The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA Review

Alpha arbutin is supposed to help lighten acne scars and hyperpigmentation. Does it live up to those claims?

Remember when I visited the DECIEM store back in April? The store associate recommended mandelic acid for smoothing the texture of my acne scars, and alpha arbutin for lightening the appearance and redness of the scars. The store was sold out of alpha arbutin at the time, so I was only able to give mandelic acid a try. (Read the review here). Finally I was recently able to order some alpha arbutin directly from the DECIEM website. I’ve been using it once or twice a day for a few weeks now, and think it’s a decent serum, but not as life-changing as some of the reviews I’ve seen online. YMMV though, this is just my experience thus far (and granted, I’ve only been using it for a few weeks).

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% Review

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA ingredients

Alpha arbutin

Alpha arbutin is derived from hydroquinone, a skin lightening agent. Alpha arbutin was found to be “an effective and safe ingredient for skin-lightening,” according to this study.

Hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate

This product also contains “hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate” (the HA in the product name), which is a smaller molecular weight form of sodium hyaluronate (maybe making that easier to absorb)? This reminds me of the patent-pending form of hyaluronic acid developed and marketed by HADA LABO as “Super Hyaluronic Acid”, which is supposed to be twice as moisturizing as regular hyaluronic acid. Just regular hyaluronic acid is no longer enough—companies now have to try to create super versions of beneficial ingredients to attract discerning consumers!

Interestingly, other products from The Ordinary don’t list “hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate” when they contain “HA” in the title like this alpha-arbutin serum. The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% contains “sodium hyaluronate,” and The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA contains “sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer.” Not sure why this one is different, but I’m not complaining.

Lactic acid

I’m not sure about the concentration of lactic acid included in this formula, but this alpha-hydroxy acid may help reduce hyperpigmentation. Since alpha-hydroxy acids can increase your skin’s sensitivity to UV light, make sure to use sunscreen if you plan to use this product in the morning. The concentration included in this formula might not be high enough to matter, since I didn’t notice any stinging when I applied this. However, lactic acid is less irritating than other alpha-hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, so that might be why.

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA review

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA is quite similar to the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% in look and feel—it comes in a clear glass bottle (not a dark one, like the mandelic acid) and it’s a clear, slightly thick (almost like snail gel) serum. I apply about three drops to my face and pat it into my skin. The serum doesn’t take too long to absorb, and once it does, it leaves a slightly matte and sticky feel on the skin. It also has a slightly metallic fragrance to it (not strong at all), which I don’t mind, but some people might find off-putting.

Some of the reviews on DECIEM’s website make this sound like this was a miracle product for lightening hyperpigmentation and acne scars. I’ve only been using it for a few weeks (sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, and sometimes two times a day), but I haven’t noticed any dramatic lightening of the acne scars on my cheeks. I do think it has helped lighten the redness just a bit, but that might be purely psychological. Once I finish up the bottle I’ll post an update to let you know if it made any bigger difference. I’m a little disappointed that it hasn’t yielded more visible results yet—some of the reviews raved that this product would work very quickly, and one even said it worked overnight. I’m here to provide another side of the story—don’t expect this product to work miracles for you. It didn’t for me…but I will continue using it in hopes that it will make a difference over a longer period of time. Stay tuned for updates!

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