THE ORDINARY | NATURAL MOISTURIZING FACTORS + HA

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, The Ordinary's The Balance Set – Best Products from The Ordinary. You can catch the full piece here.

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I’m a long-time fan of Deciem’s The Ordinary. The democratically priced skincare brand for everyone literally revolutionized skin care.

The Ordinary was one of the first brands that offered a broad range of single-note products — that is, products focused on one primary active ingredient. In doing so, they met the curiosity of consumers to learn about ingredients and how they benefit their skin.

The Ordinary empowers us to weed through the chaos and confusion created by big beauty marketers and truly focus on skin’s unique needs. And to me, The Ordinary is about skin health, first and foremost.

I first began my not-so-ordinary journey with the brand about four years ago, just as The Ordinary was bursting onto the skincare scene. Early favorites were the Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% serum, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum and the 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder.

In fact, that entirely basic pure Vitamin C powder was the first-ever Skincarma Product of the Year, in 2018!

FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

GET 23% OFF ALL SKINCARE FROM THE ORDINARY – INCLUDING THE BALANCE SET

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!

During the month of November, which Deciem brilliantly refers to as KNOWvember, the company discounts all of its already affordable skincare products by an additional 23%. The sale began last year as a way to combat the blatant consumerism of Black Friday. And I’m so excited to see the company making what appears to be a tradition of it!

From Deciem,

Last November, we asked you to shop slowly. We said that skincare purchases should be based on education over impulse, and highlighted the importance of conscious consumption. For us, Black Friday no longer felt like a people or planet-friendly event, and so we closed our stores and website for a moment of nothingness. We did, however, still want to bring you a saving. And so we did something we had never done before by offering 23% off every product for the entire month.

This November, that 23% saving is back, along with a commitment to bring as much educational content to you as possible, over a month we have named as KNOWvember. By offering a month-long discount and daily education, we hope to empower people with the time and information required to buy less, but better.

Hyper-consumerism remains one of the biggest threats to the planet, and we know that an urgent change in how humans produce and consume products is required. The UN communicated that “according to latest projections, the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050. The equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.” (UN.org).

On 27th November (the day formerly known as Black Friday), we will be pressing pause. Our stores and website will be closed, once again, for a moment of nothingness.

Enjoy, and please remember to shop slowly :-)

Recently, the brand introduced its complete collection of skin-health basics, The Balance Set. It’s the perfect assortment of four daily skincare essentials for promoting and maintaining optimal skin health — and all for $29. (Psst…with the KNOWvember discount, The Balance Set is just $23.33!)

What’s in The Ordinary’s “The Balance Set”?

Well, The Balance Set includes two of my all-time faves from The Ordinary — the pore-clearing Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum and the ooey-gooey skin-licious Squalane Cleanser, one of the best cleansers for dry skin. Come to think of it, it’s a perfectly legitimate cleanser for all skin types, including oily skin, combo skin and sensitive skin. Rounding out the collection are the super-messy-but-worth-it Salicylic Acid 2% Masque and The Ordinary’s only conventional cream moisturizer, Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA.

The Ordinary | Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

It’s kinda funny, but I’ve never really gotten into The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA — not at the level that I appreciate the brand’s more sophisticated moisturizing, skin-replenishing facial oils.

The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane is one of my favorite facial oils for dry skin. The 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane is what’s termed a dry oil, meaning it’s not wet and heavy on the skin, doesn’t leave a greasy feel – and is absorbed almost immediately. It’s such a treat!

In classic Ordinary fashion, 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane literally contains just a single ingredient — C13-16 Isoparaffin, or Hemi-Squalane. Doesn’t that sound phenomenally boring? But I love it!

And that’s my point about The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA: it’s kinda boring. Interestingly, it’s not a single-note product. It’s a straight-up basic moisturizer. But a really well-formulated one, and a treasure trove of skin-nourishing actives, including a slew of amino acids and fatty acids, natural components of skin’s own natural moisturizing factors or NMF’s.

Components of the skin’s upper layers like amino acids, ceramides, phospholipids and hyaluronic acid combine to protect the skin barrier and help skin to retain moisture and hydration. Basic skin stuff.

What are natural moisturizing factors (NMF’s)?

According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, “natural moisturizing factors” are among the best ingredients for promoting skin health. NMF’s are described as,

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.

The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA contains everything skin needs from an everyday moisturizer. In addition to multiple aminos, there are humectants Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate as well Linoleic Acid and Oleic Acid — two superb sources of fatty acids.

There’s soothing Allantoin, Urea, Lecithin and Vitamin E, too, making for a light textured, nourishing cream that feels great on the skin.

Think of the Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA face cream as that quiet, book smart kid in science class. Keeps his head down, does the work and takes home solid A’s!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for just $13.50 here.

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