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The Ordinary vs La Prairie

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

The Ordinary and La Prairie are distinct skincare houses that cater to diverse complexions through specialized formulations. The Canadian brand offers serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while the Swiss house is celebrated for its exquisite eye products, moisturizers, serums, and toners elevated by sophisticated formulas. Both options suit dry sensitive skin, yet the former also fits sensitive skin best with targeted treatments for acne, dark spots, and aging, whereas the latter is additionally ideal for mature skin through restorative rituals like its Skin Caviar collection. Ultimately, they differ in their approachable, ingredient-led ethos versus their luxurious, caviar-infused approach to daily care.

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

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La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs La Prairie products

People Say

The OrdinaryLa Prairie
  • Hydration and Plumping Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight Absorption Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Firming and Lifting Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “deflates morning bags — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
  • Value and Affordability Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “lasts forever — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “can't beat the price — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Texture and Pores Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “never had any reaction to it with my sensitive skin — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
  • Glow and Radiance Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “gave my face a soft glow — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin looks radiant — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “tight, bright and shiny — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • High Price Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Unpleasant Scent Rarely NotedMostly 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”
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Slow or Ineffective Results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “not a miracle worker overnight — The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA”
    • “Didn't do anything special — The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA”
    • “just a good moisturizer — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Texture Issues and Pilling Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “caused pilling — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “foams up like soap — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · SAR 814.57 · 90% fitBuy La Prairie routine · SAR 10,542.60 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · SAR 867.55 · 92% fitBuy La Prairie routine · SAR 10,669.85 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · SAR 981.41 · 92% fitBuy La Prairie routine · SAR 10,542.80 · 85% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which is better?

The Ordinary provides better overall value and options for most skin types on this page, while La Prairie excels in luxury and firming effects. The Ordinary offers fragrance-free choices and superior pricing, whereas La Prairie delivers rich textures that help with hydration and radiance.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Prairie?

The Ordinary provides affordable, fragrance-free products on this page with strong performance for texture and pores, while La Prairie offers a luxurious, high-end experience known for lifting, firming, and radiant hydration. Reviewers note that The Ordinary brings better value, whereas La Prairie delivers superior lightweight textures and rich hydration despite its exorbitant prices.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for dry skin?

For dry skin, The Ordinary provides a Superior routine fit while La Prairie offers a High fit. The products on this page for The Ordinary include fragrance-free options like the Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA moisturizer, which helps deliver deep hydration.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

The products on this page for The Ordinary offer superior dry skin hydration, while La Prairie provides luxurious, lightweight textures and firming effects.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

The Ordinary offers much better value and affordability compared to La Prairie, whose products feature exorbitant prices.

How do the founding years and parent companies of The Ordinary and La Prairie compare?

The Ordinary was founded in Canada in 2016 and is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., whereas La Prairie was founded in Switzerland in 1978 and is owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Which brand has a stronger fragrance profile across its products, The Ordinary or La Prairie?

La Prairie features a stronger fragrance profile across the products on this page, as four out of five products list fragrance in their ingredients. In contrast, every product from The Ordinary lists no fragrance.

What are the key ingredients featured across products from The Ordinary versus La Prairie?

The products on this page from The Ordinary feature key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, while La Prairie highlights ginseng across its products. Sodium hyaluronate helps deliver anti-aging effects and deep hydration.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or La Prairie for oily skin?

The Ordinary offers a Superior routine fit for oily skin, whereas La Prairie provides a High fit level. The products on this page from The Ordinary help with oil control and texture while remaining affordable, though reviewers note they may sometimes cause pilling or have a sticky finish.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and La Prairie achieve a Superior Lovi fit level for sensitive skin. The Ordinary offers fragrance-free products on this page, while La Prairie features luxury textures.

The Ordinary or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

The Ordinary is a better fit for acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to La Prairie's High fit level. The products on this page help improve acne-prone skin while remaining fragrance-free.

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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