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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 skincare brands offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The Ordinary, a Canadian brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021, provides serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. Meanwhile, Principia is widely loved for its thoughtful cleansers and precise formulas. The former brand fits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, while the latter suits balanced to oily skin best, helping maintain a healthy, balanced complexion.

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 vast range of products on this page fitting dry, dry sensitive, and sensitive skin at High to Superior levels, whereas Principia only features a single cleanser with lower fit ratings. Reviewers frequently note that The Ordinary provides affordable and gentle serums.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Principia?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers a wide variety of skincare items that Lovi rates best for dry, dry sensitive, and sensitive skin, whereas Principia features only a single cleanser with lower fit levels for those skin types.

The Ordinary or Principia: which cleanser is better?

The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is a better fit for dry skin, where Lovi rates it as Superior, whereas Principia GL-01 is rated as Caution for dry skin.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Principia?

Reviewers frequently describe the products on this page for The Ordinary as affordable and offering great value.

When were The Ordinary and Principia founded and who owns them?

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

How do the Lovi fit levels of The Ordinary and Principia cleansers compare for oily and dry skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary cleansers like the Glucoside Foaming Cleanser and Glycolipid Cream Cleanser achieve a High fit level according to Lovi, while the Principia Gel de Limpeza GL-01 reaches an Average fit level. For dry skin, The Ordinary offers cleansers with High to Superior fit levels, whereas the Principia cleanser is rated with a Caution fit level.

What do reviewers say about the textures, finishes, and benefits of products from The Ordinary?

Reviewers frequently mention texture-smoothing serums and affordable, great value serums alongside acne-clearing and dark spot fading benefits. Shoppers note sticky or tacky finishes as well as pilling issues among other complaints.

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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