The Ordinary Buffet Serum for sensitive skin
Peptides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Amino Acids
Lactococcus Lysate Ferment
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
High
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for sensitive skin; a few serums fit it even 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
- This formulation is highly suitable for your normal skin, as multiple peptides like Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 stimulate collagen production for improved elasticity and volume.
- Glycerin and Allantoin offer supportive hydration and soothing benefits, which are helpful for your redness and irritation.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your sensitive skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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
★4.4Overall rating based on 7.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is widely praised as an affordable, effective all-in-one treatment that significantly hydrates and plumps the skin, leading to a softer texture and reduced appearance of fine lines for many users. A moderate number of users report a sticky finish, and a low to moderate number experienced breakouts or irritation, particularly those with sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Highlights
Hydrates and plumps Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels plump”
- “leaves face dewy”
- “very hydrating”
- “bouncy skin feel”
Great value Often Mentioned
- “unbeatable price”
- “affordable anti-aging”
- “great bang for buck”
- “wallet-friendly effective skincare”
Smoothes texture Often Mentioned
- “glass skin effect”
- “texture is softer”
- “makeup applies smoother”
- “smoother complexion”
Sticky finish Often Mentioned
- “feels very tacky”
- “sticky residue”
- “takes forever to dry”
- “left face sticky”
Reduces lines Sometimes Noted
- “softened forehead lines”
- “crow's feet diminished”
- “lines look filled”
- “youthful appearance”
Caused breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “broke me out”
- “caused cystic acne”
- “clogged my pores”
- “tiny bumps appeared”
Slow results Sometimes Noted
- “didn't do much”
- “no visible difference”
- “just a hydrator”
- “results are minimal”
Pilling issues Rarely Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “balls up”
- “hard to layer”
- “conflicts with Vitamin C”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, sephora.com, deciemchatroom.com, reddit.com, cultbeauty.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Buffet serum a great fit for sensitive skin?
The Ordinary Buffet Serum is a great fit for sensitive skin because it contains soothing ingredients like glycerin and allantoin that help calm redness and irritation. It also features peptides and sodium hyaluronate to boost firmness and hydration while maintaining an excellent safety profile without harsh ingredients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
This serum is a great fit because glycerin and allantoin provide soothing hydration to help calm redness and irritation, while peptides like Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 boost firmness. Its safety profile is excellent, as it lacks harsh ingredients and is unlikely to irritate sensitive skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013
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 treatment goes in the evening routine after your soothing toner and before your moisturizer, keeping things simple and safe. It is unlikely to irritate your sensitive skin since the formula avoids harsh ingredients and includes soothing additions like allantoin.
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 skin hydration and peptides, followed by your retinol. This pairing is generally well-tolerated because the formula avoids harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation when combined with retinoids.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your sensitive skin and can be used in your evening routine. It is very unlikely to cause irritation because it leaves out harsh ingredients and includes soothing additions like glycerin and allantoin.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This serum may occasionally cause breakouts, as some reviewers note, though it is unlikely to irritate sensitive skin due to its gentle, soothing ingredients like glycerin and allantoin. It does not cause purging because it lacks active exfoliating ingredients.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Chronomodulated daytime application of baicalin and nighttime application of palmitoyl tripeptide-1 synergistically improved skin luminance by 16.29%, nasolabial fold depth by -36.35%, and firmness by 24.35% in 30 female participants.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Argireline 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, 2013Treatment 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, 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, 2017Topical 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, 2019Acetyl 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, 2017Daily 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
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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