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The Ordinary vs Shiseido

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

The Ordinary and Shiseido are prominent skincare brands offering moisturizers, cleansers, serums, and more, built around key ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and squalane. The Canadian brand suits sensitive skin and combination skin best, featuring targeted treatments with niacinamide, mandelic acid, and lactic acid. Meanwhile, the Japanese brand is beloved for its thoughtful array that suits sensitive skin and mature skin best, offering gentle daily care such as the Treatment Softener and the Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Day Cream. They differ primarily in their founding heritage and specific formulations, as clinical studies show that glycerin significantly improved stratum corneum hydration while squalane increases epidermal thickness and collagen production.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Shiseido products

People Say

The OrdinaryShiseido
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Skin feels more hydrated — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Value and Price Mostly MentionedNot 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%”
  • Texture Smoothing and Improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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%”
    • “smoothes rough skin — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Radiance and Brightening Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “faded pimple marks — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Eyes look more awake — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “tight, bright and shiny — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Luxurious Texture Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
  • Lightweight Texture Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Sinks right into the skin — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • High Price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Fragrance and Scent Issues Rarely NotedOften 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”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Pilling and Makeup Compatibility Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “slightly tacky — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “A little too much (too greasy) — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Stinging and Irritation Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Caused some irritation — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “caused red bumpy rash — Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam”
    • “caused red rash — Shiseido Treatment Softener”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fitBuy Shiseido routine · AED 1,124.76 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fitBuy Shiseido routine · AED 1,563.63 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fitBuy Shiseido routine · AED 1,322.98 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which is better?

The Ordinary is often preferred for its affordability, value, and targeted serums, whereas Shiseido is noted for deep hydration and luxurious textures.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Shiseido?

The Ordinary offers exceptional value with affordable, fragrance-free products that achieve superior fit levels for various skin types, whereas Shiseido provides a more luxurious experience with a higher price point and frequent added fragrances. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Shiseido for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and Shiseido achieve a High Lovi fit for dry skin, though they differ greatly in pricing and formulations. The Ordinary is noted for offering more affordable values and fragrance-free products on this page, whereas Shiseido provides deeply hydrating routines and luxurious textures.

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary and Shiseido offer cleansers with high fit levels for dry and oily skin types, but The Ordinary provides better value. Shiseido cleansers often feature strong fragrances, whereas every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Shiseido?

The Ordinary is more affordable, as reviewers on the page frequently praise its products for offering great value, whereas Shiseido is frequently noted for its high price point.

Do The Ordinary products contain fragrance compared to Shiseido?

The products on this page by The Ordinary list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 15 of the 20 Shiseido products on this page contain fragrance.

Which brand performs better for mature skin and dark spots, The Ordinary or Shiseido?

The Ordinary performs better than Shiseido for mature skin and skin with dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit as Superior compared to Shiseido's High. Topical niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

What are the main skin types that The Ordinary and Shiseido fit best according to their brand-focused routines?

According to their brand-focused routines, The Ordinary fits sensitive skin, combination skin, and skin with dark spots best. Shiseido fits sensitive skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots best.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary fits sensitive skin with a Superior Lovi level, whereas Shiseido achieves a High level. Every product from The Ordinary on this page lists no fragrance, while fifteen Shiseido products list added fragrance.

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and Shiseido offer great moisturizers, with Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA providing superior fit levels for dry and dry sensitive skin. Reviewers note that Shiseido moisturizers help deliver deep hydration with luxurious textures, while The Ordinary offers more affordable value.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and Shiseido provide a High routine fit level for acne-prone skin. The Ordinary features affordable, fragrance-free products on this page, while Shiseido offers deep-cleansing and efficient cleansers alongside luxurious textures.

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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