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The Ordinary

Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel moisturizer formulated with natural moisturizing factors, beta glucan, amino acids, and allantoin to hydrate and calm the skin.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

81%

Yay

9 experts · Strong agreement
9Gurus
8Yay
0Mixed
1Nay

What they liked

  • Lightweight gel texture, minimal weight on skin
  • Works well under makeup without pilling
  • Suits oily and combination skin especially

What they flagged

  • Can feel filmy and drying on some skin

What the gurus are saying

This gel moisturizer wins praise for its remarkably light texture that hydrates without any heavy feel, making it a standout for oily and acne-prone skin. The beta glucan ingredient delivers calming and soothing benefits while the water-based formula absorbs quickly and layers beautifully, so people with combination skin can add extra hydration by applying multiple thin coats throughout the day. One dermatologist found it left her skin feeling filmy and dry, though most gurus found it genuinely moisturizing and so affordable (around $6 to $10) that many call it a holy grail for summer and oily skin types.
Synthesized from 9 expert reviews · most recent take July 2026

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.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Yay
"The product I'd recommend here is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors plus Beta Glucan, and it retails for only $6.50. It's really worth trying."
Yay
"I love this moisturizer. It's got a wonderful gellish texture to it."
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"The beta glucan one has a nice gel texture and I really like it because of the gel texture, it's really nice. It's pretty friendly for acne prone skin."
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"This one has a wonderful gel texture to it. Try not to use too much, a little bit of this one goes a long way, it can come out pretty fast. So there we go, can you see it, the gel texture. A little bit goes a very long way. This is vegan and cruelty free. This one is a great option for oily skin types as well as acne prone skin. For exciting ingredients in this I've got beta glucan, amino acids, a lot of amino acids which are natural moisturizing factors, urea, we've got sugar derived humectants, and allantoin."
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"I just love gel formulas. I love gels, they're just even with my dry skin I really appreciate the gel version. A little bit of this one goes a long way and it feels very nice on skin, so a nice gel texture, feels nice on skin, soaks in quickly and sets to a natural finish. It's not shiny, it's not matte, works well for me during my daytime routine and under most sunscreens. This one seems to be kind of a compromise between the two, whereas the phytoceramide super greasy and shiny, the original version very matte finish, and then the beta glucan right in the middle, natural finish, very nice. So I gave the point to the beta glucan."
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"Beta glucan has a slightly larger molecular size but the smaller fractions of beta glucan penetrates the skin even into the dermis, which is the thicker middle layer of the skin, and after eight weeks there's a significant reduction of wrinkle depth and height and skin roughness was also improved. So beta glucan is soothing, hydrating, anti-aging, it's got it all there. There's no reason not to include beta glucan in your skincare. It's an amazing ingredient. It's got a nice gel texture to it. I prefer to use this one at night or when my skin is really really dry, and in the mornings I actually use this one a lot on my neck. This morning my neck was pretty dry and it's really calming it down a lot. So this one may just look like a simple moisturizer that's great for soothing irritated skin, but it's also anti-aging and people don't think of it that way, but it is. And it's really affordable, so it's a nice product."
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"I love this moisturizer. It's got a wonderful gellish texture to it."
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"This is totally underrated in my opinion. It's got a nice gel texture, kind of like a serum, but it soaks in really nice. A little bit of it goes a long way. It's super affordable and it's got beta glucan in there which is great for soothing. This one in my opinion is great for dry and sensitive skin. And for a full size moisturizer, you just don't see that very often at that price point."
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"It's got a nice gel texture to it. This one's really nice. They have three versions of this moisturizer. This is the one I like the best for me because I really like beta glucan for soothing and antioxidant benefits, but other people might just prefer the original version as well. But this one I like because of the gel texture. That gel texture, you just can't beat it. It's just so nice. A little bit of it goes a long way, especially if you use it over a serum."
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"My favorite is the beta glucan. It's got a gel texture which I just love, so if you have oilier skin it's really nice. I just love a good gel textured moisturizer because they're just so nice, they don't feel greasy, they soak in properly. For 10 bucks you can't beat that. In here we've got glucose, we've got urea, we've got sodium PCA, we've got allantoin, we've got vitamin E, and then we've got beta glucan which is a wonderful humectant. It also has skin soothing and wound healing properties and is also being studied as an anti-aging ingredient to fight wrinkles. What is not to love about beta glucan? Compared to sodium hyaluronate which is kind of boring, beta glucan is my jam. I love it, and maybe if it's anti-aging it's even better."
Yay
"The beta glucan one is fantastic if you're looking for a lightweight gel. Look at that, hydrates you to the gods with no weight to the skin. It won't break you out, clog the pores. It's calming and it's soothing. Great, I'd say for oily or combination skin types."
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"This is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan, this is their gel version and they do a ceramide one which is more of a cream but this gel is great, it's a thicker gel than say Face Theory that I mentioned for oily skin but still works really well. Water-based so you can keep it in the fridge and you can put multiple layers on top of itself to really help combat any combination skin that you might be going through and it's really nice. On the face it worked really really well."
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"The beta glucan one is fantastic if you're looking for a lightweight gel. Look at that, hydrates you to the gods with no weight to the skin. It won't break you out, clog the pores. It's calming and it's soothing. Great, I'd say for oily or combination skin types."
