Paula's Choice vs The Ordinary: ingredient comparison (our data only)
Updated · Based on 4158 screened products
Paula's Choice or The Ordinary: which has more products without watchlist ingredients, and how do the ranges differ?
Short answer: in our directory, 74 of 84 Paula's Choice products (88%) and 61 of 62 The Ordinary products (98%) list none of our watchlist ingredients. This page compares only facts from our data: ingredient lists, flags, fragrance-free status, sunscreen filter type, the range we have screened and buy links. It says nothing about how well any product works, and our coverage of each range is incomplete.
Which formulas: every product here comes from the brands' US sites, paulaschoice.com and theordinary.com (ingredient lists checked 18 Oct 2026). Serums are the largest category for both brands in our data, so that is where most of the overlap is.
Affiliate disclosure: buy buttons and "View on Amazon" cards on this page may be affiliate links (rel="sponsored"). If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect which products pass our ingredient screen or their order. As an Amazon Associate, CleanGlow earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
At a glance
| Paula's Choice | The Ordinary | |
|---|---|---|
| Products screened | 84 | 62 |
| Clean (no watchlist ingredients) | 74 | 61 |
| Flagged | 10 | 1 |
| Fragrance-free by our INCI check (all / clean) | 75 / 69 | 57 / 56 |
| Clean products with a verified brand link | 74 | 61 |
| Categories screened | 9 | 11 |
| Sunscreens (filter type) | 3 mineral (1 clean), 5 chemical (1 clean) | 0 mineral (0 clean), 1 chemical (1 clean) |
Range by category
| Category | Paula's Choice clean / screened (fragrance-free) | The Ordinary clean / screened (fragrance-free) |
|---|---|---|
| Body Lotion | 5 / 5 (4) | 1 / 1 (1) |
| Cleansers | 8 / 9 (8) | 3 / 3 (2) |
| Face Creams | 18 / 18 (17) | 4 / 4 (4) |
| Foundations | – | 0 / 1 (1) |
| Hair Care | – | 2 / 2 (2) |
| Lip Care | 3 / 4 (3) | 3 / 3 (3) |
| Mascaras | – | 1 / 1 (1) |
| Masks | 1 / 1 (1) | 2 / 2 (2) |
| Serums | 28 / 30 (27) | 41 / 41 (38) |
| Sunscreen (Chemical Filters) | 1 / 5 (3) | 1 / 1 (1) |
| Sunscreen (Mineral Filters) | 1 / 3 (3) | – |
| Toners | 9 / 9 (9) | 3 / 3 (2) |
Ingredient-list differences
Share of each brand's screened products whose INCI list contains the ingredient (ingredients present in at least 40% of either brand's products, largest differences first). This describes formulas; it is not a judgement of any ingredient.
| INCI ingredient | Paula's Choice | The Ordinary |
|---|---|---|
| butylene glycol | 60% | 11% |
| trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate | 1% | 50% |
| chlorphenesin | 13% | 56% |
| dimethicone | 43% | 2% |
| glycerin | 79% | 52% |
| propanediol | 23% | 47% |
| phenoxyethanol | 80% | 60% |
| caprylyl glycol | 42% | 23% |
| water | 93% | 74% |
| xanthan gum | 49% | 32% |
| ethylhexylglycerin | 50% | 35% |
| sodium hydroxide | 40% | 31% |
Flagged ingredients
Paula's Choice
- Parabens: 1 product(s) (GENTLE TOUCH Makeup Remover)
- Titanium dioxide: 9 product(s) (5% Vitamin C Sheer Moisturizer SPF 50, Skin Recovery Daily Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30, Clinical PRO Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment, Defense Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30, Extra Care Non-Greasy Sunscreen SPF 50, Clear Ultra-Light Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 30, Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50, Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel, Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Gloss Balm Lip Treatment)
The Ordinary
- Titanium dioxide: 1 product(s) (Serum Foundation)
Sources: IARC Monographs – List of Classifications; EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009; our methodology.
Clean picks where both brands compete
The 4 categories where both brands have the most clean products in our data (of 8 shared categories; the rest are in the range table above), up to 3 clean products per category with the brands alternating, ordered by our data score (see how guide scores work); the score measures data completeness, not performance.
Serums
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Details
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moisture Renewal Oil Booster | Paula's Choice | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F | The Ordinary | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Skin Perfecting BHA 9 Treatment | Paula's Choice | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
Paula's ChoiceMoisture Renewal Oil BoosterSerums✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Face Creams
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lacto-PDRN 4% + B9 Eye Cream | The Ordinary | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Moisturizer | Paula's Choice | ✓ | 9/9 | Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Moisturizer View on Amazon |
| 3 | Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan | The Ordinary | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
The OrdinaryLacto-PDRN 4% + B9 Eye CreamFace Creams✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Paula's ChoicePro-Collagen Peptide Plumping MoisturizerFace Creams✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Full ingredient check: Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Moisturizer →
Toners
Paula's ChoiceSkin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantToners✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Paula's Choice
Full ingredient check: Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant →
Cleansers
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glycolipid Cream Cleanser | The Ordinary | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm | Paula's Choice | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Squalane Cleanser | The Ordinary | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
The OrdinaryGlycolipid Cream CleanserCleansers✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Which to choose: facts mapped to needs
- If you want fragrance-free (by our INCI check): Paula's Choice has 69 clean fragrance-free products in our data, The Ordinary has 56.
- If you need sunscreen (mineral filters): only Paula's Choice has clean products in this category in our data (1 sunscreen (mineral filters)).
- If you need hair care, mascaras: only The Ordinary has clean products in these categories in our data (2 hair care, 1 mascaras).
- If you want to buy from the brand's own product page: we have verified brand links for 74 clean Paula's Choice and 61 clean The Ordinary products.
- If you want to avoid every watchlist flag: 10 of 84 Paula's Choice and 1 of 62 The Ordinary products we screened are flagged; the flagged ones are listed above.
None of this is a verdict on performance; patch-test new products and ask a dermatologist about skin conditions.
Full brand pages: Paula's Choice products: ingredient check · The Ordinary products: ingredient check
Related
- Is Paula's Choice clean?
- Is The Ordinary clean?
- The Ordinary vs CeraVe
- Best clean face serum
- Best fragrance-free moisturizer
Hazard is not risk. An IARC classification says whether a substance can cause cancer under some conditions (e.g. titanium dioxide is classified for inhaled powder), not that a cosmetic containing it is harmful at normal use. EU restrictions set use limits. This page is informational, not medical advice; talk to a dermatologist about your own skin.