Key Takeaway
Eveline vs The Ordinary niacinamide: same 10% active, different price. Compared on real BigBasket.pk prices, cost per ml, texture and which one wins for each skin type in Pakistan.
Eveline vs The Ordinary is the cheapest useful argument in Pakistani skincare right now, because both brands sell a 30ml niacinamide serum at almost the same strength for almost the same money. The Eveline Serum Shot 10% Niacinamide Zinc is PKR 2,800. The The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is PKR 3,195. That is a PKR 395 gap for what looks, on the label, like the same product. It is not quite the same product — and the differences are about texture, transparency and what else you can buy alongside it, not about the headline percentage. Here is the honest comparison, on real BigBasket.pk prices, for skin in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
Eveline vs The Ordinary: The Niacinamide Serums Compared
Both are 30ml. Both put niacinamide at 10% with zinc alongside it. Both are water-light dropper serums aimed at oil control, enlarged-looking pores and post-acne marks. On the active, there is genuinely very little between them — 10% niacinamide is 10% niacinamide, and anyone claiming to feel a difference in the percentage is telling you a story.
Where they separate is everything around the active. The Ordinary publishes its formulas in obsessive detail and its serum has been picked apart by dermatologists, chemists and a decade of reviews — it is, by a huge margin, the most-viewed skincare product on BigBasket.pk. Eveline is a large Polish manufacturer with a much lower profile in English-language skincare discussion. It is not a lesser product for that, but you are buying with far less third-party information.
The practical difference most people notice is finish. The Ordinary's Niacinamide is famously tacky — it grips, and in Karachi humidity it can pill under sunscreen if you layer too fast. That is the single most common complaint about it and it is legitimate. At roughly PKR 106 per ml versus PKR 93 per ml, Eveline is the cheaper millilitre either way.
| Eveline Serum Shot | The Ordinary | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (30ml) | 10% Niacinamide Zinc — PKR 2,800 | Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% — PKR 3,195 |
| Cost per ml | About PKR 93 | About PKR 106 |
| Niacinamide strength | 10% with zinc | 10% with 1% zinc |
| Texture and finish | Light dropper serum, layers without much grip | Water-thin but noticeably tacky; can pill under sunscreen |
| Formula transparency | Limited public documentation and review history | Full INCI published; over a decade of independent review |
| Supporting range at BigBasket.pk | Peel Shot 15% Glycolic PKR 2,800, HA Serum Shot PKR 2,800, Caffeine Serum Shot PKR 2,790, Facemed+ face wash PKR 1,270 | Salicylic PKR 3,250, HA + B5 PKR 3,890, Retinol PKR 3,950, Alpha Arbutin PKR 5,050, Peeling Solution PKR 4,580 |
| Best for | Beginners, tight budgets, humid weather layering | Anyone who wants a documented formula and a deeper active range |
| Value verdict | Cheaper per ml and cheaper to build a routine around | Costs PKR 395 more, and mostly earns it on transparency |
Prices correct as of July 2026. Cash on Delivery available across Pakistan.
The Case for Eveline
Eveline is the value answer and it is not close. PKR 2,800 buys the same headline active as the market leader for PKR 395 less, and its Serum Shot line is priced with a consistency The Ordinary cannot match — the Serum Shot 2% Hyaluronic Acid at PKR 2,800 and the Serum Shot 5% Caffeine at PKR 2,790 sit at essentially the same price as the niacinamide. Compare that to The Ordinary, where the equivalent Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is PKR 3,890. Eveline lets you build a three-serum routine for what two Ordinary bottles cost.
Add the Facemed+ Face Wash Gel with Aloe Vera at PKR 1,270 and you have cleanser plus niacinamide serum for PKR 4,070 — a complete, honest starter routine that a student in Multan or Peshawar can actually afford. The equivalent Ordinary pairing, Salicylic Acid 2% Solution plus the niacinamide, is PKR 6,445. Browse the Eveline brand page and the pattern holds across the line.
