Beauty has been democratic for quite some time now, with drugstore brands stepping up their game and indie favorites creating truly amazing products for less than a latte. However, this accessibility has traditionally been restricted to makeup. While there is some excellent drugstore skin care out on the shelves, there are few affordable options that really rival what luxury serums and moisturizers have to offer.

That’s why Canadian brand The Ordinary created such a buzz when it burst onto the scene two years ago. The brand takes a clinical, science-based approached to skin care and specializes in single ingredient–driven products that deliver targeted results. The best part? Nothing in the brand costs more than $20. In fact, the majority of it clocks in for less than $10. This is largely in part thanks to The Ordinary’s dedication to transparency (something the brand’s late founder was deeply passionate about), resulting in prices that aren’t significantly marked up.

Now, the brand is even more accessible than ever: just recently the full line, which you could previously only shop for on the brand’s website, landed in Sephora stores across the country. But despite the low price point, The Ordinary can be a little intimidating. The names of the products are all highly scientific (they refer to ingredients, not results), so you’re left trying to decipher what the hell azelaic acid does. That’s where we come in.

Our editors went through hundreds of dollars worth of products from The Ordinary to narrow down what’s actually worth adding to your medicine cabinet. Here’s what they reported back with.

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