The Ordinary Skincare for Cystic Acne

Hi everyone,

This is an in-depth and comprehensive review into a selection of products from The Ordinary that I purchased to try and combat cystic acne. This post is in no way sponsored or funded by The Ordinary and this is an impartial view based solely on my experience.

I have always suffered with my skin. I first got acne as a young teenager, mostly appearing as lots of bumps and spots on my forehead, then later on my T-zone, as well as around my mouth and chin, though never on my cheeks. As I grew older my acne got much better and while I always had spots, for the most part it was limited to just a few at a time. I was always lucky enough to not have any scarring, either.

At the beginning of this year my skin became a lot more oily than usual. I started breaking out quite badly and the whole lower half of my face was beginning to become covered in spots. This included my chin and jawline, something I was not used to.

These weren’t the type of spots I usually got either; I was accustomed to blackheads on my nose and the rest were normal yellow heads. These were cystic spots; painful, under the skin spots that appeared as hard lumps and took a long time to come to a head. I had only ever experience these on a rare occasion on my chin, and always just one at a time. Now they were covering most of my face. As a 25 year old, to be suffering worse acne than when I was teenager was really embarrassing.

Also, being 25 and not a teenager meant that my skin wasn’t healing as fast as when I was younger, so my spots were leaving scars that just wouldn’t go away. My face was absolutely covered in spots, bumps and red marks, and I wouldn’t leave the house without a full face of foundation. I had tried everything I could think of to get rid of the acne.

Thinking the root cause of the spots was the oil, I first tried to combat that. I used tea tree and which hazel products (face washes, toners, pure oils) to try and dry my skin out. This did indeed dry my skin out, but too much, and it did nothing to stop the spots coming.

After looking into this a bit more, I found out that the reason these products could be over-drying my skin was because my skin was actually dry. You see, sometimes when your skin is too dry, your body produces excess oil to try and provide it with moisture, and the result is that the uppermost layer of your skin becomes very oily. A good way to help this can be to add oils to your skincare routine. I tried adding coconut and hemp seed oil, alternately applying them to my face before bed. I did notice my skin becoming less oily, but the acne persevered. I even went to my doctor who prescribed a benzoyl cream, but after seeing no results after a few months of use I gave up on this.

I scoured the internet for solutions, reading countless blogs and watching countless YouTube videos. I kept hearing one brand name popping up: The Ordinary. Some people had said the products had worked for them, others said they hadn’t. But everyone said their prices were amazing, so I thought it was worth a try anyway. All their products are vegan and cruelty-free as well, which is something that appealed to me. I checked out their website and saw they had a lot of different products, all with rather confusing names, and was unsure what to try. After doing a bit more research I picked out three products to try, the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. All the products I ordered were 30ml. If these names sound like chemical-jargon to you, don’t worry, they did to me at first too.

I ordered these three products from Cult Beauty, who at the time were offering free delivery on all The Ordinary products.

So, what are they all about?

(All information courtesy of The Ordinary website and product packaging.)

Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion

Cost: £8

This product comes in a brown glass bottle with a dropper. It is a yellowish liquid of milky consistency.

The Ordinary describes this product as targeting ‘Textural Irregularities’ and ‘Signs of Age’. Whilst this emulsion is primarily used as an anti-aging product, retinoids are known to help spots and acne, and I had read lots of reviews saying this had helped people with acne.

The box suggests applying a small amount of the product in the evening ‘after water-based serums but before heavier treatments’. It also advises not to use the product with other retinoids and to avoid unprotected sun exposure.

Image courtesy of The Ordinary

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Cost: £5

This product comes in a clear glass bottle with dropper. It is a clear serum.

This serum supposedly ‘Regulates Sebum’ (the oil that secretes from the sebaceous glands and can cause spots and oily skin) and ‘Minimizes Pores’. If you have large open pores that are full of sebum, this can cause spots, so this product sounded like it could really help.

According to the box you can apply this product morning and night, before moisturisers.

Image courtesy of The Ordinary

AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

Cost: £6.30

This product comes in a clear glass bottle with dropper. It is a blood-red liquid.

This solution is described as a ’10-Minute Exfoliating Facial’ which targets ‘Textural Irregularities’, ‘Lackluster Tone’ and ‘Blemishes’.

