Is The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum worth it?

The gurus are split. 3 of the 6 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 2 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 70%.

What is The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum's Guru Score?

The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum holds a Guru Score of 70%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

The Ordinary

The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum.

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Lip

About this product

A dropper-packed lip serum from The Ordinary that uses 5% PHA, a gentle exfoliating acid, alongside glycerin and ectoine to hydrate lips.

Full ingredients

Glycerin, Aqua/Water/Eau, Gluconolactone, Ectoin, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Juice, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Guru Score

70%

Mixed

6 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

A single tiny drop is the detail that keeps coming up with this lip serum, and the praise centres on lips feeling softer, smoother and plumper. The less enthusiastic takes doubt that lips need acids at all, and say a plain balm does more, while those on the fence say it depends on whether you need to exfoliate at all. The advice is to start around twice a week rather than daily.

Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take May 2026

What they liked

Gentle exfoliation without grittiness
Plumping effect within minutes
Needs only a tiny amount per application

What they flagged

Results inconsistent between individuals
Requires a lip balm layered on top
Unclear application instructions

Type

LipDrops & dropper

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Sephora → Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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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.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

~Yay

"It really does give the most rejuvenated look around the eyes"

Top Pick: exfoliating lip product

All 7 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash

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"It really does give the most rejuvenated look around the eyes"

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"It does a really good job to keep your lips super soft and smooth. All you need is the tiniest little drop and that's it. If you over apply, yes, it's going to get into your mouth and yes, you will taste something, but don't put a lot of product and it won't go in your mouth and you won't taste anything. This is one of the best I've ever used and way better than a gritty lip scrub because lip scrubs actually do more harm than good."

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"This is one of my favorites. I haven't used anything like this before. This is the only thing that I will put on my lips to exfoliate. I love the results so much that I wanted to see if this would perform in other areas. [...] It has 50% glycerin, it also has ectoin and it has those gentle PHAs. [...] Within the second day of using this on a dry, flaky area, that flaky, dry, crusty, crepey looking area smoothed right out within 2 days."

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"The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum, I've [...] been loving this and this is truly 10 out of 10. The first ingredient is glycerin, so this product is pretty much glycerin which is very hydrating and plumping because it's a humectant. It really keeps the lips nice and hydrated and plump, and that is really why I love this so much because of how plump my lips go. I don't really have dry lips, but this is just a product that ensures the lips remain soft and smooth."

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"I am really impressed with this. I was so excited with this launch. And I'm even more excited knowing that this is actually a product that delivers real results. I love the plump that I get with this. Honestly, it's the first thing that I noticed once it dried down. Within 15 to 20 minutes, my lips just felt and looked more plump. [...] There's ectoin in here, a lot of great humectants to keep those deep layers nice and hydrated. I just love the fullness that I get with my lips."

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"This is fabulous. This is great for all skin types. It has a 5% PHA, which is polyhydroxy acids, which are way more gentle than lactic, glycolic, salicylic acid. They have a larger molecule, so it takes longer to penetrate into the lip before it starts exfoliating. But this truly gives the softest, smoothest lips ever. It is very hydrating. The first ingredient is glycerin. So, I find this to be extremely hydrating and very, very plumping."

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"So, I believe this is priced right. I think we're getting a good amount of product and that formulation list looks really impressive. I cannot wait to try this. I actually feel like this might be a trending product that will go viral that will sell out really quickly. [...] There really isn't anything like this on the market in terms of an exfoliating lip serum. So, this is another reason why I feel like this is going to go viral."

Dr. Jenny Liu

323k subs

~Yay

"You apply it like a serum, just one little tiny drop all over my lip. It doesn't burn, doesn't stain. It's a great one if you're looking for something that gently exfoliates that doesn't stain, or if you struggle with flaky skin or retain dead skin or uneven tone. Using a gentle product over time can definitely help with that. Ingredient-wise it's got 5% gluconolactone, which is a PHA, glycerin and other wonderful hydrating and soothing ingredients. You can use it twice a day."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

~Nay

"PHAs are a very gentle, nice exfoliating acid, but lips don't usually need chemical exfoliation. Most dry, flaky lips aren't caused by a buildup of dead skin. They're usually just dehydrated or irritated. [...] A regular lip balm tend to work much better than adding acids into the mix."