The honest weaknesses. Eveline gives you much less information — you cannot audit its formula the way you can The Ordinary's, and there is no meaningful body of independent testing to fall back on. Its Peel Shot 15% Glycolic Acid at PKR 2,800 is a strong acid sold with light guidance, which is a risk for beginners. Community knowledge is near zero — if it does not suit you, nobody on a forum can tell you why. And the brand carries a whitening line we would steer you away from entirely; skin-lightening claims are not something we will recommend, and niacinamide is a better and more honest tool for evening out post-acne marks than any product promising to change your complexion.
The Case for The Ordinary
You are paying PKR 395 more for knowledge, and that is a more defensible purchase than it sounds. The Ordinary publishes its full ingredient list, states its pH where it matters, tells you what conflicts with what, and has been tested by more people than almost any serum on earth. When something goes wrong with it, you can find out why in five minutes. That is worth PKR 395 to a lot of people.
The range is also deeper where it counts. Nothing in the Eveline line at BigBasket.pk matches Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA at PKR 5,050 for pigmentation or Retinol 0.2% in Squalane at PKR 3,950 for texture and fine lines. If you start on niacinamide and want to grow a real routine over a year, The Ordinary's serum and treatment range has somewhere to go. Eveline's, at this catalog, does not.
The weaknesses are genuine. It is PKR 395 more expensive for the same headline active. The texture is tacky and it pills — in Karachi, where you are applying it onto damp skin and then sunscreen on top, that is a daily annoyance, not a theoretical one. And The Ordinary hands you no guidance whatsoever: its Peeling Solution AHA 30% + BHA 2% at PKR 4,580 is the most misused product in Pakistani skincare, bought by beginners who leave it on too long and end up with a chemical burn. Eveline never tempts you into that mistake because it never sells you a 30% acid in a red bottle that looks like a face mask.
How to Use Niacinamide in Pakistan's Climate
Niacinamide is one of the easiest actives to use and one of the easiest to waste, and the difference is almost entirely technique. Apply it to clean, dry skin — genuinely dry, not towel-damp. In Karachi, where your face is rarely fully dry, this is the single most important instruction in this article, because damp skin plus a tacky serum plus sunscreen is exactly the pilling everyone blames The Ordinary for.
Three or four drops covers a face. Niacinamide has a ceiling: doubling the dose does not double the effect, it just empties the bottle in six weeks instead of twelve. Start once a day, in the evening. If your skin is calm after a fortnight, add a morning application under sunscreen — and if you are in a humid month, keep it to nights only and save yourself the pilling entirely.
Follow with a moisturiser suited to the season: something light in a Karachi summer, something richer from our moisturiser category in a Lahore or Islamabad winter. Niacinamide is not a moisturiser, and using it as one is why some people find it "does nothing but make my face tight".
Keep it away from strong acids on the same night while you are new. If you own the Eveline Peel Shot 15% Glycolic Acid at PKR 2,800 or The Ordinary's Salicylic Acid 2% Solution at PKR 3,250, alternate nights rather than layering. And store either serum out of direct sun — a windowsill in Multan or Peshawar in June will degrade a serum faster than the expiry date suggests. None of this is brand-specific: it applies identically to the PKR 2,800 bottle and the PKR 3,195 one.
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Which Should You Buy?
Your first ever serum on a tight budget → Eveline. Serum Shot 10% Niacinamide Zinc at PKR 2,800 does the same job for PKR 395 less, and pairing it with the Facemed+ face wash at PKR 1,270 gives you a full starter routine for PKR 4,070.
Oily, acne-prone skin in Karachi humidity → The Ordinary, but layer slowly. Niacinamide at PKR 3,195 plus Salicylic Acid 2% at PKR 3,250 for PKR 6,445 treats the acne and the marks together — nothing in the Eveline range at BigBasket.pk covers the BHA side. Give the niacinamide a full minute to dry before sunscreen or it will pill.
Dry skin, Lahore or Islamabad winter → Eveline. Serum Shot 2% Hyaluronic Acid at PKR 2,800 undercuts The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 at PKR 3,890 by PKR 1,090 for a very similar job, and the Eveline niacinamide layers under a moisturiser without the grip.
