🇫🇷France

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 distinct skincare houses offering targeted formulas for varied complexions. The Canadian brand centers on accessible serums, moisturizers, and cleansers powered by hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and sensitive skin best while offering specific solutions for acne, dark spots, and aging. Meanwhile, the Swiss brand is celebrated for exquisite eye products and creams that provide a restorative ritual, making its refined creations ideal for mature and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, the two differ in their approach, with one focusing on ingredient-led simplicity and the other on luxurious rejuvenation.

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 · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% 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 is generally better for budget-friendly routines and targeting texture, pores, and dark spots, while La Prairie excels in luxury textures, hydration, firming, and glow. Lovi fit levels for the products on this page show The Ordinary as Superior for most skin types, with La Prairie offering High to Superior fits.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary offers budget-friendly, fragrance-free products on this page that focus on affordability and texture, whereas La Prairie provides luxury anti-aging formulas with strong fragrances and higher prices. For dry skin, Lovi fit levels reach Superior for the products on this page by The Ordinary and High for La Prairie.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit for dry skin, whereas La Prairie provides a High routine fit. Hyaluronic acid helps provide deep hydration, and sodium hyaluronate is supported by clinical research for anti-aging effects.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page show that both brands offer effective moisturizers, with The Ordinary rated Superior and La Prairie rated High for dry skin routines. Hyaluronic acid helps provide deep hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

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 by The Ordinary are recognized for affordable and great value serums.

Which brand performs better for mature skin, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for mature skin. The Ordinary offers affordable value serums, while La Prairie delivers luxurious textures and firming effects.

How do the prices of The Ordinary and La Prairie compare according to reviewer complaints?

According to reviewer complaints on this page, The Ordinary is noted for high price as a complaint, while La Prairie features exorbitant prices as a mostly mentioned complaint.

Which brand features products containing ginseng as a key ingredient?

La Prairie features products containing ginseng as a key ingredient.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit for oily skin, whereas La Prairie provides a High fit. Reviewers note that the products on this page from The Ordinary do better with texture and pores, while La Prairie performs better in hydration and plumping.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a Superior Lovi fit level compared to La Prairie's High level. Additionally, the products on this page for The Ordinary list no fragrance.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to La Prairie's High fit level. The products on this page help clear acne and smooth texture while remaining affordable.

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