The exhaust gas purifying catalyst presented here includes a substrate and a catalyst coat layer formed on the surface of the substrate. The catalyst coat layer is formed in a laminate structure having two layers, with a first layer being nearer to the surface of the substrate and a second layer being relatively further from this surface. The second layer includes a carrier and a noble metal supported on the carrier. The first layer is a noble metal-free layer that does not contain a noble metal but does contain an OSC material having oxygen storage capacity.