The Ordinary vs Skintific
The Ordinary and Skintific are popular skincare lines offering serums, moisturizers, and cleansers built around comforting ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. Both suit dry and dry sensitive skin best, while also featuring targeted solutions for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin. The Canadian brand centers on scientifically proven single-ingredient formulations, whereas its counterpart is loved for thoughtful preparations balancing every component.
The Ordinary is a Canadian skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021.
This page compares some of the most popular The Ordinary and Skintific products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.
Popular The Ordinary vs Skintific products
People Say
Great 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%”
Skin Texture and Smoothing Often MentionedSometimes Noted
- “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%”
- “Kulit terasa lebih halus — Skintific AHA BHA PHA LHA Peeling Solution”
Lightweight Absorption Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly — Skintific 5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel”
- “light as air — Skintific MATE FIT”
- “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
Redness and Calming Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
- “calm my acne instantly — Skintific MUGWORT”
- “redness berkurang — Skintific 5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel”
- “calms down the redness immediately — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
Reduces Oil Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
- “controls shine for 8 hours — Skintific MATE FIT”
- “oil control is good — Skintific 5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel”
- “controlled my sebum production — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
Acne and Blemish Clearing Often MentionedNot 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”
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”
- “scent is actually quite strong — Skintific All Day Light Sunscreen Mist”
Drying Formula Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
- “Skin felt tight an hour later — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
- “incredibly drying — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
- “dried out skin — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
- “kurang lembab — Skintific 5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel”
Stinging and Irritation Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
- “Panas banget di kulit — Skintific AHA BHA PHA LHA Peeling Solution”
- “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
Sticky and Tacky Finish Often MentionedNot noted
- “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
The Ordinary vs Skintific routines for dry skin
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Cleanser
Glycolipid Cream Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
Hydrating Toner
Pyunkang Yul Calming Deep Moisture Toner
Morning
$16.99
-
Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
SPF
d'Alba Piedmont Waterfull Mild Sunscreen
Morning
$15.99
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Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
$21.70
-
Serum or Treatment
Lactic Acid 5% + HA
Evening · Once a week
$8.10
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
$22.00
-
Cleanser
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$19.99
-
Hydrating Toner
Pyunkang Yul Calming Deep Moisture Toner
Morning
$16.99
-
Moisturizer
5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$9.99
-
SPF
d'Alba Piedmont Waterfull Mild Sunscreen
Morning
$15.99
-
Pre-Cleanser
MISSHA Ultra Hyalon Cleansing Cream
Evening · Once a week
$21.70
-
Serum or Treatment
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum
Evening · Once a week
$39.00
-
Nourishing Mask
MEDIHEAL Vita Essential Mask
Once a week
$22.00
Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fit
Buy Skintific routine · $145.66 · 97% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit
The Ordinary vs Skintific routines for oily skin
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Cleanser
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$15.97
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
$15.60
-
Moisturizer
5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$9.99
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Evening
$28.42
-
Serum or Treatment
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum
Evening · Once a week
$39.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
Revision Skincare Black Mask
Once a week
$79.00
-
Cleanser
Glucoside Foaming Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
Hydrating Toner
Some By Mi Snail Truecica Miracle Repair Toner
Morning · Once a week
$15.60
-
Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Evening
$13.50
-
Serum or Treatment
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Evening · Once a week
$6.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
Once a week
$13.80
Buy Skintific routine · $321.95 · 95% fit
Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit
The Ordinary vs Skintific routines for combination skin
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Cleanser
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$28.08
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
$25.60
-
Moisturizer
5X Ceramide Barrier Moisture Gel
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$9.99
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0
Evening
$18.90
-
Serum or Treatment
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum
Evening · Once a week
$39.00
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
HERBIVORE Botanicals Blue Tansy BHA and Enzyme Pore Refining Mask
Once a week
$58.00
-
Cleanser
Glucoside Foaming Cleanser
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
Hydrating Toner
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
Morning · Once a week
$25.60
-
Moisturizer
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Morning · Evening · Once a week
$12.50
-
SPF
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Morning
$14.97
-
Pre-Cleanser
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil
Evening · Once a week
$50.00
-
Cleansing Toner
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Evening
$13.50
-
Serum or Treatment
Lactic Acid 5% + HA
Evening · Once a week
$8.10
-
Enzyme Powder
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Once a week
$69.00
-
Cleansing Mask
Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
Once a week
$13.80
Buy Skintific routine · $313.54 · 94% fit
Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit
Questions and answers
The Ordinary or Skintific: which is better?
