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The Ordinary vs Principia

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

The Ordinary and Principia are two skincare brands offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The Ordinary, a Canadian brand founded in 2016 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021, provides serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more, built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. Meanwhile, Principia is widely loved for its thoughtful cleansers and precise formulas. The former brand fits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, while the latter suits balanced to oily skin best, helping maintain a healthy, balanced complexion.

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

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Principia products

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Principia: which is better?

The products on this page from The Ordinary fit dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots best, whereas Principia has only one cleanser listed with lower fit levels for those skin types.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Principia?

The Ordinary offers a large range of fragrance-free products that Lovi rates best for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots, while Principia features just one cleanser on this page. Reviewers frequently praise The Ordinary for its affordable and great value serums.

The Ordinary or Principia: which cleanser is better?

The Ordinary offers several cleansers with High Lovi fit levels across skin types, whereas Principia has only one cleanser listed, which shows average or lower fit levels. Therefore, the cleansers from The Ordinary are generally a better choice.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Principia?

The products on this page for The Ordinary are often noted by reviewers as affordable and great value serums.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The Ordinary or Principia?

The Ordinary is a better choice for reducing acne because the products on this page achieve a High or Superior fit level for acne-prone skin, whereas Principia has a Low fit level. Niacinamide may help regulate oil production and improve breakouts.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

When was The Ordinary founded compared to Principia?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016, while Principia was founded in 2020.

Which brand offers more products for dry skin on this page?

The Ordinary offers significantly more products for dry skin on this page, whereas Principia lists only a single cleanser. Lovi rates multiple products from The Ordinary as having a Superior fit for dry skin, such as the Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA moisturizer.

Do products from The Ordinary or Principia contain added fragrance?

Every product on this page from both The Ordinary and Principia lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

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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