PoreWise The Ordinary · Creams
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Product
- Brand:
- The Ordinary
- Product type:
- Creams
- Last checked:
- 2026-10-30
- Formula version:
- Pack label · 2026-10-30
- Fragrance & alcohol:
- Fragrance-free · Alcohol-free
46 ingredients on this list · WATER at number 1 · CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE at number 2 · CETYL ALCOHOL at number 3
Product description
A surface moisturizer built from the amino acids, sugars and salts that make up the skin's own natural moisturizing factors, plus hyaluronic acid.
Full ingredient list
Kept exactly as the source printed it, including spelling in the original.
- 1 WATER
- 2 CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE
- 3 CETYL ALCOHOL
- 4 PROPANEDIOL
- 5 STEARYL ALCOHOL
- 6 GLYCERIN
- 7 SODIUM HYALURONATE
- 8 ARGININE
- 9 ASPARTIC ACID
- 10 GLYCINE
- 11 ALANINE
- 12 SERINE
- 13 VALINE
- 14 ISOLEUCINE
- 15 PROLINE
- 16 THREONINE
- 17 HISTIDINE
- 18 PHENYLALANINE
- 19 GLUCOSE
- 20 MALTOSE
- 21 FRUCTOSE
- 22 TREHALOSE
- 23 SODIUM PCA
- 24 PCA
- 25 SODIUM LACTATE
- 26 UREA
- 27 ALLANTOIN
- 28 LINOLEIC ACID
- 29 OLEIC ACID
- 30 PHYTOSTERYL CANOLA GLYCERIDES
- 31 PALMITIC ACID
- 32 STEARIC ACID
- 33 LECITHIN
- 34 TRIOLEIN
- 35 TOCOPHEROL
- 36 CARBOMER
- 37 ISOCETETH-20
- 38 POLYSORBATE 60
- 39 SODIUM CHLORIDE
- 40 CITRIC ACID
- 41 TRISODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINE DISUCCINATE
- 42 PENTYLENE GLYCOL
- 43 TRIETHANOLAMINE
- 44 SODIUM HYDROXIDE
- 45 PHENOXYETHANOL
- 46 CHLORPHENESIN
Original label text
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
Ingredient analysis
PROPANEDIOL · Humectants · CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE · Emollients · ISOCETETH-20 · Cleansing agents
Humectants
16Bind water and draw it into the upper layers of the skin.
Emollients
10Fill the gaps between corneocytes to soften and smooth the surface.
Preservatives
2Inhibit microbial growth so the product stays safe to use.
Chelating agents
2Binds metal ions to keep the formula stable.
pH adjusters
4Bring the formula to, and hold it at, its target pH.
Texture agents
4Set the viscosity and feel of a formula.
Emulsifiers
5Keep oil and water mixed in a stable formula.
Evidence
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Moderate Primary source
In a randomized, double-blind, four-arm crossover study of 51 healthy volunteers with dry skin, an emollient containing glycerol and petrolatum raised corneometry-measured skin moisture significantly above its vehicle (P < 0.0001) over 12 hours. The authors attributed the hydration gain to the glycerol component and the lower water loss to the petrolatum component.
Who it applies to: Corneometry (skin moisture) and transepidermal water loss over 12 hours after one application.
Study limits: Measured on the forearms. The significant hydration result comes from the full emollient containing both glycerol and petrolatum.
- Skin effect Review article Certainty: Moderate Primary source
Topical glycerol improves stratum corneum hydration, barrier function and skin mechanical properties. The review also reports reduced irritation response and faster wound healing, and traces the effect to aquaporin-3 transport and to glycerol's own presence in the skin.
Who it applies to: Leave-on products. The review discusses both healthy skin and skin with dry or barrier-impaired conditions such as atopic dermatitis.
Study limits: A narrative review. It compiles mechanisms and results from other studies.
- Skin effect Official ingredient listing Certainty: High Public database
Glycerin is classified as a humectant in cosmetic ingredient databases: its role in a formula is to hold water.
Who it applies to: Cosmetic formulas generally. · Ingredient database · GLYCERIN
Study limits: Skin effect of to the stratum corneum comes from a separate review of the literature. · Ingredient database · GLYCERIN
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Moderate Primary source
All five 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams tested, from 50 kDa to 2000 kDa, raised skin hydration and overall elasticity above the vehicle cream applied to the other eye at 60 days.
Who it applies to: 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams applied twice daily for 60 days to the eye area of women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles.
Study limits: Sixty days, and the vehicle sat on the fellow eye. Hydration and elasticity were read by instruments. The volunteers were women aged 30-60 with eye-area wrinkles.
