The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% in Pakistan: the formula, the fakes, the alternative
Niacinamide 10% with zinc PCA 1% became the default oil-and-pores serum worldwide because both percentages are printed on the bottle, which almost nothing else in the category does. In Pakistan it is sold almost entirely through resellers at prices that move week to week, and it is among the most counterfeited skincare products in the market. This page covers what the formula does, how to check what you have been sent, and what else carries the same two numbers.
Reviewed
See the matching concern routineWhat the two numbers do
Niacinamide at 10% helps the appearance of uneven tone, excess oil and visibly enlarged pores, and supports the barrier while doing it. Zinc PCA at 1% is there for oil and congestion. Together they target sebum and pore appearance rather than pigment, which is why they suit oily and combination skin in particular.
Ten per cent is not a magic threshold. Studies supporting niacinamide for tone and barrier function mostly use 2–5%, and the higher figure is a marketing number as much as a clinical one — some skin finds 10% tingly and does better at 5%. What matters more than the number is that a number is printed at all, because the alternative is a label that says niacinamide and contains an unknown trace.
Buying it in Pakistan
There is no official Pakistani store, so every bottle here is imported by a reseller. Prices vary by several hundred rupees for the same box across sellers in the same week, delivery runs to days or weeks, and counterfeits are common enough that the brand's own guidance is to buy only from authorised stockists.
No price is quoted on this page for that reason. A figure read from one listing today misleads whoever reads it next month, and a range wide enough to be accurate is not a price. What can be said is that the import premium is real and the product is inexpensive at source.
How to tell a counterfeit
Check the batch code and expiry are printed on both box and bottle and that they match, that the dropper is glass with a clean straight edge, that the print on the bottle is sharp rather than smudged, and that the liquid is clear and slightly viscous with no smell. A too-good price is the first signal, not the last.
Counterfeits of this specific product circulate widely because the packaging is simple and the branding is plain text, which is cheap to copy. If the serum stings sharply, smells of anything, or separates in the bottle, stop using it — you are not testing a formula, you are testing whatever was put in a copied bottle.
The same two percentages, made locally
Elluvi's Hydra Glow Serum is niacinamide 10% with zinc PCA 1% and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid 0.5%, at Rs. 1,149, shipped inside Pakistan with cash on delivery. The two headline actives and their stated percentages are the same; the hyaluronic acid is the difference, and it is there because 10% niacinamide can feel dehydrating on its own.
| The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% | Elluvi Hydra Glow Serum | |
|---|---|---|
| Niacinamide | 10%, stated | 10%, stated |
| Zinc PCA | 1%, stated | 1%, stated |
| Hyaluronic acid | Not in this formula | 0.5%, low molecular weight |
| Sold in Pakistan | Resellers only, no official store | Direct, cash on delivery |
| Price | Varies by reseller and week | Rs. 1,149 |
| Arrives in | Days to weeks, imported | Within Pakistan |
Who this formula is not for
Very dry or reactive skin often does better at 4–5% niacinamide than at 10%. If you flush easily, patch test first. And if your main concern is dark spots rather than oil and pores, niacinamide is a supporting active rather than the lead one — alpha arbutin or vitamin C does more.
The old advice that niacinamide and vitamin C cannot be used together is largely a myth from a formulation edge case, but using both at full strength in the same minute irritates some skin. Morning vitamin C and evening niacinamide sidesteps the question entirely.