Robert Welsh

1.11M subs

~Nay

"I used it for a while every other day and it didn't do anything to my lips. Nothing changed at all. In fact my lips are drier. [...] It didn't even keep them to their normal level of crustiness or non-crustiness. Also the directions weren't so clear. The How To Use on their website says to apply a thin layer onto clean dry lips on alternate evenings, allow the product to dry, apply lip balm as needed throughout the day. But I was confused. Do I use a lip balm afterwards?"

All 2 takes from Robert Welsh

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"It contains [...] gentle exfoliation, smoothness and hydration. [...] As soon as I saw this, I was like, I want to buy that. [...] I used it for a week and [...] I loved what I used. It tastes great, by the way. You don't obviously eat it, but if you accidentally lick some, it tastes really good. [...] I do like the before and afters. They look realistic. I didn't see a change yet, but I do believe there will be one. It's science. But I need to keep using it consistently."

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Mad About Skin

731k subs

~Yay

"I just love it. Twice a week. This is my top tip for you with this product. Only use it twice a week because it's potent, but it will give you the smoothest, softest lips. What I like to do is put some of this on and then I'll leave it to do its magic for like 5 minutes. Then I'll put a lip balm on top. You'll wake up with the softest pout of your dreams. I've heard some people online say they use this every day. Please don't do that. [...] This is quite potent."

All 4 takes from Mad About Skin

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"This is [...] really nice. [...] It's a slightly thicker serum, which means it's easy to apply. You only need a couple of drops on the back of your hand and then you can put it on the lips. You could actually use this all over the face as a gentle exfoliator. [...] First of all, it tastes fairly neutral. Anything I put on the lips, it needs to be taste-free. I don't want to be tasting whatever all day long. This is pretty taste neutral. It feels great."

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"It definitely seems to be a little bit Marmite. [...] I'm in the middle on this one because whilst I think it's a good formulation, definitely formulated with the delicate skin of the lips in mind, I think it's still going to be situational as to whether you need this and whether it's going to work for you. Not everybody needs to exfoliate their lips. [...] My lips aren't dry, they're not chapped, they're pretty stable."

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"This is a product that I cannot wait to have on regular rotation in my skincare routine. The Ordinary recommend you use it two or three times a week and stick to that. Even though they have super low concentrations of really gentle exfoliating acids, the lips are still super sensitive. If you use this every day, your lips would be screaming. So, start twice a week. You can build up to three times a week if your lips will tolerate it and that's enough. But that's all you need. Base the lips."

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No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Mixed

"It's got a kind of a thicker texture to it, which I was not expecting. Feels okay. I don't feel any tingling or anything. It has a little bit of a taste. One little drop of that was too much I will say. [...] So ingredients glycerin water then we've got the PHA we've got ectoine which is a great hydrating soothing ingredient. Carrot juice um malic and tartric acids and then some preservatives. So not the most complicated formula but it feels nice. I guess I should be applying this at night."

All 3 takes from No BS Beauty

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"It's the Ordinary PHA exfoliating lip serum. It's really not exfoliating much at all. PHA is kind of a hydrating exfoliant, but it's just a nice lightweight lip serum. I'll just put a little bit on. The packaging is kind of not my favorite, but it just comes in a dropper. No taste. One drop is usually enough and it feels nice and hydrating. And then if you use like a different lip balm or a thicker one at night, you can use that over this. It's pretty nice."

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"PHA is an interesting exfoliant. It's very gentle and it can also help with hydration. They meant this product to be applied under other lip balms, especially theirs. [...] It's meant to be used under other lip balms."

The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum.

70%

What the gurus are saying.

What the evidence says.

Frequently asked.

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Is The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum worth it?

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