Category rank
#1 in Beauty & Personal Care — its strongest category.
What the AIs say
#29 best · 4 of 4 agree“Claude ranks The Ordinary highest (avg #7.8 over 9 mentions); ChatGPT is the most sceptical (#12.4).”
synthesised · the AI panel
What the press says
Critical · 8 stories · 30d“The Ordinary receives praise for affordable skincare products, but faces significant criticism over a failed free bus promotion in NYC that left riders stranded.”
synthesised · 8 articles via Google News · instyle.com, the-independent.com +6
The brief
The brand in a paragraph.
The Ordinary was founded in 2016 in Canada. They make skincare products with direct ingredients. They are best known for affordable serums and treatments. The brand appears across 6649 tracked brands. It ranks first in Beauty and Personal Care. Their formulas strip away excess. Customers value the simplicity. Price remains their defining advantage. The brand has built trust through transparency. Each product does one thing well.
Act one
What the machines think.
Three AI models read the whole category and rank The Ordinary's products — model by model, list by list, over time.
Model by model?
How each AI sees it.
Claude ranks The Ordinary highest (avg #7.8 over 9 mentions); ChatGPT is the most sceptical (#12.4).
Claude
#7.8
avg over 9 mentions · best #1
Gemini
#11.6
avg over 15 mentions · best #1
perplexity
#11.9
avg over 17 mentions · best #1
ChatGPT
#12.4
avg over 14 mentions · best #1
Wins & misses?
Where it leads, where it lags.
11 top-10 wins (4 #1s) versus 2 lag spots where The Ordinary finishes below #20.
Top wins
Where it lags
Rank trajectory?
Weeks of movement.
Across 8 weeks of tracking: 1 intent steady, 2 climbed, 3 slipped. Biggest move: slipped 9 ranks in Best Vitamin C Serums (now #15).
Act two · ★ new
What the people say.
The same lineup, judged by the owners who bought and filmed it — and the press that covers them.
Video reviews?
What reviewers say about the brand.
The WORST and BEST products by The Ordinary | Doctor's Honest Review
Dr Nicole J
In the press?
What the world is saying.
What’s being written about The Ordinary lately — and the mood of it. 8 pieces in the last 30 days, coverage skews critical.
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Iinstyle.com
Tthe-independent.comthe-independent.com·Positive
The Ordinary’s brightening caffeine serum worked instantly — here’s my full review
SStock TitanStock Titan·Neutral
Lucas GC Limited (LGCL) prospectus supplement for share and warrant offering
BBusiness Wire
Iinc.com
TThe New York TimesThe New York Times·Critical
A Skin Care Brand Tried to Run a Free Bus in Brooklyn. It Didn’t Last Long.
PPR Newswire
GGreenpointersGreenpointers·Critical
Free Bus from Skincare Brand The Ordinary Suddenly Suspends Serviceas of June 4 · 8 stories?
Act three · ★ new
Do they agree?
Put the two verdicts side by side — every product with its AI rank and its reviewer score — and see where the machines and the buyers line up, and where they don't.
The lineup, reconciled?
Every product — both verdicts.
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is The Ordinary's most-recommended product, ranking across 3 buyer questions, with Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA close behind.
Lightweight hydrating facial moisturizer with hyaluronic acid
The bottom line
So which one do you buy?
Best overall
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Tops both judges — the AIs’ #19 pick, with a reviewer score to match.
Traits?
The words the panel uses.
AI most often praises The Ordinary for being "budget" (17 mentions) and "affordable" (15).
- budget17
- affordable15
- minimalist11
- value8
- lightweight7
- simple5
- effective4
- brightening3
- budget-friendly3
- redness3
- simple formula3
- hydrating3
Rivals?
Who it competes against.
The Ordinary's closest rival is Drunk Elephant — and The Ordinary comes out ahead in 11 of 15 of the questions they both answer (73%).
- Drunk Elephant
Beauty & Personal Care
The Ordinary leads 11–4
Across 15 shared questions
- Kiehl's
Beauty & Personal Care
The Ordinary leads 9–6
Across 15 shared questions
- La Roche-Posay
Beauty & Personal Care
La Roche-Posay leads 10–4
Across 14 shared questions
- CeraVe
Beauty & Personal Care
CeraVe leads 10–4
Across 14 shared questions
- Neutrogena
Beauty & Personal Care
Neutrogena leads 9–4
Across 14 shared questions · 1 tied
- Paula's Choice
Beauty & Personal Care
Paula's Choice leads 8–5
Across 13 shared questions
- Tatcha
Beauty & Personal Care
The Ordinary leads 9–3
Across 12 shared questions
The recap
Where it stands today.
- Position#29 of 24,449 brands tracked (no change vs last snapshot).
- Reviewer verdict★Aligned — avg 3.5 / 5 across 1 reviewed product. Buyers broadly back the AI placement.
- FootprintStrongest in Beauty & Personal Care (best #1), across 17 buying intents. Weakest in Gifts (#6).
- AI verdictClaude ranks The Ordinary highest (avg #7.8); ChatGPT most sceptical (#12.4).
- TraitsMost often associated with “budget” (17 mentions) and “affordable” (15).
- Top productHyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is the most-mentioned The Ordinary product this snapshot.
- Closest rivalDrunk Elephant (11–4 across 15 shared intents).
browse The Ordinary in these categories