Seven years after Nicola Kilner and the late Brandon Truaxe founded The Ordinary, the company refuses to relinquish its position as one of the world’s most popular beauty brands.
If you haven’t incorporated at least one of these products into your morning and evening routine, then you’ve no doubt seen TikTok bloggers hawking products like Glycolic Acid Toner (some even use it as a deodorant, anti-dandruff treatment and shampoo).
Don’t forget the recent hype surrounding hair growth serums, and the hype created when it was revealed that the combo of Hexapeptide Solution 10% (£8.40) and Matrixyl 10% + HA (£9.00) is like Botox in a bottle.
In other words: The Ordinary team always know what’s hot (and what’s not) when it comes to beauty. We caught up with Nicola, who told us which skin and hair care trends to look out for in the new season – and as you might have guessed, they’re all affordable revolutions.
If you like retinol, try Matrixyl: Nicola calls Matrixyl the unsung hero of the beauty world if you’re looking for smooth, rejuvenated skin. A small study compared it to retinol and found it was better at reducing lines and had similar effects, which is why it’s often touted as a cruelty-free alternative.
Retinol can cause skin irritation, such as flaking and redness, if used too frequently or incorrectly. If you’re more cautious (especially before the sunnier months when your skin is more exposed to the sun), you might want to try Matrixyl.
This is a protein that focuses on the appearance of fine lines and repairing the skin, Nicola says. When used underneath moisturiser, Matrixyl gives a plump, hydrated look, which is why TikTokers around the world are a bit obsessed with it.
The ingredient is no longer exclusive to The Ordinary as more brands go mainstream, although the Matrixyl 10% + HA High Strength Peptide formula (£9.00) is popular, and for good reason. Also try Medik8’s Liquid Peptides, £49.
Rethinking Glycolic Acid: The hype around glycolic acid, an exfoliating and brightening ingredient in skincare, shows no sign of slowing down. The brand’s Glycolic Acid Tint, which costs £11.50, delivers impressive results
TikTok has over 22 million views
But Nicola has noticed a trend towards using them on other parts of the body – most interestingly on the hair, like TikToker An Nguyen. She uses it as a pre-wash treatment for 10 minutes before shampooing and rinsing.
“If you have dandruff on your scalp, people use it as a scalp scrub, even if you don’t,” Nicola says, “but what’s also interesting is that people are using it on their real hair – Nicola asks.” Rita J. Silva, associate director of scientific communications at Deciem, explains how it works.
“Rita explained that it makes the hair shinier and smoother,” says Nicola. The Ordinary is all about science, and hair is naturally negatively charged. This causes them to be attracted to the positive charge of glycolic acid. Unloading =
No static electricity.
But Nicola’s most interesting trick is to use glycolic acid to treat cracked heels before sandal weather arrives, which TikTokers say is better than using creams and balms.
“I’ve tried it and it works, but I would say the team is not going to use this product on your underarms,” Nicola explains, referencing the trend of using glycolic acid as deodorant. “It’s a very closed space and you can change the pH of the skin,” which can cause skin problems.
In fact, sulfates are great: The clean beauty movement has demonized countless beneficial beauty ingredients, including sulfates. But The Ordinary is working to reintroduce them into the world of hair and skin care. “We were very much against the hygiene movement,” Nicola says. “We always thought it was not a good thing to sell terrible products, and when we started looking for the best ingredients that really clean our hair and body, we found sulfates have a lot of incredible effects,” Nicola explains. They’re used in such high amounts in many formulas that brands have to add other substances to these products to balance the effects. With less than 4% of the ingredient, Ordinarys Body and Hair Cleanser (£7.90) strikes the perfect balance. “If you have a thick pot that you cook a casserole or stew in, you need a good cleanser to clean it. The reality is that your skin is very similar to your hair, both need good surfactants to cleanse them.” The focus on sulphates gives way to spring’s biggest skin and hair trend: multi-use treatments. “My kids are washed from head to toe,” says Nicola. “Why is that great for babies but as adults we need all these different products? This spring we’ll see a trend towards minimalism in people’s daily lives and the products they buy.
Everyone wants something specific, but we want everything. “What you design for your face can be used everywhere on your body – on your skin.”
It’s been a while since they’ve appeared in skincare ads, but don’t take it lightly – especially if you’re looking to remove your make-up this spring. “Peptides are a phenomenal ingredient in skincare and there are so many types,” says Nicola. “I always remember Brandon teaching me everything and saying a glass of milk is full of peptides. ” Nicola explains that they have a very broad range of effects but work very specifically on the skin, protecting against ageing and giving it a smooth structure. “They’re very potent,” Nicola says, repairing damaged skin over time. Look for peptides in serums or moisturisers at Target, such as ‘Buffet’ + Copper Peptides, £28.90, which contains copper tripeptides. This promotes the formation of collagen in the skin and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, i.e. it protects the skin from environmental influences.If you’re looking for a moisturiser, R29 recommends Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser, £42. Don’t stress your skin barrier too much. Nicola describes skin barrier care as one of the biggest trends at the moment. Overdosing on ingredients such as retinol and strong exfoliating acids can irritate the barrier and trigger allergies.
If you don’t have this problem, though, you don’t need special skin barrier products. “We try to stay away from trends because they’re never right with the science,” Nicola says. “You might think you need a specific product to boost your skin barrier, but when we look at our products, many of them have ingredients that protect the skin barrier, and Nicola says that’s what skincare marketing is really good at: you offer to lead us.” Buying products we don’t really need. If you have a good skincare routine and are happy with it and use good products, they should already be protecting your skin barrier. Targeted skin barrier products aren’t needed. Scalp care is the new skincare “Your scalp is just an extension of your face,” says Nicola, who advocates caring for your hair follicles and scalp in the same way you care for your face morning and night. “Once it leaves the follicle, your hair is dead, so there’s not much you can do for your hair other than seal and cleanse it,” Nicola says. “To really improve the strength and health of your hair, it has to happen in the follicle, which is why she says using a scalp serum is so important.” “Moisturising the skin is a fundamental need that we need to treat right, and that applies to the scalp as well,” Nicola says. The brand’s Natural Moisturiser + Hyaluronic Acid (£12.60) product has received some great reviews from people with sensitive, dry and flaky scalps. Another customer mentioned that he uses it as a facial serum, which Deciem’s chief scientific officer confirmed.
