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The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon

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

The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon are prominent skincare brands founded in 2016 that offer diverse serums, moisturizers, and more built around ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide. The Canadian brand is known for targeted formulas with squalane, serving dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, while the Korean brand is loved for gentle daily care featuring star ingredients like rice and ginseng. Both suit dry skin and sensitive skin, yet they differ in their specific treatments, such as The Ordinary using lactic acid for mature skin and Beauty of Joseon using centella for dark spots.

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

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Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon products

People Say

The OrdinaryBeauty of Joseon
  • Texture and Smoothness 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 feels incredibly smooth — Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “eyes look less tired — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Gentle Formula Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
  • 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%”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “sinks in immediately — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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”
    • “reduced my redness significantly — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
  • Texture Issues and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “hard to scoop in winter — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “feels slimy — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Unpleasant Scent Rarely NotedOften 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 cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · $128.39 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · $210.39 · 80% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitBuy Beauty of Joseon routine · $209.39 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a Superior fit for almost all skin types on the products on this page and delivers better value and acne control, while Beauty of Joseon excels in hydration, gentle formulas, and lightweight feel. Both brands feature fragrance-free products across their lineups.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon?

The Ordinary provides better value and acne control with ingredients like niacinamide, whereas Beauty of Joseon focuses on deep hydration and gentle formulas using traditional ingredients like ginseng. Both brands offer products with no added fragrance. Topical niacinamide helps reduce skin pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for dry skin?

For dry skin, both brands work well, but the products on this page show that Lovi fit is Superior for The Ordinary and High for Beauty of Joseon. The Ordinary provides better value and acne control, while Beauty of Joseon excels in deep hydration and gentle formulas.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page for The Ordinary include options like the Glucoside Foaming Cleanser and Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, while Beauty of Joseon offers choices such as the Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser. Reviewers highlight that Beauty of Joseon tends to deliver a gentler formula, whereas The Ordinary is often praised for better value and pricing.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon?

The Ordinary is more affordable on the products on this page, as value and pricing is an area where The Ordinary does better.

Which brand is better for texture and smoothness, The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon?

Both brands are equal for texture and smoothness, while the products on this page for The Ordinary offer a Superior routine fit for dry skin, mature skin, and sensitive skin.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi finds The Ordinary Superior and Beauty of Joseon High. Reviewers note that The Ordinary delivers better value and acne control, while Beauty of Joseon excels in lightweight hydration.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which moisturizer is better?

Both brands offer effective moisturizers among the products on this page, with The Ordinary achieving a Superior routine fit for dry skin while Beauty of Joseon reaches a High fit. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin hydration and counter signs of aging across various formulations.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer great options, but The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit while Beauty of Joseon has a High fit level. Reviewers mention that Beauty of Joseon provides gentle formulas, whereas The Ordinary is noted for gentle and non-irritating serums among the products on this page.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page, while Beauty of Joseon is a High fit. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers better acne and blemish control across its range.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for skin with dark spots?

For skin with dark spots, The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit, whereas Beauty of Joseon provides a High fit. Reviewers note that niacinamide helps suppress melanosome transfer to reduce pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for mature skin?

For mature skin, The Ordinary offers a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas Beauty of Joseon provides an Average level. Reviewers note that The Ordinary is particularly praised for offering affordable and great value serums.

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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