The Ordinary Alpha Lipoic Acid 5% Review

Antioxidants are important for our skin to repair and protect the skin from various stress factors. The most known antioxidants are the vitamins A.C and E, but there are many other and more potent antioxidants out there and alpha lipoic acid is one among them. Read on to know further about it.

Product Description:
Alpha lipoic acid is a highly potent antioxidant and can restore a renewed skin appearance, improving visible skin texture and tone when applied topically. This formulation uses an exceptionally high 5% concentration of high-purity Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Price:
10.90 USD (710 INR) for 30 ml.

My Experience with The Ordinary Alpha Lipoic Acid 5%:

I picked this product out of sheer curiosity and also because I wanted to start on a good antioxidant regimen since my skin was lacking in it. Since it was said to be more potent than vitamin C, I wanted to add this in my routine. 5% of alpha lipoic acid (Thioctic acid) is a high concentration for this ingredient and the brand itself advises us to use it not more than 2 to 3 times per week.

Since this is a potent product, I would advice you to do a patch test the product first in your arms or neck or on a small part of your face. This product comes in a glass container similar to many other product from “The Ordinary.” The glass is uv protected, so you don’t have to worry about the lights affecting your product, but it is sensible to store it in a less “lit” area.

The bottle comes with a dropper and around 5 drops is enough for the whole face every time. The colour of the serum is a hazy, mildly hay-coloured liquid. The consistency of the product is oily and it is advisable to use it in the skincare after cream-based formulas.

On application, it immediately warms up on being spread across the skin. Even if you have many layers of skincare underneath, it warms up the face and it lasts for some 5 to 10 minutes for me. It surprisingly did not cause a stinging sensation. And when I used it for the first time, it caused purging, so I was a bit skeptical to use it the next week since I was not sure that it was purging. But I did a patch test on various places and when I used it the next week too, and it started feeling good. So that was definitely purging!

After a month of applying it once a week, I resorted to use it twice a week. I use it as my second last step in my routine. If I feel that my skin is not in a good mood that day, I mix 3 to 4 drops into my face oil and it is good to go.

Also, this should not be used on the same day as any other potent acids or anti-oxidants. If you are using something else regularly, you might need to tweak your regimen a bit to fit this.

Coming to the effectiveness, it claims brightness and anti-aging. The anti-aging claim I cannot find it in the next twenty years or so. I use anti-aging as a preventive measure and so I cannot attest to that.
But even with the first usage, it brightened my face like a bulb. The brightness was evident for a few days and with continuous twice weekly usage, it helped in brightening the skin and improving the overall skin tone. Overall, a good anti-oxidant serum at an affordable price and I am happy with it.

Pros of The Ordinary Alpha Lipoic Acid 5%:

Gives a brightening effect as claimed.
Twice weekly usage is enough.
3 to 4 drops only needed for every usage, so one bottle will last long.
Not cheap but fairly affordable compared to the other antioxidant counterparts available in the market.
Comes in a UV protected glass bottle.