Beauty Elixir

The Ordinary · Serum · leave-on

Is The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA pore-clogging or fungal-acne safe?

67%clean
Acne-safe

None of the recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers.

Not fungal-acne safe

1 ingredient can feed Malassezia yeast (itchy, uniform forehead or chest bumps).

#IngredientPoresFungal acneIrritancy
7 Polysorbate 20 0/5 · Low Trigger
1 Aqua 0/5 · Low Safe
5 Sodium Hyaluronate 0/5 · Low Safe
12 ingredients not in our pore-clogging database

These have no published comedogenic rating in our data. Most are preservatives, fragrance, extracts or actives that are not known pore-cloggers.

alpha-arbutinpropanediolpolyacrylate crosspolymer-6ergothioneinecitric acidsodium citratesodium hydroxidesodium metabisulfitetrisodium ethylenediamine disuccinateethoxydiglycolphenoxyethanolchlorphenesin

Ingredients rated 3–5 that appear after position 15 are usually present below about 1%, so they are shown as "Low amount" and do not trigger the pore-clog alert. Ratings come from the Fulton comedogenic scale (0–5) and published Malassezia research. They are a rough guide: the concentration and the whole formula matter, and everyone's skin is different.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA. The ingredients doing most of the work are Aqua, Sodium Hyaluronate and Polysorbate 20, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA

vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serumvs CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serumvs Minimalist Alpha Arbutin 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Niacinamide 10% Face Serumvs Minimalist Retinol 0.3% Face Serumvs Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Vitamin C 10% Face Serumvs Plum 15% Vitamin C & Mandarin Glow Boost Serumvs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

Full ingredient list

Aqua (Water), Alpha-Arbutin, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ergothioneine, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metabisulfite, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

Source: official The Ordinary product page, checked 27 Sep 2026. Formulas vary by country and change over time, so always check your pack.

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Frequently asked questions

Is The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA pore-clogging?

Acne-safe. None of the recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers.

Is The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA safe for fungal acne?

No. It contains Polysorbate 20, which can feed Malassezia yeast.

What is the clean score of The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA?

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA scores 67% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 3 recognised ingredients out of 15.

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