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The Ordinary

Borage Seed Oil.

The Ordinary Borage Seed Oil
Serums

About this product

A cold-pressed facial oil made from borage seeds, designed to hydrate and moisturize the skin.

Best for

Dry skinSensitive skin
Serums

The Guru Index verdict

75%

Approved

✓Approved · 75%
2Reviewers
1Approved
1Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus found this oil delivers solid hydration at a low price point, making it a genuine budget pick for those willing to work with it. The catch is the scent: it has a distinctive, earthy smell that some find off-putting (the brand notes this is natural, not rancid), and that quirk may be why it hasn't become widely popular. A few drops mixed into moisturizer or applied to damp skin in the morning works well for those seeking affordable hydration without complexity.
Synthesized from 2 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Fragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, [more]

Where to buy

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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No BS Beauty
No BS Beauty
89k subs · 2k devotees
✓Approved
"This one's their borage seed oil, which I like. In the winter, I'll use it as a good oil just to hydrate and moisturize everything at the end of my routine or sometimes just in the morning to keep things, if I wake up. Sometimes I wake up at like 5 in the morning, I'll put some oil on and it'll kind of soak in before I start to get ready like 8 or 9. So it's nice for that."
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin
720k subs · 10k devotees
~Mixed
"It's fine as an oil, it works, but it didn't have as many benefits as some of the other oils on the market. It had a really unique scent, which a lot of people actually write in and say is this rancid because it smells like that, and they actually put a disclaimer on their website saying just because it smells rancid doesn't mean it is, that's its natural scent. For £5, it's a lovely facial oil if you don't mind the scent. Really inexpensive, so I would say drop it, buy it while you can. Add a couple of drops into your moisturizer, great for hydration. I just don't think many people could get over the scent of it, which is why it never caught on. But for £5, if you can get over the scent, this is a real budget-friendly facial oil that is beautifully cold pressed and such a great find."
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