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The Ordinary vs COSRX

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

The Ordinary and COSRX are two popular skincare brands offering serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more built around reliable ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide. While the Canadian brand founded in 2016 suits sensitive and combination skin best with formulas featuring squalane and targeted acids, the Korean brand founded in 2013 is beloved for suiting oily and acne-prone skin best by balancing excess oil and soothing irritation. Both feature distinct standout solutions for concerns like dark spots, acne, and aging, differing primarily in their specific ingredient combinations and regional 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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COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024.

koreajoongangdaily.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs COSRX products

People Say

The OrdinaryCOSRX
  • Miscellaneous Performance Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “dark skin friendly — COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen”
    • “calms down my redness — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
  • Smooth and Improved Skin Texture 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”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “skin feels softer immediately — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “cleared up my spots — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “extremely gentle — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “perfect for first-time retinol users — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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%”
    • “huge bottle — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “woke up with soft, supple skin — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “gives a healthy glow — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Texture and Pilling Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “texture is gooey and stringy — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “too slimy and sticky — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Leaves a sticky film — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Irritation and Harshness Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “leaves skin feeling tight — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
  • Miscellaneous Complaints Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Takes a month to work — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “didn't do anything — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “did absolutely nothing — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Hard to layer — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fitBuy COSRX routine · AED 408.70 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fitBuy COSRX routine · AED 581.27 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fitBuy COSRX routine · AED 475.50 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or COSRX: which is better?

Both brands are great choices depending on your skin goals, as The Ordinary fits best for sensitive skin, combination skin, and skin with dark spots, while COSRX excels for oily skin, acne-prone skin, and oily acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and COSRX?

The Ordinary focuses on targeted, single-ingredient formulas offering great value, whereas COSRX emphasizes hydrating and soothing ingredients like snail mucin. Lovi rates The Ordinary as superior for skin with dark spots, while COSRX is superior for acne-prone skin.

The Ordinary or COSRX for dry skin?

For dry skin, both The Ordinary and COSRX are good options since Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High. Hyaluronic acid helps bind moisture to the skin and improves skin hydration.

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

The Ordinary or COSRX: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX offer cleansers that fit oily, combination, and dry skin well, though COSRX is noted for being particularly gentle and sensitive-skin friendly. The Ordinary also provides cleansers with high fit levels for sensitive and dry skin, such as the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or COSRX?

The Ordinary offers better affordability and value among the products on this page compared to COSRX. Reviewers frequently note The Ordinary for its affordable and great value serums.

Which brand performs better for hydration and moisture, The Ordinary or COSRX?

COSRX performs better for hydration and moisture, as it does better in this category according to the review themes on the page. Hyaluronic acid helps provide moisture, and topical hyaluronic acid benefits skin quality and signs of aging.

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

How do The Ordinary and COSRX compare for mature skin and skin with dark spots?

For mature skin and skin with dark spots, Lovi rates The Ordinary as having a Superior routine fit, whereas COSRX achieves a High routine fit for both. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers great value serums, while COSRX is often praised for its lightweight absorption and deep hydration.

Which brand has better options for acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin?

COSRX has better options for acne-prone and oily acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates the brand's routine fit as Superior for both skin types compared to High for The Ordinary.

The Ordinary or COSRX for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX offer a Superior routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page help manage oil and improve texture with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

The Ordinary or COSRX: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer effective moisturizers tailored to different skin needs. For deep hydration and moisture, COSRX performs better, while The Ordinary provides great value and pricing.

The Ordinary or COSRX for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX are well suited for sensitive skin, as Lovi rates both brands as having a Superior routine fit for this skin type. Reviewers frequently mention that products from both lines are gentle and non-irritating.

The Ordinary or COSRX for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, COSRX is superior, whereas Lovi rates The Ordinary as having a high fit. COSRX features a routine specifically focused on oily and acne-prone skin.

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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