The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum for dry skin
Niacinamide
Asiaticoside- Madecassic Acid
Sphingolipids
High
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for dry skin; a few serums fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 barrier support and soothing effects are provided for your dry skin, as niacinamide and bisabolol work synergistically to enhance barrier resilience and reduce redness. Ethyl linoleate and sphingolipids further contribute to emollient action and barrier repair, addressing dryness and flakiness effectively.
- The inclusion of panthenyl triacetate and brassica campestris sterols offers additional nourishment and comfort, complementing the primary ingredients for overall skin health.
- This formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring soothing components like niacinamide and bisabolol to minimize irritation risk.
How to apply
- Apply this serum PM, starting 3×/week and working up to daily use as your skin adjusts.
- Place the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the serum on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 2.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is widely praised for its ability to rapidly repair damaged skin barriers, hydrate dry patches, and reduce redness, leaving a glowy finish.
Highlights
Hydrating and plumping Often Mentioned
- “skin felt plumped”
- “super hydrated”
- “boost in hydration”
Reduces redness Often Mentioned
- “calmed down my skin”
- “rashes subsided instantaneously”
- “reduced look of redness”
Repairs skin barrier Often Mentioned
- “heals damaged barrier”
- “skin feels stronger”
- “soothed irritation”
Glowy finish Sometimes Noted
- “gives a nice glow”
- “dewy finish”
- “glass skin effect”
Good absorption Sometimes Noted
- “absorbs pretty fast”
- “not sticky”
- “silky feel”
Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “small pustules all over”
- “caused tiny whiteheads”
- “broke me out”
Ineffective for some Rarely Noted
- “didn't notice a difference”
- “no reduction in redness”
- “did nothing”
Packaging complaints Rarely Noted
- “dropper is messy”
- “prefer a pump”
- “hard to apply”
Texture issues Rarely Noted
- “sticky on application”
- “gloopy texture”
- “pilling under makeup”
Unpleasant smell Rarely Noted
- “smells like yeast”
- “whiff of cardboard”
- “smells like beeswax”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, theordinary.com, sephora.com, reddit.com, independent.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum a great fit for dry skin?
This serum is a great fit for dry skin because niacinamide and bisabolol team up to strengthen your skin barrier and calm redness. Ethyl linoleate and sphingolipids also help smooth away flakiness while keeping your skin feeling soft and deeply nourished.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry skin?
This serum is a great fit for dry skin because niacinamide and bisabolol calm redness while strengthening your skin barrier. Ingredients like ethyl linoleate and sphingolipids help repair dryness and flakiness, while panthenyl triacetate and brassica campestris sterols provide extra nourishment and comfort.
What does Niacinamide do for dry skin?
Niacinamide helps dry skin by strengthening the skin barrier, increasing hydration, and reducing water loss. It supports ceramide production and helps keep the surface smooth and calm. This ingredient tends to be very well tolerated and is unlikely to irritate dry skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
What does Asiaticoside do for dry skin?
Asiaticoside helps improve moisture and strengthens the skin barrier to relieve dry skin. When applied in specialized formulas, it increases skin hydration and supports skin recovery safely.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2020Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology, 2021
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. Using it at night keeps things simple and helps protect your skin from irritation in the sun.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to help calm and soften your skin while reducing dryness. This formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring soothing components to minimize irritation risk.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum is a great fit for your dry skin and is meant to be used in your evening routine. It helps repair your skin barrier, calm redness, and ease dryness and flakiness while keeping irritation low.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2012International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2010
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
Yes, this serum may occasionally cause breakouts, as some reviewers with dry skin report. However, its soothing ingredients and barrier-supporting components are generally safe and unlikely to irritate your skin.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol). Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Application of Body Lotion for 5 weeks on cosmetic dry skin improved barrier properties, increased levels of cholesterol, ceramides, and long-chain fatty acids, increased beneficial skin bacteria, and enhanced microbiome functional potential compared to baseline.
Scientific Reports, 2022Topical 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, 2021Panthenyl triacetate (PTA) demonstrated skin de-acetylation into panthenol, stimulated energetic and synthesis metabolic pathways, and achieved a statistically significant improvement in wound healing after 72 hours compared to saline treatment in human volunteers, outperforming panthenol in long-lasting wound healing action.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2012Treatment with a bioactive complex of Panthenyl triacetate and Ethyl linoleate at 3% protected human skin biopsies against UV-induced protein oxidation by 72% with pre-treatment and 78% with post-treatment, while also stimulating the expression of protein repairing enzymes compared to UV-irradiated controls.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2010Optimum liposomal film formulations containing coenzyme Q10 and d-panthenyl triacetate provided complete wound closure after 24 hours and were safe on fibroblast and keratinocyte cells in in vitro assays.
Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 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, 2005Topical 2% niacinamide significantly decreased sebum excretion rate in Japanese individuals and casual sebum levels in Caucasian individuals compared to placebo or baseline.
Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020A 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, 2017Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, Propanediol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Hexyldecanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xylitylglucoside, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Anhydroxylitol, Ethyl Linoleate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Naringenin, Cyanocobalamin, Panthenyl Triacetate, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Bisabolol, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Sphingolipids, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Propyl Gallate, Xylitol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Stearic Acid, Dicetyl Phosphate, Isoceteth-20, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, P-Anisic Acid, Phytic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, 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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