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The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides for sensitive skin

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides

Average

  • LowNormal Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • Low RiskSafety

Works for sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.

Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works

Lovi Assistant explains

  • Offers moderate moisturizing for your normal skin, with ceramides and hyaluronic acid supporting barrier resilience and hydration, though it lacks targeted ingredients for normal skin concerns.
  • Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide hydration and barrier support beneficial for your redness and irritation.
  • The formula is generally safe for your sensitive skin, with urea and citric acid posing a slight risk of irritation.

How to apply

  • Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
  • Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
  • Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
  • You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
  • Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .

People Say

★4.3Overall rating based on 1.7k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this ultra-rich moisturizer is widely celebrated by users with dry, dehydrated, or mature skin for its ability to repair the moisture barrier and provide a plump, dewy finish. Users with oily or acne-prone skin frequently find the texture too heavy and greasy, with some reporting congestion or breakouts.

Highlights

  • Intense hydration Often Mentioned
    • “Immediately moisturised skin”
    • “Boosts skin hydration significantly”
    • “Skin looks so hydrated”
    • “Quenches tight, dehydrated skin”
  • Greasy finish Often Mentioned
    • “Leaves an oily residue”
    • “Too shiny for day use”
    • “Feels heavy and sticky”
    • “Sits on top of skin”
  • Barrier repair Sometimes Noted
    • “Restores my barrier”
    • “Heals flaky patches”
    • “Great for damaged skin”
    • “Soothes sore areas”
  • Rich texture Sometimes Noted
    • “Feels luxurious and thick”
    • “Melts into the skin”
    • “Leaves skin soft and glowy”
    • “Creates a smooth base”
  • Value for money Sometimes Noted
    • “Rivals expensive creams”
    • “Little goes a long way”
    • “Better than high-end brands”
    • “Great price for ceramides”
  • Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
    • “Gave me closed comedones”
    • “Broke me out immediately”
    • “Caused fungal acne”
    • “Clogged my pores”
  • Scent Rarely Noted
    • “Has an earthy smell”
    • “Smells like ingredients”
    • “Slightly off-putting scent”
    • “Not completely odorless”
  • Slow absorption Rarely Noted
    • “Takes time to sink in”
    • “Hard to spread evenly”
    • “Too heavy under sunscreen”
    • “Pills if rubbed too much”

Sources: lovi.care, theordinary.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, kohls.com, skinsort.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides work for sensitive skin?

This moisturizer works for sensitive skin, though other products fit it better, because it offers moderate hydration with ceramides and hyaluronic acid while posing a slight risk of irritation from urea and citric acid. A product of this type needs highly effective, soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica and Cica Ceramide that target redness and irritation without any risk of irritation or unsuitability.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for sensitive skin?

Glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and phytoceramides help calm and hydrate sensitive skin while supporting the moisture barrier. However, a moisturizer for this skin needs soothing ingredients like Centella Asiatica and Cica Ceramide to better target redness without irritation risks.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

What do Natural Moisturizing Factors do for sensitive skin?

Natural moisturizing factors help make sensitive skin soft and smooth by boosting surface hydration and strengthening the skin barrier. This helps protect the skin from irritation and daily stress, and improves comfort for dry or sensitive skin types.

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2022

What do Phytoceramides do for sensitive skin?

Phytoceramides help calm sensitive skin by supporting the moisture barrier and locking in hydration, which keeps the skin feeling soft and smooth. This type of ingredient may also reduce dryness and redness while improving overall skin comfort. A product for sensitive skin needs barrier-repairing ingredients and soothing agents like ceramides and plant extracts to keep the skin calm and protected.

Experimental Dermatology, 2025Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?

This moisturizer goes as the final step of your evening routine, after your cleanser, toner, and treatment. It helps keep your skin calm and hydrated, though sensitive skin often does better with a product that avoids ingredients like urea and citric acid.

The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022

Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this cream with retinol, and it works best applied after your retinol treatment in your evening routine. Using a moisturizer with ceramides and glycerin helps support your skin barrier and may reduce dryness and irritation while you use retinol.

Cutis, 2006Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012

How often should I use this cream?

You can use this cream daily as part of your morning and evening routine, though a moisturizer for sensitive skin also needs soothing ingredients to calm redness and irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021

Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?

This cream may cause breakouts for some people with sensitive skin, as reviewers moderately complain about this issue. To better suit sensitive skin, a moisturizer of this type needs soothing ingredients that calm irritation without heavy oils that can clog pores.

Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?

This cream is safe to use on the body and around the eyes, though the skin on the body and the thin skin around the eyes may need extra targeted ingredients to keep dry areas smooth and soft.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002

Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Ceramides play an essential role in structuring and maintaining the water permeability barrier function of the skin, and skin disorders with diminished barrier function typically present a decrease in total ceramide content.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2003
  • A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

    Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
  • Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
  • Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.

    Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022
  • Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.

    BMC Oral Health, 2019
  • The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
  • Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001
  • Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
  • Topical 40% urea cream achieved improvement in less time and showed superiority over 12% ammonium lactate lotion in skin roughness, fissure reduction, thickness, and dryness at day 14 in patients treated for moderate to severe xerosis.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
  • Topical treatment with K101 achieved a significantly higher mycological cure rate compared to placebo in patients with ≤50% nail involvement (27.2% vs 10.4%), while showing early visible improvements in nail appearance and no safety issues.

    Mycoses, 2012

Ingredients

Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Hydrogenated Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Glycosphingolipids, Glycolipids, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Proline, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Betaine, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium Pca, Pca, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Triolein, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

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How does it fit your skin?

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