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The Ordinary vs COSRX

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

The Ordinary and COSRX are two popular lines of serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and more, which are built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide or squalane. The Canadian brand suits dry skin and dry sensitive skin best with its focus on squalane, whereas the Korean brand favors acne-prone skin and oily skin through its balancing and clarifying components. While both brands harness hydration and barrier support, they differ in their specific formulas, such as The Ordinary offering specialized acids for dark spots and mature skin, and its counterpart relying on snail mucin, propolis, and centella for targeted 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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COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024.

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

Popular The Ordinary vs COSRX products

People Say

The OrdinaryCOSRX
  • Miscellaneous Performance Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “dark skin friendly — COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen”
    • “calms down my redness — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
  • Smooth and Improved Skin Texture 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”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “skin feels softer immediately — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
  • Acne and Blemish Control 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%”
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “cleared up my spots — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
  • Gentle and Sensitive Skin Care Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “extremely gentle — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “perfect for first-time retinol users — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft and not tight at all. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • Value and Pricing 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%”
    • “huge bottle — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “woke up with soft, supple skin — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “gives a healthy glow — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Texture and Pilling Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “texture is gooey and stringy — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “too slimy and sticky — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Leaves a sticky film — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Irritation and Harshness Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “stings a little but worth it — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “leaves skin feeling tight — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
  • Miscellaneous Complaints Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “Takes a month to work — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “didn't do anything — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “did absolutely nothing — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Hard to layer — The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum”

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £90.51 · 97% fitBuy COSRX routine · £52.48 · 89% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £120.07 · 93% fitBuy COSRX routine · £143.60 · 90% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs COSRX routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £134.25 · 92% fitBuy COSRX routine · £119.44 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or COSRX: which is better?

The Ordinary delivers better value and pricing, whereas COSRX does better at hydration and moisture as well as gentle and sensitive skin care. Both brands feature products with no fragrance on this page, and both offer strong options for different skin types.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and COSRX?

For routine fit, The Ordinary achieves a Superior level for dry skin, dry sensitive skin, combination skin, mature skin, and skin with dark spots, whereas COSRX reaches a High level for those same skin types. Both brands tie at a Superior level for oily skin, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and oily acne-prone skin. Reviewers indicate that COSRX does better for hydration and moisture, while The Ordinary does better for value and pricing.

The Ordinary or COSRX for dry skin?

The Ordinary is a superior fit for dry skin, whereas COSRX is a high fit. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers great value serums, while COSRX delivers deep hydration and moisturization.

The Ordinary or COSRX: which cleanser is better?

Comparing the cleansers on this page, both brands offer good options, but COSRX is noted for doing better with gentle and sensitive skin care overall. The Ordinary's cleansers fit dry, dry sensitive, and oily skin at a High level, while COSRX features cleansers like the Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser that fits sensitive skin at a Superior level.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or COSRX?

The Ordinary offers better value and pricing among the products on this page.

Which brand performs better for hydration and moisture, The Ordinary or COSRX?

COSRX performs better for hydration and moisture. Reviewers frequently note its deep hydration and moisturization benefits.

Which brand is superior for sensitive skin care, The Ordinary or COSRX?

Both brands offer a Superior routine fit for sensitive skin, while COSRX does better specifically in sensitive skin care.

How do the founding years, countries of origin, and parent companies of The Ordinary and COSRX compare?

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada and has been owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. since 2021. In contrast, COSRX was founded in 2013 in South Korea and is owned by Amorepacific Group as of 2024.

The Ordinary or COSRX for oily skin?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX provide a Superior routine fit for oily skin. The products on this page for both brands feature effective options for managing oil and shine.

The Ordinary or COSRX: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX offer effective moisturizers, but COSRX is better for hydration and moisture according to reviewer themes. The Ordinary fits dry skin at a Superior level and COSRX fits it at a High level.

The Ordinary or COSRX for sensitive skin?

The Ordinary provides a superior routine fit for sensitive skin, whereas COSRX achieves an equal level of fit. COSRX is noted by reviewers for doing better in gentle and sensitive skin care.

The Ordinary or COSRX for acne-prone skin?

Both The Ordinary and COSRX are great for acne-prone skin, with Lovi fit levels of Superior. The Ordinary offers better value and pricing, while COSRX does better at gentle and sensitive skin care and hydration and moisture.

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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