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The Ordinary vs La Prairie

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

The Ordinary and La Prairie are distinct skincare houses offering targeted serums, nourishing moisturizers, and refreshing toners built around advanced formulas like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, squalane, and caviar extracts. While the Canadian brand is known for its science-led approach featuring ingredients such as niacinamide and mandelic acid that suit dry, sensitive, and acne-prone skin best, the Swiss brand is beloved for luxurious preparations like the Skin Caviar Luxe Cream that provide deep comfort for mature skin. Ultimately, they differ through their foundational philosophies, with one focusing on accessible, ingredient-driven solutions and the other delivering elevated, indulgent refinement.

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

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La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs La Prairie products

People Say

The OrdinaryLa Prairie
  • Hydration and Plumping Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight Absorption Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Firming and Lifting Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “deflates morning bags — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
  • Value and Affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
  • Glow and Radiance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “tight, bright and shiny — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • High Price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent Rarely NotedMostly 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 a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow or Ineffective Results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “not a miracle worker overnight — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Didn't do anything special — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Texture Issues and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “caused pilling — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which is better?

The Ordinary offers much better value and affordability for the products on this page, whereas La Prairie delivers more luxurious textures and stronger firming effects. Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as Superior for mature skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary offers budget-friendly products with fragrance-free formulas, while La Prairie provides luxurious, highly-priced anti-aging items that often contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior routine fit level for dry skin. The Ordinary features key hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, while La Prairie offers deep hydration alongside lifting and firming effects.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, both The Ordinary and La Prairie reach a Superior routine fit level for dry skin on this page, but they differ significantly in price and formulation. The Ordinary offers affordable options like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, whereas La Prairie features luxury formulas like Skin Caviar Luxe Cream that often include fragrance.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary is more affordable, offering budget-friendly serums and treatments, whereas La Prairie features exorbitant prices across the products on this page.

Which brand has more products with no fragrance, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary has more fragrance-free products, as every single product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

How do the founding years and countries of origin compare between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016, whereas La Prairie was established earlier in Switzerland in 1978.

Which brand performs better for firming and lifting according to review themes?

La Prairie performs better for firming and lifting.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for oily skin, whereas La Prairie achieves a High fit. Reviewers often mention that The Ordinary products on this page are affordable and great value serums.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin. The Ordinary features fragrance-free formulas across the products on this page, whereas La Prairie includes fragrance in most of its products.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for acne-prone skin, whereas La Prairie is a High fit. The Ordinary offers products on this page that help clear acne and target blemishes effectively at a great value.

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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