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The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay

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

The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay are two well-regarded skincare brands that offer serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations around ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while the French brand relies on glycerin, thermal water, and niacinamide. Both brands suit dry skin best, though the former also fits dry sensitive skin and the latter fits mature skin. Ultimately, they differ in their specific targeted solutions, such as the former offering specialized acid treatments for acne and dark spots while the latter provides options like Anthelios, Pure Vitamin C Cream, and MELA B3 Facial Gel Cleanser.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

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

Popular The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay products

People Say

The OrdinaryLa Roche-Posay
  • Other Product Benefits and Features Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “deflates morning bags — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “zero scent — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
  • Texture Improvement 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”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “legs stopped flaking — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Sensitive Skin Friendly Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “no stinging — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • 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 Clearing and Prevention 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”
    • “clears acne blemishes — La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser”
  • Texture and Pilling Issues Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Very sticky — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “leaves a tacky residue — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Other Product Issues and Inefficiencies Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Turns orange fast — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “didn't see any significant improvement — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Weaker retinol product — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
  • Skin Irritation and Stinging Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “burned my face — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “dried my skin out — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “burning sensation — La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Packaging and Pump Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $147.63 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $256.94 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · $264.40 · 86% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better value and superior acne-clearing options, whereas La Roche-Posay excels in hydration and sensitive-skin care. Lovi fit for both brands is Superior across almost all skin types on the products on this page.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay?

The Ordinary offers better value and acne-clearing serums, while La Roche-Posay provides more soothing, sensitive-skin friendly moisturizers with higher hydration. Lovi rates both brands as Superior for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, mature, dark-spot, and dry sensitive skin types.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for dry skin?

For dry skin, The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit, whereas La Roche-Posay has a High fit level. The products on this page for The Ordinary offer strong hydration benefits, and topical hyaluronic acid helps improve overall skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay offer highly rated cleansers, with options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and Toleriane Hydrating Foaming Gel achieving a High or Superior fit for dry and sensitive skin types. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides better overall value and pricing, while La Roche-Posay is often praised for being soothing and sensitive-skin friendly.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay?

The Ordinary offers better affordability, as reviewers often note it for providing affordable and great value serums compared to La Roche-Posay where price, value, and size are frequent concerns.

Which brand has better value and pricing according to reviewers?

The Ordinary does better for value and pricing according to reviewers. The products on this page are praised for offering affordable and great value serums.

Do products from The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay contain fragrance?

Every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas some products from La Roche-Posay contain fragrance.

Which brand performs better for acne clearing and prevention?

The Ordinary performs better for acne clearing and prevention, offering products on this page that are well-reviewed for helping address breakouts. Lovi rates routine fit for acne-prone skin as Superior for The Ordinary and High for La Roche-Posay.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for oily skin?

The Ordinary is a better choice for oily skin, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit compared to the High fit of La Roche-Posay. Topical niacinamide helps control skin aging and pigmentation.

Antioxidants, 2021

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page show that both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay offer effective moisturizers, with Lovi fit levels reaching Superior for dry skin with The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and La Roche-Posay's Pure Vitamin C Cream. Hyaluronic acid helps provide hydration and moisture across formulations from both brands.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for sensitive skin?

Lovi finds that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, while La Roche-Posay has a High routine fit for sensitive skin. The Ordinary offers fragrance-free products on the products on this page, whereas La Roche-Posay includes fragrance in some of its formulas.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a strong choice for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page achieve a Superior routine fit for this skin type compared to La Roche-Posay's High fit.

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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