For those unfamiliar with the brand, the ordinary is a popular skincare line that uses simple designs for their packaging, and scientific chemical names for their products. This marketing strategy has worked immensely well for them. For most people, in most skincare, it is difficult to discern what is in each product you are using, and to place specified benefits of each ingredient of what you are using. The ordinary is built to simplify this, simply listing exactly what each product is explicitly, so you know exactly what you are getting.
The sleek and simple design of their packaging draws many consumers in. Many people view this “lack of focus on design” as a beneficial trait, emphasizing the brands focus on quality and transparency. Personally, I don’t think it is as much of a “lack of focus” on design as a new take on a very thought out and deliberate style.
While there is avid support for this brand and business model, there are also critics. Such critics question the validity of the science and think it is simply a ploy appealing to the scientific language that their consumers won’t understand or care to look up, blindly following the smart sounding marketing. Some also criticize the packaging, saying it looks either too boujee or too cheap.
The praise for the brand, however, greatly outweighs the criticism. With prices ranging from $4.50 to $31.00, it is commended for being revolutionary: the first brand to bring high-end active ingredients to people at affordable prices, making quality skincare available for everyone.
