The Ordinary
Combo Pack AHA 30% & Niacinamide 10%
uncategorizedtypically under $12
Cleaner pick · Safest treatments we have rated
Iunik Global
Lime Moisture Mild Peeling Gel+23 on ingredient safety
$14
Ingredient safetyRaters agree
Ranked by safety only. Greenlens earns from qualifying purchases. Payout never affects a rating, a ranking, or the cleaner pick.
Raters split
Ingredient safety
A 28-point gap between the two loudest voices.
70Health Canada Ingredient HotlistGovernment
vs98Greenlens Precautionary ScreenIndependent
050100
See why, ingredient by ingredientAll 760 cleaner options, safest first We show the best 12, including the strongest on each axis.
Every rater, every axis
Ingredient safety
28 pts apartA government authority. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. Checked this week. about this rater →
Independent — not funded by the brands it rates. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. Checked this week. about this rater →
A government authority. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. Checked this week. about this rater →
Independent — not funded by the brands it rates. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. Checked this week. about this rater →
Independent — not funded by the brands it rates. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. Checked this week. about this rater →
Also screened, nothing found: US NTP Report on Carcinogens · ANSES Endocrine Disruptors · California Proposition 65 · IARC Monographs · ECHA SVHC Candidate List
Environmental
Also screened, nothing found: EU Microplastics Restriction
Labor
Run by a nonprofit. Auto-linked to this product, not yet human-reviewed. This rates The Ordinary as a company and applies to everything they make, not this product alone. Checked this week. about this rater →
Coverage & match quality
6 ratings · 2 of 4 axes
- Some ratings rest on an automatic match that has not been human-reviewed.
- Fewer raters reach smaller-brand products, so a missing rating is not a clean bill of health, only a gap.
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Environmentalno rating
No rater covers this axis for this product, so its weight can't move the score.
1.0×
Packagingno rating
No rater covers this axis for this product, so its weight can't move the score.
0 means ignored. Higher = more weight in your composite.
Ingredients, decoded
Data availability
Robust33 of 33 characterized
Our sources have reference data on all 33 listed ingredients.
Worth a look (4)
EU harmonised CMR (cat. 2)flagged by 4 of 9 lists →
Health Canada Hotlist — restrictedflagged by 1 of 9 lists →
EU-restricted (with limits)flagged by 2 of 9 lists →
Mild sensitizer for someflagged by 1 of 9 lists →
No flags in our sources (29)
- Aqua
- Glycerinhumectant
- Algae Extract
- Pseudoalteromonas Exopolysaccharides
- Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
- Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract
- Arginine
- Glycine
- Alanine
- Serine
- Valine
- Isoleucine
- Proline
- Threonine
- Histidine
- Phenylalanine
- Aspartic Acid
- PCA
- Sodium PCAhumectant
- Sodium Lactate
- Propanediol
- Dimethyl Isosorbide
- Polysorbate 20
- Potassium Sorbate
- Sodium Salicylate
- Sodium Benzoate
- Hexylene Glycol
- 1,2-hexanediol
- Caprylyl Glycol
What these ingredient tags mean (2)
These describe what an ingredient is, not whether it is a problem. The stance marks above are the ratings; these are not.
exfoliating acidSalicylic Acid
- Salicylic Acid: A beta hydroxy acid that clears the inside of pores; the EU restricts its level and keeps it off children under three. SCCS Opinion on Salicylic Acid, Submission I (SCCS/1601/18, corrigendum of 20 to 21 June 2019); EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 Annex III entry 98, as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/850, which for purposes other than preservation caps it at 3,0% in rinse-off hair products, 2,0% in other products, and 0,5% in body lotion, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and roll-on deodorant, and states "Not to be used in preparations for children under 3 years of age." Its separate PRESERVATIVE use sits at Annex V entry 3, capped at 0,5% (acid), where the salts carry the carve-out "except for shampoos".
humectantGlycerin, Sodium PCA
- Glycerin: A humectant, and one of the two ingredients a comparison of moisturiser components found made a significant difference to skin hydration. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(h), lists glycerin as a skin protectant at 20 to 45%. On the humectant half: Jeong CB, Han JY, Cho JC, Suh KD, Nam GW, "Analysis of electrical property changes of skin by oil-in-water emulsion components", Int J Cosmet Sci 2013;35(4):402-410, DOI 10.1111/ics.12059, PMID 23621673, found that "glycerine and urea showed significant skin hydration effects compared with other humectants".
- Sodium PCA: The salt of PCA, one of the water-holding substances the outer layer of skin makes for itself. Dörner C, Steinbinder J, Sachslehner AP, Sukseree S, Eckhart L, "Amino Acid Metabolism of the Skin: Control by Specific Enzymes and Contribution to Protective Functions", Metabolites 2025;15(9):601, DOI 10.3390/metabo15090601, open access, section "Glutamine Is Converted to Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid, a Component of the NMF": "pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA), also known as pyroglutamic acid or 5-oxoproline, accumulates in the stratum corneum."