Iย deliberatedย for ages over whether The Ordinaryย from Deciem deserves to be aย โBest Pickโย โ I found their customer service terribleย and I canโt stand theirย pseudo-science and exaggerated claims โ but they have a couple of gems that haveย made their way into my regular skincare routine. Theyโre the skincare equivalent of (now defunct) American Apparel โย plenty of hype, some truly excellent stuff, and idiocy that might just eventually sink the company. Clever gimmick and initial hype can only go so far.
Letโs start with theย good, shall we? I loveย the white and grey aesthetic of the packaging! Itโsย simple but in a pleasingly luxurious way. The products are both luxurious and incrediblyย affordable. Beautiful packaging andย key ingredients that would rival some expensive cosmeceutical brand on the marketing. And thatโs why itโs suchย a surprise when you see the prices โ theyย are $4.50โ17.80, and everything is boxed and perfectly presented. Itโs the glass-bottledย serums that I think are the best thing, though โย they layer very well and can easily fit into a routine (unlike the ones that come in a tube!). The beauty (or the downfall) ofย The Ordinary serums is theirย simplicity. Each features just 1 (max. 2) key ingredientย and itย isย quiteย clearly labelledย as to its concentration, purpose and effect.
This also brings me to the bad. I donโt trust โclinicalโ brands any more than I trust โall-naturalโ ones. The focus on delivery systems,ย use of science-yย jargon and chemical names, and listing percentages appeal to the wannabeย scientists and the skincare enthusiasts. It implies science without actually providing the necessary proofย of clinical studies and relevant data.ย Itโs a gimmick much like the fear-mongering appeal of โgreenโ brands, and one that I donโt appreciate. โClinical formulations with integrityโ, they state, bold statement when they have not provided evidenceย to support any of their clinical claims.ย Integrity is earned โ itโs not given just byย filling PR releases withย science-yย jargon. Deciemโs advert for The Ordinary implies integrity equals lowย price. Surely Deciemย remembers they also have otherย skincareย lines and theyโre significantlyย more expensive!?
Anyway,ย sidetracked. After testing a good number of Theย Ordinary for more than 6 months, my most favourite, perhaps unsurprisingly, happens to be as simple as a formulation can beย โย 100% Plant-Derived Squalaneย โย just one ingredient. The colourless, scent-less โoilโ (in quotation because squalane technically isnโt an oil) gives dry skin a major moisture boost without sitting heavy. I use it straight or mix a drop or 2 into my moisturiser or facial oil. It also works brilliantlyย at taming flyaways and smoothing dry ends without making roots lank and greasy. Itโsย identical in every way to HABAโs Squalane IIย but for a smallย fraction of the priceย โ ยฅ2,700 versus CDN$7.90 for 30ml.
I also like Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F.ย Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (a.k.a Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) is one of the mostย expensive vitamin C derivatives and The Ordinaryโs version, CDN$17.80 for 30ml,ย is barely more expensive than purchasing it as a raw ingredient. The oil serum is light enough to use in warmer weather but substantial enoughย really nourish and brighten the skin during the winter months. This isnโt for everyone โ those with oily, acne-prone skin might want to sidestep this โย but itโs a great option if youโreย curious to see what this form of vitamin C can do for your skin.ย Their otherย glass bottled serums that I tried, disappointingly,ย didnโt showย real, tangible results on my skin.
I canโtย wholeheartedly recommend The Ordinary.ย Ultimately, the brand is veryย aptly named, as it is quite ordinary โ a run-of-the-mill brand with a clever gimmick and some good products. Their customer service is some of the worst Iโve seen. Add to that their arrogant attitude when paying customers (products I have are aย combination of personal purchase, gift, and PR samples) do complain, and it just completely turns me off. I donโt care how cheap the products are, poor customer service is automatically a deal-breaker for me. Lots ofย companies push out similar products and do it better than they do. They arenโt as special as they think.
The Granactive Retinoid Emulsion 2% is misunderstood by many โ it contains both Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate and the standard encapsulated Retinol that is found in the other Retinoid formulations with Squalane. The 2% figure represents the combination of both HPR and regular Retinol %ww in the emulsion. HPR may or may not work, but the emulsion works because it still has standard Retinol, which comes right after HPR in the ingredients list.