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"It lays really well on top of itself so if you want some additional hydration beyond what you get from one application just put a little bit more on top work it in double the hydration without it peeling or balling up. You can reapply it on top of things throughout the day. It's just a really flexible gel moisturizer that I think is something pretty special on the market. Amazing for oily or combination oily skin types especially people with active breakouts but for everyone else as a summer moisturizer could work just as well. In summer when my skin just is oily all over I'll just switch to using this one. The flexibility and really affordable and drugstore price I think is why this is actually a holy grail. For oily combination oily, this is the one to use and that way you should have no problem going forward."
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"The beta glucan one is for oily skin types. I personally am going to buy both because I'm kind of a mixture of both. I tend to be oily across the T-zone a little drier on the cheeks and so these are really affordable and I can use a different moisturizer based on what my skin actually needs in that area. These are both amazing."
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"The beta glucan one is my daily holy grail, gives me just the right amount of moisture but it doesn't leave me feeling like I'm wearing a mask. You can sweat through it as grim as that sounds, it's important to us oily folk in summer. We have to let our skin breathe and if we're wearing like a sheet of product that doesn't feel good, this lets your skin breathe. You can elegantly perspire through it if you need to and it just works."
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"This is a true gel, beta glucan is a great humectant, calms and soothes, and this just disappears without trace. Keep it in the fridge for that ultimate cooling. This is just a nice easy to find, easy to access drugstore moisturizer that's perfect for summer for all skin types. It's probably not going to be hydrating enough for those with a dry skin type, so you're going to want to use multiple layers of it, but again it layers well on top of itself without a problem. Or you could just get a super hydrating sunscreen, use a little The Ordinary first, put your sunscreen on top and it just doubles down on that hydration. Definitely worthy of a place in this list. Whilst it's not my personal favorite, it's so easy to get and that's why I'm always happy to recommend it because I always want to recommend products that are accessible."
Yay
"With beta glucan it's more of a gel consistency so it works well if you have oily acne prone skin. I personally love moisturizers that have actives in them because it means it's giving you more than just moisturization."
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"With beta glucan it's more of a gel consistency so it works well if you have oily acne prone skin. I personally love moisturizers that have actives in them because it means it's giving you more than just moisturization."
Yay
"This entire bottle is like 10 bucks. It hydrates the skin well, it has amino acids, it actually supports the skin barrier. This is one of the best moisturizers from The Ordinary. The Ordinary has always had a top spot in my book for their serums, but this is a new launch that is phenomenal. I'm obsessed with it. After you microcurrent you can just leave this on, you can apply it underneath sunscreen and it works so well throughout the day. [...] Already inexpensive but even better when it's on sale."
Yay
"This is their lightest moisturizer, this is a pure clear beautiful lush gel. My skin has always been a big fan of beta glucan because it just achieves so many things I need. It's calming, it's soothing, it's hydrating. This is for anyone who wants a light refreshing moisturizer without emollient creaminess or oils. I love the texture of this, it is so lush and it feels great to apply. The nature of beta glucan is that it can be quite a sticky humectant, that's kind of like honey, but you don't feel that at all. It just forms this really weightless flexible film on your skin leaving the texture very very smooth. The way in which I really love using this a lot is as a sleeping mask, just a thin layer over all my other skincare. It shouldn't work but it just does."
Nay
"This is not it. I was really hoping this would be a good moisturizer to recommend to people who have oily skin and just want something super light. Yes, it is super light but it leaves the skin feeling filmy and almost drier than it did to begin with. Putting this on to the skin while it's still damp after cleansing, once it absorbs in which doesn't take long, my skin feels like I didn't put any moisturizer on. It feels dry and filmy."
Yay
"The Ordinary also have a new moisturizer and I absolutely love the NMF, it's one of my go-to budget moisturizers, it's really lovely, super lightweight, goes in really easily, sinks into your skin in seconds, makes a great makeup base. There is now a Natural Moisturizing Factors and Beta Glucan, and beta glucan is a calming soothing ingredient. In comparison to the original one, and I've been testing this for a few days, it is surprisingly a gel and that will really shock you if you're used to the normal NMF. It is super hydrating, goes on, slips over your skin beautifully, and I think is absolutely unique in texture. It's a jelly-like texture that is just so beautiful. This will suit summer skins so well. It's particularly suited to dehydrated sensitive skin that don't necessarily want a heavy oily occlusive moisturizer. It's just heavenly. It will be the most perfect thing to take on holiday, especially for partners that might have had just a little touch too much sun. It also sits under makeup, which is really rare for a gel. It doesn't pill, and I just think it's beautiful."
Yay
"If you are somebody that truly loves that lightweight moisturizer, you're going to absolutely love the Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan. It doesn't even compare to this at all. But if you're someone with that oily skin, combination, acne prone, you really love that lightweight feel that truly feels like you didn't even put anything on your skin, the beta glucan one is the way to go."
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"If you are somebody that truly loves that lightweight moisturizer, you're going to absolutely love the Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan. It doesn't even compare to this at all. But if you're someone with that oily skin, combination, acne prone, you really love that lightweight feel that truly feels like you didn't even put anything on your skin, the beta glucan one is the way to go."
