This post may have affiliate links. Please see my full disclaimer for more information. All opinions are my own and I only recommend products and services I truly believe in and use myself. If you click on a link or make a purchase, I may get a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
If you haven’t heard of The Ordinary skincare line, you’re about to discover your next holy grail skincare products. I stumbled upon The Ordinary at Ulta about a month ago. I had never heard of the brand before, but I was intrigued by their simple packaging, low prices, and scientific approach to skincare. After doing some research, I picked up a few products to incorporate into my skincare routine and within a few weeks, I saw a massive improvement in my skin’s hydration, texture, and pigmentation.
As someone who is relatively new to skincare, I was intimidated at first by all the options in Sephora and Ulta. I just wanted products that worked at an affordable price. I thought the only way to get clear blemish-free skin was to spend a fortune on luxury skincare products. Let me tell you, when it comes to skincare, luxury prices don’t always equate to quality, and The Ordinary proves that time and time again.
What is The Ordinary?
The Ordinary is a skincare brand owned by the popular Canadian brand DECIEM and is founded on the principals of providing effective, affordable, and clinically proven skincare ingredients direct to their customers. They take a no-frills approach to skincare, so instead of loading their products with fragrance, dyes, fillers, and cool-sounding ingredients, The Ordinary provides pure skincare ingredients at effective doses so customers can curate a custom skincare regimen tailored to their specific needs. All of The Ordinary products are named for their active ingredients, so you know exactly what you’re getting. I love the transparency and integrity behind simply calling the products what they are instead of trying to sell to peoples’ emotions with buzzwords, name-dropping, and trendy ingredients that may or may not have any skincare benefits.
Reasons I Love The Ordinary Skincare
- Pure Skincare Ingredients at Effective Dosages and Affordable Prices
- Products Backed by Science and Integrity
- Vegan and they Don’t Test on Animals
-
Formulated free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone. (Check out The Ordinary About Page for more info)
- Customer Service is AMAZING
My Experience with The Ordinary
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
The Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum was the first product from The Ordinary that I tried because I was struggling with super dry skin. Within a week of using it, my dry spots were totally gone and my skin felt softer and more hydrated.
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
I started incorporating the Niacinamide 2% + Zinc 1% serum into my daily routine about two weeks after purchasing the Hyaluronic Acid serum, and even though I experienced a little bit of purging at first (purging is when your skin breaks out from pushing all the dead skin cells and sebum to the surface of the skin), after a week my skin calmed down and my acne started to dry up. I noticed my skin wasn’t as red and my pores appeared much smaller.
AHA 30% + BHS 2% Peeling Solution
I added the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution to my weekly skincare routine a week after starting the Niacinamide 2% + Zinc 1% serum. I was hesitant at first to try a peeling solution because I have sensitive skin, but I really wanted to clean up my textural irregularities, so I gave it a shot. After washing the solution off the first time, I could clearly see my skin looked brighter and the redness from some active breakouts had faded pretty significantly.
I’ve been steadily using The Ordinary products for over a month now and I’m insanely impressed by the quality. The chemists behind The Ordinary skincare produce some highly effective products that are worth every single penny!
Customer Service
The Ordinary has incredible customer service. I submitted a request through their contact form to ask what products they recommend for my skin type. I not only got a reply in under 24 hours, but the customer service rep also put together a daily and weekly skincare routine for me! After a bit of emailing back and forth about products, I can confidently say that the customer service representatives truly value integrity and putting their customers first.
I haven’t had the pleasure of going to a DECIEM store in person yet, but I’ve heard really positive things about the customer service reps in the brick and mortar stores as well.
Where to Buy:
You can purchase The Ordinary skincare products direct from the company’s website of course, but you can also find a good selection of The Ordinary products at your local Sephora or Ulta. Since the brand is still relatively new, it isn’t available at all locations just yet. If you can’t find The Ordinary at your local brick and mortar store, look for it online. I personally find that Sephora has a much better selection than Ulta.
Bottom Line: The Ordinary is Amazing
The Ordinary is definitely a refreshing skincare line because of their unique focus on providing effective and affordable products to their customers. As someone who struggles with a bunch of different skin issues and not a lot of money to fix them, I love that The Ordinary products are not only incredibly affordable, but also super effective. There’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to getting familiar with skincare ingredients and chemical jargon, but it’s well worth the education. Now I’m much more mindful of the products I put on my skin, and I love that I get to pick and choose the exact ingredients I want to use.
Shop The Ordinary
Have you tried The Ordinary skincare products? Let me know in the comments! I would love to know what products you’ve tried and how you like them. Stay tuned for more posts about skincare and all things lifestyle! Sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Pinterest and Instagram so you don’t miss a beat!
