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The Ordinary vs Lancôme

The Ordinary and Lancôme are distinguished skincare brands that offer thoughtfully formulated serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more. The Canadian brand centers its offerings around ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, while the French brand relies on glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and adenosine to cater primarily to sensitive skin and acne-prone skin. Both lines feature specialized solutions for specific concerns, such as dark spots or mature skin, yet they differ fundamentally in their heritage, foundational compounds, and ideal skin types.

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

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Lancôme is a French skincare brand founded in 1935 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1964.

loreal.comen.wikipedia.orgcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

People Say

The OrdinaryLancôme
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “absorbs almost instantly — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Skin feels cushiony soft — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “gives my skin an instant dewy glow — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “keeps the skin soft and hydrated — Lancôme HYDRA ZEN”
    • “The product provides deep hydration and visible rejuvenation. — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Night Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • 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%”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Gentle Care for Sensitive Skin Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “No irritation at all — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “instantly soothed my skin — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Doesn't sting my eyes — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
  • Unique Textures and Finishes Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “skin is softer to touch — Lancôme Absolue Precious Oil”
    • “triple-chamber keeps ingredients fresh — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “Bottle lasts forever — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Pilling and Application Issues Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Leaves a greasy film — Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover”
    • “pilling like dead skin — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “left a tacky film on my face — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • General Formulation Issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “didn't notice much change in wrinkles — Lancôme Génifique Ultimate”
    • “Did absolutely nothing — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “Strong smell of alcohol — Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Skin Irritation and Sensitivity Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “caused a breakout — Lancôme RÉNERGIE”
    • “felt a burning sensation immediately — Lancôme Tonique Confort”
    • “burns my eyes — Lancôme Crème Radiance”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”

The Ordinary vs Lancôme routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · A$192.91 · 96% fitBuy Lancôme routine · A$633.08 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs Lancôme routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · A$285.78 · 92% fitBuy Lancôme routine · A$1,051.88 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Lancôme routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · A$219.69 · 91% fitBuy Lancôme routine · A$779.02 · 79% fitSee multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Lancôme: which is better?

The Ordinary provides better value and acne-control options, while Lancôme is preferred for deep hydration and texture.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Lancôme?

The Ordinary provides products on this page that are more affordable and better suited for acne-prone skin and value, whereas Lancôme excels in texture, absorption, and hydration. Additionally, every product from The Ordinary on this page lists no fragrance, while several Lancôme items include fragrance.

The Ordinary or Lancôme for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for dry skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Lancôme's High fit on this page.

The Ordinary or Lancôme: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers fragrance-free cleansers like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, which has a High fit level for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, oily skin, combination skin, and acne-prone skin, while Lancôme features fragranced cleansers such as Crème Radiance, which receives a warning fit level across all skin types on the page.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Lancôme?

The Ordinary is more affordable and offers great value serums compared to Lancôme, which reviewers note has a high price point.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products, The Ordinary or Lancôme?

The Ordinary offers more fragrance-free choices, as every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas only 3 of the 14 products on the Lancome page do.

How do The Ordinary and Lancôme compare for mature skin and dark spots?

For mature skin and skin with dark spots, The Ordinary achieves a Superior fit level for the products on this page, whereas Lancôme reaches a High fit level. The Ordinary offers better value and blemish control, while Lancôme excels in texture, absorption, and hydration.

What are the main review complaints for Lancôme versus The Ordinary?

Reviewers of Lancôme commonly complain about a high price point, strong fragrance, and subtle results, whereas The Ordinary faces complaints mostly regarding sticky or tacky finishes and pilling issues.

The Ordinary or Lancôme for oily skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit compared to Lancôme's high fit on this page.

The Ordinary or Lancôme: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Lanc$u00f4me, while providing much better value and pricing on this page.

The Ordinary or Lancôme for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and Lancôme achieve a Superior fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page. Lancome is often noted for soothing sensitive skin, while The Ordinary offers fragrance-free options across all its products on this page.

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.

How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.