skincare can be an investment. facials and testing out new products are part of my monthly budget. in fact, i’d rather have glowing skin than a new handbag. however, with deciem’s new line, the ordinary, you can have both.
marketed as affordable products containing evidence-based ingredients, the line has skincare enthusiasts going nuts. i tried the vitamin c suspension first, and a few weeks ago grabbed the niacinamide and aha/bha peeling solution.
the main ingredients in all of the ordinary products are the exact same as those in cult brands like sunday riley and drunk elephant. the gag is, those brands cost 10 times the price.
my first question about the ordinary was, “do these products really work?” it depends. i’ll share a short review and three things you need to know about the brand.
3 things you need to know about the ordinary skincare:
keeping it simple can be a blessing and a curse.
with prices below $25, the ordinary is focused on active ingredients. nothing else. this means additives often used by luxury brands to help with a product’s application are missing.
a lack of “carriers” is my primary beef with the vitamin c suspension. without them, it goes on grainy and pills when applied with other products. plus, it claims to tingle, but actually burns like hell. i tried it for about a month, and the burning got better, but never went away. i switched to the paula’s choice 23% vitamin c suspension, and have been loving the application and results.
research active ingredients.
the website and number of products can be overwhelming. plus, unless you’re a chemist, names like magnesium ascorpyl phosphate are intimidating. before filling your online cart with a bunch of products, it’s important that you do your googles to figure out the benefits.
afterwards, i recommend testing one or two products at a time. this way, if you have an adverse reaction, you can figure out the culprit easier.
use the ordinary as dupes for your favorite products.
i started by comparing the active ingredients in luxury skincare products to the ordinary’s line. for example, i’d been reading reviews on drunk elephant’s tlc night serum, but hadn’t taken the plunge to buy it because it’s 90 cool dollars. it’s a 12% aha/bha blend that mixes acids used for exfoliation like glycolic, lactic, citric and salicylic.
the ordinary’s aha 30%/bha 2% peeling solution is not only a dupe for drunk elephant’s tlc, but it’s less than $10! stay tuned for a full review on this product.
i’m already loving the ordinary’s niacinamide ($6) which helps control oil and fade dark spots. after using it for just a few days, my skin is less oily and pores appear smaller. it’s a great dupe for glossier’s super pure ($28) and this skin inc serum ($45).
overall, i’m a fan of the ordinary. not every product is going to be a homerun, and that’s fine. what’s most important, is the opportunity to access high quality ingredients at affordable prices.
stay tuned for a full review on the niacinamide, aha/bha peeling solution and possibly the glycolic toner. you’ll notice a lot of the products sell out quickly, so put your name on the email list for an alert when they’re back in stock.
drop a note below if you’ve ever used any of the ordinary products!