Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.
EWG Home EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning EWG’s Food Scores Healthy Living App Open menu

EWG's Skin Deep®
Find products and ingredients Learn how Skin Deep® works Meet our experts Discover EWG VERIFIED®
GET UPDATES DONATE
Score legend
HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES LEARN MORE ABOUT EWG VERIFIED®
Product score: 02

Data Availability:

Limited

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% (2019 formulation)

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% (2019 formulation)

WHERE TO BUY

When you make a purchase through retailer links on our site, we may earn commission through affiliate programs. All affiliate fees EWG receives support our nonprofit mission. Learn more here

CATEGORY

Facial Moisturizer/Treatment

BRAND

The Ordinary

DATA LAST UPDATED

July 2019

Ingredient concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • MODERATE
    Cancer
  • HIGH
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient scores

Ingredients are scored based on their formulation and concentration in this product. Click on an ingredient for more information.

Ingredient score: 01
ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C)
Appeared as: ASCORBIC ACID
Data Availability: Fair
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) antioxidant, fragrance ingredient, ph adjuster, skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, buffering, masking, skin conditioning
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
SQUALANE
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, skin-conditioning agent - occlusive, emollient, hair conditioning, refatting, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Endocrine disruption (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - emollient, emollient, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
ISONONYL ISONONANOATE
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - emollient, antistatic, emollient, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
COCONUT ALKANES
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
ETHYLENE/ PROPYLENE/ STYRENE COPOLYMER
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) viscosity increasing agent - nonaqueous
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) fragrance ingredient, skin-conditioning agent - emollient, emollient, perfuming
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
• Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) anticaking agent, bulking agent, slip modifier, suspending agent - nonsurfactant, viscosityincreasing agent - nonaqueous, anticaking, antifoaming, emollient, emulsion stabilising, viscosity controlling
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
SODIUM HYALURONATE
Data Availability: Fair
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, humectant, skin conditioning
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
AMORPHOPHALLUS KONJAC ROOT EXTRACT
Appeared as: GLUCOMANNAN
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
COCO-CAPRYLATE/ CAPRATE
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - emollient, emollient, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Enhanced skin absorption
• Use restrictions (low)
• Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
BUTYLENE/ ETHYLENE/ STYRENE COPOLYMER
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) viscosity increasing agent - nonaqueous
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
ACRYLATES/ ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER
Data Availability: None
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) binder, binding
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
• Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 01
TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN
Data Availability: Limited
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - occlusive, viscosity increasing agent - nonaqueous, emollient, skin conditioning, solvent, viscosity controlling
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT
Ingredient score: 05
BHT
Data Availability: Fair
Expand content Collapse content
FUNCTION(S) antioxidant, fragrance ingredient, masking
CONCERNS • Cancer (moderate)
• Developmental/reproductive toxicity (low)
• Allergies/immunotoxicity (high)
• Endocrine disruption (low)
• Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)
• Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INGREDIENT

Ingredients from packaging:

Ascorbic Acid, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Coconut Alkanes, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucomannan, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trihydroxystearin, BHT.

Warnings from packaging:

Keep out of reach of children.

Product's animal testing policies

Some cosmetics companies have taken People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Leaping Bunny animal-testing pledges. For consumers who are concerned about companies’ policies on animal testing, Skin Deep reports this information.


Unknown

Leading international certifiers PETA and Leaping Bunny have no information concerning this company’s use of animal testing.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

More facial moisturizer/treatment

Estee Lauder Nutritious Radiant Essence Lotion
Estée Lauder
Estee Lauder Nutritious Radiant Essence Lotion
EWG Verified logo
EWG VERIFIED
Sonage C Shield Smart Serum
Sonage
C Shield Smart Serum
EWG Verified logo
EWG VERIFIED
Cliganic Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil
Cliganic
Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil
EWG Verified logo
EWG VERIFIED
Beautycounter All Bright Dark Spot Minimizer
Beautycounter
All Bright Dark Spot Minimizer
EWG Verified logo
EWG VERIFIED
VIEW ALL facial moisturizer/treatment

More from The Ordinary

The Ordinary Direct Acids Alpha Lipoic Acid 5% (2018 formulation)
The Ordinary
Direct Acids Alpha Lipoic Acid 5% (2018 formulation)
Product score: 1
HIGH HAZARD
Data Availability:
The Ordinary 'Buffet' + Copper Peptides 1% (2018 formulation)
The Ordinary
'Buffet' + Copper Peptides 1% (2018 formulation)
Product score: 3
HIGH HAZARD
Data Availability:
The Ordinary 'Buffet' Multi-Technology Peptide Serum (2018 formulation)
The Ordinary
'Buffet' Multi-Technology Peptide Serum (2018 formulation)
Product score: 3
HIGH HAZARD
Data Availability:
The Ordinary EUK 134 0.1% (2019 formulation)
The Ordinary
EUK 134 0.1% (2019 formulation)
Product score: 1
HIGH HAZARD
Data Availability:
VIEW ALL The Ordinary
Skindeep Healthy Living App

Discover a curated selection of healthier beauty and personal care products. Donate today to get your EWG VERIFIED® holiday gift set!

GET IT NOW