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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 versus The Ordinary "Buffet" .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on July 14, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 19 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin and sensitive skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum Canadian Brand Canada
Serum Canadian Brand Canada

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Amino Acids + B5

Starts at $8.90
Shop

Buy "Buffet"

Starts at $19.90

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Scar Healing
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Rosacea (2)
Eczema
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

Water • Propanediol • Betaine • Sodium PCA • Panthenol • Sodium Lactate • Arginine • PCA • Aspartic Acid • Glycine • Alanine • Serine • Threonine • Valine • Proline • Isoleucine • Lysine Hcl • Histidine • Phenylalanine • Glutamic Acid • Citric Acid • Dimethyl Isosorbide • Polysorbate 20 • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • 1,2-Hexanediol • Caprylyl Glycol

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 1.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid and is naturally occurring on human skin.

The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.

Sodium PCA is a has conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.

Learn more about Sodium PCA

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 4.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 30.

3
What it does: Buffering, Humectant
Community Rating: Liked

Sodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and used to adjust the pH of a product.

Sodium Lactate is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin.

It also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.

Our NMF is formed from amino acids, lactic acid, sugars, minerals, peptides, and electrolytes. As we age, our NMF naturally depletes. Other sources of NMF depletion include harsh and drying ingredients such as denatured alcohol. Sodium lactate can help replenish our NMF, leading to more hydrated and plump skin.

High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.

Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.

Learn more about Sodium Lactate

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 6.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 32.

4
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.

As a cosmetic ingredient, Arginine has antioxidant properties and can also help repair damaged skin. This ingredient is derived either synthetically or from animals.

Arginine isn't fungal acne safe when used in the presence of other lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters, etc). Oils and fats occur naturally within the skin, so take caution when using Arginine if you're prone to fungal acne.

Learn more about Arginine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 7.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 23.

5
What it does: Humectant, Moisturising
Community Rating: Loved

PCA is derived from amino acids and is naturally found in our skin's barrier.

As a humectant, PCA helps draw and hold moisture to the skin. Studies show it is effective at helping the skin stay hydrated long-term.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 8.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 31.

6
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Aspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.

Our body uses Aspartic Acid to help build collagen and elastin. It also plays a role in hydrating skin.

Antioxidants help mitigate damage from free-radical molecules. These are molecules that originate from external sources such as pollution, cigarette smoke, or the sun.

Learn more about Aspartic Acid

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 9.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 24.

7
What it does: Buffering, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Glycine is an amino acid that helps build proteins. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.

Glycine helps keep skin hydrated and reduce signs of aging. Amino acids help transport moisture throughout our skin; glycine already plays a role in helping keep our skin moisturized.

As collagen is made up of glycine and other amino acids, it is believed Glycine may help our skin produce more collagen. Collagen helps keep skin plump and firm.

Learn more about Glycine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 10.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 14.

8
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body.

Alanine has antioxidant properties and can help with anti-aging.

Alanine is used by fibrous proteins such as collagen, elastin, and keratin. These three help make a strong skin barrier. Having a healthy skin barrier leads to more plump and youthful skin.

Learn more about Alanine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 11.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 15.

9
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Serine is an amino acid naturally found in our body. Our bodies use amino acids to create protein.

Amino-acids help give keep our skin hydrated. They play an important role in the skin barrier, which keeps the skin plump and firm.

Serine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning we don't need to obtain it from eating foods.

Learn more about Serine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 12.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 16.

10
What it does:
Community Rating: Loved

Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.

Threonine is vital for creating collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin support youthful and firm skin. Our bodies decrease collagen production naturally with age.

Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.

Learn more about Threonine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 13.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 20.

11
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Valine.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 14.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 17.

12
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Proline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.

Proline is one of the building blocks for producing collagen. As we age, our bodies produce less collagen. Collagen helps the skin look plump and firm.

In medicine, proline is used as an osmoprotectant. This means it helps prevent oxidative degradation in other drugs.

Our bodies are able to produce proline naturally, but certain conditions may inhibit this production. In that case, proline can be obtained from eating egg whites, soy protein, dairy products, asparagus, mushrooms, and seaweed.

Learn more about Proline

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 15.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 19.

13
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Isoleucine.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 16.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 18.

14
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Histidine.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 18.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 21.

15
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.

Phenylalanine is also used to help even out skin tone due to its ability to disrupt the melanin production process.

Two structures of phenylalanine exist: L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is essential, this means our bodies cannot produce it naturally and we must get it from foods. Our bodies convert D-phenylalanine to neurotransmitters, and D-phenylalanine is found in our bodies naturally.

Some foods that contain L-phenylalanine include eggs, soybeans, beef, milk.

Learn more about Phenylalanine

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 19.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 22.

16
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 21.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 33.

17
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Polysorbate 20 is made by combining ethoxylation of sorbitan, ethylene oxide, and lauric acid. It is a mild cleansing agent, surfactant, and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, it helps collect dirt and oils for washing. Emulsifiers prevent oils and water from separating.

Polysorbate 20 also adds scent to a product. Since it is made using sorbitol, it has a sweet scent. Sorbitol can also be found in fruits such as apples and peaches.

The lauric acid used to create Polysorbate 20 is often derived from coconuts.

Polysorbate 20 may not be fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Polysorbate 20

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 23.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 42.

18
What it does:
Community Rating: Liked

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 24.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 45.

19
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 contains this as ingredient number 26.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 48.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

81% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
12% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
61% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
22% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 26 ingredients

2.0 /5
from 3 reviews
szabo_k's Avatar'
May 19, 2021

Not good for me
I have dry skin and I thought this product would be great for me. It burned a little bit and broke me out like crazy after a few days of using. I gave it to my mom and it worked for her. Do not buy this if you have...

Not good for me
I have dry skin and I thought this product would be great for me. It burned a little bit and broke me out like crazy after a few days of using. I gave it to my mom and it worked for her. Do not buy this if you have sensitive skin.

The Ordinary "Buffet" 51 ingredients

4.2 /5
from 5 reviews
MikaylaSmith_706's Avatar'
Aug 29, 2023

Everything you need in one bottle!

Everything you need in one bottle!

matab_172's Avatar'
Sep 1, 2023

Plumbed skin

Plumbed skin

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