Do you ever feel like The Ordinary is trying to drive you crazy?
It’s not enough they have a gazillion of exfoliants, vitamin C serums, and retinoid products to choose from. Now they’ve added 8 facial oils to the mix.
How the heck are you supposed to know which is the best The Ordinary oil for your skin type?! Which one absorbs quickly – with no greasy residue? Which one won’t give you pimples?
Argh. It’s enough to make your head spin. Fret not. I’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick guide to The Ordinary facial oils to help you pick the right one for YOU:
- The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Borage Seed Oil (£4.20)
- The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil (£14.90)
- The Ordinary 100% Virgin Chia Seed Oil (£6.70)
- The Ordinary “B” Oil (£8.70)
- The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (£5.50)
- The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil (£9.00)
- The Ordinary 100% Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil (£5.90)
- The Ordinary 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil (£8.10)
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The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Borage Seed Oil (£4.20)
What it is: An oil derived from the seeds of the Borago officinalis (borage) plant.
Why it’s good for skin: It contains an insanely high amount of rare gamma-linoleic acid (GLA): between 14 to 27%! This fatty acid is very soothing: it heals dry skin, reduces redness and relieves itching.
Best for: Sensitive/irritated skin, eczema, and just very dry, flaky skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
If you’re feeling completely intimidated and overwhelmed by The Ordinary skincare I recommend taking Extraordinary Skin With The Ordinary. A The Ordinary speed training created by my scientist friend Cheryl Woodman. Cheryl’s helped hundreds of ladies see real-life results, first hand. Click here to find out more about the course and see their reviews. (affiliate link)
The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil (£14.90)
What it is: An oil extracted from the berries and seeds of the sea buckthorn plant. It’s bright orangish red in colour (cool, huh?).
Why it’s good for skin: It’s loaded with rare palmitoleic acid (a.k.a. omega 7), a natural component of your skin’s sebum. As you get older, your skin produces less omega 7, making it more prone to dryness. Adding it back helps to keep your skin soft and moisturised. Oh, its bright colour is due to carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals and prevent wrinkles.
Best for: Mature, sensitive skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty
SHOP THE BEST THE ORDINARY OILS FOR DRY SKIN
The Ordinary 100% Virgin Chia Seed Oil (£6.70)
What it is: Derived from chia seeds, it has a beautiful golden colour.
Why it’s good for skin: Chia seed oil is high in natural antioxidants like alpha-lipoic acid and caffeic acid that destroy free radicals before they give you wrinkles. It’s also high in linoleic acid, a fatty acid that moisturises skin, soothes irritations and helps reduce breakouts.
Best for: Mature, oily/combination/acne-prone skin.
Available at: Asos, Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty
The Ordinary “B” Oil (£8.70)
What it is: A blend of marula, argan, baobab, pataua, brazil nut, inca inchi, rosehip, squalene and borage oils + a micro-algae and bisabolol. It has a golden green colour.
Why it’s good for skin: Bisabolol is what makes chamomile so soothing. It reduces redness and irritations and calms down sensitive skin. The mixture of oils intensely moisturises skin and fights free radicals to prevent wrinkles. The micro-algae? It helps protect skin from sun damage.
Best for: Sensitive skin, dry skin, irritated skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay and Feel Unique
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (£5.50)
What it is: Squalane is derived by the hydrogenation of squalene, a natural component of your skin’s sebum. That’s why it’s absorbs so quickly into the skin.
Why it’s good for skin: Squalane is the oil that resembles your sebum the most. It’s super moisturising and non-comedogenic. It’s the ONLY oil on the list that can be used by everyone, including people with fungal acne.
Best for: All skin types, including fungal acne prone skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil (£9.00)
What it is: An oil derived from the hips (the radish-like ball roses leave behind after blossoming) of roses.
Why it’s good for skin: This oil is a natural source of vitamin A, an anti-aging powerhouse that fights free radicals, boosts collagen production and helps reduce sun damage. Plus, it’s high in linoleic acid, a fatty acid that moisturises skin, soothes irritations and reduces breakouts.
Best for: Mature skin, oily/combination/acne-prone skin, anyone who prefers to get vitamin A from a natural source.
Available at: Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
Related: Why Rosehip Oil Is My Go-To For Every Skin Woe
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The Ordinary 100% Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil (£5.90)
What it is: An oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree, which grows in Morocco.
Why it’s good for skin: It has an almost 50/50 mixture of oleic and linoleic acid, which makes it super moisturising for dry skin. Plus, it’s high in vitamin E and antioxidants that prevent premature wrinkles.
Best for: Mature and dry skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
The Ordinary 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil (£8.10)
What it is: An oil obtained from the kernels of the fruits of the Marula tree.
Why it’s good for skin: It’s high in oleic acid, a fatty acid that makes even the driest of skin types soft and smooth again. Plus, it has antioxidants that prevent premature wrinkles and dark spots.
Best for: Dry and mature skin.
Available at: Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
SHOP THE BEST THE ORDINARY OILS FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
Dear, Gio! It’s me again. 😀 Hope you won’t get crazy of thousands questions I’m asking.
But I need an important advice. I don’t know which oil to choose – Roseship or Chia?
I have sensitive, little bit dehydrated, combination skin type. I’m almost 30 (there are wrinkles).
I’m planing to use this oil after BHA and hydra serum (Balea Aqua Serum).
Thank you in advance!
Vana, if you can tolerate it, reship is better for anti-aging.
Ciao Gio !
Is there any reason why you could not mix Virgin Marula Oil, Moroccan Argan Oil, Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil and Borage Seed Oil as a moisturiser replacement for very dry flaky dehydrated skin ?
Thanks
Volcanicrash, you totally can if you want to.But then why not go for B oil?
Thanks for your input!
Thats a good question, they don’t state that the B Oil is made up from organic cold pressed varieties. Maybe i am being overly cautious.
If an oil was moisturising enough to replace a typical moisturiser can you then put a sunscreen over the top or are they too greasy?
Volcanicrash, shoot them an email and ask them. I’m sure they’ll reply quickly. 🙂
If you don’t experience any pilling, yes you can.
Hey, thank you for the great article, it’s really helpful!
Since I’m still a little bit lost, I would like to know your opinion which oil I should use. I have a combination skin, more on the dry, dehydrated side with large pores, blackheads (and sometimes with acne). It would be really important that it hydrates my skin without clogging my pores, so thats’s why I dropped the idea of chia seed oil and thinking of getting the rose hip or the argan oil. Which one would you recommend me? thank you so much for your help!
Zsofia, I’d go with Squalane. It’s the only one that’s not comedogenic. Rosehip oil is a fine second option.
Hi, I have to take a very large dose of diuretics to drain my body from excess fluid.
My face is becoming incredibly dry. I would like to use an oil from The Ordinary range, but I am concerned that I may develop acne
What would you recommend?
Jennie, is your skin acne-prone? If so, you may be better off with a Hyaluronic Acid serum. If you want an oil, try rosehip. It’s suitable for oily skin too.
pimples on forehead and chin, but dehydrated skin,which oil is best for that?
Roza, if you’re acne-prone, I don’t recommend you use oils.