Not Your Ordinary Skincare Brand
No frills, no fluff; just skincare. In an industry where flashy product marketing rules, The Ordinary’s from-lab-to-consumer philosophy is anything but the norm.
Once a seldom-known skincare company, The Ordinary has arrived into the mainstream with the help of rave TikTok recommendations, a loyal user base and a recent partnership with Ulta. The company has proven to be a disrupter in the skincare world by, pardon me, cutting the bull. Their mission is made clear on their website, “The Ordinary is born to disallow commodity to be disguised as ingenuity.” The brand focuses on creating products that work. They don't indulge in extravagant packaging and they provide essentially no product promotion, all of which allows them to avoid industry-standard, high-price markups on ingredients.
Now, I won’t pretend to be an unbiased party. I am unequivocally a stan of The Ordinary. In my skincare journey, I have grown tired of reading labels and googling ingredients to make sure a product was what it claimed to be. The Ordinary is straightforward with what their products are and has earned my trust. I have been using their products for years now, and in my experience, if they’re one thing, they’re effective.
I first heard of The Ordinary when I was scouring the internet, looking for ways to remedy my acne prone skin. I found the company through one of my trusted skincare YouTubers, Gothamista, and her budget-friendly skincare hauls. After hearing her review, my curiosity peaked and I took the plunge. I ordered my first products, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, and I never looked back.
You may notice that those product names don't exactly roll off the tongue. The Ordinary is serious about transparency in skincare. The company’s tagline is “clinical formulations with integrity.” While this bolsters trust with customers, it does unfortunately complicate the buying process. Since The Ordinary maintains clinical standards, navigating their website can feel like reading a foreign language.
The brand is daunting and takes a bit of skin care literacy, but with its accessible pricing and quality formulation, I think everyone should be able to see for themselves what the hype is about.
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Here are my tips for navigating their website and the products I swear by:
DO YOUR RESEARCH
This may seem arduous, but products with powerful and clinical formulations need to be chosen with informed decisions. With skincare, everything is very personal; what is one person’s holy grail product may be another's worst nightmare. I suggest starting with watching videos from Cassandra Bankson’s YouTube playlist dedicated to The Ordinary. She is a medical esthetician and provides in-depth and specific reviews. If this is too intense, then you can rely on the resources The Ordinary provides on their website. Check out their regimen guide and thoroughly read their product descriptions. You can also reach out directly with product and regimen concerns, and their customer service team will help pick what is right for your skin. Additionally, I always check the product reviews to get an idea of how others like the product.
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
The Ordinary’s website is organized by product type. If you have an idea of what you want to get out of a product, limit your search and focus in. For example, if you wanted something to hydrate your skin, narrow your search to the “Hydrators and Oils” and “Peptides” sections. Then, compare products within those sections to find your perfect fit. If you’re completely lost, then you look for “Sets” and opt for one of the three pre-made skincare sets the brand assembles.
sTART SMALL
If you’re like me, you may be a tad enthusiastic about the prospect of affordable and effective skincare. Even if you can afford half the website, I would recommend starting slow. Introducing too many new products into your routine can overwhelm your skin. It also can make it hard to pinpoint the individual effects of each product.
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Below, I’ve compiled a list of my go-to skincare products from The Ordinary. For reference, I have normal to combination skin and my focus is hydrated, even skin.
100% COLD-PRESSED VIRGIN MARULA OIL ($9.90)
This oil is a dupe for the $72 Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. It hydrates beautifully and soaks into the skin quickly. I mainly use this oil at night, but it can be used in the a.m. as well. It can also be used as a hair oil.
"BUFFET" ($14.80)
This is a multi-peptide serum that helps with collagen production and fixing the signs of aging. I use it as a daily hydrator in my morning routine because it works well under makeup and leaves my skin plump. While I do enjoy the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum, I switched it out for the “Buffet” because it is less sticky and I notice a visible hydration to my skin.
GLYCOLIC ACID 7% TONING SOLUTION $8.70
This is an acid exfoliator that is meant to increase clarity and radiance, while also improving skin texture. This product is a must-have for me because it delivers on those promises. I only use this product once every three nights. It is a powerful acid and there is a tingling sensation, so be gentle.
Lastly, my tried and true. This product is described as a “high strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula” that is supposed to reduce the appearance of blemishes and congestion. For me, this product has helped to keep breakouts at bay and to reduce the appearance of my pores. I even got my own mother to try this product out.
Try for yourself and see if The Ordinary lives up to its name, or is something extraordinary.
Strike Out,
Writer: Caroline Webb
Editor: Jolie Freedman
Gainesville