The budget actives space used to belong to The Ordinary. The Canadian brand changed skincare by offering single-ingredient products at unflinching prices — niacinamide for $6, retinol for $8, vitamin C for $10. Then Beauty of Joseon arrived from Korea with similar pricing and a different aesthetic: traditional ingredients, restrained formulations, glass bottles.
We tested both brands head-to-head across three common actives.
Niacinamide
The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% ($6) versus Beauty of Joseon’s Glow Serum ($17, niacinamide + propolis).
Winner: Beauty of Joseon. The Ordinary’s 10% concentration causes irritation in many users; the formulation has stability issues over time (it can turn cloudy). Beauty of Joseon’s lower concentration paired with propolis is gentler and better tolerated.
Retinol
The Ordinary’s Retinol 0.2% in Squalane ($8) versus Beauty of Joseon’s Revive Eye Serum (retinal-based).
Winner: The Ordinary. They specialize here. Their retinol products are formulated properly with stable encapsulation, and the range from 0.2% through 1% lets you titrate. Beauty of Joseon’s retinoid offerings are limited.
Vitamin C
The Ordinary’s Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% ($10) versus Beauty of Joseon’s Glow Deep Serum (alpha-arbutin + niacinamide).
Draw, depending on goal. The Ordinary’s vitamin C is unstable in many formulations and oxidizes quickly. Beauty of Joseon does not use traditional ascorbic acid but achieves brightening through alpha-arbutin — gentler, slower-acting, equally effective for hyperpigmentation. For pure antioxidant action, The Ordinary. For brightening, Beauty of Joseon.
Overall winner
If we could only keep one brand: Beauty of Joseon. The Ordinary’s strength is variety and breakdown-by-ingredient pricing, but for most users Beauty of Joseon’s smaller, better-formulated lineup produces consistent results without the trial-and-error.
