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The Ordinary

Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel moisturizer formulated with natural moisturizing factors, beta glucan, amino acids, and humectants designed to hydrate and soothe all skin types.

Moisturizers

The Guru Index verdict

79%

Approved

Approved · 79%
7Reviewers
6Approved
0Mixed
1Skip

What the gurus are saying

Creators overwhelmingly praise this gel for its lightweight texture, impressive ingredient list, and exceptional value. The consensus is that it works across skin types but shines for oily and combination skin, delivering hydration without heaviness or greasiness. Beta glucan specifically gets repeated praise for soothing and anti-aging benefits. Occasional pilling under certain sunscreens and insufficient hydration for very dry skin without layering are the only recurring notes. The affordability paired with performance makes this a consistent recommendation.
Synthesized from 7 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Hyaluronic acidVitamin EFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua (Water), PPG-24-Glycereth-24, Propanediol, Betaine, Beta-Glucan, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Proline, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitylglucoside, Sodium PCA, Pca, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, P-Anisic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"I love this moisturizer. It's got a wonderful gellish texture to it. This one is a little bit more on the gel side, which seems to be quite moisturizing. Everything feels nice and soft and smooth and feels good. I'm going to wake up with nice clean skin that feels so soft."
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"This one has just a wonderful gel texture to it. A little bit goes a very long way, it can come out pretty fast. This is vegan and cruelty free. This one is a great option for oily skin types as well as acne prone skin. Exciting ingredients in this I've got beta glucan, amino acids, a lot of amino acids which are natural moisturizing factors, urea, sugar derived humectants, and allantoin."
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"It's a little bit thicker, a little bit of it goes a long way. It soaks in pretty nicely and sets to a matte finish once it soaks in. Under certain sunscreens it can pill up occasionally. I just love gel formulas, 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. 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. The beta glucan is kind of a compromise between two extremes, whereas one version is super greasy and shiny and the original version is very matte, the beta glucan is right in the middle with a natural finish."
The Ordinary Moisturizer Versus - Which Ordinary Moisturizer is Right for You?!?!
"The beta glucan I really love this one. It's geared towards oily skin types with its gel texture, but my dry skin just absolutely loves it. I love this texture, I love the ingredients, it feels really nice on the skin. It works well under sunscreen, it works well in the daytime routine, and in my evening routine I absolutely love it. In terms of performance, I hands down gave it to the beta glucan. I absolutely adore it, it's an amazing, wonderful product. The beta glucan is 13.50, which is pretty darn affordable, especially for 100 milliliters."
The Ordinary Moisturizer Versus - Which Ordinary Moisturizer is Right for You?!?!
"In terms of performance, I hands down gave it to the beta glucan version. I absolutely adore it, it's an amazing, wonderful product. It's got the amazing gel-like texture, the amazing amino acids, the beta glucan. It seems to be one that will work best for most skin types, including oily skin. My dry skin loves it, sensitive skin I think the beta glucan's a great soothing ingredient. I'm really impressed with it. It works well under sunscreen, it works well in the daytime routine, and in my evening routine I absolutely love it."
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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. 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 dry in the mornings. I use this one a lot on my neck, and it's really calming it down a lot. This one may just look like a simple moisturizer that's great for soothing irritated skin, but it's also anti-aging, 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. This one is a little bit more on the gel side, which seems to be quite moisturizing. Everything feels nice and soft and smooth and feels good. I'm going to wake up with nice clean skin that feels so soft."
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"This one 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 $13.50 for a full-size moisturizer, you just don't see that very often."
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"Out of them 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. Gel textures, I just love a good gel textured moisturizer because they're just so nice, they don't feel greasy, they soak in properly. At 10 bucks you can't beat that. In here we've got glucose, urea, sodium PCA, allantoin, 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."
Approved
"The beta glucan one is fantastic if you're looking for a lightweight gel. It hydrates you to the gods with no weight to the skin. It won't break you out, clog the pores. It's calming and soothing. Great, I'd say for oily or combination skin types."
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"The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors with Beta Glucan 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 some other options 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. It hydrates you to the gods with no weight to the skin. It won't break you out, clog the pores. It's calming and soothing. Great, I'd say for oily or combination skin types."
THE PERFECT MOISTURIZER - The Ordinary Moisturizers Review
"You could actually use this as a lightweight gel alternative, keep it in the fridge, it instantly calms and soothes the skin and 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 is just oily all over I'll just switch to using this. That flexibility at a really affordable and drugstore price is why this is actually a holy grail. For oily combination oily skin, this is the one to use."
THE PERFECT MOISTURIZER - The Ordinary Moisturizers Review
"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. I tend to be super oily in the T-Zone quite dry on the cheeks, so I'll use the one with beta glucan, the gel one on the T-Zone. This way you can always help the skin to naturally balance itself out without needing too many additional products. In summer when my skin just is oily all over I'll just switch to using the one with beta glucan. The flexibility and really affordable drugstore price moisturizers I think is why these are actually holy grails. For oily combination oily skin, the one with beta glucan should work with no problem going forward."
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"This is The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan. 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. I'm going to be putting one or two of each of these on as core staples in my routine that I always have on hand and they just work, they deliver for me. The best thing is a little does go a long way. You don't need a whole lot of product in order to get the benefit, which again is just such a cost conscious way of doing your skincare."
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"Beta glucans are really difficult to find, they're a great calming and soothing ingredient, and it's really hard to find in a moisturizer, well you've got it here. In summer when my oil levels go through the roof, 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, and it's important for us oily folk in summer because we have to let our skin breathe. 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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"The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan is a true gel that 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. It's not my personal favorite, but so easy to get and that's why I'm always happy to recommend it."
Approved
"The one with beta glucan it's more of a gel consistency so actually it works well if you have oily acne prone skin."
Approved
"This is their lightest moisturizer, 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, 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."
Skip
"It has hyaluronic acid, a variety of amino acids, and beta glucan which is rich in antioxidants and is very hydrating. It also has ceramides in it which are good for the skin barrier. But 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."
Approved
"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. So 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. It also sits under makeup, which is really rare for a gel. It doesn't pill, and I just think it's beautiful."
Approved
"If you are somebody that truly loves that lightweight moisturizer, you're going to absolutely love the natural moisturizing factors plus beta glucan. If you're someone with 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 plus beta glucan. If you're someone with 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 beta glucan, which 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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"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 this 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, this really is great. It's affordable, of course. You are getting 100 ml of product and 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 very 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, 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. I'm not the biggest fan of gel moisturizers, but I really like this formula because it contains that beta glucan."
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"It's a true clear gel formulation where a little bit goes a long way. With this water-based gel, you don't need a lot of product because it has that nice spreadability, so these products can last a really long time. I just 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. 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. 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. 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. Even when my skin is feeling tight and has that flakiness to it and feels dry, this still works for me. My skin actually still likes this and my skin still feels nice and comfortable. If 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 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. 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 and 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 looks really nice and natural and it feels very refreshing when you're applying this all over your skin 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."
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