Does The Ordinary's New Essence Supercharge Your Skincare?

HANITRA’S THE ORDINARY MULTI-ACTIVE DELIVERY ESSENCE REVIEW

• Skin type: Oily and acne-prone

• The product: The Ordinary Multi Active Delivery Essence, £ 10,60

I don’t have much time in the morning, so I keep my skincare routine to a minimum to be out the door quickly – I cleanse with water and use a vitamin C serum, moisturiser and SPF. I put in all the work in my evening routine – I like to use actives like acids and retinol, pack on a hydrating serum and get my skin ready for beauty sleep to wake up with glowing skin.

I don’t use an essence all the time; I normally use a hydrating toner as my base. I’ve used essences in the past and like how they add a layer of hydration and prep my skin for the rest of my skincare – so I was keen on trying The Ordinary’s take on it. I liked how light it felt, it’s almost like water. It sank into my skin really easily and helped bring my skin back to life after cleansing. I didn’t find it particularly hydrating, but it helped with the rest of my skincare.

The essence was a great way to start my morning routine. When using a lot of serums after cleansing, I found that it helped them sink into the skin. I didn’t get any pilling from the rest of my skincare nor makeup when using it in the morning.

While I would say the essence is a good way to provide a first layer of hydration that will quickly penetrate the skin, I’m not sure it made a difference to my skin’s hydration levels long-term. But, it did help on days when I was exfoliating or using retinol and my skin felt a bit more sensitive. Ultimately, I don’t think this will be an everyday product for me, but I’ll keep it in my rotation for when I need a little extra help with dryness and sensitivity.

FELICITY’S THE ORDINARY MULTI-ACTIVE DELIVERY ESSENCE REVIEW

• Skin type: Combination, with a tendency to be oily with hormonal breakouts

• The product: The Ordinary Multi Active Delivery Essence, £ 10,60

I’m a busy mum of two and although I love skincare, it does have to be quick. I like an oil cleanse, sometimes I use a liquid exfoliator, always a serum, and always a moisturiser. Eye creams are hit or miss, and I just don’t prioritise treatments and masks these days. I don’t always use essences, but I do like the idea of them and have used them in the past.

When it comes to an essence, I’m probably guilty of using too much product – so I like how the packaging of this product makes it easy to apply just a few drops. It doesn’t pour out and end up dripping all over your hands and being wasted.

I immediately liked the texture – it was thin and water-like, as a good essence should be. Once tapped into skin, it felt cool and soothing. It sat comfortably under makeup, no pilling or balling. I used it in both my morning and evening routines, so it was a nice start and finish to the day!

As it’s been so cold recently, indoor heating has been hoicked right up – and my skin has been paying the price. Thankfully, I noticed how, with the essence, my skin would feel much more elastic, with a less dry and tight feeling – even as the day went on. It’s hard to tell how much better my skincare has worked as a result of using the essence, but I will say my skin has felt calm, soothed and better hydrated as soon as I’ve applied it. It’s a good skin habit that I’ll try to keep up. I like the slow, meditative moment of using fingertips or even a Gua Sha tool to push it into skin. It makes me feel like I’m taking care of myself and doing something for me.

THE VERDICT ON THE ORDINARY MULTI-ACTIVE DELIVERY ESSENCE REVIEW

Both Hanitra and Felicity enjoyed using this essence, calling out the lightweight texture and hydrating feel. Despite finding it tricky to measure the effectiveness of how well it helped their other treatments perform, they do plan to keep it in their routines.

The Pros: Our colleagues loved how watery and lightweight it felt. They both felt it was hydrating in the moment – and didn’t encounter any pilling issues with other skincare products or makeup.

The Cons: Hanitra didn’t find the essence to be hydrating throughout the day. “I generally like to focus on hydration – it might have helped support the results, but it didn’t make a huge difference,” she says.

MORE FROM THE ORDINARY

The skincare brand is bursting with longstanding icons that our team wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. “One of my favourite skincare products is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, £ 5,00 – it’s been a great help with helping to fade my hyperpigmentation and controlling my oil production,” says Hanitra. Felicity agrees. “Someone recommended this to me when I had an acne flareup and it worked wonders.”

As for resurfacing treatments, “I really like The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, £ 8,90,” says Felicity. There is also the much-loved, ultra-gentle The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, £ 8,30, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner, £ 7,70 and the new The Ordinary GF 15% Solution, £ 13,50. The brand’s sets, such as The Ordinary The Clear Set, £ 14,10 and The Ordinary The Bright Set, £ 21,30, are also a fab way of stocking up on, or discovering, new favourites.