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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 distinctive skincare lines offering serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners tailored for diverse complexions. The Canadian brand centers its accessible formulas on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and dry sensitive skin best, while the Swiss brand is celebrated for luxurious eye products, nourishing moisturizers, and targeted serums elevated by sophisticated formulas that suit dry and mature skin. While both share a focus on hydration and specialized care, they differ greatly in their heritage, ingredient approaches, and positioning.

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

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

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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 The Ordinary routine · A$192.91 · 96% fitBuy La Prairie routine · A$1,411.96 · 96% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · A$285.78 · 92% fitBuy La Prairie routine · A$1,632.43 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · A$219.69 · 91% fitBuy La Prairie routine · A$1,575.91 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which is better?

The Ordinary provides great value and affordability for shoppers, whereas La Prairie offers luxurious, lightweight textures and firming effects. Lovi gives both brands a Superior routine fit for dry skin, combination skin, sensitive skin, mature skin, skin with dark spots, and dry sensitive skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary provides affordable value-focused options that help with texture and pores, whereas La Prairie offers luxurious high-end products that deliver lifting and firming effects.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior routine fit level for dry skin. The Ordinary offers budget-friendly products with no added fragrance, while La Prairie delivers luxurious textures and deep hydration.

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, The Ordinary provides affordable value and fits dry skin at a Superior level with products like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, while La Prairie offers luxurious, lightweight hydration and firming effects with products like Skin Caviar Luxe Cream.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The products on this page from The Ordinary offer much better affordability and value compared to La Prairie, which is known for exorbitant prices. Shoppers often mention high cost as a major drawback for La Prairie, whereas The Ordinary is praised for budget-friendly serums.

Which brand offers better firming and lifting effects, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

La Prairie offers better firming and lifting effects compared to The Ordinary. Reviewers mostly mention luxurious textures and noticeable lifting from La Prairie products, and the brand excels in firming and lifting performance.

Do The Ordinary products contain fragrance?

The products on this page from The Ordinary list no fragrance in their ingredients.

What are the founding years and countries of origin for The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada, while La Prairie was founded in 1978 in Switzerland.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi rates The Ordinary as a Superior fit and La Prairie as a High fit. The products on this page from The Ordinary provide acne-clearing and texture-smoothing serums at affordable prices.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Both brands reach a Superior level of routine fit for sensitive skin, but The Ordinary has products on this page that list no fragrance while four out of five La Prairie products contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates La Prairie as having a Superior routine fit, while The Ordinary has a High routine fit. The products on this page for The Ordinary offer affordable, fragrance-free solutions, whereas La Prairie delivers luxurious textures with strong fragrance.

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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