I Love The Ordinary, Here's Why

markowenpenrose

Feb 5, 2022

5 min read

About two years ago, I walked into a skincare shop because they were advertising free skin tests. At the time, I had never had a skincare routine, mostly because I couldn't be bothered but also because it had always seemed very expensive. It was only after being told by some lovely but dramatic french ladies that my skin was "veeerrry dry" and that *gasp* "I would have wrinkles by the age of 30" that I started looking into it. Since then, I have trialed and I have errored a lot, but I have finally found a skincare brand that I really really love: The Ordinary. I wanted to share it with you. It is truly ..... extraOrdinary *wheeze*.

About The Ordinary and why I like it so much

The Ordinary is a skincare company that has received huge accolades in the beauty industry and that has one of the greatest success stories in beauty of all time. The company's ethos is centred around providing the best quality skincare for the lowest possible prices, without compromising ethical values. Their aim has been to revolutionise the beauty industry, by stripping their products of expensive packaging and pushing the values of "clinical formulations with integrity". It specialises in providing functional beauty through the medium of materials chemistry and biochemistry; and they make sure their products are free of harmful chemicals, fragrances and parabens. They are also vegan and cruelty free!

In short, the price you pay for products by The Ordinary correlates to the quality of the formulas inside the bottles, rather than to the wasteful packaging, brand name, advertising costs or false promises that many other brands choose to promote instead. It's a no bullsh*t brand, where what you see is exactly what you get.

They are also owned by Deciem, who are a very respectable parent company. They own other skincare brands that have a similar ethos to The Ordinary, like Hyalamide and The Chemistry Brand, and they prioritise quality and ethics over profit. As an example, previously Deciem used to make huge profits from Black Friday Sales, where their skincare sales would skyrocket. But they decided that this was incredibly wasteful, because consumers would make snap decisions that would turn out to be mistakes. Instead Deciem have run promotions during the entire month of December, so that their customers would have time to think through a purchase without the stress and fear of missing out on relevant deals.

From an environmental perspective, The Ordinary is truly great! Many brands like Lush and The Body Shop have systems where returning five empty packages means you're then gifted a new product, but the packages are still plastic. At The Ordinary, every package is glass, meaning it can be recycled indefinitely and is the most sustainable way to sell skincare!

Finally, the price...What can I say? It is so affordable and yet the quality is ridiculously high! I am always looking for a bargain, and trust me then I say that this brand screams bargain. I have nothing more to say, the price range is between 5-10 euros and it is incontestable.

Done. Bosch. Stick it in the bag.

A little bit about some of the products

The first thing I'd like to mention is that, when it comes to skincare, natural ingredients are not always better. For example, chemical exfoliators are generally better for the skin than exfoliators which use natural ingredients like ground walnut shell. It is still important to go fragrance and paraben free, but many chemicals will do a fantastic job on skin.

This is by no means everything The Ordinary sells, but these are products that I would buy or that are very popular with consumers and skincare professionals.

For any skin type:

Squalane cleanser: This product is good for any skin type because it is a very gentle, everyday face wash. It takes makeup off very well, without feeling too stripping or too oily and it is great if you suffer from hypersensitive skin or rosacea.

Borage Seed Oil: This is a serum I use every night and I find it really hydrating. Is it essential? No, not really. But it does make my skin look very dewy and has really helped even out my skin tone; I'm one of those people that gets those annoying bumps underneath the skin that never become spots but also never want to leave (grrr).

Niacinamide + Zinc: Two very good ingredients, which are wildly praised by skincare professionals. They are great for sensitive skin, because they brighten it up and reduce redness. Also very good for those with combination to oily skin and for those that suffer from fungal acne, because Niacinamide helps regulate oil production rather than just stripping it.

Suncream: Always put suncream on! The Ordinary are coming out with a factor 50, which I am very excited to try. I have seen mixed reviews about the factor 30 with antioxidants, so maybe stick to a suncream that works for you for the time being and I'll update this blog once I try the new one. Do use suncream though!

For dry, sensitive skin:

Sidenote: A lot of these products will cover redness because it is usually a side-effect of this skin type.

Natural moisturising factors + HA (Hyalaronic Acid): Recommended by The Ordinary as the first step to any skincare routine, this product is especially important for those with dry skin, because it is a mixture of ingredients that are especially intended to moisturise. Probably the first thing to buy if you're new to The Ordinary and have dry to combination skin.

Lactic acid + HA: As an exfoliator, this acid combo helps break away dead skin cells from one's face and is the most mild of all The Ordinary's exfoliators. It is great for people with sensitive skin because it doesn't feel too stripping, unlike with other stronger exfoliating cleansers that leave my face feeling quite dry. Hyalaronic Acid has also been praised as one of skin's best friends (pretty much good for any skin type), so this is an ingredient worth looking out for.

For oily skin:

Salicylic acid 2% Masque: This cleanser is very very good for those who suffer from acne. It isn't the product I need for my skin type, but if you have oily skin then I would highly recommend trying this acid out because it is supposed to be one of the greats. It contains squalane, activated charcoal and amazonian clay, which are all products that have been known for working really well to clear break-outs.

AHA 30% + BHA 30% Solution: Stands for Alpha-hydroxy acid and beta-hydroxy acid (salicylic acid) and it is intense but apparently outstanding! This is amazing at unclogging pores, brightening your skin and making your skin feel completely smooth. It will reduce texture, redness, flakiness and is an all-round magical peeling solution. However, I would absolutely not recommend this for anybody who has dry or sensitive skin, or at least please tread with extreme caution because it may burn. If your skin is oily or combination, though, this is meant to be ridiculously good. If you have combination skin then I would be selective as to where you apply this solution.

It's most defining features are that it is blood red and you will feel it activating as soon as you put it on. As it is incredibly intense you should only do this once a week and keep this mask on for no more than ten minutes.