What is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%?

A lightweight antioxidant serum containing 5% pycnogenol, a purified pine bark extract, designed to protect skin from environmental stressors and support anti-aging benefits.

Is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% worth it?

Yes. All 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%'s Guru Score?

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% best for?

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is generally suited to mature skin.

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%: a Guru Score of 85% from 6 experts

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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Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is a fragrance-free formula diluted into a carrier that you can use a couple of times a week. It's an antioxidant that's key because of the oxidative stress on the scalp."

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Yay

"This is a really nice product and very underrated. It's very orange in color, so if you directly apply it to your face without mixing it in with your moisturizer, you might have an orange hue to your skin. [...] If you use it with your moisturizer, you don't see it and it will just give more of a little tan look to your skin. [...] I much prefer to recommend the Pycnogenol as well as the resveratrol plus ferulic acid. I feel like they do a better job than the other Ordinary vitamin C's that they have in their collection."

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"Pycnogenol does a really good job to brighten a dull complexion. It's best for skin radiance. If you have melasma, dark spots, post-acne marks, I don't feel like pycnogenol does that well to brighten those areas and fade them. It's not that powerful, but it's good for just overall skin brightness, and it really helps to protect the skin from pollution as well. [...] The best way to use this is to mix a couple of drops in with your moisturizer. [...] You could apply the drops directly onto your skin, but you will go through this pretty quickly if you do that because you will need to probably use four or five drops or more to cover your face. This also has a very dark orangey red hue to it that is natural from the ingredients, [...] so it could temporarily cause staining of the skin. [...] Mixing one or two drops in with the moisturizer is the best way to use it and it's going to last a lot longer as well. [...] If you're really focusing on skin brightness, radiance, and helping to protect your skin from the environment, then Pycnogenol is one to try."

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"If you were to apply this fully you might have a little tinge but if you mix it in with your moisturizer or mix it in with your vitamin C serum I don't experience staining whatsoever and it also helps to spread the product a little bit better as well and then of course it's going to last a lot longer. This really is one of the best antioxidants especially if you want to revive your vitamin C serum."

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"I have an empty The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% so this is one of their antioxidant serums and I have talked about this a lot in the past this is amazing if you are looking for additional hydration. This is great to add in with your moisturizer so you may want to apply one or two drops into your moisturizer and then of course apply it to your skin that way. So it does add more hydration but also we're getting the antioxidant benefits which can help to target signs of aging to brighten up your complexion. And this little serum really is underrated. I don't hear a lot of people talking about this. You are only getting 15 mils of product so I do believe this works better with your moisturizer it's going to last longer because if you were just to use this as a serum and you're using like four or five drops at a time you will go through this really quickly and it's not necessary to use that many drops. So just put one or two drops into your moisturizer. You can use this daily twice a day and it's fabulous. So yes I am going to be picking up another one as I do like to use this from time to time."

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"This is one of their antioxidant serums that work really well to address signs of aging, that brighter complexion, but also it's a great product to add additional hydration. This is something that I put in with my moisturizer so I will squeeze out the amount of moisturizer that I want in the palm of my hand and then I will put maybe one or two drops of this into my moisturizer and then apply it to my skin that way. This is only 15 mls of product so if you apply this separately and you're using more drops, which you will need to because I feel like two drops will not cover your entire face and neck if you're not mixing this with a moisturizer, you're going to go through this really quickly. So this works just as good when you put it in with your moisturizer. It spreads nice and it really does the job well to brighten up your complexion. So I use this in my morning, sometimes my evening, and this is also great for all skin types and you can use this everyday twice a day."

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"This is an antioxidant serum that brightens the heck out of your skin but it also provides additional hydration and it can help to protect your skin from everyday pollution at the same time. I used to talk about this a lot in the past and I would use this just for added hydration because it delivered but at the same time you get this nice brightness to your skin as well. This works even better when you pair it up with your vitamin C serum in your morning routine and I'm telling you you will see quicker results if you pair this up with your vitamin C serum but if you want to use this on its own that's okay as well. This will deliver especially when you are consistent with it. It's a product that can be used every day twice a day, very gentle. It does have an oily type of texture although it is oil-free, it just has that consistency, so I like to use this as one of the last serums in my skincare routine before my moisturizer and of course my sunscreen."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"Their pycnogenol is a really nice antioxidant serum."

