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The Ordinary vs SkinCeuticals

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

The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals are prominent skincare brands that offer serums, moisturizers, and cleansers built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane or dimethicone. Both brands suit dry skin and dry sensitive skin best through restorative elements like hyaluronic acid, which lengthens wrinkle reduction, and glycerin, which increases hydration and barrier function. The Canadian brand uses ingredients such as squalane to increase epidermal thickness, while the American house features formulations tailored for specific concerns like dark spots and mature skin. Ultimately, the two differ in their founding origins, parent corporations, and exact product pairings for acne, dark spots, and aging.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

SkinCeuticals is an American skincare brand founded in 1994 and owned by L'Oréal since 2005.

loreal.comskinceuticals-za.compitchbook.com

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

Popular The Ordinary vs SkinCeuticals products

People Say

The OrdinarySkinCeuticals
  • Smoothes skin texture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “definitely gave me a glass skin texture — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
    • “pores appeared less noticeable — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
  • Clears acne and blemishes 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”
    • “cystic acne shrinking — SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense”
  • Great 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%”
  • Hydration and plumping Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Hydrated my skin beautifully. — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “Pure hydration in a bottle — SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel”
    • “skin feels super hydrated — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight absorption Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs quickly — SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Serum”
    • “absorbs very quickly — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “sank in quickly — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Gentle and non-irritating Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “No irritation at all — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “Perfect starting strength — SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3”
  • High price point Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “Too pricey for the hype — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
  • Sticky or tacky finish Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “feels tacky — SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier”
    • “slight tackiness — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “sticky residue — SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Slow or no results Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “not a miracle worker overnight — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Didn't do anything special — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “haven't noticed much change on the deeper lines — SkinCeuticals P-TOX”
  • Stinging and irritation Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “caused redness — SkinCeuticals P-Tiox”
    • “I tried a sample of this stuff and it make my face so red! — SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2”
    • “burned my eyes — SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”

The Ordinary vs SkinCeuticals routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs SkinCeuticals routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs SkinCeuticals routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals: which is better?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals fit dry, oily, and dry sensitive skin equally well at a superior level, while The Ordinary offers better value and the products on this page are fragrance-free. SkinCeuticals provides highly rated hydration and lightweight absorption, but reviewers frequently note a high price point.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals?

The Ordinary offers more affordable and gentle serums that reviewers often praise for clearing acne, whereas SkinCeuticals provides highly rated hydrating, lightweight, and texture-improving moisturizers with a higher price point. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin hydration and signs of aging for both brands.

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

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for dry skin?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer a Superior routine fit for dry skin. The products on this page for both brands feature key hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

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

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer cleansers with high fit levels for various skin types on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides great value, while SkinCeuticals cleansers may carry a high price point.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals?

The Ordinary is more affordable, as reviewers often mention its great value and pricing.

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for dark spots?

Both brands achieve a Superior routine fit for skin with dark spots, while The Ordinary has no added fragrance across the products on this page compared to SkinCeuticals where some items contain fragrance. Niacinamide helps reduce pigmentation by suppressing melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer a Superior routine fit for oily skin, with The Ordinary standing out for better value and acne-clearing serums while SkinCeuticals is noted for lightweight absorption.

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer moisturizers with a Superior routine fit for dry and dry sensitive skin on the products on this page. The Ordinary provides great value, while SkinCeuticals is noted for hydrating and plumping benefits.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for sensitive skin, offering a Superior routine compared to SkinCeuticals' High routine.

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer a high routine fit for acne-prone skin on the products on this page, but The Ordinary is noted for better acne-clearing serums.

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for mature skin?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer a High routine fit for mature skin, with reviewer feedback noting that SkinCeuticals excels in hydration and plumping while The Ordinary provides great value and pricing. Topical retinol helps stimulate collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015

The Ordinary or SkinCeuticals for dry sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and SkinCeuticals offer a superior routine fit for dry sensitive skin, with neither brand claiming an overall advantage over the other. Reviewers note that products on this page from The Ordinary provide a gentle and non-irritating experience as well as great value, while SkinCeuticals delivers hydrating and plumping moisturizers along with lightweight absorption.

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?

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