Both The Ordinary and Skintific offer a Superior routine fit across most skin types on this page. Reviewers report that The Ordinary performs better for great value and skin texture, while Skintific does better for lightweight absorption and redness reduction.
What is the difference between The Ordinary and Skintific?
The Ordinary provides great value and pricing with texture-smoothing and acne-clearing serums, while Skintific offers lightweight absorption, redness and calming, and oil reduction. Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit across most skin types, although Skintific reaches a Superior level for oily acne-prone skin compared to The Ordinary's High level.
The Ordinary or Skintific for dry skin?
Both The Ordinary and Skintific achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin. The products on this page help deliver effective hydration and support dry skin types equally well.
The Ordinary or Skintific: which moisturizer is better?
The products on this page for The Ordinary and Skintific both offer moisturizers that fit dry skin at a Superior level. The Ordinary provides great value and pricing, while Skintific helps with lightweight absorption and redness.
Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Skintific?
The Ordinary is more affordable, offering great value and pricing.
Which brand performs better for oily acne-prone skin?
Skintific performs better for oily acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit level compared to The Ordinary which has a High fit level.
How do the founding years and parent companies of The Ordinary and Skintific compare?
The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and is owned by The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., whereas Skintific was founded in 2021 and is owned by Guangzhou Feimei Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Which brand has better skin texture and smoothing benefits according to reviewers?
The Ordinary does better for skin texture and smoothing according to reviewers, offering texture-smoothing serums that reviewers often mention along with great value and pricing.
The Ordinary or Skintific for oily skin?
Both The Ordinary and Skintific achieve a Superior routine fit level for oily skin. The Ordinary offers products on this page that are noted for reducing oil and great value, while Skintific is highlighted for lightweight absorption and redness reduction.
The Ordinary or Skintific for sensitive skin?
Both The Ordinary and Skintific achieve a Superior routine fit level for sensitive skin. The Ordinary offers a wide range of fragrance-free products on this page, including the Soothing & Barrier Support Serum which helps support sensitive skin.
The Ordinary or Skintific for acne-prone skin?
Both The Ordinary and Skintific achieve a Superior routine fit level for acne-prone skin. The Ordinary features a wider selection of products on this page rated as High or Superior for acne-prone skin, including popular acne-clearing and texture-smoothing serums.
Research behind their key ingredients
The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Topical palmitoyl pentapeptide provides improvement in photoaged human facial skin
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling
Vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate promotes epidermal thickening and collagen production in human skin
The moisturizing effects of glycolipid biosurfactants, mannosylerythritol lipids, on human skin
Reduction in the appearance of facial hyperpigmentation by topical N-acetyl glucosamine
Microneedling by dermapen and glycolic acid peel for the treatment of acne scars: Comparative study
Lycopene and Melatonin: Antioxidant Compounds in Cosmetic Formulations
The synergistic effect of retinyl propionate and hydroxypinacolone retinoate on skin aging
In vivo and in vitro evaluation of octyl methoxycinnamate liposomes
Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Application of N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Topical lycopene emulgel significantly improves biophysical parameters of human skin
The anti wrinkle efficacy of synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) in Chinese Subjects
Safety of a preservative system containing 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol
A bioactive complex to protect proteins from UV-induced oxidation in human epidermis
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Natural Moisturizing Factor-Enriched Formulations Compared to a Ceramide-Based Cream
Targeting Circadian Rhythm for the Regulation of Skin Collagen Metabolism
Retrospective Review of Dermal Safety Studies of Organic Sunscreens
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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