The Ordinary 'Buffet' Serum

This product contains acetyl hexapeptide-8, aspartic acid, dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tripeptide-38, pentapeptide-18, serine, threonine. These ingredients might be able to help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness, but there is not enough evidence that it actually works.

This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.

The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water. When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job: alanine, arginine.

This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: arginine, caprylyl glycol.

The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: acetyl hexapeptide-8, dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tripeptide-38, pentapeptide-18, urea

This product contains antioxidants (lactococcus ferment lysate). In theory, they could help neutralize free radicals in skin and lessen the damage it gets from the UV light (sun), but there is no evidence that these ingredients can have a noticeable effect in skin.