The Ordinary Multi Peptide + HA Serum before or after moisturizer?

Where does the serum go in your routine?

1. 1Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, then gently pat dry.
2. 2If you use a toner, apply it after cleansing. Toner is optional, not a required purchase for using the serum.
3. 3Apply a few drops of Multi Peptide + HA Serum to your face. Use the serum only on unbroken skin.
4. 4Apply your moisturizer.
5. 5In the morning, finish your skincare with sunscreen. Apply makeup afterwards if you wear it. At night, leave out the sunscreen.

The Ordinary calls the serum step Treat and the moisturizer step Seal, which is a surprisingly formal job description for two bottles on a shelf. If your routine includes prescription skin medication, follow its directions; the general skincare order places medication or treatment immediately after cleansing.12

Why does moisturizer go afterwards?

Multi Peptide + HA Serum is a water based serum. General layering guidance puts lighter products before thicker ones because a thick moisturizing cream can reduce how well a thin serum penetrates. This is the practical reason to keep the serum ahead of your cream, rather than treating their order as interchangeable.13

The serum contains hyaluronic acid complexes for hydration, but it still occupies the treatment step rather than the moisturizer step. Moisturizer helps hold moisture in your skin and reduce water loss through evaporation. Hydrating serum and moisturizer have separate jobs, despite both applying for the same vacancy on the bathroom shelf.34

What should you avoid combining with it?

The Ordinary lists direct acids, direct vitamin C, salicylic acid, resveratrol and ferulic acid, and Multi Antioxidant Radiance Serum as products or ingredients not to use with Multi Peptide + HA Serum. Check any toner or other treatment in your routine against that list before adding the peptide serum. Being earlier in the routine does not make an incompatible toner a suitable pairing.1

Keep the routine simple rather than adding several treatments at once. Using too many products can irritate skin, especially when several target signs of aging. A longer product lineup is not automatically a better routine, even if every bottle has secured an impressive job title.2

What should you expect?

The serum targets dryness and early signs of aging, including the appearance of fine lines and loss of elasticity. The Ordinary reports improvements in crow's feet, smoothness, texture, elasticity and firmness after eight weeks of consistent use in testing involving 30 people. Think in terms of regular use over weeks, not a visible change after the first application.4

How do you check for irritation?

The Ordinary lists the serum as suitable for dry, oily and combination skin and advises testing before full application. For a general home test, apply your usual amount to a small spot on the underside of your arm or bend of your elbow twice daily for seven to ten days. Choose somewhere the product will not be rubbed or washed away, and leave it on as you normally would.45

If the test causes red, itchy or swollen skin, wash the product off and do not use it again. If irritation occurs during facial use, The Ordinary tells you to rinse the serum off, stop using it and consult a physician.15