The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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✓Yay

"You can use this actually mil for mill far cheaper than the 10%. Far better formulated. It's in a beautiful rich emulsion which [...] just glides onto the skin and sinks in. It gives you added hydration. It gives you the benefits of that niacinamide and again in a 5% strength, same concentration as the [azelaic] acid product. Genuinely works. I absolutely love this. [...] You can use it all over the body for that brightening and the benefits of niacinamide head to toe."

All 6 takes from Mad About Skin

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"This is great, you can use it on the face, you can use it on the body, it's really inexpensive. That 5% is perfect, and it's an emulsion, so I actually think the formulation of this, the base formulation, is better than the original niacinamide. So if you're still using The Ordinary Niacinamide 10%, switch to this. You will get far greater results, less irritation, and it just feels nicer on the skin."

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"It comes in a really nice pump, [...] you get 100ml so you get a lot of product. I think I paid £11 for this so it really doesn't need to break the bank. [...] Look how beautiful that applies. This is a firm favorite for me. My skin doesn't like a lot of niacinamide so I could never go for the 10%. I think whether you use this on the body or use it on the face it's up to you, but you get a lot more product for a lot lower price point per ml than with the 10% in a better strength."

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"This is a better product. It has a nicer texture, you get more product and it costs less. So it's just a really affordable dupe for itself almost and it's got 5%. I would say to anyone that's using this, ditch it. Use this. You will get the exact same results, less side effects and irritation, and it's cheaper. I think this is a no-brainer. [...] This is a game changer of a product that I recommend to everybody. [...] If you're using this, swap to this. I honestly think your skin will love it."

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"I love this on the body, great on the face, amazing. If you like niacinamide, but you like it in a lower dose and a nicer application, 10 out of 10. Absolutely phenomenal."

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"If you're using The Ordinary 10% Niacinamide stop, get this instead. Any study into niacinamide shows that it works best at a 2 to 5% strength, so you don't need to go for 10%. That's too much, it's too high, which is why a lot of people get sensitivity and irritation. 5% is the sweet spot. With this though, you also get three times the amount of product, 100 ml versus 30 ml, for less, I think it's like 20% cheaper. [...] It feels better on the skin."

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"You can use this actually mil for mill far cheaper than the 10%. Far better formulated. It's in a beautiful rich emulsion which [...] just glides onto the skin and sinks in. It gives you added hydration. It gives you the benefits of that niacinamide and again in a 5% strength, same concentration as the [azelaic] acid product. Genuinely works. I absolutely love this. [...] You can use it all over the body for that brightening and the benefits of niacinamide head to toe."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Mixed

"It's a nice simple moisturizer probably will help brighten dark spots for some people but my hyperpigmentation especially on my face from melasma and very stubborn this didn't even do anything other than moisturize the skin which is nice"

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Yay

"I do like this one because it's at a 5% there's no zinc in here and it has that emulsion texture which is like a milkiness, a milky texture. It is way more hydrating on the skin, way more gentle, it doesn't pill with skincare, and it's a great way to introduce niacinamide within your face skincare products or if you want to start using it on your body. [...] You are getting 100 mls of product, and [...] this will last you forever if you're going to just strictly use this for your face."

All 3 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash

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"I do like this one because it's at a 5% there's no zinc in here and it has that emulsion texture which is like a milkiness, a milky texture. It is way more hydrating on the skin, way more gentle, it doesn't pill with skincare, and it's a great way to introduce niacinamide within your face skincare products or if you want to start using it on your body. [...] You are getting 100 mls of product, and [...] this will last you forever if you're going to just strictly use this for your face."

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"I love that this is at a 5% concentration. I also quite enjoy that milky texture, so perfect for all skin types, and also it's fragrance-free. This is a great product to use just for added hydration, so you don't necessarily have to use this every day, you can just use this when needed."

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"I did pick up one Ordinary Niacinamide 5% so this is their antioxidant serum that is great for signs of aging but also great to add additional hydration to your skin as well. So I mix one to two drops into my moisturizer and I apply it to my face like that. You can use it every day twice a day and it really is great for that nice glow to the skin as well. It really does give this nice brighter complexion the more often you use it."

Nipun Kapur

412k subs

✓Yay

"The Ordinary has a 5% niacinamide and it's in a face and body emulsion. It's a non-irritating formula and it is at 5%, so it can be used on face and body. I have tried it out and it is really really nice. It's a creamy formula. I've been using it on my body, on my arms to brighten it."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion?

A lightweight niacinamide serum at 5% concentration formulated as a milky emulsion, designed to be used on face and body to help reduce the appearance of dark spots, redness, and uneven skin tone while providing hydration.

Is The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion worth it?

Mostly yes. 3 of the 4 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 78%.

What is The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion's Guru Score?

The Ordinary Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion holds a Guru Score of 78%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.