Where The Ordinary Was Founded: Toronto and DECIEM

In 1787 four French chemists, Lavoisier among them, published the Méthode de nomenclature chimique, and the first thing they complained about was names. One substance could carry more than ten, and none of them told you what was inside. Their rule was simple. Each substance gets one name, and the name describes what it is made of. Sulfuric acid, for instance, is named for sulfur. It sounds obvious now, which is the sign it worked.

The Ordinary is that rulebook translated for a bathroom shelf. It launched in August 2016 as the 11th brand under DECIEM, the company Brandon Truaxe founded in Toronto in 2013, with about 27 products, and the products are named for what they contain: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner. Its own about page says the idea was to challenge the beauty industry with high-quality skincare. The Estée Lauder Companies first invested in DECIEM in 2017 and bought the rest in May 2024, and the label still says exactly what is in the bottle. That is the whole reason to like an ordinary brand with a plain name.

The trick is to read the name as a set of instructions, and grid one is the acid shelf where that matters most. The Glycolic Acid 7% toner is the daily one. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is the strong one, and I would not start there. Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% and Mandelic Acid 10% + HA are the gentler options. The Salicylic Acid 2% Solution and the Salicylic Acid 2% Masque are for congestion, the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is for redness, and the Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner rounds out the shelf.

Start with the moisturizer that matches how your skin feels at four in the afternoon, not how it looked at breakfast. Tight and dull means it wants water and lipids. Shiny and comfortable means it wants a lighter layer.

The Ordinary makes that choice easy because the Natural Moisturizing Factors line comes in three versions. The Daily Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid is the middle option, the PhytoCeramides one is the rich cream, and the Beta Glucan Gel is the lightweight one. The Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum went under all of them and is one of the products that built the brand's name. The 100% Plant-Derived Squalane is the single-ingredient option, and the Rice Lipids + Ectoin Microemulsion is the modern cream with the odd name.

The Multi-Active Delivery Essence and the Soothing & Barrier Support Serum are the two I would keep for a bad week, when skin has been over-treated and stings at the sink. A pairing I like: the B5 serum first, then whichever moisturizer suits the season, and nothing else.

What I would skip: a peeling solution on skin that already stings when you wash your face. Fix the comfort first with this group, then go back to the acids.

One rule for brightening: change one thing at a time, because tone is slow and you will never work out what helped if you swap three products in a month.

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the obvious place to start. It launched with the brand in 2016 and, by the brand's own account, it is one of its most-loved products. The Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion takes the same ingredient to bigger areas, and Alpha Arbutin 2% + Hyaluronic Acid is the one aimed at hyperpigmentation. For vitamin C, the brand gives you two strengths: the Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres for skin that tolerates a lot and the Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% for skin that does not. The Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum adds ginseng, and Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% leans on antioxidants rather than exfoliation.

The Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Solution is the specialist, built for post-acne marks rather than general dullness. A pairing I like: the ascorbyl glucoside in the morning under a plain moisturizer, the niacinamide at night, and one new product at a time.

What I would skip: the strong vitamin C on the same night as an acid. Both are asking your skin for a lot, and neither improves for the company.

A rule for retinoids: they live at night, and they live alone for the first few weeks. Add nothing else to the routine the week you begin, and let the skin tell you how much it can take.

This group is where The Ordinary gets into anti-aging, and it splits into peptides and retinoids. Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% and Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid are aimed at firmness and elasticity, and Argireline Solution 10% and Matrixyl 10% + Hyaluronic Acid at fine lines. Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is the one to begin with. The Retinal 0.2% Emulsion is the higher-strength nighttime option, and the one I would move to after the skin is comfortable.

The eye area gets two specialists. The Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG serum is for puffiness and dark circles, and the Multi-Peptide Eye Serum is for crow's feet. A pairing I like: the caffeine serum in the morning and the peptide eye serum at night, so the area around your eyes gets two small jobs and no extra bottles.

What I would skip: starting a retinoid the same week as a peeling solution. Both are strong, and the results are slow either way, so there is no prize for hurrying.

I think the smartest thing to do with a brand that names its products for their ingredients is to actually read the names. Start with one acid or one hydrator, not four actives, and let the label tell you what each bottle is for. If your skin leans dry, begin with the moisturizers before you touch an acid. Add niacinamide or vitamin C once skin has settled, and keep the peptides and retinoids for last, since they work over months. Lavoisier wanted a name to tell you what was inside the jar. Somebody finally did it for skincare.