🇸🇬Singapore

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil

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

The Ordinary and Cetaphil are well-regarded skincare brands that offer distinct approaches to daily care through targeted serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more. The Canadian brand centers its formulations around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane to suit dry skin and oily acne-prone skin best, whereas the American brand uses glycerin, niacinamide, and panthenol to nourish combination skin and acne-prone skin. While The Ordinary emphasizes single-ingredient efficacy for specific concerns like aging and blemishes, the latter focuses on balanced, soothing compositions that gently support overall skin health.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

Cetaphil is an American skincare brand founded in 1947 and owned by Galderma Group AG.

en.wikipedia.orgcetaphil.co.uk

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

Popular The Ordinary vs Cetaphil products

People Say

The OrdinaryCetaphil
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “The only thing my reactive skin tolerates. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “No breakouts since switching to this. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “cleans without stripping — Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Affordable value Mostly MentionedRarely 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%”
    • “Bar lasts a long time — Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar”
  • Hydration and moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “cleared up flaky skin — Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream”
    • “healed my dry patches — Cetaphil Moisturising Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft, not tight. — Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight and non-greasy Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “Absorbs quickly into skin without residue — Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion”
    • “absorbs quickly — Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
  • Skin texture improvement Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “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%”
    • “Skin felt softer after one use — Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser”
  • Acne and blemish clearing Often MentionedRarely 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”
    • “Helps to remove pimple and acne. — Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser”
  • Skin irritation and stinging Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “burns my face now — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “new formula burns — Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser”
    • “burned my face — Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Unpleasant scent Rarely NotedOften 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”
    • “Overpowering masking fragrance — Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar”
  • Sticky and tacky finish Sometimes NotedRarely Noted
    • “leaves a tacky finish — Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum”
    • “feels tacky — Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion”
    • “feels very sticky — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$164.78 · 92% fitBuy Cetaphil routine · S$257.68 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$393.06 · 89% fitBuy Cetaphil routine · S$330.00 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

The Ordinary vs Cetaphil routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · S$289.36 · 88% fitBuy Cetaphil routine · S$348.51 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which is better?

When choosing between The Ordinary and Cetaphil, neither brand is universally better, as both achieve high fit levels across most skin types on this page. However, The Ordinary is considered superior for dry skin, mature skin, and oily acne-prone skin, while Cetaphil is often noted for being especially gentle on sensitive skin.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Cetaphil?

The Ordinary and Cetaphil both fit oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, dry, dark spot-prone, and dry sensitive skin at equal levels, but The Ordinary is Superior for dry, mature, and oily acne-prone skin. The Ordinary offers better acne and texture improvement, while Cetaphil is praised for being gentle on sensitive skin and providing hydration and moisture.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for dry skin?

The Ordinary offers a superior routine fit for dry skin compared to Cetaphil, which has a high fit. Both brands feature products with hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help hydrate dry skin.

Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil offer great cleansers, but Cetaphil is generally better for gentle, non-stripping daily cleansing. The products on this page show that Cetaphil excels particularly with soothing sensitive skin, while The Ordinary's cleansers provide strong options for balanced routines.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Cetaphil?

The Ordinary offers more affordable value among the products on this page compared to Cetaphil.

Which brand performs better for mature skin, The Ordinary or Cetaphil?

The Ordinary performs better for mature skin, achieving a Superior routine fit compared to Cetaphil's High fit level. The Ordinary offers targeted treatments like retinol and peptides that help improve skin texture and firmness in aging skin.

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

Do The Ordinary products or Cetaphil products contain fragrance?

The Ordinary lists no fragrance in the ingredients for any of the products on this page. For Cetaphil, 26 of the 27 products on this page list no fragrance, with only the Oily Skin Cleanser containing fragrance.

Which brand is better for skin texture improvement and dark spot fading?

The Ordinary is better for skin texture improvement and dark spot fading, as the products on this page outperform Cetaphil in these specific areas. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil offer a High fit for oily skin. The products on this page provide great value and help target excess oil.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil offer great moisturizers, with The Ordinary rated Superior for dry skin routines and Cetaphil rated High. Reviewers note that Cetaphil provides hydrating, non-greasy moisturizers, while The Ordinary offers affordable and great value options.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for sensitive skin?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil have a High Lovi routine fit for sensitive skin. The Ordinary offers fragrance-free products on this page, while Cetaphil is often noted by reviewers for being gentle on sensitive skin.

The Ordinary or Cetaphil for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and Cetaphil are well-suited for acne-prone skin, with Lovi fit levels reaching High across the products on this page for both brands. Reviewers frequently note that The Ordinary provides affordable acne-clearing serums, while Cetaphil is often praised for its gentle, non-stripping cleansers.

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?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play