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"Their pycnogenol serum is great. You can add it into a moisturizer. I really like mixing it with just any moisturizer you use in your morning routine. Pycnogenol's great protecting for your skin. This one I've repurchased multiple times."

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"Pycnogenol is actually the trademark for Pinus pinaster bark extract, and it's a super strong antioxidant. It's taken from specific trees' bark and it's a super strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic ingredient, so it makes it perfect for your morning routine. You can mix in a drop into a moisturizer or a serum, or you can dab it on your face a little bit. It also can provide photo protection for skin, which in my opinion makes it wonderful for daytime use because that's when you're out in the sun and your skin is exposed to the sun and other pollutants and things like that. This one comes in at $11.50, it's a little bottle, but literally just mix a drop or two in with something else and it does a great job."

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"Their pycnogenol is a really nice antioxidant serum."

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"Pycnogenol is a trademark name for a trademarked, purified version of Sorbus Cordata Folia extract, which is more researched, more standardized, and more pure, probably stronger than other alternatives. Pycnogenol is a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory."

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"Pical is great um the ordinary has one that's nice but I like this one better because it's not it's it's a water-based formula so it just goes on easier and doesn't look as shiny sometimes as the one from the ordinary"

Kelly Driscoll

90k subs

✓Yay

"One of my favorites, Pycnogenol 5%. Really, really lovely one. Also very soothing and great for bringing down that inflammatory response in the skin."

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"The key benefits of this serum are brightening, soothing, as well as anti-aging. So the key ingredient here is pinus pinaster bark extract, also goes by the trade name Pycnogenol. This is a really interesting antioxidant and it's very well studied. Pycnogenol is thought to help protect the skin from harmful enzymes that break down collagen and elastin in the skin, and that's really where the anti-aging benefit comes from and how it helps to prevent the fine lines and wrinkles that can occur on the skin, but may also help with just the overall building back of collagen and elastin, especially if you're using collagen stimulating ingredients in the rest of your skincare routine. This is a good antioxidant to pair alongside of that in your skin routine because it really helps to cut down on the damaging enzymes and just what can speed up the aging process within our skin. As an antioxidant of course it's protecting our skin from the oxidative stresses right around us and of course from the damage of UV, but it is thought to be particularly helpful for shielding against the photoaging that is associated with the sun. It also has a strong anti-inflammation benefit."

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"This is an old time suggestion, this has been in a lot of my fall content throughout the years because I keep going back to this, it just works. The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is an antioxidant that's going to protect you from sun exposure, but it has some extra abilities beyond just environmental stressors, pollution, oxidative stress, UV rays. It can also help to calm the skin. Having something that's not only helping to protect my skin from further stressors and helping to address the stressors that are causing the inflammation, it's also helping to soothe the inflammation and the irritation that comes with it. It's also an ingredient that can help increase hydration within the skin because it helps with your skin's natural production of hyaluronic acid, which helps to keep your skin hydrated."

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"One of my favorites, Pycnogenol 5%. Really, really lovely one. Also very soothing and great for bringing down that inflammatory response in the skin."

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"The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is a really good soothing antioxidant. It's great for reducing inflammation and it really does soothe the skin. It can protect the collagen and help the processes that stimulate collagen in the skin. It can also help with skin hydration, so it's definitely one that I absolutely recommend at a very affordable price point."

Mad About Skin

727k subs

✓Yay

"This is the Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. This is a potent anti-aging antioxidant that really helps protect collagen in the skin, but also protects against free radical damage and has a 24-hour mechanism of action. Meaning, you can use it morning and night if you want, but on an evening on its own, it's absolutely fine. A couple of drops of this into this concoction, mix it together, then apply it to the skin. You're putting a touch of the pycnogenol in which is the very best anti-aging antioxidant to just supercharge everything down."

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"The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% has a really nice rich red color. It can leave a little bit of an odd hue on the skin. To get around that, what I actually do is mix a couple of drops of this into my moisturizer, apply it, and it sinks in like that. Gives you that collagen protection, gives you a nice dose of extra hydration, and you don't even know that you're wearing it. Amazing. I wouldn't be without it. Small but mighty and one of the all-time greatest serums in my opinion."

