of these 46 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 5 we cannot place are left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 46 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua (Water)Solvent (base)
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- Cetyl AlcoholEmollient
- PropanediolHumectant
- Stearyl AlcoholEmollient
- GlycerinHumectant
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- ArginineHumectant
- Aspartic AcidHumectant
- GlycineHumectant
- AlanineHumectant
- SerineHumectant
- ValineHumectant
- IsoleucineHumectant
- ProlineHumectant
- ThreonineHumectant
- HistidineHumectant
- PhenylalanineHumectant
- GlucoseHumectant
- MaltoseHumectant
- FructoseHumectant
- TrehaloseHumectant
- Sodium PCAHumectant
- PCAHumectant
- Sodium LactateHumectant
- UreaHumectantmild irritant
- AllantoinSoothing
- Linoleic AcidBarrier lipid
- Oleic Acid
- Phytosteryl Canola GlyceridesSkin-identical lipid
- Palmitic AcidEmulsifier
- Stearic AcidEmollient
- LecithinEmulsifier
- Triolein
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Tocopherol down, these 12 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- TocopherolAntioxidantmild irritant
- CarbomerThickener
- Isoceteth-20Emulsifier
- Polysorbate 60Emulsifier
- Sodium ChlorideThickener
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- TriethanolaminePh adjuster
- Sodium HydroxidePh adjustermild irritant
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- ChlorphenesinPreservative
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Triolein, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Add it to your shelf and the app puts it in the right step and checks it against what you already use.
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.
Dupes? The closest formulas we have
The 3 products of the same kind sharing the most of its 6 actives. A count, not a likeness: the rest of each label, its base and its preservation, is what the count leaves out.
shares 3 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
16 duels are built for this moisturizer, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
How high up the list is the glycerin in The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
Glycerin is the 6th of 46 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 6th of 46 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
Is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA expensive per ml?
≈ €0.20/ml, above the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml). A price per millilitre says nothing about what the formula does; it only tells you how the bottle compares with the others of its kind we have priced.
What is the base of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
Water, then caprylic/capric triglyceride: a richer, emollient base. The first ingredients are the bulk of a formula; the actives come after them.
Where does the 1% line fall in The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
34 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Tocopherol down, the order stops telling you anything. Above it the label is in descending order by amount; below it, it need not be.
Is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, rough skin. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid and Sodium PCA. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and rough skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid, Sodium PCA, Urea, Linoleic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 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 Linoleic Acid and Sodium PCA 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.
