By Hari Blanch Bennett
By subverting the traditional standards of the beauty industry, new skincare brand The Ordinary has gained legions of loyal fans. With minimal, unisex, pharma-inspired packaging, the brand’s focus is on the integrity of the clinical formulations it creates, at good value prices.
Let’s break down some of the game-changing approaches that have helped them disrupt the beauty industry:
Be Transparent: Don’t make extravagant claims
While many cosmetic companies still include misleading statements about the anti-ageing or beautifying results their products can yield, people are becoming increasingly cynical about such claims. The Ordinary makes few claims about what its products will do for your skin, the clinical ingredients speak for themselves.
*User generated content from Instagram
Lead With Science: Don’t make it an afterthought
The Ordinary’s ‘clinical formulations’ are exactly that; free from parabens, sulphates and mineral oils (i.e. fillers) they are focused on a few active ingredients. Aside from anti-aging cocktail Buffet the products are not descriptively named but just titled as per their contents i.e. Advanced Retinoid 2%. In combination with the scientific looking glass bottle with pipette, The Ordinary does the opposite of the patronising ‘here comes the science bit’ approach. Instead it is bold and puts science at the forefront of the brand.
Skip Celeb Endorsements: Let consumers be your champions
The Ordinary hasn’t yet partnered with any big names, celebrities or even models. Its runaway success has been propelled by word of mouth, and micro-influencers online. The brand is so strong that it inspires people to create content around the products. Furthermore, the user generated content looks professional. When your consumers are creating such great content there is less impetus to spend money on marketing. The choice not to show any models in The Ordinary’s content (mainly driven through Instagram) gives the user more space to implant themselves in the brand, and further encourages them to create their own content.
Credit Your Customer: Don’t spoon-feed them
The minimalist packaging only reveals the product’s active ingredients with little further explanation about what benefits it has for your skin. The onus is on the consumer to research what formula will be best for their skin prior to purchase. Putting your customer in control over how they treat their skin, and not preaching to them about what it will do is both revolutionary and refreshing.
Ignore the Drugstore: Look to new retail
Rather than partner with large drugstore and beauty chains to promote their products, The Ordinary instead recognised that online retail would offer a new route to market. When The Ordinary was launched on ASOS earlier this year, they exploded. Suddenly it seemed everyone was buying the products, and ASOS were keen to promote themselves as the home of future-facing and innovative skincare, as well as fast fashion.
In a short space of time, The Ordinary have totally changed the beauty game. By cutting through the patronising and hard-to-believe promises of other brands, they have staked a claim as a transparent, honest and innovative brand. We’re excited to see how other beauty brands will respond, and most importantly, what The Ordinary will do next.
By Hari Blanch Bennett, Kantar Added Value
