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The Ordinary vs Principia

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

The Ordinary and Principia are two thoughtful skincare lines offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting sensitive and combination skin best while addressing acne, dark spots, and aging. Meanwhile, the second brand is widely loved for its thoughtful cleansers and precise formulas that suit balanced to oily skin. Both collections help maintain a healthy, balanced complexion through distinctly different approaches.

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

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Principia products

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Principia: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a wide range of products that are fragrance-free and feature strong fit levels for sensitive, combination, and dark-spot-prone skin, while Principia lists only a single cleanser on this page.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Principia?

The Ordinary offers a wide range of products that Lovi rates best for sensitive skin, combination skin, and skin with dark spots, while Principia has a much smaller selection featured on this page. Reviewers frequently praise The Ordinary for affordable and acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or Principia: which cleanser is better?

For cleansers, The Ordinary offers options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, which has a high fit for dry, oily, sensitive, and mature skin types, whereas Principia features the Gel de Limpeza GL-01 with average or lower fits across most skin types.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Principia?

Shoppers often praise The Ordinary for offering affordable and great value serums among the products on this page.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The Ordinary or Principia?

The products on this page for The Ordinary offer High or Superior Lovi fit levels for acne-prone skin across many items, while Principia only features a single cleanser rated as Low for acne-prone skin.

When was The Ordinary founded and who owns it compared to Principia?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021, whereas Principia was founded in 2020 and is owned by Viziera Participações Ltda.

What do reviewers commonly say about the texture and finishes of The Ordinary serums?

Reviewers often mention that the products on this page include texture-smoothing serums. However, shoppers sometimes note sticky or tacky finishes and pilling issues with these formulas.

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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