🇮🇪Ireland

The Ordinary vs Estée Lauder

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

The Ordinary and Estée Lauder are distinguished skincare brands that offer a thoughtful array of serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry skin, dry sensitive skin, and specific concerns like acne, dark spots, or aging. Meanwhile, the American brand features hydrating elements like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, suiting mature skin and sensitive skin best with its gentle compositions. Ultimately, both brands differ in their specific product lineups and founding histories while sharing a commitment to effective hydration.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Estée Lauder is an American skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Estée Lauder products

People Say

The OrdinaryEstée Lauder
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up immediately — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “The formula is incredibly hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth. — Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv”
    • “texture is dreamy — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “skin feels like a baby's bottom — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “silky smooth — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Value and Price 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”
  • Additional Benefits and Performance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Nature's botox — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “included SPF 15 is ideal for mild sun exposure — Estée Lauder DayWear Moisturizer”
    • “stronger — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Lightweight and Fast Absorbing Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “Absorbs quickly into the skin — Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+”
    • “watery — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedNot 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”
  • High Price Point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “way too expensive for the size — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
  • Inconsistent Results or Formula Issues Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “Skin felt tight an hour later — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “didn't notice any difference — Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair”
    • “just expensive water — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
  • Pilling, Sticky, or Heavy Finish Mostly MentionedRarely Noted
    • “tacky film — Estée Lauder Micro Essence Treatment Lotion”
    • “Leaves a greasy film behind — Estée Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs Estée Lauder routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Estée Lauder routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Estée Lauder routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better value and superior routine fit across most skin types on this page. Estée Lauder stands out for deep hydration, but reviewers frequently note its high price point.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Estée Lauder?

The Ordinary is generally more affordable and focuses on targeted active ingredients, while Estée Lauder tends to be higher priced and leans toward deeper hydration and luxury care. Overall, the products on this page show that The Ordinary achieves superior routine fits for most skin types, including dry, sensitive, and mature skin.

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for dry skin?

The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Estée Lauder, which has an average fit. Hyaluronic acid helps retain moisture, and topical application improves skin hydration and signs of aging.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that both brands offer cleansers with strong options for various skin types. The Ordinary provides affordable choices like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, which has a Superior fit for dry skin, while Estée Lauder offers gentle options like the Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée, which helps cleanse effectively with a High fit for acne-prone skin.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Estée Lauder?

The Ordinary is more affordable, offering affordable and great value serums on the products on this page, whereas reviewers frequently note a high price point for Estée Lauder.

Which brand has a stronger fragrance across its products, The Ordinary or Estée Lauder?

Estée Lauder has a stronger fragrance across its products, as 2 of the products on this page list fragrance in their ingredients. In contrast, every product on the page for The Ordinary lists no fragrance.

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for oily skin?

The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit for oily skin compared to Estée Lauder, which has a high fit on this page. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides better value and price alongside acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page for The Ordinary offer superior hydration fit levels for dry skin compared to Estée Lauder. Hyaluronic acid helps maintain skin moisture.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary fits sensitive skin better, as Lovi rates its routine as Superior compared to High for Estée Lauder. The products on this page for The Ordinary offer gentle and non-irritating serums that are generally fragrance-free.

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and Estée Lauder fit acne-prone skin well, with routine fits rated as High. The Ordinary products on this page help with acne clearing and feature ingredients like niacinamide that may reduce blemishes.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for mature skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas Estée Lauder provides a High fit on the products on this page. Retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation and improve naturally aged skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

The Ordinary or Estée Lauder for skin with dark spots?

The Ordinary is a better choice for skin with dark spots, as the products on this page provide a Superior routine fit compared to Estée Lauder's Average fit. Niacinamide may help in reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppressing melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

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