The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion for oily acne-prone skin
Niacinamide
Glycerin
Pentylene Glycol
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 and treatment for your oily skin, as niacinamide helps regulate oil production and glycerin provides essential hydration to improve skin barrier resilience.
- While beneficial for general skincare, the formula lacks specialized ingredients to directly target your concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this AM and PM routine every day to help clear your skin. Always remember to finish with SPF in the morning.
- Apply the moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your SPF during the day.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and avoid rubbing to keep pores clear.
- Apply on clean, slightly damp skin to help the product absorb better and control oil.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a simple patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 1.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with sensitive, oily, and acne-prone skin highly praise this emulsion for its ultra-lightweight hydration and ability to fade dark spots without irritation. It is frequently noted for improving skin texture and reducing redness, though some users with drier skin or stubborn hyperpigmentation find it requires layering with a richer moisturizer or takes time to show visible results.
Highlights
Lightweight & fast absorbing Mostly Mentioned
- “melts right in”
- “feels like water”
- “light as air”
- “absorbs quickly”
Gentle & non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “caused no irritation”
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “gentler than the serum”
- “no stinging”
Improves texture & tone Often Mentioned
- “smoothed skin texture”
- “faded acne scars”
- “reduced appearance of pores”
- “cleared acne marks”
Small bottle size Often Mentioned
- “need bigger bottle”
- “finished too quickly”
- “too small for body”
- “wish it came in 500ml”
Versatile application Sometimes Noted
- “perfect under sunscreen”
- “great for body acne”
- “layers easily”
- “multi-functional”
Insufficient hydration Sometimes Noted
- “not hydrating enough”
- “need heavier cream”
- “dry after use”
- “not for dry skin”
Packaging design Rarely Noted
- “hard to get out”
- “pump would be better”
- “tube gets messy”
Slow or minimal results Rarely Noted
- “didn't fade melasma”
- “no change in spots”
- “bland results”
- “too gentle”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, theordinary.com, ulta.com, boots.com, lookfantastic.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Emulsion work for oily acne-prone skin?
This emulsion works well enough to provide moderate moisture and help control oil, but it lacks targeted ingredients for breakouts. To fit oily acne-prone skin better, a moisturizing treatment needs ingredients that tackle acne and blemishes while offering lightweight hydration without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide and glycerin make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin because niacinamide helps regulate oil production while glycerin provides essential hydration. To truly clear acne and blemishes, this skin type needs a product with specialized acne-fighting and blemish-targeting ingredients along with lightweight hydrators that do not clog pores.
What does Niacinamide do for oily acne-prone skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oil production, calms redness, and is unlikely to irritate oily, acne-prone skin while improving blemishes. Clinical tests show it reduces excess oil and helps clear up both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This moisturizing treatment goes in the morning routine after your hydrating toner and before sunscreen, and in the evening routine as your final step after any treatment. Niacinamide helps regulate oil production while glycerin provides hydration, though oily acne-prone skin also needs specialized ingredients to directly target blemishes and breakouts.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying it before or after retinol helps keep your skin comfortable and supports your skin barrier. A moisturizer used with retinoids is unlikely to reduce their effectiveness and may improve how well your skin handles the treatment.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing treatment twice daily to keep your oily skin hydrated and balanced. Daily application of this type of formula helps improve moisture levels and skin barrier strength, though oily acne-prone skin also needs specialized acne-fighting ingredients to target blemishes and breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cream is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as it has a safe profile with no harsh ingredients. However, because it lacks specialized ingredients to directly target acne and blemishes, oily acne-prone skin needs a product that includes targeted blemish-fighting ingredients and oil-balancing agents.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizing treatment on your body and around your eyes, as it has a safe formula with no harsh ingredients. The skin on the body and around the eyes benefits greatly from gentle hydration and barrier support.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
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, 2017Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005The 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, 2001Niacinamide/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, 2012Exposure of epidermal full-thickness skin equivalents to a blend of betaine, pentylene glycol, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Rhodiola rosea root extract significantly increased antioxidant, skin barrier, and oxidative stress biomarkers while reducing the negative impact of hydrogen peroxide on MMP3, MMP12, FBN2, ANXA1, and HGF, whereas a blend of Narcissus tazetta bulb extract and Schisandra chinensis fruit extract significantly increased 8 growth factors, 7 signaling, 7 structural/barrier function, 7 oxidative stress biomarkers, and specific microRNAs over control levels.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018
Why other moisturizers fit oily acne-prone skin better
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, 2023A peel-off facial mask containing myoinositol and trehalose-loaded liposomes improved adult female acne by decreasing lesion counts, sebum production, GAGS scores, and local androgen levels while increasing beclin-1 levels.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017A 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
Ingredients
Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, 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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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
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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.