🇫🇷France

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil

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

The Ordinary and Cetaphil are well-regarded skincare brands that offer a wide array of serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, making it particularly well suited for dry skin and dry sensitive skin, whereas the American brand builds its gentle products around glycerin, niacinamide, and panthenol to suit oily skin and combination skin best. While both utilize glycerin to increase hydration and restore barrier function, the first relies on hyaluronic acid and squalane to address wrinkles and collagen production, and the second employs niacinamide and panthenol to calm irritation and improve aging signs.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Cetaphil is an American skincare brand founded in 1947 and owned by Galderma Group AG.

en.wikipedia.orgcetaphil.co.uk

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Cetaphil products

People Say

The OrdinaryCetaphil
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “The only thing my reactive skin tolerates. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “No breakouts since switching to this. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “cleans without stripping — Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Affordable value Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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%”
    • “Bar lasts a long time — Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar”
  • Hydration and moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “cleared up flaky skin — Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream”
    • “healed my dry patches — Cetaphil Moisturising Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft, not tight. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Absorbs quickly into skin without residue — Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion”
    • “absorbs quickly — Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Skin texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin looks smoother and brighter — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Skin felt softer after one use — Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser”
  • Acne and blemish clearing Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “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”
    • “Helps to remove pimple and acne. — Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser”
  • Skin irritation and stinging Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “burns my face now — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “new formula burns — Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser”
    • “burned my face — Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedOften 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”
    • “Overpowering masking fragrance — Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar”
  • Sticky and tacky finish Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “leaves a tacky finish — Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum”
    • “feels tacky — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which is better?

The Ordinary is often better for affordable value, acne clearing, and skin texture improvement, while Cetaphil is praised for being gentle on sensitive skin, hydrating, and lightweight.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Cetaphil?

The Ordinary offers budget-friendly products known for tackling dark spots and smoothing skin texture, while Cetaphil focuses on gentle, non-stripping cleansers and hydrating moisturizers.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for dry skin?

The Ordinary is Superior for dry skin, while Cetaphil has a High fit level. The Ordinary features hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane across its products on this page to help nourish dry skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil offer cleansers that fit oily skin well, with products like Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser and The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser showing High fit levels. Cetaphil cleansers are often praised for being gentle and non-stripping, while the products on this page from The Ordinary provide affordable value.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Cetaphil?

The Ordinary offers better affordability, as its products on this page are frequently noted by reviewers for providing great value.

Which brand performs better for skin texture improvement according to reviewer themes?

The Ordinary performs better for skin texture improvement according to reviewer themes. Reviewers on the page frequently note texture-smoothing serums as a praised benefit of this brand.

How do the founding years and corporate ownerships of The Ordinary and Cetaphil compare?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and has been owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021, whereas Cetaphil was founded in the United States in 1947 and is owned by Galderma Group AG.

Which brand has more fragrance-free products listed on the page?

Cetaphil has more fragrance-free products on the page, with 26 out of 27 products listing no fragrance, compared to all products on The Ordinary's page.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi rates both The Ordinary and Cetaphil as having a Superior routine fit. Reviewers say that The Ordinary helps with skin texture improvement and acne and blemish clearing, while Cetaphil is praised for lightweight and non-greasy hydration.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil offer great moisturizers, with products on this page featuring key ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid. For dry skin, the products on this page show that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit, while Cetaphil has a High routine fit.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for sensitive skin?

Both brands offer products on this page that suit sensitive skin well, but Lovi rates The Ordinary Superior and Cetaphil High for this skin type. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and controls skin aging and pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a strong choice for acne-prone skin, as the products on this page help with acne-clearing serums. Lovi rates the routine fit for acne-prone skin as Superior for The Ordinary and High for Cetaphil.

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.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play