The Ordinary GF 15% Solution On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Glycerin is the reason to consider this serum, with Epidermal Growth Factor behind it.
The case for it
- Glycerin, strong evidence for hydration
- Epidermal Growth Factor, moderate evidence for lines and firmness
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readThe Ordinary GF 15% Solution is a serum built around Glycerin and Epidermal Growth Factor. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Skip it if you already own something similar: it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
5 of the 12 sit above the 1% line. The other 7, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
What it delivers
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Topical EGF improves acne melasma and some photoaging endpoints in several split face trials but data are short term and theoretical growth signalling risks mean cautious use.
How to use it
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Against the average serum
It scores higher than the median serum on oil control.
On hydration, barrier repair, brightening and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 8 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 12 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/Water/EauSolvent (base)
- Butylene GlycolHumectant
- Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Oligopeptide-1Peptide growth factor
- Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-76
- Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 sh-Oligopeptide-2
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Sclerotium Gum down, these 7 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- Sclerotium GumThickener
- GlycerinHumectant
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Sodium CitratePh adjuster
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- ChlorphenesinPreservative
Worth knowing: Glycerin sits below that line. It is in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water/Eau, Butylene Glycol, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Oligopeptide-1, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-76, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sclerotium Gum, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 12 comparisons
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- GF 15% Solution vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- GF 15% Solution vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- GF 15% Solution vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum
- GF 15% Solution vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- GF 15% Solution vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- GF 15% Solution vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
- GF 15% Solution vs Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster
Common questions
Is The Ordinary GF 15% Solution good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, normal skin. The Ordinary GF 15% Solution is a serum built around Glycerin and Epidermal Growth Factor. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use The Ordinary GF 15% Solution?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in The Ordinary GF 15% Solution?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Epidermal Growth Factor. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does The Ordinary GF 15% Solution contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
