Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp versus The Ordinary "Buffet" .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on November 16, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 20 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, scar healing and better texture

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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp

Starts at $14.20
Shop

Buy "Buffet"

Starts at $19.90

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

Notable Ingredients

AHA

Benefits

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

Concerns

Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Rosacea (2)
Eczema
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

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

Water • Squalane • C12-13 Alkyl Glyceryl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate • Arginine • Aspartic Acid • Glycine • Alanine • Serine • Valine • Isoleucine • Proline • Threonine • Histidine • Phenylalanine • Glutamic Acid • Glucose • Fructose • Sucrose • PCA • Sodium PCA • Zinc PCA • Magnesium PCA • Manganese PCA • Urea • Sodium Lactate • Lactic Acid • Hexyl Nicotinate • Lauryl Glucoside • Myristyl Glucoside • Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate • Isoceteth-20 • Dextrin • Hexylene Glycol • Potassium Sorbate • Phenoxyethanol • Chlorphenesin

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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

Loading ingredients...

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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 1.

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

2
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 4.

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

3
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 5.

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

4
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 6.

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

5
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

6
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

7
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Valine.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 9.

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

8
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Isoleucine.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 10.

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

9
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 11.

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

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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 12.

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

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

We don't have a description for Histidine.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 13.

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

12
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 14.

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

13
What it does: Humectant
Community Rating: Loved

Glucose is a simple sugar and is the most important source of energy in all organisms. In skincare, glucose is used to hydrate the skin. It also acts as a prebiotic for our natural biome.

As a humectant, glucose draws moisture from the air and from deeper levels in the skin. This helps hydrate skin.

Our skin's natural microbiome contains many saccharides that act as prebiotics. These prebiotics help strengthen our skin's microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome helps protect our skin from harmful bacteria and other contaminants.

Studies show glucose may help with fading discoloration and pigmentation. This is because our skin metabolizes glucose into lactic acid. Lactic acid is an AHA that helps exfoliate the top layer of skin.

Plants and algae make glucose during the process of photosynthesis. It is then used to make cellulose, the building blocks of cell walls.

Learn more about Glucose

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 16.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 27.

14
What it does: Humectant
Community Rating: Liked

Fructose is fruit/plant sugar. It can be found in apples, figs, and honey.

This ingredient is a humectant. Humectants help draw moisture from the air to your skin, keeping your skin hydrated.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 17.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 26.

15
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 19.

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

16
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 20.

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

17
What it does: Buffering, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Urea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.

As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.

Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.

In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.

Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.

Learn more about Urea

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 24.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 29.

18
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 Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 25.

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

19
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 35.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 50.

20
What it does: Antimicrobial, Preservative
Community Rating: Disliked

Chlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative. It helps protect a product against bacteria in order to extend shelf life. In most cases, Chlorphenesin is paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol.

Chlorphenesin is a biocide. This means it is able to help fight the microorganisms on our skin. It is also able to fight odor-releasing bacteria.

Chlorphenesin is soluble in both water and glycerin.

Studies show Chlorphenesin is easily absorbed by our skin. You should speak with a skincare professional if you have concerns about using Chlorphenesin.

Learn more about Chlorphenesin

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp contains this as ingredient number 36.

The Ordinary "Buffet" contains this as ingredient number 51.

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

61% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
17% are disliked or very disliked
14% 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

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp 36 ingredients

3.7 /5
from 3 reviews
Yoshikage_Kira04's Avatar'
Jun 11, 2023

Excellent For Dry Scalp
For someone who has had a dry scalp condition since birth, this product works extremely well. I put it on at nighttime and when I wake up, my scalp has far less flakes than it had last night. I do this daily and...

Excellent For Dry Scalp
For someone who has had a dry scalp condition since birth, this product works extremely well. I put it on at nighttime and when I wake up, my scalp has far less flakes than it had last night. I do this daily and there has been a huge reduction in itching, redness and flakiness.

Just don't put this on your face, since it causes fungal acne.

CaroleD's Avatar'
Dec 26, 2023

Absolutely terrible for me, personally.

It must feed the type of fungus I have on my scalp because it made my dandruff sooo much worse, like huge flakes formed overnight.

I possibly have fungal acne, so if you have it I would...

Absolutely terrible for me, personally.

It must feed the type of fungus I have on my scalp because it made my dandruff sooo much worse, like huge flakes formed overnight.

I possibly have fungal acne, so if you have it I would definitely avoid it. Coconut oil does the same thing to me.

Great Value
Broke Me Out
Heavy
No Scent

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

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 24 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp.

See 24 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The Ordinary "Buffet".

See 50 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...