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The Ordinary vs CeraVe

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

The Ordinary and CeraVe are two widely loved skincare brands offering thoughtful ranges of serums, moisturizers, and cleansers built around hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The Canadian brand, founded in 2016, features targeted formulations such as niacinamide, mandelic acid, and lactic acid that suit sensitive, combination, acne-prone, and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the American brand, established in 2005, relies on supportive components like ceramides and gentle exfoliants to cater effectively to similar skin types. While both brands harness hyaluronic acid to lengthen wrinkle reduction and glycerin to improve barrier function, they differ in their specific active concentrations and brand origins.

The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.

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CeraVe is an American skincare brand founded in 2005 and owned by L'Oréal since 2017.

en.wikipedia.orghappi.comloreal-finance.comcerave.com

This page compares some of the most popular The Ordinary and CeraVe products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The Ordinary vs CeraVe products

People Say

The OrdinaryCeraVe
  • Gentle and safe for sensitive skin Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't leave face tight — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “no burning sensation — CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum”
    • “no redness after washing — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Great value and affordable price Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “extremely affordable — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “reasonably priced — CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser”
  • Improves skin texture and smoothness Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin looks smoother and brighter — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “difference in my skin's texture is noticeable — CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy finish Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Absorbs into skin without residue — CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Sinks right into your skin — CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Sinks in immediately — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Clears acne and fades dark spots Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “lightened dark spots — CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum”
  • Deep hydration and moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “woke up with plump skin — CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream”
    • “cured my dry patches — CeraVe Eye Repair Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Skin irritation, stinging, and burning Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Stung my raw skin — CeraVe Moisturising Cream”
    • “burns my damaged skin — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “Face feels like it's on fire — CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Sticky or heavy residue finish Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “too sticky — CeraVe Healing Ointment”
    • “hard to spread — CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream”
    • “left a sticky film — CeraVe Hydrating Toner”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Pilling and makeup application struggles Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “doesn't take off mascara — CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser”
    • “pills and rolls — CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum”
    • “doesn't remove mascara — CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs CeraVe routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fitBuy CeraVe routine · AED 400.41 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs CeraVe routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fitBuy CeraVe routine · AED 864.04 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs CeraVe routines for combination skin

Buy CeraVe routine · AED 850.34 · 93% fitBuy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or CeraVe: which is better?

Both brands are great, but The Ordinary has superior fit levels for oily, sensitive, mature, and dry sensitive skin, while CeraVe is better suited for acne-prone skin. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers great value and improves skin texture, whereas CeraVe provides deep hydration and lightweight moisturizers.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and CeraVe?

The Ordinary offers greater value and helps improve skin texture and clear dark spots, whereas CeraVe delivers deep hydration with a lightweight finish and is especially gentle for sensitive skin.

The Ordinary or CeraVe for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and CeraVe have a High routine fit for dry skin. The Ordinary features key hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin, which help support skin moisture.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or CeraVe: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer strong options, but CeraVe cleansers are often praised for being gentle and non-stripping, while The Ordinary cleansers provide great value. The CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser achieves a Superior fit for dry skin, and the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser achieves a Superior fit for oily skin.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or CeraVe?

The Ordinary offers great value and an affordable price, doing better in this area than CeraVe.

The Ordinary or CeraVe: which brand does better for mature skin?

The Ordinary achieves a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas CeraVe achieves a High fit on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The Ordinary is better for improving skin texture and smoothness.

Which brand is superior for fading dark spots and clearing acne?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary is superior for clearing acne and fading dark spots. Reviewers also say The Ordinary does better at clearing acne and fading dark spots.

The Ordinary or CeraVe: which brand performs better for dry sensitive skin?

The Ordinary performs better for dry sensitive skin, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for CeraVe. The products on this page help provide deep hydration and skin-smoothing benefits.

The Ordinary or CeraVe for oily skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary reaches a Superior routine fit while CeraVe reaches a High fit level. The Ordinary products on this page offer great value and effective serums for oily skin.

The Ordinary or CeraVe: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and CeraVe offer excellent moisturizers, with The Ordinary having a Superior routine fit for dry skin while CeraVe also achieves High fit levels for dry skin. CeraVe moisturizers help provide deep hydration and moisture using key ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

The Ordinary or CeraVe for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary fits sensitive skin with a Superior level, while CeraVe offers a High level. Reviewers note that CeraVe is gentle and safe for sensitive skin.

The Ordinary or CeraVe for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, CeraVe achieves a Superior routine fit compared to The Ordinary's High fit on the products on this page. Reviewers note that CeraVe provides effective cleansers for acne and oil.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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