Review: The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%

I picked up The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% on a whim. I thought I would give it a shot. I’ve gone through a few bottles of this stuff already. Thought I’d share my experience with everyone. 🙂 Don’t forget to check out my other reviews on The Ordinary skin care products if you haven’t yet. Thank you for reading. ♥

Product claims

• Contains procyanidins, bioflavonoids, and organic acids to rejuvenate the skin
• Enhances hydration and elasticity
• Scavenges free radicals
• Recycles oxidized vitamin c

My experience

This serum comes in a 15 mL bottle. It’s really tiny compared to the other The Ordinary serums (The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% and The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA). It’s half the size, and it’s in the same price range. It comes out runny and is a deep red, orange, yellowish color. It looks pretty cool. This serum feels oily and takes a few minutes to absorb into the skin. It leaves an oily residue behind. With The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%, I take a drop of this serum and mix it with my other The Ordinary serums to give my skin care an antioxidant boost. Sometimes I would mix it with my other skin care products (not The Ordinary). I’m so used to using vitamin c as my to-go-to antioxidant, so this was different. Pycnogenol comes from pine tree bark. Some benefits are reducing the signs of aging, collagen production, and protecting the skin from UV rays. It was basically just another antioxidant to try besides good ol vitamin c. It was nice to try it out.

After going through a few bottles of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%, I haven’t noticed any changes in my skin. The claims are simply amazing. It’s supposed to rejuvenate the skin, enhance hydration and elasticity, and recycle oxidized vitamin c. But unfortunately, I didn’t see any improvements in my skin or at least didn’t notice anything with the naked eye. I used it for 5 whole months and nothing. This product is very small for the price too. I didn’t think it was worth it to keep it in my routine. I decided to stop using it. It just felt like an extra step in my skin care routine that I didn’t need. I can’t see myself paying for another bottle of this serum again when I’m not seeing any improvements in my skin after 5 months. I think that’s a pretty long time for a serum or any other product. I should see at least something by now. Ever since I stopped using it, my skin doesn’t miss it at all. I can’t see a difference in my skin with or without it. Out it goes!

A drop of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. 💧

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains pycnogenol

❌ Cons

• Expensive for a tiny bottle (15 mL)
• No results after 5 months of use
• Feels oily on the skin

Conclusion

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% didn’t work for me. I didn’t see results from it after months of using it. I thought it felt a little too oily on my skin too. The base of the serum is just like The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%. It contains propanediol. It could’ve contributed to clogged pores over time too, but it’s really hard to suspect it as a pore clogger since I was using only 1 drop and mixing it with my other skin care products. It has the same texture to it as the other The Ordinary products with this ingredient. I guess it doesn’t matter anyways since I didn’t see any results from it. It’s pretty useless. It’s time to move on, and I won’t repurchase it again. I can’t recommend this product. Don’t waste your money.