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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 versus The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% .

Last updated on February 16, 2024. Published on September 23, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe . They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, fragrances, oils, 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.

Facial Treatment Canadian Brand Canada
Serum Turkish Brand Türkiye

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Serum

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

Price

Shop

Buy Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

Starts at $8.90
Shop

Buy Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1%

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant 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

Benefits

Hydrating
Reduces Irritation
Brightening

Concerns

Irritating

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid (3)

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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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 Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 1.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 1.

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

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 2.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 22.

3
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 3.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 14.

4
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is a type of hyaluronic acid. In fact, it is modified version of hyaluronic acid.

The structure of Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer allows it to stay in the skin's top layer for a longer period of time. This allows for even more hydration and humectant action than hyaluronic acid.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 5.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 23.

5
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 8.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 3.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 13.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 25.

7
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 contains this as ingredient number 15.

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

47% are loved or liked
29% have mixed ratings
24% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
44% are loved or liked
24% have mixed ratings
20% are disliked or very disliked
12% have no rating yet

Usage

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

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 17 ingredients

4.3 /5
from 3 reviews

The Purest Solutions Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% 25 ingredients

Niacinamide 5% + Zinc PCA 1% hasn't been rated yet.
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Alternatives

We haven't detected any alternatives for The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5.

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