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The thought of international beauty brands excites one and all, right? A brand that’s amongst the toprankers? The Ordinary. Everyone’s go-to and trusted brand across the globe, The Ordinary pioneered the art of curating target-focused single-ingredient formulations and it has marched on to specialise it. With an impressive line-up of products – cleansers, serums, moisturisers, masks and hair care too – The Ordinary is your one-stop shop for all things skincare – being as efficacious as it can get. There’s good news for each one of us beauty aficionados who’d desperately wait for relatives to bring in boxes and boxes of all things The Ordinary; it’s finally arrived in India and that certainly calls for some celebration. It was about time that international brands correctly gauged the potential and demand of the Indian markets and made their way into it. Stoked about the brand’s arrival, we chat with Purdvi Kaka and Nicola Kilner who throw light on some very interesting things. Keep scrolling.
The Germination
“When we launched The Ordinary in 2017 our founder Brandon Truaxe set out to bring integrity and transparency to an industry traditionally plagued with false advertising and overly priced commodity ingredients. We disrupted the market by doing everything others did not and we definitely did not expect the popularity that followed. Word of mouth has been our biggest brand driver and to be able to generate global conversations between communities surrounding clinical ingredients, and science based formulations was an outcome we are very proud of. Since our inception audiences have become more educated on what they are putting on their skin, and the honest price point that should come with that,” cites Nicola. “From where I stand, The Ordinary’s uncomplicated approach to skincare has disrupted the global beauty industry,” adds Prudvi.
The Rise To Fame
“We were watching brands, big and small, continue to disguise commodity innovation for ingenuity through creative use of packaging, communication and pricing. In the world of beauty you could easily find virtually the same formulations ranging from €5 to €500+,” tells Prduvi. “The Ordinary was designed to communicate with authenticity and integrity, and bring to market effective, familiar and scientific-led technologies at an honest price point. We set out on a mission to be transparent with the customer, and have since seen them become more aware of ingredients and what they are putting on their skin, educating themselves on their skin type, concerns and how to use certain ingredients,” he adds. In my belief, it is this very approach, the foundation of the brand, that has transported its benefits to every skincare addict. It goes without saying that the affordable price point (especially, for such well-researched and potent products) has also played an influential factor in the brand’s growth and expansion.
The Reign Of One-Ingredient Skincare
“With multifaceted formulas it’s often difficult for consumers to know which ingredient their skin is benefiting from. Single ingredient offerings allow people to target specific concerns or to slot ingredients in seasonally,” believes Prudvi, who highlights the significance of one-ingredient skincare for us. “The Ordinary’s honest pricing also allows for exploration, as does the wealth of information available for such ingredients. The brand is not a mass-market brand and it targets a very educated audience irrespective of budget who understands ingredients and does not allow marketing to win over science. In fact, educating our customers about each active ingredient and its benefits as well as its contradictions is something we have done since day zero. We want to arm our customers with a host of information that will help them understand the science of skincare and achieve their beauty goals through our targeted formulations,” he adds.
The Ordinary’s Launch In India
“We are so excited to finally launch in India. We’ve experienced an increasingly growing appetite for The Ordinary products in India, with the market ranking relatively high in our DTC eCommerce traffic however long delivery times and high custom fees have made it hard for our audience to purchase our products. Our partnership with Nykaa, allows us to broaden distribution and reach even more of our audience, while allowing brand storytelling in a market where there is currently no bricks and mortar presence,” shares Nicola.
Products To Watch Out For
If I were to pen down my favourites – which is very, very difficult, btw – I would recommend Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% for pores and texture, Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG for fatigued and pigmented under eyes and Salicylic Acid 2% Masque for cleaner, smoother skin. All of these products address common concerns faced by the Indian skin. Prudvi shares his recommendation for us, “Part of the magic of The Ordinary is that it belongs to everyone. Some of the products I see working well for the Indian consumer would be The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, a gentle cleansing product that aims to remove facial impurities without stripping the skin of essential components that help to retain moisture. Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic Acid, is also extremely multifaceted and multifunctional. It has been shown to support antioxidants within the skin which can help with evening out skin tone, and improving skin brightness. Finally, for those with blemish-prone or congested skin, The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque has been proven to show great results.” “I don’t have a favourite product...but if I was to choose an ingredient it would be Copper, and my regimen is never without Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%,” says Nicola.
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