The directions list is very long on this one and it also comes with a sunburn warning:

Directions: “Use ideally in the PM, no more frequently than twice per week. Clean face and wait for skin to dry. Do not use on wet skin. Apply evenly across face and neck using your fingertips. Leave on for no more than 10 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. Avoid the eye contour and contact with eyes both during application and rinse off. This low-viscosity solution is intended to be used as a masque. Do not leave on for longer than 10 minutes. If persistent irritation occurs, discontinue use and consult a physician. (Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards. Use only as directed. Contact of the product with the skin must be of limited frequency or duration.)”

“Sunburn Alert: This product contains [ingredients]… that may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun and particularly of sunburn. Use a sunscreen… and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.”

Image courtesy of The Ordinary

Routine: With all the information from the product’s packaging I decided to use the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% in the morning after washing my face and before my day cream, the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion in the evening after washing my face and before my night cream, and the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution as a weekly peeling treatment.

Results: After using the products for a month, I had seen some changes, but not the results I was hoping for. Again, my skin was a lot less oily and not overly dry, which I’m guessing was down to the niacinamide solution. The retinoid emulsion made my skin a lot softer and plumper, possibly down to the anti-aging properties. I was still breaking out a lot though, and there was no let up in the size of the spots or how long they took to go down. I found the weekly peeling solution got rid of any dead skin that had built up over the week, especially around my nose, and slightly brightened my skin, but it didn’t work miracles.

I went back on the internet and concluded that maybe I needed to add, or swap in, a couple of different products to my routine. I decided on the Salicylic Acid 2% Solution and the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. Again, both products were 30ml. The salicylic acid was out of stock on Cult Beauty so this time I ordered directly from The Ordinary’s website.

 Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

Cost: £4.20

This product comes in a clear glass bottle with dropper. It is a clear liquid.

The solution aims to target ‘Lackluster Tone’ and ‘Blemishes’.

The product can be applied in the morning and the evening, either in small amounts directly to spots or as an all-over treatment. It again comes with a sunburn warning. I had read online that the product should not be used at the same time as any retinoids as this can cause irritation and extra sensitivity to the skin.

Image courtesy of The Ordinary

Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%

Cost: £5.50

This product comes in a silver tube. It is a white cream-like solution.

The solution should tackle ‘Uneven Tone’, ‘Dullness’ and ‘Textural Irregularities’.

It can be applied at morning or night, or both. It is also suggested to use a sunscreen when using the product.

Image courtesy of The Ordinary

Routine: I debated whether to use all five of the products in the same routine, or to swap some of the old products out for new ones. In the end I decided that I would use the niacinamide and the azelaic acid on alternate mornings and that I would alternate the retinoid emulsion and the salicylic acid in the evenings, keeping the peeling solution to once a week. I would use the salicylic acid as an all over treatment rather then just a spot treatment, due to the severity of the acne.

Results: After just two weeks using these new products I really started to see results. In the beginning I’d apply the salicylic acid in the evening, and when I’d wake up my spots would be visibly reduced. At the end of the two weeks I was hardly breaking out at all. At the moment I only have two active spots! My skin hasn’t brightened up that much and I still have a few bumps here and there, but this is down to scarring from old spots and is another issue I will have to tackle.

Overall, I would say that adding The Ordinary skincare products to my routine has improved my outbreaks and overall skin condition – my skin is less oily, my pores are reduced, my skin is softer and plumper and I’m breaking out a lot less – but I have not had the miracle results I wanted. I don’t think I can get this from any skincare products, though; my acne is cystic, which means it’s probably down to hormones. However, if you’re looking for a full skincare routine that is going to help you get results, The Ordinary is definitely worth a try. I spent roughly £35 on a full skincare routine that did give me results, sometimes you can pay this for a single product!

So, if you are looking to try something new without breaking the bank, it’s definitely worth trying at least one or two products from The Ordinary. If you’re unsure what products to pick, The Ordinary provides a Regimen Guide to help you: https://theordinary.com/regimenguide

Disclaimer: I am not a medical or skincare professional. If you are having problems with your skin I would always check with your doctor before adding any new products to your routine.

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