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The Ordinary vs Some By Mi

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

The Ordinary and Some By Mi are skincare brands founded in 2016 and acquired in 2021 by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and JKL Partners, respectively. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while the Korean brand builds its cleansers, serums, toners, and moisturizers around niacinamide, centella asiatica, and salicylic acid. Both brands suit sensitive skin well, with the former also fitting combination skin and the latter dry sensitive skin. They differ primarily in their targeted treatments and foundational ingredients, offering distinct paths to addressing acne, dark spots, and mature skin.

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

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Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by JKL Partners since 2021.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Some By Mi products

People Say

The OrdinarySome By Mi
  • Acne clearing and spot treatment 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%”
    • “Reduces pimples — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “cleared my cystic acne — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam”
  • Skin texture smoothing 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”
    • “Skin became smoother — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
    • “Skin feels baby soft — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
  • Great value and pricing 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%”
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Zero irritation or redness — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “doesn't strip dry my skin — Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask”
  • Lightweight absorption Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Brightening Moisture Gel Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Serum”
    • “absorbs instantly — Some By Mi Yuja Niacin Anti Blemish Serum”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Lasts 100 hours as claimed — Some By Mi Beta Panthenol Repair Cream”
    • “Absorbs quickly — Some By Mi Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum”
    • “Leaves a nice glow — Some By Mi Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Unpleasant scent and fragrance 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”
    • “overwhelming citrus fragrance — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
  • Breakouts and purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “Zits appeared initially — Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner”
  • Stinging and irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “stings really bad upon application — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “stings my eyes — Some By Mi V10 Hyal Air Fit Sunscreen”
    • “burned my skin — Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum”

The Ordinary vs Some By Mi routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 542.90 · 89% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 485.71 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Some By Mi routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 833.82 · 91% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs Some By Mi routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · AED 712.46 · 92% fitBuy Some By Mi routine · AED 714.25 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Some By Mi: which is better?

Both The Ordinary and Some By Mi fit sensitive skin, skin with dark spots, dry sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and oily acne-prone skin at equal levels on the products on this page. The Ordinary offers better value, while Some By Mi provides lighter absorption and hydration.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Some By Mi?

The Ordinary provides superior fit for oily and combination skin and better pricing value among the products on this page, while Some By Mi offers lighter absorption and better hydration. Both brands achieve equal fit levels for sensitive, dry sensitive, and acne-prone skin types.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and Some By Mi fit dry skin well, as Lovi rates their routines for dry skin as High. Some By Mi provides lightweight absorption and hydration, while the products on this page by The Ordinary offer great value and pricing.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi: which cleanser is better?

Both brands offer cleansers with high fit levels across various skin types, but shoppers looking for value may prefer The Ordinary. The Ordinary provides affordable options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, while Some By Mi offers products like the Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Low pH Gel Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Some By Mi?

The Ordinary provides better value and pricing among the products on this page.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for dark spots?

Both The Ordinary and Some By Mi have a Superior Lovi fit for skin with dark spots. The Ordinary offers great value serums, while Some By Mi helps brighten the complexion.

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Which brand has better lightweight absorption?

Some By Mi is better at lightweight absorption among the products on this page.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for oily skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit while Some By Mi offers a High routine fit. Both brands offer products on this page that help with acne-clearing and texture-smoothing.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and Some By Mi offer moisturizers with a Lovi fit level of High for dry skin, such as The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and Some By Mi's Beta Panthenol Repair Cream. Some By Mi provides better overall hydration and plumping for moisturizers on this page.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and Some By Mi achieve a Superior fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for acne-prone skin?

Both brands offer an equal fit level of High for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that both brands provide effective acne-clearing treatments.

The Ordinary or Some By Mi for mature skin?

The Ordinary fits mature skin with a Superior level, whereas Some By Mi fits it with a High level. The Ordinary provides greater value and pricing, while the products on this page help smooth skin texture and fade dark spots.

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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