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"The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% is my favorite favorite antioxidant. It has a ridiculously deep coloration, so one drop is all you need. Blend it together in the palm of your hand and then apply it to the skin. It's like a drink of water for the skin, it feels so so good. The moisturizer with that little extra touch of the pycnogenol will dial up the hydration, it'll provide some antioxidant support and just make your skin feel amazing."

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"This is one of the best antioxidants you are ever going to find because pycnogenol actually binds to the collagen in our skin providing a shield, so it's going to be next level when it comes to anti-aging, preventing fine lines and wrinkles. The best way of using this is to put one drop into your favorite moisturizer and apply it to the skin. It shears out any of that coloration so it won't distort the skin tone and it'll just sink in like that. I've tried all the [...] different other antioxidants The Ordinary offer, but pycnogenol offers the best advanced results, and for the price point that they're charging, honestly I don't think we can ask for more. [...] You need literally one drop into your favorite moisturizer to take your antioxidant game through the roof to the next level. It's an amazing product that I've loved so often, and I think I've bought it every single year at this point. [...] It's just a holy grail."

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"The Ordinary Pycnogenol is the best antioxidant baron and you're going to want to be a little careful with this, don't want it staining anything, but put a little in there so you've got the pycnogenol and you've got that, work it together in your hands, warm it through and then apply it to the skin so that the pycnogenol gets beautifully distributed across the face for the antioxidant protection. You're getting the hydration, you're locking in all that amazing skin care that we've just done and you're not risking getting that pycnogenol everywhere. I would recommend everyone mix an oil or an antioxidant into your moisturizer, just the best results. My skin feels instantly plumped, hydrated."

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"This is a great antioxidant that actually binds to the collagen in our skin and provides a shield around it. It's very specific in how it works and it's great for anti-aging. It also has a 24-hour mechanism of action, so you don't need to use it morning and evening. Just one is fine and it's still working for you 24 hours later. I'll put a couple of drops into my moisturizer. It's dirt cheap. It's a great way of doing luxury on a budget. It feels great and you get really good results. [...] One or two drops is all you need, so one bottle lasts you honestly forever."

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"I call this small but mighty. Every year when that ordinary sale comes around in November, I put five of these on order cuz five will last me a full year. And I never skip a day. Never ever ever have I skipped a day of this since I discovered it. What I love to do with this little one is on an evening, because you only need to use it once a day as it has a 24-hour mechanism of action, I put a couple of drops of this into my moisturizer. [...] This increases hydration, so it sort of supercharges your moisturizer, but it's also the very best pro collagen antioxidant on the market. Studies have shown time and time again that this can actually reduce collagen degradation by upwards of 17%. That's really amazing when you think we work so hard to produce that collagen, we need to protect it once we've made it, and pycnogenol is the one way of doing that. So, a couple of drops of this into your moisturizer is the best way to apply it. You can do it neat to the skin, but I find it's a little oily. Mix it with your moisturizer. It'll supercharge your moisturizer, but also protect that collagen. And the fact it works for 24 hours just is amazing."

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"Pycnogenol is one of the very best ways of elevating your collagen game. And the cheapest way of getting into your routine is with this. This is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. This is a standalone pycnogenol serum that doesn't make any bold claims or promises, just does what it says on the box, which is protect that collagen and add some great antioxidant protection to your routine. How is best to use this is put a couple of drops in your favorite moisturizer. Whichever one you're using, it's fine. It's compatible with everything. Couple of drops of this into your moisturizer. Apply it to the face, the neck, the body, twice a day, and you can just go about your day knowing that your collagen is protected. There is no point boosting collagen in your skin if you're not protecting the collagen that's already there. Pycnogenol and a good sunscreen is honestly the best way of doing that. And this is a little hidden gem when it comes to anti-aging."

