🇫🇷France

The Ordinary vs L'Oreal Paris

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

The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris are distinct skincare lines created to address diverse dermatological needs. The Ordinary offers serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more utilizing hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while L'Oreal Paris provides serums, moisturizers, masks, and eye products featuring hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The former suits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best, whereas the latter suits oily skin and oily acne-prone skin best through formulations that balance lightweight hydration with targeted care. Ultimately, the Canadian brand focuses on single-ingredient efficacy supported by Estée Lauder, while the French brand delivers sophisticated blends with scientific study findings backed by L'Oréal S.A.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

L'Oreal Paris is a French skincare brand founded in 1909 and owned by L'Oréal S.A..

en.wikipedia.orgloreal.comloreal-paris.co.ukcosmeticsbusiness.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs L'Oreal Paris products

People Say

The OrdinaryL'Oreal Paris
  • Texture and Absorption Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “melts into skin — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “glides on easily without residue — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream”
    • “skin is a lot smoother — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum”
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “wake up with soft skin — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling plump and dewy all day. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”
    • “Skin feels softer and more supple — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Night Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedSometimes 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%”
  • Brightening and Dark Spots Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin looks luminous — L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Bright”
    • “significant reduction in the appearance of dark spots — L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal 12% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum”
    • “skin looks glowing — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “Dark spots have faded noticeably — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
  • Acne and Blemish Control 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”
    • “After two uses, my pores were clean! — L'Oreal Paris Pure-Clay Mask”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “No irritation at all — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “very gentle, didn't irritate my skin — L'Oreal Paris Bright Reveal 12% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum”
  • Ineffective Results and Conflicts Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “Struggles to get my waterproof mascara off completely. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Used the whole jar but saw no change in wrinkles. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”
    • “doesn't do anything about the discoloration — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream”
  • Irritation and Stinging Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “retinol can be irritating for sensitive skin — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Pressed Night Cream”
    • “burnt my face after two uses — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum”
  • Sticky or Greasy Residue Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Balls up when I try to apply foundation over it. — L'Oreal Paris Revitalift”
    • “felt oily on my face — L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Cream”
    • “feels a little sticky and tacky — L'Oreal Paris Dark Spot Exfoliant Peel”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs L'Oreal Paris routines for dry skin

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The Ordinary vs L'Oreal Paris routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs L'Oreal Paris routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris: which is better?

Both brands are great depending on your needs, as The Ordinary is superior for acne control and gentle care, while L'Oreal Paris excels in texture and deep hydration. Both brands offer a Superior routine fit for dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, mature, and dark spot-prone skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris?

The Ordinary offers better value and helps more with acne and sensitive skin, whereas L'Oreal Paris provides superior hydration, texture, and brightening benefits for the products on this page. Both brands achieve equal routine fit levels across most skin types.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris offer a Superior routine fit for dry skin. The Ordinary features fragrance-free products on this page and is best suited for dry, dry sensitive, and sensitive skin types.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris offer moisturizers with a Superior routine fit for dry skin, though they differ in formulations. The Ordinary's moisturizers on this page feature no fragrance and help provide deep hydration with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris?

The Ordinary offers better value and affordability among the products on this page compared to L'Oreal Paris. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides affordable and great value serums.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris for fading dark spots?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris have a Superior routine fit for skin with dark spots. The Ordinary offers products on this page that help fade dark spots, and niacinamide may help reduce cutaneous pigmentation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Which brand is better for anti-aging and mature skin, The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris provide a Superior routine fit for mature skin. The Ordinary offers products on this page that help with anti-aging, while L'Oreal Paris focuses on deep hydration and moisturization that may improve skin quality.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000

Do products from The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris contain fragrance?

The products on this page from The Ordinary list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas half of the products on this page from L'Oreal Paris contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris provide a Superior routine fit for oily skin. The Ordinary offers products on this page that help with acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, The Ordinary provides a Superior routine fit, whereas L'Oreal Paris offers a High fit. Every product from The Ordinary on this page lists no fragrance, helping minimize the likelihood of skin irritation.

The Ordinary or L'Oreal Paris for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and L'Oreal Paris achieve a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin. The Ordinary features a fragrance-free range with high acne-clearing benefits, while the products on this page for L'Oreal Paris provide deep hydration and radiance.

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

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