Out of the ordinary: How this beauty brand turned into an industry disruptor

After tearing back the curtain on product markups and unsubstantiated claims around the world, Nicola Kilner, co-founder of The Ordinary, tells us how the brand now has its sights set on India

It has grown increasingly difficult for any chatter around cult-favourite skincare brand, The Ordinary, to end without a glowing g statistic. Did you know that The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum sells every two seconds and that the brand moved more than 20,000 products during their launch weekend in India? Or that they clocked in an estimated sales of $460 million in 2021 despite pricing a majority of their products below $10? Or that brand tops lists worldwide, toppling over industry veterans like Dove and Bioderma? 

In the six years since its inception, The Ordinary has indeed gone where few brands have before, claiming loyal  patronage among celebrities—Kim Kardashian loves to slather on their Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion—and perhaps in a rarer feat, earning a nod of approval from Gen Z too. It is the kind of one-two punch that has sent the industry think-tank into overdrive.

Still those hoping to decode the brand’s formula for success might want to take a good long look at its tagline instead: ‘Clinical formulations with integrity’. This integrity propels them to adopt a pharmacy-inspired approach with transparency about ingredient concentrations. The brand chases a feverish fanaticism with results and manifests in a resolute refusal to use air-brushed models for campaigns, choosing instead to let user-generated before-and-after case studies to do the selling for them. As the brand launches its haircare portfolio in India, co-founder Nicola Kilner sits down with The Established to chat about its plans for India, dealing with copycats and why sulphates have been wrongly bastardised in the beauty industry. 

DECIEM is a household name globally but has only recently made a foray into the Indian market. How have you tailored your approach for the country?

India was, in fact, on our list of top ten countries way before we launched here. Since launching The Ordinary in 2016, we have spent the last few years trying to increase production. We had plans to launch in India just before the pandemic struck, and the conversation paused for a while. It feels fantastic to be back here in Mumbai and we have had an overwhelming response so far. On Instagram, it has always been one of our most asked questions:  ‘When are you coming to India?’ The first day of the launch had us selling 20,000 units and it was Nykaa’s most successful launch weekend ever. We sold out a lot of products, which is both good and bad, but they are back in stock now [laughs].

What can you tell us about your bestselling products here and why they work for the Indian market?

Our bestselling product in India, which is the same as every other country, is the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum—we sell one every two seconds. When we launched The Ordinary six years ago, there was awareness about retinol, vitamin C and glycolic acid. Still, niacinamide was relatively unknown, so to become the top seller everywhere now is phenomenal. However, what surprised me is that our Multi-Peptide Serum For Hair Density is a top 10 SKU globally, but in India, it is a top 5 SKU. Everyone in India has the most beautiful hair, and I always perceived that someone would buy this serum when they wanted thicker, fuller and longer hair. But in India, since there is a lot of focus on looking after one’s hair, this serum has been performing phenomenally. 

Can you walk us through the new haircare launch? 

We are launching the Sulphate 4% Cleanser For Body and Hair, which is interesting because sulphates are usually a controversial topic. We have always put science at the heart of everything we do, so when we looked at the best ingredient for cleansing, we found that sulphates are an incredibly mild and gentle surfactant for getting rid of dirt, pollution and grease. The problem, however, is with how people have been formulating it. Since consumers are used to lots of foam, most market-leading shampoos use sulphates between 12-14 per cent. When our science team and clinical labs were looking at sulphates, they came to the conclusion that 4 per cent is the optimal level of being an effective, functional cleaner for hair without over-stripping the hair. Sulphates aren’t an enemy if used in moderation—it all comes down to how we use it rather than the ingredient itself. 

We are not a trend-driven brand which works in our favour because you can become out of trend just as quickly. With The Ordinary, everything is based on science and facts, which is my sustainable brand strategy because when you are focused on backed-up truth, people can’t argue with it. Whereas when it’s storytelling, the next story comes along, and suddenly, you are old. I believe this is why there has been sustained growth and loyalty to our brand. You will never find a more effective skincare product for this price point— even more effective than products at higher price points. Since we don’t invest money in marketing, the money goes back into the formulations and people see results. Haircare is still new for us, but people trust the results and our approach to things. 

DECEIM's pricing strategy has been considered disruptive in the industry. What was the rationale behind it?

People usually believe the more you pay, the better the product is. But we take a lot of inspiration from the world of pharmacy. Wherever you go, paracetamol will cost between $1-5, regardless of which brand you buy. This is the approach we’ve introduced to skincare: Let's be transparent about the ingredients and concentrations so people become aware of the price points of the products. 

How do you think The Ordinary has contributed to a general rise in skincare savviness among consumers?

When you think back to ten years ago, you could walk into a beauty store and see a vitamin C serum for $5, $50 and $500. Despite working in beauty, it would be hard to tell the difference. And this is assuming that the product is even labelled as vitamin C and not a ‘miracle elixir’ or ‘anti-ageing serum’. As a consumer, how do you tell which one is worth the money? The Ordinary has always been transparent about naming products with the actual concentrations and I think it’s progress that more and more brands are talking about the ingredients and concentrations in their products, which makes the world of skincare a much better place. 

What can you tell us about consciously focusing on transparency and education through your packaging choices?

The simpler your design, the more complex it can be. One of the longest lead times in our design process was deciding which shade of white to use—bright white, dull white or pearl white? With the text, we had to decide what we wanted to communicate. We don’t use models for marketing because that gives everyone the wrong perception of beauty. If a brand does a before-and-after case study, they will likely pick the best example which may not be the average and most people will be disappointed. But users worldwide have generated our before-and-afters so that an aspiring consumer can see a more realistic range. We have always been conscious of this realism to ensure that we have a fair point of view. 

Given The Ordinary's cult status, it is a little surprising that it has inspired similar storytelling approaches in India. How do you deal with this as a brand?

A brand that launched 30 years ago had the privilege of going market by market. At the time, there was awareness in every country in our first year. This is incredible but when you launch in the market, you have to go through a different registration process for each country, which gives copycats time to crop up. But what works to our advantage is that people prefer to buy the original. You may be shopping at Zara because you can’t afford the couture version but in our case, since the price point is accessible and on par with the inspired brands, there is respect for us. 

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