🇩🇪Germany

The Ordinary vs NIVEA

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

The Ordinary and NIVEA are established skincare brands that offer serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and sunscreens built around hardworking ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. The Canadian brand centers its formulations on targeted actives such as niacinamide and mandelic acid to address dry skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin. Meanwhile, the German brand is deeply loved for its versatile sunscreens and nourishing moisturizers, utilizing glycerin to balance gentle care with lightweight hydration for sensitive skin and oily skin. While the former focuses on specialized acid and vitamin treatments to enhance collagen production and reduce wrinkles, both brands expertly improve stratum corneum hydration, barrier function, and overall skin health.

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

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NIVEA is a German skincare brand founded in 1911 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2004.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs NIVEA products

People Say

The OrdinaryNIVEA
  • Great value and price Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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%”
    • “Works better than expensive luxury creams — NIVEA Creme”
  • Smooths skin texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “Makes my face feel smooth and soft. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “skin feels squeaky clean and soft — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
  • Clears acne and 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%”
    • “cleared my complexion in 7 days — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
    • “doesn't leave skin dry or stretched — NIVEA DERMA SKIN CLEAR”
  • Hydration and plumping Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “Smoothed out dry flaky scales on my cheeks overnight — NIVEA Creme”
    • “skin feels moisturized — NIVEA Protect & Moisture Sun Lotion SPF50+”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Versatile body and multi-use application Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Use it on face, body, hands, and feet — NIVEA Creme”
    • “Applying is easy, you can use on your face, hands, and body. — NIVEA Soft”
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
  • Lightweight absorption Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “It's lightweight on the skin and leaves a bit of subtle sheen. — NIVEA Soft”
  • Oily residue Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “sits on top of the skin and does not absorb — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Leaves a shiny grease layer that doesn't go away — NIVEA Creme”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “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 too overpowering for sensitive noses — NIVEA Creme”
  • Causes breakouts Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “Clogged my pores and caused bad acne — NIVEA Creme”

The Ordinary vs NIVEA routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs NIVEA routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs NIVEA routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or NIVEA: which is better?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for all skin types on the products on this page, and every product on this page lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and NIVEA?

The Ordinary offers great value and fragrance-free options, while NIVEA is known for intense hydration and versatile multi-use moisturizers. Lovi shows that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit across all skin types compared to NIVEA's High fit.

The Ordinary or NIVEA for dry skin?

For dry skin, Lovi finds The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit and NIVEA has a High routine fit. Hyaluronic acid helps provide hydration and moisture retention for dry skin types.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or NIVEA: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, NIVEA offers versatile multi-use options with intense deep hydration, while the products on this page from The Ordinary provide great value and feature formulas with no fragrance listed. Lovi gives The Ordinary a Superior routine fit for dry skin, compared to a High fit for NIVEA.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or NIVEA?

The Ordinary offers better value, with great value and price noted as an advantage for the products on this page.

Which brand has more products without added fragrance?

The Ordinary is the brand that has more products without added fragrance, because every product on its page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas NIVEA has only 3 of 9 products on its page without fragrance.

How do the founding years and parent companies of The Ordinary and NIVEA compare?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and has been owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021. In comparison, NIVEA was founded in Germany in 1911 and is owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Which brand performs better for hydration and plumping according to review themes?

NIVEA performs better for hydration and plumping according to review themes. Every product on the products on this page for The Ordinary lists no fragrance, while NIVEA includes fragrance in some formulations.

The Ordinary or NIVEA for oily skin?

For oily skin, both The Ordinary and NIVEA offer good options, with routine fit levels rated as Superior for The Ordinary and High for NIVEA. The products on this page for The Ordinary are completely fragrance-free, whereas some NIVEA items contain added fragrance.

The Ordinary or NIVEA for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Lovi rates The Ordinary as Superior and NIVEA as High. Reviewers note that the products on this page by The Ordinary list no fragrance.

The Ordinary or NIVEA for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi finds that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit and NIVEA has a High routine fit. Every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance, while some NIVEA products contain fragrance.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

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