The issue is that retinol is highly unstable. The lack of delivery system in place and their dropper bottle packaging (which lets air and light in) make their retinol very questionable. Personally, The Ordinary retinoid products arenโt something Iโd invest my time in.
MUAC mandelic acid peel has a bit sky high shipping rate for me so I was thinking on buying The Ordinaryโs 10% mandelic acid, seems to me that they have their own theory about the above 10% strength, kinda concerned it will be too low since the starting strength for MUAC is 25%, hm.
How do you feel about their Granactive Retinoid 2% serum? Wth is granactive?
Deciemโs flowery nonsense and marketing guff. Itโs Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, which is new and unproven. The only evidence showing it to have beneficial results comes from the manufacturer itself. There are no unbiased, independent clinical studies on it. Itโs not something Iโd bother using โ if itโs in serum that also contains established, proven actives, sure, but on its own like The Ordinaryโs, no.
I know this is primarily a Japanese beauty blog, but please do more reviews on Western skin care products (especially the more affordable ones)!!! Iโm always thrilled when you review a Western product because then I can actually get it without a lot of hassle.
iโm glad someone else agrees that their customer service to be horribleโฆ had terrible experiences with them too.
Great read. Do you find some vit. C derivatives superior to others or, again, it just varies skin to skin?
Yes, I feel it highly depends on your skin and expectation. Certain vitamin C derivatives have been shown to better target specific skin concerns than others.
Hi! Thanks for the in-depth review. This is awesome! I was looking for a review that questioned their big claims and separated the โfluffโ from the ones actually work.
Have you tried the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG? How do you find it and do you think thereโs a similar product that performs better? Many thanks!
Yes, like the majority of The Ordinary serums in dropper bottles, it had a nice texture that was easy to incoporate into any routines, but I saw no visible visible difference.
Have you tried the Alpha arbutin 2% + HA? if you have did you like it or can you recommend a japanese product that is similar if better?
I must say itโs really nice to see a down to earth review of the Ordinary, I find their pseudo-science kind of off putting too.
Yes, it had a nice texture and layered well, but it didnโt do a thing (good or bad) on my skin.
Hmmmโฆ I like their products and have a few. Maybe Iโve been reading different info than you (I found the Ordinary through Google and then read through their ingredients and site), but I donโt get why you would say they are pseudo-scientific. Perhaps you could elaborate so I can understand better? Iโm a science student so I can read a study but this isnโt my area (cosmetics and skincare is just a pet interest of mine.) Iโve looked at some (not all) of their products and many of them seem to have promising ingredients, some less so. I havenโt seen any advertising they may have so I didnโt realize they were trying to be super โsciencyโ, apart from the โclinicalโ label that all brands seem to throw around.
And I do agree that with so many great brands out there, why put up with bad customer service? But for me (on student loan) the low prices and solid ingredients of some of their serums are well worth it (btw, I order their products from another site that I use a lot, Well.ca, and I also havenโt needed to return anything because my purchases turned out well for me!) On the other hand, a brand like Paulaโs Choice which has superior customer service, is way outside of my budget. I would say that many of the ingredients chosen by the Ordinary (like niacinamide, vitamin C, retinol) are supported by a fair bit of science. Some of their products, like their anti-aging โBuffetโ serum are probably too bare-bones to do what they claim. In my opinion, using the retinol and/or niacinamide serums would be a far better anti-aging approach. I also really appreciate that they give the concentrations of these actives, along with the formulaโs pH on their site.
PS, I love your site and itโs a particularly invaluable resource for finding English ingredient lists for Japanese products. I also really enjoy your reviews. Thanks for all your great work! โค๏ธ
In my opinion, their โclinical formulations with integrityโ motto and the moral high ground they use to market the brand are hollow without providing any proof of relevant proof of clinical studies to any of their claims. For example, they (the brand and the Deciemโs CEO) constantly claim that exfoliating acids are inflammatory, but I have yet to see any sources โ in fact, itโs simply not true as BHA is anti-inflammatory. Niancinamideโs max effectiveness has always been at 5% but they sell theirs at 10% and critique others for not having a scientific basis. Almost every single product listing on their site contains unsupported and/or exaggerated claims. Yes, they do use scientifically proven ingredients (for the most part), but thatโs just a part of the big picture.
