The Ordinary — Skincare That Actually Tells You the Truth

 

If there is one thing that drives me absolutely crazy about the beauty industry, it is how much of it feels like a scam. Overpriced serums with vague promises, luxury packaging hiding mediocre formulas, and celebrity faces slapped on products that cost $80 more than they should just because someone famous smiled holding them. 

So when I discovered The Ordinary, it honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. No celebrity endorsements, no magic ingredients with made-up names, no nonsense. Just real, science-backed skincare at prices that don't make you cry at checkout. I knew I had to write my Social Listening blog post about them, because frankly, the way this brand does marketing is just as interesting as the products themselves.

So, what is The Ordinary? 

The Ordinary was founded in 2016 by Brandon Truaxe under parent company Deciem, with a mission to shake up the beauty industry by offering clinical formulations with genuine integrity.  Instead of chasing glamorous packaging and celebrity endorsements, the brand focused on education, transparency, and accessibility and that approach won them loyal customers all over the world. Their products are literally named after their ingredients like Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% or Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, which sounds intimidating at first but is actually the whole point: you know exactly what you are putting on your face, no mystery, no fluff. Today, Deciem is valued at approximately $3.6 billion following Estée Lauder's full acquisition in 2024, and theordinary.com alone pulled in $113.6 million in online revenue that year. Not bad for a brand that refuses to hire a celebrity spokesperson. The link to the official website can be found here: The Ordinary

Three Big Things Happening on Social Media 

1. People Cannot Stop Talking about the Price

Across Instagram and Tiktok, the most common thing you see is people genuinely shocked that these products work as well as they do for the price. Instagram creator @demarkologist posted a reel about The Ordinary Glycolic Acid calling it a "$13 liquid miracle" that works on your face, scalp, arms, lips, basically head to toe. The comments were full of people tagging friends and sharing their own results. The video link can be found here: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid

2. The "Truth Should Be Ordinary" Digital Archive 

In January 2025, The Ordinary launched a free digital archive called "The Truth Should Be Ordinary," busting common skincare myths about parabens, natural ingredients, animal testing, and more, launched alongside their new GF 15% Solution.The campaign was built around the idea that scientific knowledge should be accessible to everyone, especially when misinformation spreads easily because real research is often locked behind paywalls. It felt less like a marketing campaign and more like a public service which is exactly why it worked so well. The link to this campaign can be found here: "Truth Should Be Ordinary"

3. The Periodic Fable YouTube Video

The Periodic Fable is a 60-second dystopian film directed by Olivia De Camps where a classroom full of students dressed in white appear completely hypnotized, chanting beauty buzzwords and re-enacting viral skincare trends like "ice rolling" and "morning shedding"  until one student rips off their blindfold and walks toward a projection of The Periodic Fable table.

Social Media Social Media Presence and Engagement 

The Ordinary has 3 million Instagram followers and 1.6 million TikTok followers, with over 20 million annual Google searches. The brand posts a strategic mix of educational content, ingredient spotlights, tutorials, and occasional humor especially on TikTok, where it leans into funny teaser videos to connect with its Gen Z and millennial audience. A viral campaign featuring their AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution generated over $1 million in sales in just a few weeks, demonstrating the brand's ability to convert social media engagement into real revenue. The brand also posts consistently and responds actively to comments for both positive and negative, giving it a community feel that larger luxury brands often struggle to replicate.

Marketing Analysis 

From a marketing perspective, The Ordinary is doing something genuinely sophisticated while appearing effortlessly simple. Rather than just promoting a product, their campaigns reposition the brand from a product-driven company to a thought leader. The brand is also masterful at storytelling, every campaign tells the same story: the beauty industry is misleading you, and we are the honest alternative. That consistent narrative builds powerful brand recognition over time. The brand's biggest marketing challenge right now appears to be maintaining growth momentum while competitors increasingly copy its transparent, minimalist approach. Despite having over 20 million annual searches, The Ordinary saw a 33% year-over-year decline in search interest in 2024. 

Reference Link: BeautyMatter

If I were the Brand Manager....

If I were managing The Ordinary's social media strategy, I would push the brand to invest more in personalized content, specifically, interactive tools and short-form videos that help consumers build their own routines based on skin type and concern. While the educational content is strong, there is an opportunity to make it feel more personal and less clinical for newer customers who are intimidated by the ingredient-heavy branding. I would also explore community challenges on TikTok, for example, a "30-day ingredient spotlight" series that encourages users to document their results with a specific product, generating a wave of authentic UGC. Beyond social media, partnering with dermatologists for verified, co-branded educational content would further cement the brand's credibility and help it stand out as the search interest decline becomes a longer-term concern. 

I came in thinking I was just writing about a skincare brand I like and walked away realizing that The Ordinary has built one of the most intentional and consistent brand strategies in the entire beauty industry. Their refusal to use celebrity endorsements is not just an ethical stance, it is a marketing decision that immediately differentiates them and reinforces everything they stand for. As someone who loves skincare and wants to understand marketing, The Ordinary is basically a masterclass in how to build trust, spark conversation, and make your values do the selling for you.