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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 distinctive skincare brands designed to address diverse complexions with thoughtful formulations. The Canadian brand offers serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting sensitive, dry sensitive, acne-prone, and mature skin best. Meanwhile, the second brand is widely loved for targeted product types and nourishing formulas that suit acne-prone skin best, featuring standout options like Argan Oil. Ultimately, the two differ through the former's clinical, ingredient-led approach and the latter's focus on gentle, balancing compositions for active skin.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

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 products on this page from The Ordinary offer a much wider variety of targeted treatments and hold high Lovi fit ratings across sensitive, dry sensitive, and oily skin types, whereas FRE features only a single argan oil product with more limited skin compatibility.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and FRE?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers a wide variety of skincare items that fit sensitive skin, dry sensitive skin, and oily skin best, whereas FRE features only a single argan oil product. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppresses melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or FRE?

The products on this page from The Ordinary are widely recognized by reviewers as affordable and offering great value, whereas FRE features only a single product on this page with no specific affordability ranking.

When were The Ordinary and FRE founded?

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

Which company owns The Ordinary?

The Ordinary is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Do any products from The Ordinary or FRE contain fragrance?

Every product on the products 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

How does it fit your skin?

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