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Medicube vs The Ordinary

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

Medicube and The Ordinary are two contemporary beauty lines established in 2016, offering distinct approaches to daily wellness. The Korean innovator relies on advanced moisturizers, serums, toners, and masks featuring niacinamide, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to nurture dry and oily, acne-prone complexions. Meanwhile, the Canadian brand utilizes glycerin, squalane, and targeted acids within its cleansers and treatments to similarly support moisture levels and clarity. While both labels cater effectively to comparable skin types, they differ through their unique ingredient synergies and cultural formulations.

Medicube is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2016 and owned by APR Corp..

medicubereviews.co.ukglossy.co

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 Medicube and The Ordinary products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Medicube vs The Ordinary products

People Say

MedicubeThe Ordinary
  • Hydration and Moisture Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin feels bouncier and hydrated — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin — Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask”
    • “woke up with baby soft skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Skin Texture and Smoothing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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%”
    • “gives my skin a smooth, glass-like finish — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
  • Value and Pricing Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “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%”
  • Acne and Blemish Control Sometimes NotedOften 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”
    • “active breakouts look less inflamed — Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad”
  • Glow and Radiance Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gave me instant glass skin — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “woke up with glowing skin — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”
    • “healthy, dewy glow — Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum”
    • “glass skin effect — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
  • Pore Care and Cleansing Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “Pores drastically reduced — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “Mochi-like foam — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “Removes every trace of oil — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
  • Sticky and Tacky Finish Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “hair sticks to my face — Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream”
    • “feels way too sticky and tacky — Medicube DEEP VITA-C CAPSULE CREAM”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution”
  • Irritation and Breakouts Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “broke me out in cysts — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
    • “gave me cystic acne — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “caused redness and sensitivity — Medicube Zero Pore Pad”
  • Drying and Stinging Effects Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Skin feels very tight — Medicube Zero Foam Cleanser”
    • “skin felt very tight — Medicube Zero Pore Blackhead Mud Mask”
    • “Skin feels quite dry after washing — Medicube Red Foam Cleanser”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Packaging and Quantity Concerns Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “Expensive for Ordinary — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
    • “tube is tiny for the price — Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask”

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$164.78 · 92% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$127.51 · 91% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$393.06 · 89% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Medicube vs The Ordinary routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$289.36 · 88% fitBuy Medicube routine · S$223.62 · 87% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

Medicube or The Ordinary: which is better?

Medicube is better for deep hydration, glowing radiance, and pore care, whereas The Ordinary is better for skin smoothing, acne control, and budget-friendly value. Both brands achieve equal routine fit levels for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and acne-prone skin, but The Ordinary offers a Superior fit for mature skin and oily acne-prone skin.

What is the difference between Medicube and The Ordinary?

Medicube is better for hydration and radiant glow, while The Ordinary offers better value and excels at texture smoothing and acne control. Both brands share an equal routine fit for dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and acne-prone skin types.

Medicube or The Ordinary for dry skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary achieve a Superior routine fit for dry skin. Reviewers note that Medicube helps deliver deep hydration moisturizers, while The Ordinary offers affordable products featuring ingredients like hyaluronic acid that help maintain skin moisture.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Medicube or The Ordinary: which cleanser is better?

Medicube offers superior deep hydration and pore care with cleansers like the Zero Foam Cleanser, while The Ordinary is known for affordable and gentle options like the Squalane Cleanser. Both brands provide effective cleansing fits across skin types, but Medicube is often preferred for targeting pores and glowing skin.

Which is more affordable, Medicube or The Ordinary?

The Ordinary is more affordable, offering popular texture-smoothing and acne-clearing serums at budget-friendly prices. By comparison, reviewers often note that Medicube products involve pricing issues and smaller quantities.

Medicube or The Ordinary for hydration and moisture?

Medicube does better than The Ordinary for hydration and moisture, offering deep hydration moisturizers that help deliver a radiant glow. Topical hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of skin aging.

Drug Delivery, 2017Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

Medicube or The Ordinary for oily skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary fit oily skin well, with a High routine fit level for the products on this page. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and regulates sebum. Medicube is founded in South Korea and owned by APR Corp., whereas The Ordinary is founded in Canada and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Medicube or The Ordinary: which moisturizer is better?

Medicube offers better moisturizers for deep hydration and a radiant glow, while The Ordinary excels in value and everyday formulas. For dry skin, the products on this page show that both brands achieve a Superior fit level.

Medicube or The Ordinary for sensitive skin?

Both Medicube and The Ordinary fit sensitive skin at a High level. Reviewers note that Medicube products help provide deep hydration and soothing care, while The Ordinary offers fragrance-free serums that help minimize irritation.

Medicube or The Ordinary for acne-prone skin?

Medicube and The Ordinary both offer high routine fit levels for acne-prone skin on the products on this page. Reviewers note that The Ordinary provides acne-clearing serums, while Medicube is recognized for pore care and cleansing.

Medicube or The Ordinary for mature skin?

The Ordinary is a Superior fit for mature skin, whereas Medicube has a High fit level. Both brands offer targeted anti-aging products, such as retinoids and peptides, which help stimulate collagen accumulation and improve the appearance of aging skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

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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