The Power of Simplicity: How The Ordinary's Marketing Captivated Millions

The Ordinary built a global skincare brand by making simplicity its marketing. It names products after their active ingredients and percentages, prices them affordably, explains the science in plain language, uses minimal clinical packaging, and lets community and word of mouth do much of the selling. That transparency made it one of the most successful skincare brands of the past decade: its parent company, Deciem, was fully acquired by Estée Lauder in 2024 in deals totalling around $1.7 billion.

In a category built on extravagant claims and complicated routines, The Ordinary did the opposite. Here's how its simple approach works and what other brands can learn from it.

Where The Ordinary came from

The Ordinary is the best-known brand from Deciem, the Canadian beauty company founded in 2013 by the late Brandon Truaxe. Truaxe believed consumers deserved to know exactly what they were putting on their skin and why, and The Ordinary was built on that principle: effective, ingredient-led skincare at prices that undercut most of the market.

Estée Lauder first invested in Deciem in 2017, became majority owner in 2021 and completed its acquisition in May 2024, with a total investment of around $1.7 billion. Estée Lauder places The Ordinary in its tier of brands with $500 million to $1 billion in annual net sales.

The Ordinary's marketing strategy: five elements

1. Products named after what's in them

Instead of evocative product names, The Ordinary uses the ingredient and its concentration, such as "Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%". Customers know exactly what they are buying, and the names double as search terms. The brand has continued to refine names for clarity, as its "Same Science. New Name" campaign shows.

2. Minimal, clinical packaging

Simple bottles, plain labels and no decorative excess signal that the money goes into the formula, not the packaging. The look is instantly recognisable on a shelf or in a bathroom selfie.

3. Honest pricing

The Ordinary's low prices challenge the assumption that effective skincare has to be expensive. The brand has also leaned into this message publicly, celebrating scientists over celebrity ambassadors to underline that customers aren't paying for fame.

4. Education over hype

The brand explains ingredients, how to use them and how to combine them, with guides and regimen tools on its website. Education builds trust and helps customers build routines, which encourages repeat purchases across the range.

5. Community and word of mouth

The Ordinary's products became a staple of skincare content on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, with creators and customers sharing routines and results. Because the products are affordable and clearly named, they are easy to recommend and easy to find.

The impact on the beauty industry

The Ordinary helped make ingredient-led, transparent skincare mainstream. Many brands now lead with active ingredients and percentages, publish fuller ingredient information and talk to customers as informed buyers rather than people to be dazzled.

What brands can learn from The Ordinary

• Clarity is a competitive advantage. If customers can understand what you sell in seconds, they can buy and recommend it more easily.
• Let the product do the talking. Packaging and naming can signal substance over style.
• Educate to build trust. Explaining how and why something works earns loyalty that hype can't.
• Make it easy to share. Simple, searchable names help word of mouth and creator content spread.
• Stay consistent. The Ordinary's simplicity runs through everything, from names and packaging to pricing and tone.

Premium and luxury brands can apply the same thinking without matching the price point: clear language, honest claims, genuine education and a consistent identity build trust at any level.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns The Ordinary?

The Ordinary is owned by Deciem, which Estée Lauder fully acquired in May 2024 after first investing in 2017.

Who founded The Ordinary?

The Ordinary was created by Deciem, the company founded in 2013 by the late Brandon Truaxe.

Why is The Ordinary's marketing so effective?

It is simple and transparent: products are named after their ingredients, prices are low, packaging is minimal, and the brand educates customers rather than relying on hype or celebrity endorsements.

What can premium brands learn from The Ordinary?

That clarity, honest claims and education build trust. Premium brands can use the same principles while keeping their own positioning and price point.

Build a clearer brand story

At 303, we help premium brands turn clarity and craft into content that builds trust. Talk to our social media team.