The Ordinary Buffet for sensitive skin

Peptides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Lactococcus Lysate Ferment
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Superior
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best serums for sensitive skin.
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
- Excellent suitability for your normal skin is provided by multiple peptides like Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, which offer superb hydration and collagen stimulation. Allantoin and Glycerin also provide moderate benefits for your redness and irritation by soothing and hydrating the skin.
- The presence of Urea and multiple hyaluronic acid derivatives further enhances hydration and plumping effects, making it a great choice for maintaining your skin's firmness.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your normal skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 4.1k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is a highly-rated, affordable option for anti-aging, with users frequently reporting improved hydration, plumpness, and skin texture. While generally well-tolerated, a notable number of users experience a sticky finish or pilling under makeup, and some sensitive skin types report breakouts.
Highlights
Great value Mostly Mentioned
- “unbeatable for the price”
- “worth the money”
- “affordable solid starter peptide serum”
- “great value compared to luxury brands”
Hydrates and plumps Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels lush and hydrated”
- “gives a bouncy, plump look”
- “my face feels so glowy and plump”
- “relieves dry, tight skin”
Gentle for most Often Mentioned
- “didn't cause any stinging”
- “nice for my sensitive skin”
- “no irritation or redness”
- “calmed my skin barrier”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “left my skin feeling so smooth”
- “improved the texture of my skin”
- “noticeably smoother skin in 8 weeks”
- “softens lines”
Sticky finish Often Mentioned
- “feels a bit tacky after applying”
- “sticky texture”
- “leaves a sticky residue”
- “viscosity of maple syrup”
Reduces fine lines Sometimes Noted
- “softened my forehead lines”
- “improvement in nasolabial fold wrinkles”
- “reduces appearance of crow's feet”
- “great for first wrinkles in your 20s”
No visible results Sometimes Noted
- “idk what it does honestly”
- “didn't see exceptional results”
- “no difference in elasticity”
- “just a basic hydrating serum”
Pills under makeup Sometimes Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “balls up under foundation”
- “peels off if I rub my face”
- “can't wear primer over it”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused whiteheads”
- “broke me out”
- “gave me milia”
- “skin didn't agree with the fermented ingredients”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, reddit.com, makeupalley.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Buffet one of the best fits for sensitive skin?
This product is one of the best fits for sensitive skin because it uses multiple peptides like Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to provide deep hydration and support firmness. It also includes soothing ingredients like Allantoin and Glycerin, which help calm redness and irritation without causing harsh reactions.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
This serum is a great fit for sensitive skin because it includes soothing ingredients like allantoin and glycerin that help calm redness and irritation. It also features multiple peptides and sodium hyaluronate, which provide deep hydration and support firmness without any harsh components to cause irritation.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026
What do Peptides do for sensitive skin?
Peptides help support the skin barrier and improve the feel of sensitive skin by encouraging firmness and a smooth look. When paired with soothing and hydrating ingredients, peptide products are generally well tolerated and unlikely to cause irritation.
Advanced Science, 2025Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 1998
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm and hydrate sensitive skin while supporting the skin barrier to keep it soft and comfortable. Clinical studies show it improves surface moisture and reduces dryness, roughness, and redness without irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after your cleansing and toning steps, right before you apply your moisturizer. Using treatments in the evening helps keep things simple and provides extra safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to give your sensitive skin a boost of hydration, followed by your retinol once it absorbs. This routine is unlikely to cause irritation because the soothing ingredients help keep your skin calm while the retinol works.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this treatment in your evening routine, applying it after your toner and before your moisturizer. It is very gentle on sensitive skin and is unlikely to cause any irritation.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts for sensitive skin because it avoids harsh ingredients and includes soothing components with an excellent safety profile. Reviewers also report a low likelihood of breakouts.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, acetyl hexapeptide-8, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-10 significantly increased type III collagen levels in human dermal fibroblasts following UV exposure, with their combination demonstrating a greater effect in vitro and enhancing type I, III, and IV collagen levels in ex vivo skin tissues compared to individual components.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026Acetyl hexapeptide-3 and tripeptide-10 citrulline demonstrated antiwrinkle efficacy and decreased transepidermal water loss in twenty-four healthy volunteers compared to control groups, though synergistic effects between the two peptides remained unclear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017Topical application of Bifida Ferment Lysate strengthens the skin barrier function by upregulating barrier and antimicrobial peptide genes, exhibiting strong antioxidant properties, and decreasing inflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Topical 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, 2011Topical 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, 2022Treatment 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, 2019A 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, 2001Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Daily topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 showed a trend toward a longer time until return to baseline Jankovic Blepharospasm Rating Scale scores compared to placebo (3.7 months vs. 3.0 months) in 24 patients with blepharospasm receiving botulinum toxin therapy.
European Journal of Neurology, 2013Argireline applied twice daily for 4 weeks achieved a total anti-wrinkle efficiency of 48.9% and notably reduced wrinkle depth compared to placebo in Chinese subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2013
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Lactococcus Lysate Ferment, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Trehalose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, Urea, Sodium Pca, Pca, Sodium Lactate, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, 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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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