🇮🇹Italy

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon

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

The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon are two 2016 skincare brands offering gentle daily care suited best for dry skin and sensitive skin. The Canadian company provides serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while the Korean brand is loved for thoughtful serums, masks, moisturizers, and sunscreens featuring niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic. For specific concerns, both feature standout options for acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin. They differ primarily in their exact product types, targeted formulations, and parent companies.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Beauty of Joseon is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by Goodai Global Inc. since 2019.

kbeautywiki.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.comgoodai-global.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon products

People Say

The OrdinaryBeauty of Joseon
  • Texture and Smoothness Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin feels incredibly smooth — Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask”
    • “skin feels baby soft — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
  • Hydration and Moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Saved my dry winter skin — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “doesn't dry my skin like other cleansers — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “eyes look less tired — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Gentle Formula Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “no irritation at all — Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum”
    • “cleansed my face gently without making my skin feel irritated — Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser”
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
  • Value and Pricing Mostly MentionedNot 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%”
  • Lightweight and Non-Greasy Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “feels like a light moisturizer — Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”
    • “sinks in instantly — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water”
    • “sinks in immediately — Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “reduced my redness significantly — Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum”
  • Texture Issues and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “hard to scoop in winter — Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm”
    • “feels slimy — Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • 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”
    • “smells like cooking oil — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”
  • Breakouts and Purging Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “Broke me out in cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream”
    • “gave me cystic acne — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil”

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs Beauty of Joseon routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which is better?

The Ordinary offers better value and acne control, while Beauty of Joseon excels in deep hydration and gentle formulas for the products on this page.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon?

The Ordinary offers budget-friendly products with superior acne and blemish control, while Beauty of Joseon delivers deeper hydration and more lightweight, gentle formulas.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for dry skin?

For dry skin, both brands work well, but The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit compared to Beauty of Joseon's high fit. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon offer cleansers with high Lovi fit levels for many skin types, but Beauty of Joseon is noted by reviewers for providing a gentler formula. The Ordinary provides better overall value and pricing across its products on this page.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon?

The products on this page from The Ordinary provide better value and pricing than Beauty of Joseon.

Which brand has better value and pricing when comparing their serums?

The Ordinary provides better value and pricing among serums on this page. Reviewers frequently mention its serums as affordable and offering great value.

How do the review themes rate the texture and smoothness between The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon?

The review themes rate the texture and smoothness as equal between The Ordinary and Beauty of Joseon, with both brands performing the same in this category.

Which brand is better suited for mature skin according to the routine fit levels?

The Ordinary provides a Superior routine fit for mature skin, whereas Beauty of Joseon offers an Average routine fit.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for oily skin?

For oily skin, both brands offer good options, though Lovi rates The Ordinary as having a Superior routine fit compared to Beauty of Joseon's High fit. The products on this page from The Ordinary provide strong acne and blemish control, while Beauty of Joseon is often noted for oil control and lightweight formulas.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page from The Ordinary fit dry skin with a Lovi level of Superior, while Beauty of Joseon reaches a High fit level for dry skin. Topical hyaluronic acid, a key ingredient featured in the moisturizers of both brands, helps improve skin hydration and signs of aging.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022Drug Delivery, 2017

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer good options, but Lovi rates routine fit for sensitive skin as Superior for The Ordinary and High for Beauty of Joseon. The products on this page from The Ordinary provide fragrance-free formulas that help gentle care without irritation.

The Ordinary or Beauty of Joseon for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, both brands work well, but the products on this page show that The Ordinary achieves a Superior routine fit compared to Beauty of Joseon's High fit level. The Ordinary offers great value serums and is known for acne-clearing serums.

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