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The Ordinary vs FRE

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

The Ordinary and FRE are two distinct skincare lines known for their specialized approaches to daily care. The Ordinary offers serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and sensitive skin best, while the brand also addresses acne-prone, dark spot, and mature concerns with targeted treatments. FRE is widely loved for its nourishing formulas, such as its Argan Oil, which suit acne-prone skin best owing to their gentle and effective compositions. Ultimately, both offer thoughtful formulations, but they differ in their signature ingredients and primary skin type matches.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs FRE products

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or FRE: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a much larger selection of fragrance-free products on this page and achieves High or Superior Lovi fit levels across multiple skin types, whereas FRE features only a single argan oil product with lower fit ratings. Reviewers frequently praise the products on this page for being affordable and effective at smoothing texture, clearing acne, and fading dark spots.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and FRE?

The Ordinary offers a wide range of products that fit dry, sensitive skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas FRE features only one product on this page, which has a High fit for dry sensitive skin. The products on this page for both brands are fragrance-free.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or FRE?

The products on this page for The Ordinary include affordable and great value serums, whereas FRE features no such range-wide affordability highlights.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The Ordinary or FRE?

The products on this page from The Ordinary include several items with High or Superior Lovi fit levels for acne-prone skin, whereas FRE only features one single argan oil product with an Average fit for acne-prone skin.

When were The Ordinary and FRE founded?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada, and FRE was also founded in 2016.

Which company owns The Ordinary?

The Ordinary is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Do products from The Ordinary or FRE contain fragrance?

Every product on this page from both The Ordinary and FRE lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

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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