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The Ordinary vs Geek & Gorgeous

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

The Ordinary and Geek & Gorgeous are beloved skincare brands offering serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around thoughtful ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane. The Canadian brand founded in 2016 suits dry skin and sensitive skin best, while the second option is especially well-suited for sensitive skin and acne-prone skin due to its focus on high skin compatibility. Both differ in their standout offerings and targeted solutions, with the former featuring specific formulations for acne, dark spots, and mature skin, and the latter providing specialized products such as Jelly Joker, Liquid Hydration, and C-Glow Vitamin C Serum.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Geek & Gorgeous products

People Say

The OrdinaryGeek & Gorgeous
  • Great value and affordable price Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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%”
    • “Great value — Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow Vitamin C Serum”
  • Lightweight absorption and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sinks in fast — Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station”
    • “Water-like consistency — Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow Vitamin C Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — Geek & Gorgeous B-Bomb”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “No irritation or stinging at all — Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 5”
    • “doesn't sting eyes — Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker”
    • “didn't sting my sensitive skin — Geek & Gorgeous B-Bomb”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Texture smoothing and improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin looks smoother and brighter — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Sinks into the skin fast — Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 5”
  • Acne clearing and blemish reduction 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”
  • Matte finish and oil control Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “T-zone is much less oily — Geek & Gorgeous B-Bomb”
    • “no greasy residue — Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station”
    • “controlled my sebum production — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Drying formulas and lack of moisture Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin felt tight an hour later — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “incredibly drying — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “dried out skin — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “not enough for winter — Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station”
  • Sticky or tacky finish Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “felt a bit sticky — Geek & Gorgeous Liquid Hydration”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Skin stinging, burning and irritation Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Stinging sensation — Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow Vitamin C Serum”
    • “burned my eyes — Geek & Gorgeous Liquid Hydration”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Makeup pilling and compatibility issues Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “need a separate remover for mascara — Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

The Ordinary vs Geek & Gorgeous routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Geek & Gorgeous routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs Geek & Gorgeous routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous: which is better?

The Ordinary offers a larger product range with superior value and strong performance for dry, mature, and dark-spot-prone skin, while Geek & Gorgeous excels with lightweight, gentle formulations tailored for sensitive and oily skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Geek & Gorgeous?

The Ordinary provides a larger range of products with superior fit levels for dry, mature, and dark spot-prone skin, while Geek & Gorgeous excels with lightweight absorption and oil control. Both brands are fragrance-free and offer effective, budget-friendly options, though Geek & Gorgeous is more frequently noted for a gentle feel and The Ordinary for tackling texture and acne.

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous for dry skin?

The Ordinary fits dry skin better than Geek & Gorgeous, as Lovi rates The Ordinary Superior and Geek & Gorgeous High for this skin type. The Ordinary provides more products on this page that target dry skin with high or superior levels.

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous: which cleanser is better?

The Ordinary offers a wider range of cleansers on this page, with options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser providing a Superior fit for dry skin. Geek & Gorgeous features the Jelly Joker cleanser, which achieves High to Superior fit levels across multiple skin types.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous?

The Ordinary is more affordable and offers better value, whereas Geek & Gorgeous is noted for more lightweight absorption.

Which brand performs better for mature skin, The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous?

The Ordinary performs better for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to the High fit of Geek & Gorgeous. The Ordinary offers a wider range of targeted options for aging skin, such as peptide and retinoid serums, and niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and melanosome transfer.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

How do The Ordinary and Geek & Gorgeous compare regarding lightweight absorption and texture?

Geek & Gorgeous does better regarding lightweight absorption and texture. Reviewers on the Lovi page mostly mention that Geek & Gorgeous offers lightweight serums, whereas The Ordinary often receives complaints about sticky or tacky finishes and pilling issues.

Which brand has better options for fading dark spots?

The Ordinary has better options for fading dark spots, as Lovi rates its routine fit for skin with dark spots as Superior compared to High for Geek & Gorgeous. The Ordinary also offers more targeted treatments on this page, such as serums with niacinamide and alpha arbutin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous for oily skin?

The Ordinary is superior for oily skin, offering better routine fit and advantages in oil-controlling and acne-clearing serums. Geek & Gorgeous also provides good options, with reviewers often praising its lightweight absorption and matte finish.

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous: which moisturizer is better?

When comparing moisturizers, The Ordinary offers a broader selection including options that Lovi rates as Superior for dry skin, such as Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan. Meanwhile, Geek & Gorgeous features options like Hydration Station, which provides lightweight hydration for acne-prone skin.

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and Geek & Gorgeous achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for sensitive skin. Reviewers find that both brands offer gentle and non-irritating formulas.

The Ordinary or Geek & Gorgeous for acne-prone skin?

Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin, with The Ordinary delivering better acne-clearing and blemish reduction according to reviewers. The Ordinary products on this page help manage breakouts through targeted treatments like niacinamide and salicylic acid.

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

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