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"The reason I love this and call it a Hidden Gem is it's so flexible. You could just put a couple of drops of this into your moisturizer and that way you'll boost the antioxidant potential of your whole routine. You can mix it in with your facial oil because this comes in a beautiful oil form. You could really do whatever you want with it. So if you're interested in antioxidants but you don't know where to start, you feel a little intimidated, just put a couple of drops in your facial oil or in your moisturizer, mix them together in the palm of your hand, apply them to the face and that's the job done. That gives you all the antioxidant protection you need a little extra hydration. And I think this is just a hero product. Pycnogenol is also my favorite antioxidant because it actually binds to the collagen in our skin, providing like a shield around it to make sure that those free radicals can't do any damage and premature aging into our skin. This is everything."

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"I put a tiny drop of The Ordinary Pycnogenol in there just for a little anti-aging and antioxidant action. I mix them together and then I apply them to the skin so all your oils have been applied at the same time, it'll sink in better, you're not risking it sitting on the skin being greasy. It just works for me."

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"My favorite is The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. The reason I love this is it's got that percentage on there. You want to be using pycnogenol in about a 4 to 6% concentration to get the maximum results, so that's what The Ordinary are delivering. You know what you're getting and this is small but mighty in terms of what it will deliver. If your number one skin concern is fine lines and wrinkles and boosting collagen to eradicate them, then get pycnogenol in your life. It will be that shield around the collagen to just protect it no matter what the day throws at us. It comes with a very deep and dark coloration, don't let that freak you out. All you need to do is put a couple of drops of this into your moisturizer, morning and evening, work it into the skin. You'll just find that that moisturizer will help it sink in like that. It won't impact the coloration of the skin even though it is, let's be honest, on the vivid side. So I say couple of drops into my favorite moisturizer and then you are good to go."

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"You don't need a lot and I would actually recommend if you have a moisturizer in your routine mixing a couple of drops of this into your moisturizer then applying it to the skin for better absorption. It works really well. This is small but it's mighty and it packs a punch. I would definitely recommend it. [...] This is such a Holy Grail."

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"It provides a shield around collagen so great for anti-aging. I find the best way to use it because of the coloration of it is to put a couple of drops of this into your favorite moisturizer at the end of your skincare routine, gives you some extra antioxidants but will also help dilute that color a little bit. I love it, I think it's one of the best antioxidants out there, and the price point you cannot go wrong."

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"The Ordinary Pycnogenol, you guys know I love this. Couple of drops of this into your moisturizer, slap it on the skin. Best way to boost the antioxidant protection of the skin. One of my favorite anti-aging antioxidants, which I called out in a recent video. The Ordinary Pycnogenol, always always have it on hand."

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"Pycnogenol is special because it actually provides a shield around the collagen in our skin to specifically protect it against free radical damage, things such as pollution, particulate matter, certain wavelengths of light. They hit our skin all day long and they can degrade and break apart the collagen within it, and that's premature aging we don't want. Pycnogenol doesn't cost a whole lot. It's actually quite an inexpensive antioxidant, and this one by The Ordinary is one of my personal favorites. It comes with this vivid red color, but don't be put off by that. Just put a couple of drops of this into your moisturizer, apply it to the skin, and that way you're actually protecting the collagen that our body already has within it. That's going to work great alongside other ingredients in order to over time increase the amount of collagen present, for some great wrinkle-reducing and firmness-returning benefits."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Yay

"This is fantastic. It's a super potent antioxidant serum that I feel really rivals vitamin C and can often be better than vitamin C because some people have issues with the stinging and burning of the l-ascorbic acid which is what's in a lot of vitamin C serums. This pycnogenol is super tiny but super mighty. I love this especially for morning time. It has this dark amber color because it's literally made from pine trees. You can take one or two dots and apply it to the skin right as you start your day. This can help slightly boost up sunscreen and protect you from free radical damage, so if you live in a polluted city or if you're someone who's out and about all day this is so nice to have on skin. It's inexpensive but effective. It also has kind of an earthy smell, so if you're super sensitive to smells be careful. It is fragrance-free so it smells like the actual formula, but I absolutely love this especially under sunscreen. You can use this day or night. I recommend it in the morning because it kind of gives a boost to sunscreen. For anyone who just can't use vitamin C either because certain formulas burn their skin or the ones that don't burn their skin are too oily on the skin, this is an antioxidant powerhouse."