The Ordinary Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Solution for oily skin
Aloe Barbadensis
N-Acetyl Glucosamine Nag
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Biosaccharide Gum-2
Glycerin
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 skin tone evening for your oily skin due to acetyl glucosamine and lactic acid, which gently exfoliate and reduce hyperpigmentation. Glycerin and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder provide general hydration and soothing benefits, supporting your goal of managing oily shine.
- The formulation is highly suitable for oily skin, with humectant and keratolytic actions from acetyl glucosamine and lactic acid, respectively.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but right before your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin. Let it absorb ⏱ for a minute before applying the next product.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive and you want to target oily shine. This helps control excess oil throughout the night.
- Avoid the delicate eye area and do a patch test before using the serum for the very first time.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 2.4k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with acne-prone and sensitive skin frequently praise this serum for its ability to soothe redness and gradually fade post-acne marks without irritation. Many report improved skin texture and hydration, though some users find the results on older hyperpigmentation to be slow or unnoticeable.
Highlights
Soothing and calming Mostly Mentioned
- “toned down the redness”
- “beautifully calming on the skin”
- “soothing for sensitive days”
Fades post-acne marks Often Mentioned
- “helped get rid of my acne scars”
- “faded blemishes quicker than normal”
- “large improvements in post-acne marks”
Hydrating texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels velvety”
- “nice hydrating slip”
- “leaves skin plump and dewy”
Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin is noticeably smoother”
- “helped with congestion”
- “reduced look of pores”
Slow or minimal results Sometimes Noted
- “didn't see any results”
- “less successful on existing dark spots”
- “over-promised and under-delivered”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “broke me out”
- “caused tiny bumps”
- “skin hated it”
Routine conflicts Rarely Noted
- “conflicts with direct acids”
- “hard to fit in routine”
- “pills with other serums”
Sticky finish Rarely Noted
- “slightly gloopy texture”
- “can become tacky”
- “sticky if applied heavily”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.co.uk, ulta.com, kohls.com, theordinary.com, sephora.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The Ordinary Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Solution work for oily skin?
The Ordinary Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Solution works moderately well for oily skin by helping to gently exfoliate and even out skin tone while providing soothing hydration. It is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, though treatments with ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid fit oily skin better by controlling excess oil and refining pores.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2016
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for oily skin?
This serum fits oily skin through acetyl glucosamine and lactic acid, which gently exfoliate and even out skin tone, along with glycerin and aloe vera that provide comfortable hydration and soothe shine. To fit oily skin even better, a treatment of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid to control excess oil and target enlarged pores.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2016
What does Aloe Vera do for oily skin?
Aloe vera helps calm oily skin while keeping it comfortable and protected. It is unlikely to feel heavy, and it provides soothing and skin-protective properties that support a clear, smooth look.
What does N-Acetyl Glucosamine do for oily skin?
N-Acetyl Glucosamine helps balance and smooth oily skin while boosting moisture. Because this type of skin also needs to control excess shine and keep pores clear, it benefits from formulas that combine this ingredient with niacinamide and gentle exfoliating agents.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, starting once a week and using it more often if your skin tolerates it well. It is unlikely to cause irritation and helps even out skin tone while managing oily shine.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first and letting it absorb before putting on your retinol. This product is unlikely to irritate oily skin, but combining active ingredients means you should start slowly to see how your skin feels.
How often should I use this serum?
Use this treatment in your evening routine once a week to start, and if your oily skin handles it well, you may carefully use it more often. It helps even out your skin tone while keeping your oily shine managed safely.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on oily skin because it has a very safe formula with soothing ingredients and a low risk of irritation. Reviewers rarely mention breakouts, and the gentle exfoliating ingredients help keep pores clear while managing oily shine.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical 2% N-acetyl glucosamine reduced facial hyperpigmentation in an 8-week split-face clinical test, with an even greater effect observed when combined with 4% niacinamide.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2007N-acetyl-glucosamine-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers successfully delivered the hydrophilic agent through the skin and reduced melanin distribution in healthy volunteers.
Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2016Topical cosmetic products containing hyaluronic acid, N-acetyl glucosamine, and gamma-amino butyric acid improved skin hydration by 24.28% to 33.60%, elasticity by 11.98%, and skin lightening by 5.26% over 2 months in 20 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2019A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010N-acetylglucosamine dose dependently increased hyaluronan production in cultured keratinocytes, and its combination with retinoic acid or retinol exerted a synergistic effect.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2004Exogenous N-acetylglucosamine promotes hyaluronan production while having no effect on the expression of hyaluronan-synthesizing enzymes 1, 2, and 3 mRNA in cultured human dermal fibroblasts.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2009Global gene expression profiling and in vitro biomarker approaches in human skin equivalent cultures successfully detected specific skin barrier, matrix, and hydration responses to topical compounds including niacinamide, hexamidine, Pal-KT, Pal-KTTKS, and N-acetylglucosamine.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2009A 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, 2017The 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, 2020Ten 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
Ingredients
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Acetyl Glucosamine, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, 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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.