🇩🇪Germany

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides for acne-prone skin

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides

Average

  • AverageCombination Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 benefits for your acne and blemishes due to the presence of amino acids like Arginine and Glycine, which support skin barrier function, alongside lipids such as Caprylic Capric Triglyceride and Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides that provide hydration.
  • It provides excellent moisturizing due to ceramides and humectants that enhance barrier resilience, but lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on the oily areas of your combination skin.
  • The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients, and presence of soothing ingredients like Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid.

How to apply

  • Use your moisturizer twice a day in your AM and PM routines. Apply it daily to help keep breakouts under control.
  • Apply after your cleanser and toner, and make sure to use your SPF right after in the morning.
  • Gently spread a small amount of moisturizer over your face using soft motions. Let it absorb into the skin for a minute before getting dressed or applying makeup.
  • Apply on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture. This keeps your combination skin balanced without feeling heavy.
  • Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use. Stop using if you feel any irritation.

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 acne-prone skin?

This moisturizer works moderately well for acne-prone skin, providing helpful hydration and barrier support while lacking sufficient oil control for oily areas. It is unlikely to cause irritation due to its soothing ingredients, but acne-prone skin needs a product that also provides targeted oil control and blemish-clearing actives.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Life, 2023

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for acne-prone skin?

This cream fits acne-prone skin with amino acids like Arginine and Glycine that support the skin barrier, alongside hydrating lipids such as Caprylic Capric Triglyceride and Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides. To fit this skin better, a moisturizer of this type needs added ingredients for oil control on oily areas.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Life, 2023

What do Natural Moisturizing Factors do for acne-prone skin?

Natural Moisturizing Factors help keep acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy or greasy, supporting a balanced skin barrier. They are unlikely to clog pores and may improve overall skin comfort.

What do Phytoceramides do for acne-prone skin?

Phytoceramides help replenish key skin fats that tend to be low in acne-prone skin, which supports your natural barrier and keeps your skin calm. Using them alongside acne treatments may also reduce dryness, redness, and peeling while helping clear breakouts.

Cureus, 2025Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?

This moisturizer goes in the morning and evening routine after cleansing and any toners or treatments, and before sunscreen in the day. It is unlikely to cause irritation for acne-prone skin.

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

You can use this cream with retinol by applying the moisturizer after your retinol treatment to help keep your skin calm and hydrated. Using a moisturizer alongside treatments like retinol is unlikely to cause irritation and may help reduce dryness.

Cutis, 2006The Journal of Dermatology, 2014

How often should I use it?

You can use this moisturizer twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine, applying it after your toner or treatment. Daily application of moisturizers of this type helps keep skin hydrated and supports the skin barrier. To truly fit acne-prone skin, this type of product also needs ingredients that help control oil on oily areas.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021

Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?

This moisturizer is a moderate fit for your acne-prone skin because it offers soothing hydration but leaves a greasy finish that reviewers frequently complain about. This type of rich formula may cause breakouts if it lacks enough oil-controlling ingredients to balance shiny areas.

Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?

You can use this moisturizer around your eyes and on your body, as its safe formula is unlikely to irritate thin or sensitive areas. A product of this type needs lightweight hydration and soothing ingredients to care for the thin skin around the eyes and larger body areas.

Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Topical application of an emollient emulsion containing 15.0% caprylic/capric triglyceride doubled the amount of urocanic acid isomers and increased skin hydration with reduced transepidermal water loss in healthy subjects, though it did not prevent ultraviolet-induced urocanic acid isomerization.

    Life, 2023
  • A Tris/Arg-formulated cleanser significantly decreased noninflammatory and inflammatory acne and pore size with keratotic plugs compared to an AEC/AC cleanser in male Thai subjects with mild to moderate acne over 4 weeks.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
  • Ceramide and niacinamide-containing moisturizer combined with anti-acne treatment significantly improved non-inflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesions compared to hydrophilic cream in 40 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris after 8 weeks.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
  • 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

Why other moisturizers fit acne-prone skin better

  • A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
  • Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.

    Molecules, 2023

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.

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product.

Buy online

Prices checked 17 Oct – 6 Nov 2026

The Lovi Fit is the same in every country; only the stores and prices differ, and the ones here are for Germany.

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.