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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 two skincare brands offering serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners tailored to different complexions. The Canadian brand centers its affordable formulas on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and dry sensitive skin best, while the Swiss brand is beloved for refined formulations that likewise favor mature and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, the brands differ through accessible ingredient-led simplicity versus luxury caviar-infused anti-aging care.

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

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

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 · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% 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 superior value and effectiveness for textured or oily skin, while La Prairie is better for luxurious textures and anti-aging benefits.

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 skincare known for lifting and firming effects. The Ordinary fits oily and oily acne-prone skin with a Superior level, whereas La Prairie reaches a High level for those skin types.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin, though they differ significantly in cost and formulation. The Ordinary features affordable, fragrance-free products on this page utilizing key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while La Prairie offers luxury caviar-infused options that often include added fragrance.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, The Ordinary offers high value and great options for dry skin with a Superior Lovi fit level, whereas La Prairie provides luxurious, deeply hydrating textures with a High fit level for dry skin. Reviewers note that La Prairie excels in hydration and plumping, while The Ordinary is far more affordable.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary is more affordable, whereas La Prairie features exorbitant prices as a frequently noted drawback. The products on this page from The Ordinary are known for offering affordable and great value serums.

Which brand has more affordable serums, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary offers more affordable serums, as shoppers on the page frequently note La Prairie products for their exorbitant prices. Reviewers mention that the products on this page from The Ordinary provide great value.

Do The Ordinary products contain fragrance?

The Ordinary products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients. This helps shoppers avoid potential irritation from scented formulas.

Which brand is better for firming and lifting effects?

La Prairie does better for firming and lifting effects than The Ordinary. The products on this page provide luxurious, lightweight textures and lifting and firming effects.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior fit for oily skin, whereas La Prairie provides a High fit on the products on this page. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary fits sensitive skin with a Superior Lovi level across the products on this page, whereas La Prairie has a High Lovi level. Reviewers often mention that The Ordinary provides gentle and non-irritating serums, while La Prairie features a strong 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?

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