The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% On your shelf ✓
Maya's readThe Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a serum built around Vitamin B3 and Zinc PCA. It leans strongest on barrier repair, brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to oily, combo and dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Skip it if you already own something similar — it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
What it delivers
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. — estimated from the formula
What's in it that matters
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid that reduces sebum and provides antimicrobial and anti inflammatory support with good tolerability.
Key facts
- Type
- Serum
- Key actives
- Vitamin B3 10%, Zinc PCA
- Fragrance
- None detected
- Fungal-acne (Malassezia) safe
- Likely, by the formula
- Pregnancy
- No flagged actives
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
- Typical price
- ~€6
How to use it
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Free from
- Fragrance-free
- Alcohol-free
- Paraben-free
Best for
- Oily
- Combo
- Dry
- Sensitive
Worth knowing
Nothing our knowledge base would flag: no high-comedogenic or pregnancy-caution actives here.
Common questions
Is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% good for oily skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits oily, combo, dry skin. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a serum built around Vitamin B3 and Zinc PCA. It leans strongest on barrier repair, brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to oily, combo and dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?
The actives that do the work are Vitamin B3, Zinc PCA. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
The full formula, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 4 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
- Aqua/WaterSolvent (base)
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant / solvent
- Zinc PCAZinc salt
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Tamarindus Indica Seed GumPlant oil / butter (emollient)
- Xanthan GumThickener
- Isoceteth-20Emulsifier
- EthoxydiglycolSolvent
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- ChlorphenesinPreservative
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc PCA, Dimethicone, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.