The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% Review – Skin Texture SAVIOUR

by Mia M.

Isn’t life funny? I’m writing this review aboard a plane on the way to Toronto; a plane with plugs that can keep my laptop alive and kicking for the whole seven hours!

It’s a shame I had to wake up at 4am to catch it; otherwise, I’d get so much work done during the flight. As it is, I’m fighting to keep my eyes awake – but this is my life! I can “work” on my way to a holiday . . . a holiday I can technically consider work too! (Hey, I’m definitely going to get a good few posts out of it. It counts, don’t look at me like that.)

That whole intro was really besides the point of this post, I’m just excusing my lack of personality. Tired Mia = boring Mia.

Hi guys! So, as I was packing my suitcase and sorting through what beauty products I wanted to take on holiday with me, I was going through all my skincare favourites and eliminating by necessity . . . and I saw my The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% solution. In the end, I decided against it as the facemask I basically live in (Lush Magnaminty) exfoliates my skin as I take it off and too much exfoliation . . . well, too much of any good thing becomes counterproductive and skincare is no exception.

However, I:

Love this product.
Remember reading a haul post where someone picked this up and was scared to try it because of the whole idea of acid on face. Logical reasoning really, but I thought I could assuade some fears. So here I am. I know, I know – not all heroes wear capes.

Anyways, here’s my review. Let’s do this.

What is this product?

“Lactic Acid is an alpha hydroxyl acid that exfoliates the skin. This 5% formulation offers very mild exfoliation and is supported with a purified Tasmanian pepperberry known to reduce signs of inflammation and sensitivity that is often associated with exfoliation. A stronger 10% formula is available here. ” – TheOrdinary.com

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% is a chemical exfoliation solution, designed to help with skin texture and appearance. I actually picked it up as a recommendation off Hoinyli’s blog as she writes simply fantastic skincare product reviews and has similar sounding skin to mine. Her blog is linked, so if you enjoy skincare go forth and read!

What does The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2% claim to do?

Exfoliate
Improve skin texture

How to use this product?

Like most other serums, you just use the pipette, take a few drops and apply to skin. You don’t even have to wash it off like other exfoliators – I know, guys, us lazy people have found our product!

Better off used at night as it’s harsh on your skin and likely to increase sensitivity to things like UV and general things you’ll encounter throughout the day. I like to use it before I go to bed and leave it to make my face beautiful the next day. Apparently, when using The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2%, some people may experience some light peeling – so another good reason to not use it during the day – but that’s never even come close to happening for me.

Okay, but it’s acid . . . does it burn? Tingle? Make your face peel off and leave you a grotesquely disfigured monster, a la Deadpool?

I will admit, after I bought this it sat in the box for a few weeks. No, not because all my exfoliating needs were being met – but because I was chicken. The idea of putting acid on my face was unappealing.

No, let’s not sugar coat it.

It seemed like a fucking stupid idea. Like using bleach as anti-bacterial hand gel. Or using a lighter to burn off a zit.

Acid on my face? It actually sounds like something I should distinctly avoid. Something from a shitty supervillain origin story. I think it actually is a villain’s origin story, come to think of it . . .

Point is: fuck that.

But I bought this product, The Ordinary has not let me down yet and I had seen so many positive reviews that I wanted to try it. So I psyched myself up and I did. I tentatively dabbed that acid on my face and . . .

Nothing. Not even a tingle.

Now, I have sensitive skin. Aloe Vera makes it burn slightly (not a clue why, but my skin does look and feel good after about 10 minutes); eating spicy food brings me out in rashes. My point is: if my skin can take it, so can yours.

Some people, as I’ve mentioned, do experience very light peeling . . . but that’s because it’s an exfoliator, so it’s supposed to be getting rid of that dead skin.

Does it work well? What results have you had?

100 x yes. While not something I reach for every day (again, one of my most used face masks exfoliates my skin and I’m conscious not to over-exfoliate as that breaks me out), I do use this around once a week because of the noticeable boost it gives my skin overnight. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend more than that because this is considered quite a harsh product.

Firstly, it gives your skin an instant glow. Sloughing off that dead and dull skin to reveal the new cells underneath is always a goodie. If I feel like my skin’s looking lifeless or I have an event or something I want to look good for, this is always applied the night before.

However, I find it that it also really does help to even out my skin texture. While my acne seems to be on its way out ( t h a n k y o u J e s u s ), as I have oily skin I can get small bumps in my skin texture and I find that this really helps to smooth those out and really even out and smooth my skin.

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5%+HA 2% Beauty Bay – £5.50

Would I recommend The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA 2%?

If you have oily or normal skin, yes I wholeheartedly would. For dry skin, I think this would be rather harsh for regular use, although maybe once every 2 weeks would be fine.

Okay, kiddiwinks, I think that’s all that really needs to be said about this product! Massive thank you to Hoinyli for the recommendation – I’ve found so many great products from your blog.

Would you guys try this? Or is the idea of acid on face just too much? Do you regularly exfoliate? Also, can we talk about how seasonal the photography is? Let me know your thoughts down below!

Peace,