On December 6, The Ordinary announced on its official Instagram that it would stop selling foundations and consultants because these categories could not make the brand profitable.
The Ordinary is a skincare brand under Deciem. In 2021, Estee Lauder announced the acquisition of Deciem. At present, Estee Lauder has held 76% of the company’s equity, and will gradually acquire the remaining shares thereafter.
The Ordinary’s cosmetics phase-out came after its parent company Deciem decided earlier this year to streamline its brand portfolio. HIF, Hylamide, Abnomaly, and The Chemistry Brand have stopped production, which enables Deciem to focus on the flagship brands The Ordinary and NIOD
(Credit: The Ordinary Instagram)
In a statement released in April, Deciem said it would be ”refocusing” its attention on “science-first functional skin care”. This decision is also evidenced by the measure to suspend the launch of the cosmetics series of The Ordinary this week.
According to The Ordinary, the Colours Concealers will be discontinued on January 30,,2023, and foundations will be discontinued in June next year.
It is worth mentioning that the ordinary cosmetics line currently has four products, and only one face base product has not been discontinued. At present, the price of this product in Tmall Overseas flagship store is 68 yuan ($9.74), and the price of foundation make-up and concealer products that have been suspended this time ranges from 60-70 yuan ($8.5-10).
The Ordinary said that the production process of base makeup products is very complex, which requires a large amount of investment from the team. Although the related products are loved by many people, the cost of investment cannot be recovered from the sales, and the products have not been profitable since their launch. However, the Ordinary also said that the base makeup products may return in the future, but its current goal is still to do a good job in skin care lines.
“Colour may return in our more distant future. Until then, we will continue to play in the space we know best—sensibly priced, science-proven skincare,” the brand wrote.
