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The Ordinary vs Eminence

The Ordinary and Eminence are two distinct skincare lines offering targeted solutions for diverse complexions. The Canadian brand centers its serums, cleansers, and moisturizers on science-backed ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, suiting dry and oily acne-prone skin best. Meanwhile, Eminence is widely beloved for deeply nourishing moisturizers and pure botanical potency that suit dry, sensitive, and combination skin types. While both brands address concerns from acne to aging through standout formulations, they differ fundamentally in their reliance on clinical molecules versus botanical extracts.

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

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

People Say

The OrdinaryEminence
  • Hydration and plumping Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels baby soft — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “Not too thick — Eminence Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Lightweight absorption and texture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't feel heavy — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
    • “buttery and great — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “Sinks in immediately — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”
  • Texture smoothing and improvement Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “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 feels soft — Eminence Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream”
  • Clears acne and 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%”
    • “cleared up my acne — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
  • Redness reduction and soothing Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “calms my irritation — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
    • “cooling effect — Eminence Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer”
    • “calms down the redness immediately — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Great value and pricing Mostly MentionedNot 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%”
  • Unpleasant or strong 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”
    • “fragrance is terrible — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
  • High price point Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “pricey but worth it — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
  • Drying formulas and lack of moisture Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “Skin felt tight an hour later — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “incredibly drying — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
    • “dried out skin — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “feels quite dry when applied — Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer”
  • Makeup pilling and application issues Often MentionedNot noted
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or Eminence: which is better?

The Ordinary provides great value and pricing with effective serums, whereas Eminence offers superior hydration, plumping, and soothing benefits through its moisturizers.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and Eminence?

The Ordinary offers a much larger and more affordable selection of targeted serums, whereas Eminence focuses on higher-priced moisturizers that are noted for better hydration and soothing effects.

The Ordinary or Eminence: which moisturizer is better?

When it comes to moisturizers, Eminence performs better for hydration and plumping, while The Ordinary offers much better value and pricing.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or Eminence?

The Ordinary offers better value with its affordable pricing across the products on this page, whereas Eminence is often noted for a high price point.

Which causes fewer breakouts, The Ordinary or Eminence?

The products on this page show that both The Ordinary and Eminence perform equally at clearing acne and blemishes.

Which brand has been on the market longer, The Ordinary or Eminence?

Eminence has been on the market longer, having been founded in 1958 compared to The Ordinary, which was founded in 2016.

Do products from The Ordinary and Eminence contain fragrance?

Every product on this page from The Ordinary and Eminence lists no fragrance in its ingredients.

How does the ownership of The Ordinary differ from Eminence?

The Ordinary is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. while Eminence is independently owned.

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.

How does it fit your skin?

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