🇨🇦Canada

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 two distinct skincare houses offering targeted formulas for varied complexions. The Canadian brand centers on accessible serums, moisturizers, and cleansers powered by hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and sensitive skin best while offering specific solutions for acne, dark spots, and aging. Meanwhile, the Swiss brand is celebrated for exquisite eye products and creams that provide a restorative ritual, making its refined creations ideal for mature and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, the two differ in their approach, with one focusing on ingredient-led simplicity and the other on luxurious rejuvenation.

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 · CA$155.67 · 97% fitBuy La Prairie routine · CA$106.17 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · CA$198.33 · 92% fitBuy La Prairie routine · CA$234.30 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · CA$187.44 · 93% fitBuy La Prairie routine · CA$201.39 · 84% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which is better?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie are great choices, but The Ordinary offers better value and affordability while La Prairie excels in luxurious textures and firming effects.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary provides affordable skincare with a wide variety of gentle serums, while La Prairie offers luxury anti-aging products with rich textures and firming effects. Lovi gives The Ordinary a Superior fit level for dry skin, and La Prairie a High fit level for dry skin.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for dry skin, while La Prairie has a High fit. The Ordinary offers deeply hydrating options with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, whereas La Prairie provides luxurious, lightweight textures.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page from both brands offer effective moisturizers, with The Ordinary providing exceptional value and La Prairie delivering luxurious hydration. Lovi rates the routine fit for dry skin as Superior for The Ordinary and High for La Prairie, and hyaluronic acid helps maintain moisture levels.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary offers much better value and affordability for shoppers, whereas La Prairie features exorbitant prices across the products on this page.

How do The Ordinary and La Prairie compare in terms of fragrance across their products?

The products on this page from The Ordinary list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 4 of the 5 products from La Prairie contain fragrance.

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

La Prairie performs better for firming and lifting effects compared to the products on this page.

What are the key ingredients and founding years of The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 with key ingredients including hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while La Prairie was founded in 1978 and features ginseng as a key ingredient.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie fit oily skin well, with Lovi fit levels of Superior and High respectively, though reviewers note that The Ordinary provides better value and targets texture and pores more effectively. Hyaluronic acid helps provide hydration, and niacinamide may help control pigmentation and oil production.

Drug Delivery, 2017The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary is a superior fit for sensitive skin on this page, while La Prairie has a high fit, and reviewers mention that The Ordinary products are generally gentle and non-irritating.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie show a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. The Ordinary offers affordable, acne-clearing serums on this page, while La Prairie features luxury formulas.

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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