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The Ordinary

Pycnogenol 5%.

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%
Serums

About this product

An antioxidant facial treatment from The Ordinary built around 5% pycnogenol, a fragrance-free formula aimed at supporting overall skin brightness.

Serums

The Guru Index verdict

84%

Approved

✓Approved · 84%
6Reviewers
6Approved
0Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus overwhelmingly praise this as a potent, affordable antioxidant that rivals or exceeds vitamin C in efficacy without the irritation. The consistent recommendation is to mix one or two drops into moisturizer rather than apply neat, both to extend the small bottle and avoid temporary orange staining. Reviewers highlight its anti-inflammatory properties, potential collagen-protective benefits, and suitability for morning use. The main caveat is that it works best for overall radiance and environmental protection rather than fading stubborn pigmentation or dark spots.
Synthesized from 6 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Fragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Propanediol, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract

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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Dr. Vanita Rattan
Dr. Vanita Rattan
1.22M subs · 10k devotees
✓Approved
"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
Sincerely Miss Ash
194k subs · 3k devotees
✓Approved
"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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"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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"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."
No BS Beauty
No BS Beauty
89k subs · 2k devotees
✓Approved
"Their pycnogenol is a really nice antioxidant serum."
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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."
Cassandra Bankson
Cassandra Bankson
2.45M subs
✓Approved
"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."
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"This is The Ordinary's Pycnogenol 5% and this is one of my absolute favorite products. The reason I love it is that this little antioxidant serum is amazing both because of how it works and also because of how inexpensive it is. It comes from pine trees, though it can also be derived from grapes and a few other places as well, but this little serum is only ten dollars and eleven cents from The Ordinary. It's a water-free formula. If you're looking for an antioxidant boost, there are some studies that show that pycnogenol is actually more potent, it's a better antioxidant than vitamin C. Some medical studies have also looked at pycnogenol for things like pigmentation. Pycnogenol should be used in the morning because it is an antioxidant serum, but it could be used at night as well. It really doesn't matter. And because it's such a great antioxidant, it's pretty good at keeping itself stable."
The Ordinary Pycnogenol — 3 Ways To Use It & What Is Pycnogenol Good For?
"Pycnogenol is an amazing skincare ingredient, and this is one of my absolute favorite products. I call it a Camping Buddy because it literally smells like my childhood camping out of the back of my parents SUV on the California coastline. This little antioxidant serum is amazing both because of how it works and also because of how inexpensive it is. It comes from pine trees, though it can also be derived from grapes. This serum is only ten dollars and eleven cents from The Ordinary. It's a water-free formula, and if you're looking for an antioxidant boost, there are some studies that show that pycnogenol is actually more potent, it's a better antioxidant than vitamin C. Pycnogenol should be used in the morning because it is an antioxidant serum, but it could be used at night as well. Because it's such a great antioxidant, it's pretty good at keeping itself stable. The formula is anhydrous, meaning it has no water. It's a little bit of an oily texture, but it does soak into the skin quite nicely."
The Ordinary Pycnogenol — 3 Ways To Use It & What Is Pycnogenol Good For?
"This is The Ordinary's Pycnogenol 5%, and this is one of my absolute favorite products. This little antioxidant serum is amazing both because of how it works and also because of how inexpensive it is. It comes from pine trees, though it can also be derived from grapes and there are a few other places as well. This little serum is only ten dollars and eleven cents from The Ordinary. It's a water-free formula, and if you're looking for an antioxidant boost, there are some studies that show that pycnogenol is actually more potent, it's a better antioxidant than vitamin C. Some medical studies have also looked at pycnogenol for things like pigmentation. Pycnogenol should be used in the morning because it is an antioxidant serum, but it could be used at night as well. It really doesn't matter. And because it's such a great antioxidant, it's pretty good at keeping itself stable."
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"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."
Kelly Driscoll
Kelly Driscoll
90k subs · 5k devotees
✓Approved
"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."
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin
720k subs · 10k devotees
✓Approved
"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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."
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