Before the awards and accolades, even before The Ordinary skincare began, our most-loved products started life as simple ingredients: well-regarded in the industry but not particularly well-known to consumers.

Then, a small team of scientists started asking why. If these ingredients were so good, why didn’t more people know about them?

So, they got to work.

Sample after sample, test after test, a small team of scientists formulated and reformulated to find an optimal balance between potency and price.

You might know them better as Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5.

Our original formulations. Their journey from our shelves to yours.

When we started The Ordinary, we had one goal: democratize skincare and put science in the spotlight. Starting with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, we decided to label our first formulations by the percentage of their active ingredient.

What started out as notes on a page quickly transformed into samples on a shelf, before becoming community-favourites and award winners.

Eight years later and our starter serums continue to evolve with the reformulation of Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and Niacinamide 5% Face & Body Emulsion.