🇺🇸United States

Medicube vs The Ordinary

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

Medicube and The Ordinary are two distinct skincare lines founded in 2016 that offer thoughtful moisturizers, serums, toners, and more. Medicube harnesses niacinamide, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to suit dry and oily acne-prone skin best, while The Ordinary relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to fit dry and dry sensitive skin. Both brands address targeted concerns like acne, dark spots, and mature skin, yet they differ in their origin, ownership, and core ingredient profiles.

Medicube is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by APR Corp..

medicubereviews.co.ukglossy.co

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

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

Popular Medicube vs The Ordinary products

People Say

MedicubeThe Ordinary
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin feels bouncier and hydrated — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Skin Texture and 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 looks smoother and brighter — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “gives my skin a smooth, glass-like finish — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
  • Value and Pricing Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “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 Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “pimples disappear within a day — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “scars and hormonal acne faded — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “faded dark spots — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “active breakouts look less inflamed — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
  • Glow and Radiance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gave me instant glass skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “woke up with glowing skin — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “healthy, dewy glow — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
  • Pore Care and Cleansing Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Pores drastically reduced — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “Mochi-like foam — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “Removes every trace of oil — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Sticky and Tacky Finish Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “hair sticks to my face — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “feels way too sticky and tacky — Medicube DEEP VITA-C CAPSULE CREAM”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Irritation and Breakouts Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “caused redness and sensitivity — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
  • Drying and Stinging Effects Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin feels very tight — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “skin felt very tight — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “Skin feels quite dry after washing — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Packaging and Quantity Concerns Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “tube is tiny for the price — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fitBuy Medicube routine · $154.28 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitBuy Medicube routine · $234.94 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitBuy Medicube routine · $234.94 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Medicube or The Ordinary: which is better?

Medicube and The Ordinary both offer great options depending on your skincare goals, with Medicube standing out for hydration, glow, and pore care, while The Ordinary excels in texture-smoothing, acne-clearing, and affordability. For routine fit, both brands reach Superior levels for dry skin, while The Ordinary has the edge with Superior ratings for oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin types.

What is the difference between Medicube and The Ordinary?

The Ordinary provides better overall routine fit and value for money, while Medicube is better for hydration and pore care. Both brands feature fragrance-free options across most of their products on this page.

Medicube or The Ordinary for dry skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin. Medicube focuses on deep hydration and a radiant glow, while The Ordinary offers great value and texture-smoothing serums backed by ingredients like hyaluronic acid that help maintain moisture levels.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

Medicube or The Ordinary: which cleanser is better?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary feature cleansers with high Lovi fit levels for most skin types, but Medicube is specifically noted by reviewers to do better in pore care and cleansing. Medicube also offers cleansers like the Zero Foam Cleanser with a Superior fit level for dry skin.

Which is more affordable, Medicube or The Ordinary?

The Ordinary is more affordable, offering budget-friendly and great value serums on the products on this page. Reviewers frequently note small quantities and pricing issues with Medicube.

Between Medicube and The Ordinary, which brand performs better for hydration and moisture?

Medicube performs better for hydration and moisture, as reviewers mostly mention its deep hydration moisturizers.

Which brand offers a better selection for fragrance-free skincare products?

The Ordinary offers a better selection for fragrance-free skincare products because every single product on its page lists no fragrance. Medicube is also a strong option, with 23 of its 25 products on the page listing no fragrance.

How do Medicube and The Ordinary compare regarding pore care and cleansing benefits?

Medicube does better than The Ordinary regarding pore care and cleansing benefits. Reviewers often mention its products for pore care and cleansing, while the products on this page offer deep hydration and radiant glows.

Medicube or The Ordinary for oily skin?

The Ordinary provides a superior routine fit for oily skin compared to Medicube, which offers a high fit. Niacinamide helps control sebum production and reduces pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Medicube or The Ordinary: which moisturizer is better?

Medicube helps more with deep hydration and radiant glow in its moisturizers, while The Ordinary offers better value and texture-smoothing options. Both brands provide moisturizers that achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin, though Medicube also shows a Superior fit for mature skin and oily acne-prone skin with specific products like the AGE-R Booster Gel.

Medicube or The Ordinary for sensitive skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary fit sensitive skin well, with Lovi fit levels reaching High and Superior respectively. The products on this page help provide gentle care, though reviewers note that Medicube may occasionally cause drying effects while The Ordinary may lead to irritation.

Medicube or The Ordinary for acne-prone skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary fit acne-prone skin well, with Lovi rating Medicube High and The Ordinary Superior for this skin type. The Ordinary is noted for acne-clearing serums, while Medicube products help with pore care and cleansing. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation and control skin aging.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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?

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

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play