- How deep it gets In vitro study Certainty: Moderate Primary source
Hyaluronic acid of 20-300 kDa crossed the stratum corneum in excised human skin, while hyaluronic acid of 1000-1400 kDa remained in the stratum corneum.
Who it applies to: Excised human skin with intact stratum corneum, measured by Raman micro-imaging after topical application.
Study limits: One laboratory's imaging study. Three molecular-weight grades were tested. "remains above" describes intact stratum corneum in this ex vivo setup.
- Skin effect Brand claim Certainty: Moderate Public database
Hyaluronic acid and its salt bind water at the skin surface, giving a plumper look immediately after application.
Who it applies to: Leave-on hydrating products.
Study limits: The effect is largely surface and temporary. In dry air a humectant. · Finding · Sodium hyaluronate · Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Moderate Primary source
In a randomized, double-blind, bilateral paired trial of 25 people with moderate-to-severe xerosis, 40% urea cream was superior to 12% ammonium lactate lotion at day 14 on skin roughness, fissure reduction, thickness and dryness, with skin desquamation measured instrumentally.
Who it applies to: People with moderate-to-severe xerosis applying 40% urea cream or 12% ammonium lactate for 14 days.
Study limits: A very high 40% urea concentration is a keratolytic treatment.
- Pore clogging Animal study Certainty: Low Primary source
In the rabbit ear-canal assay, the nine materials graded positive were eight esters (isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, butyl stearate, isopropyl isostearate, decyl oleate, isostearyl neopentanoate, isocetyl stearate, myristyl myristate) and cocoa butter.
Who it applies to: Materials applied to the rabbit ear canal as raw ingredients.
Study limits: An animal assay. The rabbit ear canal reacts more readily than human skin. The abstract names the positive group.
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Moderate Primary source
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized cross-over study in people with mild acne, one month of topical linoleic acid reduced the overall size of follicular casts and microcomedones by almost 25% on digital image analysis of cyanoacrylate follicular biopsies.
Who it applies to: Follicular casts and microcomedones on the face, measured by cyanoacrylate follicular biopsy.
Study limits: Demographics, or the concentration used; the endpoint is the size of casts. This study measures follicular plugs.
- Legal limits Official legal text Certainty: High Primary source
The EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded in 2016 that 2-phenoxyethanol is safe as a preservative at a maximum of 1.0%, which is the limit already set in Annex V/29 of the EU Cosmetics Regulation. It estimated a margin of safety of about 50 for children.
Who it applies to: Phenoxyethanol used as a preservative in cosmetic products, at or below 1.0%.
Study limits: The dossier behind the conclusion was submitted by Cosmetics Europe, the industry association, and the committee lowered the default toxicokinetic factor from 4.0 to 1.0 on its way to the 1.0% conclusion. The final opinion kept 1.0%.
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Moderate Primary source
In a split-face randomized controlled trial of 50 women, a serum with 20% vitamin C, vitamin E and raspberry leaf cell culture extract significantly improved skin radiance measured by Glossymeter GL200, along with skin colour and elasticity, over 2 months.
Who it applies to: Women aged 30-65 applying the serum to one side of the face for 2 months, with the untreated side as control.
Study limits: Split-face with an untreated.
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Low Primary source
In 31 women aged 43-65, a serum combining vitamins C and E with green tea polyphenols produced statistically significant improvements in all clinically graded parameters over 12 weeks, including enhanced skin smoothness and radiance, plus an ultrasound-measured increase in skin density.
Who it applies to: Women aged 43-65 with photoaged facial skin, applying the serum twice daily for 12 weeks.
Study limits: Radiance was a clinical grading parameter.
- Skin effect Human trial Certainty: Low Primary source
In a double-blind trial that split each scar into two halves. Or made worse, the cosmetic appearance.
Who it applies to: Scars after surgical removal of skin cancer, treated twice daily for four weeks with a petrolatum-based ointment.
Study limits: Fifteen people, one centre, published in 1999. Pigmentation, or the job vitamin E does inside a formula, where it slows oxidation of the oils.
- Sensitization Human trial Certainty: Low Primary source
In the same split-scar trial, 33% of the participants developed contact dermatitis to the vitamin E ointment.
Who it applies to: Vitamin E in a petrolatum-based ointment applied to healing surgical wounds, twice daily for four weeks.
Study limits: Small trial (15 people) with a single product.
Related skin concerns
Skin concerns with evidence for ingredients on this list.
Formula history
1 version of this formula on record.