What You’re Getting Wrong About Hydrating Skincare, According to The Ordinary

From the biggest misconceptions surrounding hydration to what to expect from The Ordinary’s upcoming Hydration Lab pop-up, we’ve got the inside scoop straight from the source.

Hydration is the most crucial step in any skincare routine, but it’s also the most misunderstood. The basics are simple: Water is the foundation of life, and healthy skin needs to be hydrated to function. So, where does the confusion come in? Well, it’s more to do with when to hydrate and how to hydrate—with the ever-expanding roster of skincare launches landing on our shelves, it can be tough to discern the right routine for you. And, when you throw in the fact that everyone’s skin is different, skincare becomes all the more challenging to navigate. 

That’s where The Ordinary’s Hydration Lab comes in. The immersive pop-up lands in KL this week, and it’s an interactive experience designed to help you get to know your skin better. To glean more about the upcoming Hydration Lab pop-up and dispel the biggest misconceptions around your everyday skincare routine, we consulted the pros: The Ordinary’s VP of brand, Amy Bi, and Deciem Science Communications Manager, Rita Silva.

The Ordinary’s Hydration Lab is coming to KL this June—could you share more about this pop-up? What inspired it and what should people expect from it?

AB: The Ordinary Hydration Lab is an immersive pop-up to show that hydration is not only the foundation to great skin, but something that can be built into all skincare regimens. At The Ordinary, we’ve always believed that knowledge should be as accessible as the products themselves. The Hydration Lab is designed to help people better understand how hydration works by exploring different hydrating formulas and discovering what works for their skin. 

Experience-first brand pop-ups are spaces where our audience can build a strong connection with The Ordinary. Our hydration pop-up takes visitors on an immersive journey from desert to oasis, bringing the science of hydration to life through a series of interactive experiences. Guests can explore educational stations that explain how hydration works within the skin, challenge common skincare misconceptions, discover hydrating formulations tailored to their needs and see hydration in action through interactive demonstrations. Inspired by water’s essential role in both life and skin health, the experience is designed to make skin science approachable, accessible and engaging.

The Ordinary pioneered the multi-step routine as we know it today, simplifying the concept of active ingredients for the masses. From concept to market, what goes into creating a The Ordinary product?

AB: Every product starts with a clear purpose. Our Research and Development team works closely with our product team to identify skincare technologies to democratise, bringing them to market at sensible prices, or to serve a skin concern not currently targeted in our product portfolio. From there, our lab ecosystem will develop concepts, formulations, and conduct thorough product testing to produce a final formula to be scaled in our production facility and distributed around the world.

Within The Ordinary’s lineup, there are a wide array of hydration-focused formulations—why are there so many options and how can customers narrow down what’s right for them?

RS: The Ordinary has always been about offering different options to different consumers, because not one person’s skin and personal preferences are the same. Our moisturisers range from a rich cream (Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides) for dry and mature skin, to a gel-like hydrator (Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan) ideal for oily and blemish-prone skin, and also include a lightweight lotion for those looking for intense hydration with a weightless feel (Rice Lipids + Ectoin Microemulsion). 

Our serum offering is larger, so a great place to start is our Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum, which is one of our bestselling serums to this day. From there, consumers can explore Marine Hyaluronics or Amino Acids + B5 if they prefer a water-like texture, Soothing & Barrier Support Serum if they are looking for barrier support, or one of our oils if they are looking to supplement their routine with nourishing lipids.

Some would say that hydration has grown to become the most misunderstood step in skincare—would you agree, and why so?

RS: Absolutely. We spend a lot of time talking about active ingredients in skincare, but hydration is often the foundation that gets overlooked. People tend to think hydration is only relevant if they have dry skin, or that a single hydrating product will solve the problem. In reality, hydration plays a role in how skin looks, feels and functions, regardless of the skin type. For example, acne-prone skin tends to be drier than skin that is not prone to acne, and excess sebum has very little connection to our hydration levels—it’s the oils found in deeper layers of the skin that are responsible for maintaining hydrated skin, not those on the surface. Hydrating the skin regardless of its outer appearance is essential. That’s one of the reasons we’re so passionate about education at The Ordinary, helping people understand not just what products to use, but why they’re using them.

How does hydration go hand-in-hand with skin barrier support?

RS: Hydration and skin barrier support are closely connected. A healthy skin barrier helps prevent excessive water loss, while optimal skin hydration levels are responsible for maintaining multiple processes that keep the skin barrier intact, including the normal shedding of dead skin cells. An impaired skin barrier will lead to excessive water loss, which can further disrupt the barrier, creating a vicious cycle that can only be mitigated with appropriate hydration.

 

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What are the biggest misconceptions about hydration in skincare?

RS: One of the biggest misconceptions is that sebum is a huge contributor to skin hydration, and that oily skin is inherently more hydrated. In fact, our sebum is very permeable, and mainly exists to transport protective antioxidants to the skin’s surface, amongst other functions. Triglycerides in sebum can be broken down into glycerin and fatty acids, and that glycerin will in turn contribute towards skin hydration. However, the oils forming a tight seal against water loss are found not on the skin’s surface, but in between our skin cells, acting as mortar that fills in the empty spaces in our skin barrier.

Another big misconception is that blemish-prone skin needs to be “dried out”, and does not need hydration. In fact, acne-prone skin is inherently more dehydrated, and needs special attention when it comes to its barrier integrity.

What is the difference between hydration and moisture?

RS: There’s no official difference between hydration and moisture in dermatology or cosmetic science. However, many like to think of hydration as water in the skin, and moisture as the oils or lipids that help keep water from escaping. A simple way to think about it is that hydration adds water, while moisture helps seal it in. Both are important, and together they help support skin that feels comfortable, balanced and healthy. Ultimately, the lipids that keep water locked in are essential, but the skin’s water content controls processes that are essential for lipid synthesis, so one cannot exist without the other.

Could you talk us through The Ordinary’s Prep, Treat, and Seal philosophy? What does it mean, and how can the average skincare user implement it in their routine?

RS: We created Prep, Treat, and Seal because skincare can often feel more complicated than it needs to be. Prep products help prepare the skin for the rest of the routine, Treat products target specific skin concerns using active ingredients, and Seal products help lock in hydration and support the skin barrier.

It’s a simple framework that helps people understand the role each product plays within a skincare regimen. At The Ordinary, we’re always looking for ways to make skincare education more accessible, and Prep, Treat, Seal is one example of how we’re helping consumers build educated routines with confidence.

The Ordinary’s The Hydration Lab is officially open to the public from 12 to 21 June 2026, from 11AM to 7PM daily at GoDown Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

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