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The Ordinary vs The INKEY List

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

The Ordinary and The INKEY List are accessible skincare brands that offer serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more, built around key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. The Canadian brand suits dry and dry sensitive skin best, while the British brand fits combination and sensitive skin best. Both brands differ in their specific formulations and targeted treatments for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin.

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

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The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs The INKEY List products

People Say

The OrdinaryThe INKEY List
  • Affordable price and value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Smooths skin texture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin looks fresh and plump — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Hydration and moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Skin feels instantly hydrated, nourished and looks more glowing — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Clears acne and reduces blemishes Often MentionedOften 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”
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Other product characteristics Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “leaves skin feeling matte — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Other product issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “very runny serum — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Leaves a greasy film on face after washing — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “Forms a crust on the hole at the flick top cap. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Packaging and container 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”
    • “Tube leaks liquified oil when opened — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Sticky or tacky finish Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Leaves a tackiness that never goes away. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “feeling sticky — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $109.78 · 97% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · $106.98 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $207.87 · 93% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · $261.57 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · $219.97 · 93% fitBuy The INKEY List routine · $254.57 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both brands offer great value, but The Ordinary is a better fit for dry, acne-prone, and mature skin types on the products on this page. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin hydration and wound healing.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

What is the difference between The Ordinary and The INKEY List?

The Ordinary fits dry skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, skin with dark spots, and dry sensitive skin better than The INKEY List, while both brands fit combination skin and sensitive skin equally. The Ordinary does better at smoothing skin texture, clearing acne, and reducing blemishes, whereas The INKEY List does better with hydration and moisture, lightweight and fast-absorbing textures, and other product characteristics.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for dry skin, as the products on this page offer a Superior routine fit compared to the High fit from The INKEY List. Reviewers also note that The Ordinary provides better performance for smoothing skin texture, while both brands offer equal value on price.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and The INKEY List offer strong cleanser options on this page, but they cater to different needs with products like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and Oat Cleansing Balm. Reviewers highlight The Ordinary for better overall product characteristics, while The INKEY List excels in hydration and moisture.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or The INKEY List?

Both The Ordinary and The INKEY List are equal when it comes to affordable price and value for the products on this page.

Which brand does better for smoothing skin texture, The Ordinary or The INKEY List?

The Ordinary does better for smoothing skin texture. Reviewers often mention its texture-smoothing serums as a standout benefit.

Which brand is better for hydration and moisture, The Ordinary or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List does better for hydration and moisture. Reviewers mostly mentioned the brand's hydrating moisturizers, which are lightweight and fast-absorbing.

Which brand performs better at clearing acne and reducing blemishes, The Ordinary or The INKEY List?

The Ordinary performs better at clearing acne and reduces blemishes. Reviewers note that its acne-clearing serums help clear acne and reduce blemishes effectively, and Lovi rates its routine fit for acne-prone skin as Superior compared to The INKEY List's High.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for oily skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary provides a superior routine fit compared to The INKEY List.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers superior daily hydration for dry skin with choices like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, while The INKEY List provides lightweight options such as Omega Water Cream.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer products on this page that achieve a superior Lovi fit level. The Ordinary fits best for dry skin and dry sensitive skin, while The INKEY List focuses its routines best on sensitive skin.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for acne-prone skin, offering a Superior routine compared to The INKEY List's High fit level on the products on this page.

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

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