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The Ordinary vs darrow

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

The Ordinary and darrow are two distinct skincare lines offering targeted formulas for daily routines. The Canadian brand centers its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and dry sensitive skin best, while the dermatological brand darrow is deeply loved for its gentle cleansers and rigorously tested formulas that suit sensitive, oily, and acne-prone skin best. Although both prioritize skin health through careful composition, the former utilizes specific acids and hydration agents to address wrinkles, hydration, barrier function, and dark spots, whereas every daily step from the latter helps restore natural skin balance.

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 darrow products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular The Ordinary vs darrow products

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or darrow: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a much wider range of affordable products with high or superior Lovi fit levels for skin types like dry, oily, and acne-prone skin, whereas darrow features only a single cleanser with limited suitability. Reviewers frequently praise The Ordinary for its acne-clearing and dark spot fading serums, though some note sticky finishes or pilling issues.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and darrow?

The Ordinary fits best for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots, offering an extensive selection of affordable serums and skincare products, whereas darrow features only a single cleanser on this page with lower fit levels for those skin types.

The Ordinary or darrow: which cleanser is better?

For cleansing, the products on this page show that The Ordinary offers much better options with products like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, which Lovi rates as High fits for both dry and oily skin. In contrast, darrow only features the Actine cleanser, which has generally low to caution fit levels across most skin types.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or darrow?

The products on this page by The Ordinary are noted by reviewers as affordable and great value serums, whereas darrow has only one cleanser listed on this page and no pricing details are provided.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The Ordinary or darrow?

The products on this page from The Ordinary fit acne-prone skin with levels ranging from Average to Superior, whereas darrow offers only a single cleanser that fits acne-prone skin poorly at a Low level.

When were The Ordinary and darrow founded and who owns them?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and has been owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021, while darrow was founded in 1969 and is owned by Pierre Fabre.

How does the Lovi fit level of The Ordinary's Glycolipid Cream Cleanser compare to darrow's Actine cleanser for dry and sensitive skin?

For dry skin and dry sensitive skin, Lovi finds The Ordinary's Glycolipid Cream Cleanser has a Superior fit, whereas darrow's Actine cleanser has a Caution fit. For sensitive skin specifically, Glycolipid Cream Cleanser achieves a High fit while Actine is rated with a Low fit.

What are the main skin types that The Ordinary brand-focused routines fit best?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary brand-focused routines fit dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots best.

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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