🇦🇪United Arab Emirates

The Ordinary vs La Prairie

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

The Ordinary and La Prairie are two distinct skincare houses offering targeted formulas for varied complexions. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting sensitive and combination skin best. Conversely, the Swiss brand is beloved for sophisticated eye products, nourishing moisturizers, targeted serums, and refreshing toners that favor dry sensitive and sensitive skin. These ranges differ primarily in their formulation approaches and price points, yet both provide serene and effective daily rituals.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs La Prairie products

People Say

The OrdinaryLa Prairie
  • Hydration and Plumping Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight Absorption Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Firming and Lifting Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “deflates morning bags — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
  • Value and Affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
  • Glow and Radiance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “tight, bright and shiny — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • High Price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Smells like vinegar — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “smell is unbearable — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “has a slight chemical smell — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow or Ineffective Results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “not a miracle worker overnight — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Didn't do anything special — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Texture Issues and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “caused pilling — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

Buy La Prairie routine · AED 4,580.61 · 91% fitBuy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fitBuy La Prairie routine · AED 5,026.95 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fitBuy La Prairie routine · AED 4,820.88 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which is better?

The Ordinary provides much better value and affordability, whereas La Prairie delivers superior hydration, firming, and lifting effects. Lovi gives both brands a Superior fit level for mature skin, sensitive skin, skin with dark spots, and dry sensitive skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary provides affordable, fragrance-free products focused on texture and pores, while La Prairie offers luxury formulations known for firming, lifting, and deep hydration. The products on this page for La Prairie feature a strong fragrance in most items, whereas The Ordinary lists no fragrance across its entire range.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

La Prairie is a better fit for dry skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to The Ordinary's High fit level. Reviewers note that La Prairie provides luxurious, lightweight textures and deep hydration and smoothing.

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

The Ordinary provides great value and hydration with options like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, while La Prairie offers luxurious, lifting moisturizers such as Skin Caviar Luxe Cream with a high price tag. Reviewers frequently note deep hydration for both brands, making La Prairie's routine fit for dry skin Superior and The Ordinary's High.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary provides much greater value and affordability for shoppers compared to La Prairie. The products on this page are known for offering budget-friendly prices, whereas La Prairie is widely noted for its exorbitant prices.

Which brand has more products with no fragrance, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary has more products with no fragrance, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients. In contrast, only 1 of 5 products on the La Prairie page list no fragrance.

What are the main key ingredients found across products in The Ordinary compared to La Prairie?

The products on this page for The Ordinary feature hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane as their main key ingredients. In contrast, the products on this page for La Prairie rely primarily on ginseng.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which brand has a better routine fit for dry skin, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

La Prairie has a better routine fit for dry skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to The Ordinary's High routine fit on this page.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for oily skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to La Prairie's High fit. The products on this page help provide oil control and texture improvements at an affordable value.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for sensitive skin. The Ordinary offers fragrance-free formulas on this page, while La Prairie features a strong fragrance in most of its products.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary provides a High fit for acne-prone skin with the products on this page, and reviews note that it offers affordable and effective acne-clearing serums. La Prairie also reaches a High routine fit for this skin type.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play