You want to build a serious multi-year routine → The Ordinary. Start at PKR 3,195 on the niacinamide, then add Alpha Arbutin at PKR 5,050 for pigmentation and Retinol 0.2% at PKR 3,950 for texture. That progression does not exist on the Eveline side of our serums and oils category.
Puffy or tired under-eyes → Eveline. The Serum Shot 5% Caffeine at PKR 2,790 has no counterpart in The Ordinary range we stock. It is the clearest single-product win for Eveline in this comparison.
Absolute beginner, easily tempted by strong actives → Eveline. Not because the serum is better, but because The Ordinary will sell you the Peeling Solution at PKR 4,580 in the same cart, and you are not ready for it.
How to Spot Fakes
The Ordinary is one of the most counterfeited skincare brands in Pakistan, and the niacinamide is the most counterfeited product in it, because it is the volume seller. Genuine bottles have thin, evenly spaced label type, a properly frosted glass dropper, and a batch code that matches between the carton and the bottle. If the liquid is cloudy or smells of anything, it is not right. Anyone selling it for a few hundred rupees against our PKR 3,195 is selling you water.
Eveline is faked less often, mostly because the margin is thinner — which is a quiet argument in its favour. Still, check the Polish-language regulatory text and the print quality on the carton; genuine Eveline packaging is crisply printed and the Serum Shot cartons are sturdy. Everything on BigBasket.pk from both brands is imported directly and 100% authentic, and Cash on Delivery across Pakistan means you inspect the box before you pay.
Common Mistakes
The most common one is expecting niacinamide to work like an acid. It does not. It works quietly over eight to twelve weeks on oil, texture and post-acne marks, and if you judge it at week two you will conclude both brands are useless. The second is layering The Ordinary's niacinamide onto wet skin and immediately applying sunscreen — that is the pilling, and it is a technique problem, not a formula problem. The third is running the Eveline Peel Shot 15% Glycolic Acid and a niacinamide serum on the same night as a beginner. Alternate them. The fourth is buying on the percentage: 10% is the same 10% in both bottles, and choosing on price, texture and what else you will need next is a smarter way to spend PKR 2,800. Both sit alongside the rest of our skincare range if you want to compare more widely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Eveline niacinamide as good as The Ordinary?+
On the active itself, yes — both are 10% niacinamide with zinc in 30ml. Eveline Serum Shot 10% Niacinamide Zinc is PKR 2,800 versus PKR 3,195 for The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. You pay the extra PKR 395 for The Ordinary's published formula and its far deeper review history, not for a stronger product.
Which niacinamide serum is cheaper in Pakistan?+
Eveline. At PKR 2,800 for 30ml it works out at roughly PKR 93 per ml, against PKR 3,195 for The Ordinary at about PKR 106 per ml. Prices correct as of July 2026.
Does The Ordinary niacinamide pill under sunscreen?+
It can, especially in Karachi humidity. The serum has a tacky finish, so apply a thin layer to dry skin and wait a full minute before sunscreen. If pilling keeps happening, the Eveline Serum Shot at PKR 2,800 layers with less grip.
How long does niacinamide take to work?+
Give either serum eight to twelve weeks of daily use before judging it. Niacinamide works gradually on oil, texture and post-acne marks, and it will not deliver an overnight change from any brand.
The Bottom Line
If you want the cheaper millilitre and a routine you can actually afford to complete, buy Eveline — PKR 2,800, and PKR 4,070 with the face wash. If you want a formula you can look up, argue about and grow into with arbutin and retinol later, pay the extra PKR 395 for The Ordinary. Neither is a mistake, and the PKR 395 gap is not what will decide whether your skin improves; daily sunscreen and eight consistent weeks will. Both brands are stocked at BigBasket.pk, 100% authentic and imported directly, with Cash on Delivery nationwide to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Multan. Compare the The Ordinary range side by side with Eveline and buy the bottle you will finish.
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Written by
BigBasket Team
Our beauty and skincare experts at BigBasket.pk write evidence-based guides tailored for Pakistan — covering the products, ingredients, and routines that work best for South Asian skin types, Pakistan's climate, and every budget.
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