Here's our breakdown of the notable ingredients, benefits, and concerns we determined from the ingredients in this product. Click any item to learn more.

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C

Benefits

Redness Reducing

Skin Texture

Anti-Aging

Dark Spots (2)

Scar Healing (2)

Brightening

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

Ingredients Overview

Here's our quick-to-read summary of the ingredients in this product. Keep scrolling if you'd like to learn more about what each ingredient does!

Ingredient

Com. / Irr. Rating

Features

Solvent

Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Antioxidant, Bleaching, Skin Conditioning

Ingredients Explained

This product contains 3 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it

Propanediol

What it does: Solvent

Community Rating: Liked

Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use.

It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol

Ascorbic Acid

What it does: Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Loved

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.

Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.

Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.

Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!

Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.

Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.

The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.

Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.

Learn more about Ascorbic Acid

Alpha-Arbutin

What it does: Antioxidant, Bleaching, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Loved

Alpha-Arbutin is made from hydroquinone and glucose. It may be derived from the fermentation of soybeans.

It is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may damage your skin cells.

Studies show this ingredient helps improve hyperpigmentation and fade discoloration.

Alpha-Arbutin may be used with other ingredients that help with hyperpigmentation. These ingredients include retinol, Vitamin C, niacinamide, and tranexamic acid.

Learn more about Alpha-Arbutin

Embed Ingredients

Here's what our community thinks of the 3 ingredients in this product ✨

100% are loved or liked

0% have mixed ratings

0% are disliked or very disliked

0% have no rating yet

When to use

We've created a guide with info on when you should use The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. We've also included some recommended products to use it with, as well as some routine inspiration!

Read our guide on when to use Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% ->

Verified by SkinSort

We're dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date and science-backed ingredient info out there.

The data we've presented on this page has been verified by a member of the SkinSort Team.

Top Reviews

View all 5

Review by Clover

May 9, 2023

I'm orange...
When I first started using this I was like, “great, a vitamin C that doesn’t burn”. So I began using it frequently. Slowly, I noticed my skin was turning orange, but just on my face. Turns out this product was oxidizing ON MY SKIN. The serum itself was still pretty clear, so I wasn’t applying an old or bad product, but when exposed to oxygen while on my face it began to STAIN it as if I had applied self tanner only to my face.
Now to be fair— I am fair. As in I am very very pale. Honestly even if this product was oxidizing on other people I don’t think the majority of skin tones would even notice it. But if you are like me just be warned! Vitamin C can stain your skin and it’ll take like a week for the effects to go away.

Let’s just say I’ve given up on finding a vitamin C serum and I’ll be sticking to other brightening ingredients.

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1 like

Latest Reviews

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Review by CrystalUsa56

Jul 1, 2023

Great for clearing up hyperpigmentation
It's a bit warm when you apply it. Cleared lots of hyperpigmentation in 3 weeks of use! It has cleared old hyperpigmentation and hyperpigmentation from recent acne. Also brightens my complexion. I...

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