New to The Ordinary? Here’s Where to Start
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Confused about which The Ordinary products are right for your skin? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. The brand’s offering is constantly expanding, and with all the scientific names and unfamiliar ingredients, it can be hard to figure out what’s going to benefit your skin and what could do more damage!
For many of us, The Ordinary was our first proper foray into the world of skincare. It was one of the first beauty brands that really focused on skincare education, encouraging customers to make informed choices about what they were putting on their skin and why.
There’s lots of information on The Ordinary’s website. Click onto any product and you can see what ingredients it contains, what it should be used for and what results you can expect. But, without scrolling through pages and pages of products, how do you figure out which ones are worth trying first?
For beginners, or people who are just dipping their toe into the skincare realm, shopping from The Ordinary can be quite intimidating.
I know when I started out, there was a lot of trial and error to find the products that worked for me. That’s why I’ve created this beginner’s guide to The Ordinary, to help you build a simple skincare routine which suits your skin (and doesn’t cost a fortune!).
Why is The Ordinary so popular?
In an industry saturated with marketing hype, The Ordinary is a bit of an outlier. Founded in 2016, the brand’s mission is to make skincare as straightforward, honest and accessible as possible.
That means creating affordable products with minimal packaging and clearly labelled active ingredients.
Understanding The Ordinary’s Products
Ok, so you’ve picked up a product from The Ordinary, but how can you tell what it does and who it’s for?
Let’s take the Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner, for example.
Glycolic Acid is the active ingredient in this formula, and it appears at a concentration of 7%. The front of the bottle tells you it’s a ‘daily toner’ which is designed to improve skin tone and texture, so you know that it’s safe to use this once a day. Keep an eye out for formulas that say otherwise!
The packaging usually doesn’t indicate which skin types can use the product, so it’s best to check the brand’s website for further info.
A quick search shows that The Ordinary recommends their Glycolic Acid Toner for ‘experienced direct acid users’. If you’re a newbie to chemical exfoliation, you might then want to try a gentler, milky toner – like the Saccharomyces Ferment 30% – before you give anything stronger a try.
The Ordinary skincare routine for beginners
With so many single ingredient products, it can be tempting to try and apply them all at the same time. But the key to building a beginner-friendly skincare routine with The Ordinary is to keep it as simple as possible.
To begin with you’ll essentially just want three or four products. You can use the same ones in the morning and evening, or switch them up a bit. So, your skincare routine might look something like this:
The Ordinary AM routine
- Gel cleanser – Glucoside Foaming Cleanser
- Treatment – Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Moisturiser – Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
- Sunscreen – UV Filters SPF 45 Serum
The Ordinary PM routine
- Oil cleanser – Squalane Cleanser
- Gel cleanser – Glucoside Foaming Cleanser
- Treatment – Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner
- Moisturiser – Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
How to layer The Ordinary products
Your skincare routine should be bookended by a cleanser and a moisturiser (or sunscreen in your AM routine). But it’s those steps in between that get a bit more confusing. Does a toner come before a serum, or after? And where does an oil fit into your routine?
The brand recommends a simple three-step regimen, which they call Prep, Treat, and Seal. The Prep stage might consist of a cleanser or a toner. The second step, Treat, might be a serum or oil. And the final step, Seal, would usually be a moisturiser.
When layering skincare, the general rule of thumb is to apply products based on their consistency – usually from thinnest to thickest. This allows for maximum absorption of each product, as lighter products may struggle to penetrate the skin if they’re blocked by a heavy cream or oil.
In their Layering Guide, The Ordinary also suggests applying products by format. So water-based products would be applied first, then anhydrous or oil formulas, and creams and suspensions go last.
Choosing the right The Ordinary products for your skin type
Now you know what order to apply your The Ordinary products in, but which products should you be choosing in the first place?
The Ordinary does offer various sets, like the Uneven Skin Tone Collection and the Barrier Support Collection. However, if you’d rather build your own routine, here’s how you might do it depending on your skin type:
For oily, acne-prone skin
Those with oily or acne-prone skin might be dealing with enlarged pores, texture and breakouts, so we’re looking for products that can help with this, like:
- Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Controls excess oil and reduces the appearance of pores - Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner
Removes dead skin cells and improves skin texture - The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution
Combats congestion
For dry skin
People with dry skin may experience tightness, flakiness and irritation which can be remedied by products like:
- Soothing & Barrier Support Serum
Strengthens the skin barrier and reduces signs of irritation - 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
Balances and hydrates the skin - Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner
Brightens the skin and fortifies the moisture barrier
For mature skin
If you have mature skin, you might be looking for gentle The Ordinary products that firm the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Some products you may want to check out are:
- Matrixyl 10% + HA
A peptide serum that plumps the skin and stimulates collagen production - Argireline Solution 10%
Improves the appearance of deep-set lines - Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
Boosts skin elasticity and targets crow’s feet
For combination skin
Combination skin is often a bit tricky because you’re catering to areas of oiliness and dryness. That’s why I’ve put together a guide to the best The Ordinary products for combination skin, which includes products such as:
- Mandelic Acid 10%
A gentle AHA which sloughs off dead skin and improves uneven skin tone - Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Hydrates the skin - Amino Acids + B5
Supports the moisture barrier and softens the skin
For dullness and uneven skin tone
If you suffer from dull, uneven skin, you might be looking to The Ordinary for help with boosting hydration or battling post-acne marks. The products below are a good place to start:
- Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
Fades dark spots and boosts skin radiance - Retinal 0.2% Emulsion
Smooths the skin and evens skin tone - Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion
Hydrates and targets dark spots
Which The Ordinary products shouldn’t you mix
When layering The Ordinary products, you want to be mindful of which products work well together and which don’t. Some products, when used together, might cancel each other out, so neither work as well as they should. And some products may cause irritation when used in the same routine, so you’ll want to avoid pairing these too.
The Deciem Chat Room has a more extensive Conflicts Guide, but here’s a quick rundown of the main The Ordinary products that you shouldn’t use together:
- Vitamin C and Niacinamide
- Peptides and Direct Acids
- Peptides and Direct Vitamin C
- Direct Acids and Retinoids
- Direct Acids and other Direct Acids
- Retinoids and Vitamin C
Just because you can’t use these products in the same routine, doesn’t mean you have to choose one over the other. You can, for example, use Vitamin C in your morning routine and retinol in your evening routine. It’s just that they can’t be layered.
I hope this beginner’s guide to The Ordinary has given you the confidence to build a skincare routine that works for your skin type and concerns. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below!