Did you try the azelaic acid suspension? Iโm considering getting it but it seems to be quite silicone heavy so Iโd love to hear your opinion of it.
Yes, Azelaic Acid Suspension and the Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate were the only 2 treatments/serums in tubes with textures that I didnโt mind. It felt significantly less silicone-y than the Retinol 1%, which to me felt like if I were to mix Aquaphor and silicone primer.
Iโm not entirely sure what Azelaic Acid Suspension actually does for my skin, even after finishing my tube. Maybe a brightening effect, but Iโm not entirely certain itโs due to that. Azelaic acid is a such a rarity in skincare products โ this is the only one that I can think of that itโs available without an Rx โ that I actually tried to repurchase to see whether I can see more definitive results (and that was also when the customer service fiasco happened).
Hi Ratzilla! Thank you for the review! I tried the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. I have acne-prone skin and was suffering from mild redness on my cheeks. I was worried that it would be acne rosacea and I wanted to try some Azelaic Acid product without a prescription. This 10% Azelaic Acid was cheap and easy to get, and it did work on my red cheeks.
Did you use the Azelaic Acid at morning or night? Iโve heard the texture is very silicone-y so Iโm concerned whether it would pill up or interfere with sunscreen.
I tried it only at night. Its texture is like most The Ordinary products that come in a tube โ very difficult to incorporate.
Hi, Ratzilla! I have acne-prone skin and the Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% has been good at dealing with and preventing acne so I was wondering how was the Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution? I am looking for something to replace my Biologique Recherche P50T so Iโve been looking into this. I hope itโs not like Pixi Glow Tonic cause I disliked that.
I also have the Vitamin C Suspension 13% + HA Spheres 2% (pilled when put on top of my serums + real oily) and Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (havenโt seen results yet). I guess my skinโs meant to be with acids!
I love the dispensing spout of the Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. It makes it super quick and easy to use. Iโve never tried Biologique Recherche or Pixi products, so I canโt really compare but I didnโt find it exfoliating compared other glycolic acid solutions of about the same strength. At least The Ordinary didnโt purposely add a repulsive scent to it like their Lactic Acid.
Thanks for sharing this! Finally got it and just wanna share that itโs great to use under serums or moisturizers. It actually made me appreciate the Vitamin C Suspension 23% since having damp skin makes the grit disappear.
I wondering about the โBuffetโ serumโฆ Did you tried it?
Yes, I did. It had a very nice skin feel and layered well. Aside from its slight moisturising effect, it didnโt do anything that I can see (and I finished my bottle).
Peptides on their own arenโt actually proven to work (and when they do, itโs unhelpfully little) and the serum is essential a peptide serum with some hydrating ingredient thrown in. Personally Iโm not inclined to invest my time, money, and skin into an โanti-ageingโ product that goes against current evidence (both my personal and the scarce research).
So, what anti-aging ingredients do you recommend? What products do you use in your doubting for anti-aging?
For me personally, retinoids, antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C), and sunscreen.
And about Matrixylโฆ This ingredient are not proven to work? Iโve seen it in other brands..
As far as I know, the only clinical evidence showing it to have beneficial results comes from the company that developed it. There are no unbiased, independent clinical studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals on it (the โgold standardโ), so it remains unproven. It could be a waste of time or could be something there. I personally wouldnโt use it. If itโs in serum that also contains established, proven actives, sure, but on its own, no.
You didnโt happen to try their Vitamin C Suspension 23%
+ HA Spheres 2%, did you? It looks promising but I couldnโt say for sure.
I did. For me, it was the worst out of all the ones Iโve tried. Its texture reminded me of those at-home microdermabrasion scrubs popular years ago, very oily and gritty.
oh gross. I was thinking of getting it for my neck and body since itโs cheap, but would the oil ruin my clothes?
It doesnโt actually contain oils. Itโs ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C) suspended in a boatloads of emollients, giving it a very odd filmy, and grainy feel. For me, it pilled everytime I tried to layered over other products (even The Ordinaryโs own stuff). I had to use it alone and it just sort of sat of top, never really completely absorbed. It would probably rub off and oxidise on your clothes.
Oh gosh, gross. Well, I hope if you find any affordable Vit C for body that you post about it. Thanks so much for always responding to comments! ^_^