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The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay

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

The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay are two well-regarded skincare options with distinct approaches to daily care. The Ordinary, a Canadian brand, features targeted serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and toners built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, making it particularly well-suited for dry and dry sensitive skin. Meanwhile, the French brand La Roche-Posay is loved for its comforting serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and eye products that feature nourishing glycerin, soothing thermal water, and brightening niacinamide, suiting skin with dark spots and mature skin best. While both utilize nourishing ingredients to support skin health, they differ in their origin, specific formulations, and primary skin-type suitability.

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

glossy.coen.wikipedia.org

La Roche-Posay is a French skincare brand founded in 1975 and owned by L'Oréal S.A. since 1989.

laroche-posay.com.aufr.wikipedia.org

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

Popular The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay products

People Say

The OrdinaryLa Roche-Posay
  • Other Product Benefits and Features Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “eliminated armpit odor — The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution”
    • “pores look significantly smaller — The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%”
    • “deflates morning bags — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
    • “zero scent — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
  • Texture Improvement 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”
    • “lightweight and absorbs quickly — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Skin feels smoother — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
  • Hydration and Moisture Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “skin feels plump — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “legs stopped flaking — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”
    • “skin feels immediately hydrated — The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5”
  • Sensitive Skin Friendly Sometimes NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Great retinol for beginners — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “Only cream that doesn't sting — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream”
    • “no stinging — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Finally a cleanser that doesn't sting my face. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
  • 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%”
  • Acne Clearing and Prevention Often MentionedSometimes 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”
    • “clears acne blemishes — La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser”
  • Texture and Pilling Issues Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “pills like crazy — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “Very sticky — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “leaves a tacky residue — La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum”
    • “crumbles and piles under moisturizer — The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%”
  • Other Product Issues and Inefficiencies Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Turns orange fast — La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum”
    • “didn't see any significant improvement — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “Weaker retinol product — La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum”
    • “no change in pigment — The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG”
  • Skin Irritation and Stinging Often MentionedRarely Noted
    • “burned my face — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer”
    • “dried my skin out — La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum”
    • “burning sensation — La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser”
    • “irritated AF the next day — The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution”
  • Packaging and Pump Issues Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “The 50ml tube runs out way too fast. — The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser”
    • “Wish it came in a pump — The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA”
    • “pump stops working — La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream”

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for dry skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £90.51 · 97% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · £73.19 · 88% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for oily skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £120.07 · 93% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · £164.76 · 81% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

The Ordinary vs La Roche-Posay routines for combination skin

Buy The Ordinary routine · £134.25 · 92% fitBuy La Roche-Posay routine · £181.95 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which is better?

The Ordinary is often preferred for its affordability and targeted treatments, while La Roche-Posay is frequently chosen for its soothing, sensitive-skin friendly formulations. Lovi shows that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit across all skin types compared to La Roche-Posay's High to Superior fit.

What is the difference between The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay?

The Ordinary products on this page have no added fragrance, whereas some La Roche-Posay items contain scent ingredients. Lovi rates routine fit for dry skin as Superior for The Ordinary and High for La Roche-Posay.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for dry skin?

Lovi finds that both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay fit dry skin well, with The Ordinary showing a Superior routine fit and La Roche-Posay showing a High fit. The Ordinary features fragrance-free products on this page and provides better value and pricing.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which cleanser is better?

Both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay offer effective cleansers, with Lovi fit levels varying from High to Average across different skin types for the products on this page. The Ordinary features fragrance-free options like the Glycolipid Cream Cleanser, while La Roche-Posay provides specialized choices such as the Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay?

The products on this page show that The Ordinary offers better value and pricing than La Roche-Posay.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for fading dark spots?

Both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay offer products on this page that are a Superior fit for skin with dark spots. Niacinamide helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002

Which brand has fewer issues with texture and pilling, The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay?

The products on this page by The Ordinary do better with fewer texture and pilling issues compared to La Roche-Posay.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which brand is better for sensitive skin?

Lovi finds The Ordinary Superior for sensitive skin, whereas La Roche-Posay has a High fit level for this skin type.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for sensitive skin?

Lovi shows that The Ordinary has a Superior fit for sensitive skin, whereas La Roche-Posay has a High fit. Reviewers note that The Ordinary offers better value, while La Roche-Posay is known for soothing and sensitive-skin friendly moisturizers.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay: which moisturizer is better?

Both The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay offer highly rated moisturizers, with Lovi fit levels reaching Superior for dry skin on products like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA and Pure Vitamin C Cream. Reviewers note that La Roche-Posay provides particularly lightweight and soothing moisturizers, while the products on this page from The Ordinary are often praised for their affordability and value.

The Ordinary or La Roche-Posay for acne-prone skin?

Lovi shows that The Ordinary has a Superior routine fit for acne-prone skin, compared to a High fit for La Roche-Posay. Reviewers also say The Ordinary does better for acne clearing and prevention.

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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