🇳🇱Netherlands

The Ordinary vs Shiseido

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

The Ordinary and Shiseido are prominent skincare brands offering moisturizers, cleansers, serums, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, whereas the Japanese brand relies on glycerin. Both offer gentle daily care, while the former suits dry sensitive skin, dry skin, acne-prone skin, dark spots, and mature skin best, and the latter suits sensitive skin and mature skin best.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Shiseido is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1872 and owned by Shiseido Company, Limited.

corp.shiseido.comen.wikipedia.orgmarketscreener.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Shiseido products

People Say

The OrdinaryShiseido
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Immediate sensation of comfort — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “skin feels plump, soft and nourished, eliminates dryness, bouncy feel — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Skin feels more hydrated — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Value and Price 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%”
  • 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%”
    • “smoothes rough skin — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Radiance and Brightening Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin looks brighter, more radiant, and "glowy." — Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate”
    • “faded pimple marks — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Eyes look more awake — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “tight, bright and shiny — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Luxurious Texture Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “silky smooth, rich but non-greasy, absorbs quickly, melts into skin — Shiseido VITAL PERFECTION”
    • “Velvety, rich cream texture — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
    • “Velvety texture — Shiseido FUTURE SOLUTION LX”
  • Lightweight Texture Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Airy-soft texture — Shiseido Essential Energy Hydrating Cream”
    • “absorbs quickly — Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Gel Cream”
    • “Sinks right into the skin — Shiseido Activating Essence”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • High Price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “Very expensive for the size — Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream”
  • Fragrance and Scent Issues 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”
    • “old lady smell — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
  • Pilling and Makeup Compatibility Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “slightly tacky — Shiseido Eudermine Revitalizing Essence”
    • “A little too much (too greasy) — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Stinging and Irritation Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Caused some irritation — Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream”
    • “caused red bumpy rash — Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam”
    • “caused red rash — Shiseido Treatment Softener”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs Shiseido routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which is better?

The Ordinary provides better value and fits skin with dark spots better, while Shiseido does better with hydration, radiance, and luxurious textures. For routine fit, The Ordinary is Superior for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, dry sensitive skin, and skin with dark spots, and High for acne-prone, mature, and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Shiseido is High across all these skin types.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Shiseido?

The Ordinary offers more affordable value and better texture-smoothing options, whereas Shiseido provides deeper hydration and luxurious textures. The products on this page for The Ordinary contain no fragrance, while many Shiseido products include fragrance.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for dry skin?

For dry skin, The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit, while Shiseido has a High routine fit. Every product from The Ordinary on this page lists no fragrance, whereas most Shiseido products contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers cleansers with a High fit for dry, sensitive, and oily skin types, while Shiseido cleansers feature varying fits that often come with warnings or lower ratings for dry and sensitive skin. Additionally, every cleanser from The Ordinary on this page lists no fragrance, whereas Shiseido cleansers frequently include fragrance.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Shiseido?

The Ordinary provides products on this page that are more affordable, whereas Shiseido has a high price point as a commonly noted drawback.

Between The Ordinary and Shiseido, which brand is better for reducing dark spots?

The Ordinary is better for reducing dark spots, as the products on this page achieve a Superior fit level for skin with dark spots compared to Shiseido's High fit level. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

How do the fragrance options differ between The Ordinary and Shiseido products?

The products on this page from The Ordinary list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas 15 of the 20 Shiseido products include fragrance.

Which brand performs better for texture smoothing and improvement?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary does better for texture smoothing and improvement. Every product on The Ordinary page lists no fragrance, whereas 15 of 20 Shiseido products contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for oily skin?

For oily skin, both The Ordinary and Shiseido fit well, with routines rated Superior for The Ordinary and High for Shiseido. The products on this page for The Ordinary offer strong acne-clearing and value options, while Shiseido focuses on deep hydration and cleansing.

The Ordinary or Shiseido: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page show that both brands offer effective moisturizers, with The Ordinary achieving a Superior Lovi fit for dry skin and Shiseido achieving a Superior fit for mature skin. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides great value, while Shiseido is often praised for deep hydration and luxurious textures.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a Superior routine compared to Shiseido's High fit level. Furthermore, every product on The Ordinary's page lists no fragrance in its ingredients, whereas many Shiseido products contain fragrance.

The Ordinary or Shiseido for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and Shiseido offer a High routine fit for acne-prone skin. The Ordinary features affordable, fragrance-free products on this page, while Shiseido provides deep-cleansing options.

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