The Ordinary Skincare: A Deep Dive into Acne & Aging Solutions

You might have heard some buzz about the new skincare range The Ordinary and not really understood what it was all about. I didn’t get it at first glance. A few bloggers I read have posted about it recently- Sali Hughes, Caroline Hirons… proper skincare bods. It’s most intriguing.
The Deciem is the parent company that makes the Skincare ranges NIOD and Hylamide. The Ordinary is their new line of affordable Skincare with clinically effective concentrations of active ingredients and little else. It’s aimed at people who already have a decent grasp of skincare. The products are generally named after their active e.g. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% as opposed to something oblique like “Advanced Luminizing Gelée”. You have to put your thinking cap on a bit when shopping The Ordinary and do a bit of skincare homework.

What you need to know-

• Based in Canada but available in the U.K. From Ordinaries.com
• Affordable- their most expensive product is £14.90 and the cheapest £3.90
• They only do serums/creams which you choose based on the active ingredient (and a silicone based primer, this is the cheapest)
• Cruelty free
• Free from nasties like parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone

The Ordinary is a refreshing departure from norm. It’s totally transparent about it’s ingredients and doesn’t hide behind advertising and packaging.

My Experience of The Ordinary

I have acne prone skin with signs of sun damage and aging (mmm sounds lovely!) so I chose 4 products that I felt would help me. Deciem only recommends using up to 3 serums at one time but it was free delivery if you spent more than £25, so I got 4 to make it up.

The Ordinary serums come in matte glass bottles with rubber bulb pipettes. They feel sturdy and look more stylish than I was expecting. The Vitamin C formula comes in an opaque tube, possibly because Vitamin C oxides in sunlight. I was pleased and suprised with the quality packaging.

I chose

1. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% and Zinc PCA 1%– £5 for 30ml- Directions- Apply to entire face AM and PM before heavier creams. Targets- Regulates Sebum and minimises pores. This is a gloopy colourless serum. It has a slight scent of mothballs. It leaves a slightly sticky finish to the skin.
2. The Ordinary Buffet– a Multi-Technology Peptide Serum- £12.70 for 30ml- Directions- Apply to entire face in the AM and PM after cleaning. Targets- Surface hydration, fine lines, wrinkles, dynamic lines, textural irregularities. This contains a raft of clinically proven Antiaging peptides and amino acids. It is a clear fluid serum with no scent. The finish is tacky but it absorbs a bit better than the Niacinamide.
3. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% and Hyaluronic Acid 2%- £5.80 for 30ml- Directions- Apply once daily, ideally in the evening. Can be diluted until skin developed tolerance. Sunburn alert- use sunscreen when using this! Targets- Uneven tone, textural irregularities, fine lines. This serum smells very strongly of something unpleasant, fake tan possibly. It’s the colour of strong tea and again has a sticky feeling
4. The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% Hyaluronic Acid Spheres 2% – £4.90 for 30ml- Directions- Apply a small amount to face in the AM or PM. Expect tingling. Targets- Uneven Tone, signs of age. This looks like a cream but feels like an oil on application. It takes quite a long time to absorb and leaves a powdery finish. It has no scent.

I have taken to using the Niacinamide and the Buffet sparingly in the morning, they leave a shiny finish which isn’t great in the daytime. I use the Vitamin C in the evening and the Lactic Acid every other evening. It really doesn’t look great- my face is white and shiny. My husband gave me a quizzical look.

The Ordinary’s serums don’t have the same feel and finish as other more expensive skincare products, that much is true. I’m so impressed with the philosophy of this company that I almost don’t want to say anything negative about it. The percentage of active ingredients in The Ordinary’s products mean that there is a good chance that these serums will actually work, and that is what we should be focusing on.

I have only been trialling The Ordinary for a few short days. Too early to say whether they are effective surely. But I have definitely noticed an improvement. My skin appears to be smoother and brighter already. I’m going to give it a good trial and get back to you with the results. Here is the link to my The Ordinary Results Post, check out the awesome before and after pics.

For now I’d say- if you have a specific skin issue, check out The Ordinary website. It might have a solution.

(This post contains affiliate links but the products were bought with my own cash)