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The Ordinary vs The INKEY List

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

The Ordinary and The INKEY List are affordable skincare brands offering targeted serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. The Canadian brand centers on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry and dry sensitive skin, whereas the British brand relies on glycerin to serve sensitive and combination skin. Both lines address specific concerns through distinct formulations, with the former featuring niacinamide, mandelic acid, and lactic acid, and the latter offering a PHA toner, azelaic acid, and a ceramide moisturizer.

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

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The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs The INKEY List products

People Say

The OrdinaryThe INKEY List
  • Affordable price and value Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Smooths skin texture Mostly MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “skin feels baby butt smooth — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “skin looks fresh and plump — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Hydration and moisture Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Skin feels instantly hydrated, nourished and looks more glowing — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Clears acne and reduces blemishes Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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”
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “sits beautifully under makeup — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Other product characteristics Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “leaves skin feeling matte — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “Great for sensitive skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Other product issues Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “very runny serum — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
    • “Leaves a greasy film on face after washing — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “Forms a crust on the hole at the flick top cap. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Packaging and container issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “Tube leaks liquified oil when opened — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Sticky or tacky finish Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Leaves a tackiness that never goes away. — The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum”
    • “feeling sticky — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 98% fit

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

The Ordinary vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 94% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which is better?

The Ordinary is often preferred for smoothing skin texture, clearing acne, and fading dark spots, while The INKEY List is known for hydration and lightweight textures. Both brands offer equal affordability and pricing value across the products on this page.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and The INKEY List?

The Ordinary generally offers a superior routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, dark spot-prone, and dry sensitive skin compared to The INKEY List. Reviewers note that the products on this page for The Ordinary do better at clearing acne, while The INKEY List does better with hydration, lightweight textures, and moisture.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for dry skin?

For dry skin, The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit, whereas The INKEY List has a High fit. Reviewers note that The Ordinary does better for smoothing skin texture, while The INKEY List is favored for hydration and moisture.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page for The Ordinary include options like the Squalane Cleanser and Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, while The INKEY List features the Oat Cleansing Balm and Salicylic Acid Cleanser. Reviewers find that The Ordinary does better for other product characteristics, whereas The INKEY List is noted more for packaging issues.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or The INKEY List?

Both The Ordinary and The INKEY List perform equally well when it comes to having an affordable price and value.

Between The Ordinary and The INKEY List, which brand is better for fading dark spots?

The Ordinary is better for fading dark spots as it has a superior routine fit and more top-rated products for this concern, whereas The INKEY List has a high routine fit. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Do The Ordinary and The INKEY List products contain added fragrance?

The products on this page for both The Ordinary and The INKEY List list no added fragrance in their ingredients.

Where and when were The Ordinary and The INKEY List founded?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada, while The INKEY List was founded in 2018 in the United Kingdom.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for oily skin?

For oily skin, The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit, while The INKEY List reaches a High fit. Reviewers note that The Ordinary does better at clearing acne and reducing blemishes, whereas The INKEY List is favored for a lightweight and fast-absorbing texture.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and The INKEY List offer quality moisturizers, but reviewers note that The INKEY List excels specifically in hydration and moisture, while also providing lightweight and fast-absorbing formulas among the products on this page.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, whereas The INKEY List provides a High routine fit. Reviewers note that the products on this page from The Ordinary help smooth skin texture and clear acne.

The Ordinary or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and The INKEY List fit acne-prone skin well at a High level. The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers superior options for clearing acne and reducing blemishes compared to The INKEY List.

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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