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"This is your true gel moisturizer perfect for summer but also this is great for all skin types. It's very lightweight but it is moisturizing and this keeps your skin comfortable for the entire day. If you have dry skin I still think you're going to love this and it feels very refreshing on the skin as well. This has the beta glucan. Beta glucan is very similar to hyaluronic acid but it's not as heavy as hyaluronic acid so the formula is lightweight but it is plumping as well. I really love this, I feel like they did a really good job here. I love that gel formula when your skin just feels like it needs moisture and you put something nice and jelly on it but it also has that nice cooling feeling as well."
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"One of the ones that I am loving right now is the new one from The Ordinary, the Natural Moisturizing Factors Plus Beta Glucan. Beta glucan is very similar to hyaluronic acid but it's not as heavy, but it's still plumping and it's still hydrating. This formula is a true gel texture so it spreads really nicely, it feels very refreshing when you're spreading it all over, and it dries down skin like but it has a little bit of a glow to it, so your skin isn't tacky or sticky, it just feels like your skin but you just have so much moisture when you're using this. If you're looking for that lightweight option, I'm telling you this really is great. It's affordable, of course you are getting 100 ml of product, a little bit really does go a long way because of the texture and how well it spreads. If you're oily, you have combination skin, or you're just looking for a moisturizer that is super lightweight, try this, it's great."
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"This is a true gel formulation, great for all skin types including dry skin. I was using this when my skin was pretty dry and flaky from tretinoin and this was actually really nice to use. It feels very refreshing when you're putting it on your skin, it just feels nice and cooling and refreshing when you're spreading it all over your face. It gives your skin that nice glow and it really helps to keep the skin moisturized, but also you get this nice youthful look with this as well. Your skin just looks so hydrated. This is a very lightweight formulation that really is perfect underneath your sunscreen and your makeup. You can use this at nighttime as well, but I actually much prefer to use this in my morning routine because of how lightweight it is. This is going to be great for the summer months, especially if you're looking for something that is lighter in texture, something that isn't too heavy on the skin. This is not oily in the least. It dries down but you do have a little bit of that glow to your skin, which I think looks super healthy and youthful. I really like this formula because it contains that beta glucan."
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"It's a true clear gel formulation, a little bit goes a long way. With these gel creams, being that water-based gel, you don't need a lot of product because they just have that nice spreadability, so these products can last a really long time because of that. I just love love the way that my skin looks and feels every time I use this."
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"I really do like gel moisturizers but you just really need to find the right one. A lot of the gel moisturizers that I have used in the past they just weren't moisturizing enough, sometimes my skin felt like it needed more moisture after a couple of hours. So I was really curious to see how The Ordinary created this one, and as soon as I tried this for the first time, honestly this was a winner. This was a product that actually kept my skin comfortable and moisturized for the entire day. Also it is extremely lightweight, so when you put this on it actually feels like you have nothing on your skin. Yes, it feels nice and moisturized and it feels comfortable but it's not heavy, so it literally feels like you've put nothing on your skin. It has that nice gel texture, so when you're putting it on a little bit goes a long way because it does spread really nice. But it also feels nice and cooling at the same time. Because of how lightweight it is and because it's that gel texture, this really is suited for oily combination skin, but this was designed for all skin types including dry sensitive skin. So even when my skin is feeling tight and it has that flakiness to it and it feels dry, this still works for me. My skin actually still likes this and my skin still feels nice and comfortable. But let's say you wanted additional moisture, you could always put a cream moisturizer on top of this if you really wanted to, and I have tried this a few times by the way and it actually worked out really well."
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"I really like this because it's a gel moisturizer that actually works on my skin and I don't like gel moisturizers normally because they feel great at first but then halfway through the day my skin is left feeling tight. It's like all of that moisture that was applied to my skin initially just evaporated and then my skin is left feeling tight. I don't get that with this. This formula actually keeps my skin comfortable and hydrated for the entire day and it works great underneath my sunscreen and my makeup. It is super lightweight, it doesn't leave your skin tacky or sticky, it dries down skin like but there is a little bit of a glow which I think is beautiful and it's not a greasy glow. It just looks like your skin, it looks really nice and natural and it feels very refreshing when you're spraying this all over your skin as well because of that gel. I am a big fan of this. I'm so glad that The Ordinary came out with a formula like this because a lot of people love gel moisturizers, especially those that have oily skin or you're just looking for something that is lightweight for the morning, and this is it."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Urea

Urea both holds water in the skin and gently loosens dead surface cells. At higher strengths it has good evidence for very dry or thickened skin.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula?

A lightweight gel moisturizer formulated with natural moisturizing factors, beta glucan, amino acids, and allantoin to hydrate and calm the skin.

Is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula worth it?

Mostly yes. 8 of the 9 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 81%.

What is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula's Guru Score?

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula holds a Guru Score of 81%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 9 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula best for?

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan Lightweight Formula is generally suited to oily skin, combination skin and sensitive skin.

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