The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + Hyaluronic Acid for Hyperpigmentation
by The Ordinary · skin_care
Editor's Take
The Ordinary gets the important bit right: 2% Alpha Arbutin with Hyaluronic Acid, but the clean-beauty crowd will clock the PEG-style base/PPG-style base support crew.
Four-pillar formula scores
- Efficacy: 8.1 / 10
- Modern Tech: 6.8 / 10
- Clean Beauty: 5.8 / 10
- Sustainability: 6.5 / 10
The Verdict
For fading uneven tone, this is one of The Ordinary's more convincing little bottles: the Alpha Arbutin is transparently dosed, and the Hyaluronic Acid keeps the serum from feeling punishingly dry. Ethoxydiglycol gives the active a better shot at getting where it needs to go, while the gel texture feels more polished than the price suggests. The trade-off is the support system, with PEG-style base/PPG-style base solubilizers, an acrylic polymer, and synthetic preservatives that land it outside stricter clean-beauty shelves. A strong budget brightening serum, not a purist natural formula.
Full INCI list
Aqua (water), Alpha-arbutin, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, PPG-26-buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lactic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.