The Ordinary vs No7
The Ordinary and No7 are two established skincare lines that offer targeted solutions for varying complexions. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, making it particularly well suited for sensitive and combination skin. Meanwhile, the British brand focuses its serums, eye products, moisturizers, and sunscreens on vitamin C, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid to best support mature and dry skin. While both ranges feature scientifically backed ingredients like hyaluronic acid, they differ in their foundational approaches, heritage, and regional origins.
The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.
No7 is a British skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by Sycamore Partners since 2025.
cosmeticsbusiness.comen.wikipedia.org
This page compares some of the most popular The Ordinary and No7 products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular The Ordinary vs No7 products
People Say
Hydration, plumping, and value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
- “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
- “Skin feels softer — No7 Future Renew Damage Reversal Serum”
- “zero irritation — No7 Pure Retinol Eye Cream”
Smoothes skin texture and improves glow Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
- “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
- “skin feels so soft — No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator”
- “skin feels velvety — No7 Pure Retinol”
Reduces redness and clears acne Often MentionedNot noted
- “calms down the redness immediately — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
- “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
- “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
Irritation, stinging, and breakouts Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
- “Smells like vinegar — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
- “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
- “Can be drying — No7 Pure Retinol 1% Night Concentrate”
- “caused flaky skin — No7 Pure Retinol”
Texture and pilling issues under makeup Mostly MentionedNot noted
- “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
The Ordinary vs No7 routines for dry skin
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Cleanser
Glycolipid Cream Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 60.00
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Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 65.00
-
SPF
Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun+
Morning
AED 81.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
AED 35.29
-
Cleansing Toner
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Evening
AED 38.99
-
Serum or Treatment
Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum
Evening · Once a week
AED 150.00
-
Enzyme Powder
VT Cica Mild Powder Wash
Once a week
AED 47.62
-
Nourishing Mask
Mediheal Watermide Essential Mask
Once a week
AED 65.00
-
Cleanser
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 32.95
-
Moisturizer
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 77.00
-
SPF
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream
Morning
AED 109.13
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
AED 35.29
-
Cleansing Toner
ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Cleansing Water
Evening
AED 38.99
-
Serum or Treatment
Future Renew Damage Reversal Serum
Evening · Once a week
AED 136.61
-
Enzyme Powder
VT Cica Mild Powder Wash
Once a week
AED 47.62
-
Nourishing Mask
Mediheal Watermide Essential Mask
Once a week
AED 65.00
Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fit
Buy No7 routine · AED 542.59 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit
The Ordinary vs No7 routines for oily skin
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Cleanser
Glycolipid Cream Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 60.00
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
AED 49.99
-
Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 65.00
-
SPF
d'Alba UVessence Mild Waterfull Sun Cream SPF 50
Morning
AED 92.70
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
AED 179.45
-
Cleansing Toner
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Evening
AED 38.99
-
Serum or Treatment
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
Evening · Once a week
AED 42.60
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
AED 101.09
-
Cleansing Mask
Revision Skincare Black Mask
Once a week
AED 204.00
-
Cleanser
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 49.95
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
AED 49.99
-
Moisturizer
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 77.00
-
SPF
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream
Morning
AED 109.13
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
AED 179.45
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
AED 120.00
-
Serum or Treatment
Future Renew Damage Reversal Serum
Evening · Once a week
AED 136.61
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
AED 101.09
-
Cleansing Mask
Revision Skincare Black Mask
Once a week
AED 204.00
Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fit
Buy No7 routine · AED 1,027.22 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit
The Ordinary vs No7 routines for combination skin
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Cleanser
Glycolipid Cream Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 60.00
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
AED 145.00
-
Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 65.00
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
AED 179.45
-
Cleansing Toner
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Evening
AED 38.99
- Serum or Treatment Lactic Acid 5% + HA Evening · Once a week
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
AED 101.09
-
Cleansing Mask
KORA Organics Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask
Once a week
AED 122.93
-
Cleanser
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 84.53
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
AED 145.00
-
Moisturizer
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream
Morning · Evening · Once a week
AED 77.00
-
SPF
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream
Morning
AED 109.13
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
AED 179.45
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
AED 53.12
-
Serum or Treatment
Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum
Evening · Once a week
AED 94.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
AED 101.09
-
Cleansing Mask
KORA Organics Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask
Once a week
AED 122.93
Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fit
Buy No7 routine · AED 966.25 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit
Questions and answers
The Ordinary or No7: which is better?
The Ordinary is often a better choice for reducing redness, clearing acne, and fading dark spots, as the products on this page offer a Superior fit for oily, combination, sensitive, and dark-spot-prone skin. Both brands offer an equal routine fit for dry, acne-prone, and mature skin.
What is the difference between The Ordinary and No7?
The Ordinary offers better performance for oily, combination, sensitive, dark-spot, and dry sensitive skin, whereas both brands tie for mature and acne-prone skin. The products on this page by The Ordinary help reduce redness and clear acne better, while No7 products on this page feature more complaints about texture and pilling under makeup.
The Ordinary or No7 for dry skin?
Both The Ordinary and No7 fit dry skin well, offering High routines for the products on this page. Hyaluronic acid helps provide deep hydration, while vitamin C and retinol help address aging and skin quality.
The Ordinary or No7: which moisturizer is better?
Both The Ordinary and No7 offer effective moisturizers, with The Ordinary achieving a Superior fit level for dry skin and dry sensitive skin on this page, while No7 products on this page provide deep hydration and moisture with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and shea butter.
Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or No7?
The Ordinary offers more affordable products, specifically noted by reviewers for affordable and great value serums among the products on this page.
Which brand has fragrance-free products, The Ordinary or No7?
Both The Ordinary and No7 offer fragrance-free options, as every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance, and 10 of the 13 products on the No7 page are also fragrance-free.
The Ordinary or No7 for sensitive skin?
The Ordinary is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a Superior routine fit compared to No7's High fit level. Furthermore, every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, helping minimize the likelihood of irritation.
The Ordinary or No7 for acne-prone skin?
Both The Ordinary and No7 fit acne-prone skin well, earning a High fit level for this skin type across their routines. The Ordinary products on this page do better at reducing redness and clearing acne.
The Ordinary or No7 for mature skin?
Both The Ordinary and No7 achieve a Superior routine fit for mature skin. The Ordinary features key ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help provide anti-aging effects, while No7 utilizes retinol to help stimulate collagen accumulation and improve naturally aged skin.
Research behind their key ingredients
The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Topical palmitoyl pentapeptide provides improvement in photoaged human facial skin
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling
Vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate promotes epidermal thickening and collagen production in human skin
The moisturizing effects of glycolipid biosurfactants, mannosylerythritol lipids, on human skin
Reduction in the appearance of facial hyperpigmentation by topical N-acetyl glucosamine
Microneedling by dermapen and glycolic acid peel for the treatment of acne scars: Comparative study
Lycopene and Melatonin: Antioxidant Compounds in Cosmetic Formulations
The synergistic effect of retinyl propionate and hydroxypinacolone retinoate on skin aging
Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Application of N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Topical lycopene emulgel significantly improves biophysical parameters of human skin
The evaluation of aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion for photodamage
The anti wrinkle efficacy of synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) in Chinese Subjects
Safety of a preservative system containing 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol
Clinical and histologic changes determine optimal treatment regimens for microdermabrasion
A bioactive complex to protect proteins from UV-induced oxidation in human epidermis
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Natural Moisturizing Factor-Enriched Formulations Compared to a Ceramide-Based Cream
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
Retrospective Review of Dermal Safety Studies of Organic Sunscreens
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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