The Ordinary's fight against the cost-of-living is a beauty industry first
Giving the consumer a choice on pricing brings lasting loyalty to the Canadian brand.
I’m a huge advocate for financial accessibility. As someone who’s lived through harsh financial insecurity (and is in the process of getting over it), it’s a topic that sits in my heart.
So when Deciem announced that its brand, The Ordinary, is letting customers choose the price of its products based on what they can afford, I was beyond ecstatic. It’s something the brand has never done before, and frankly, I don’t know if any other brand has done this, either.
What does this mean? The brand is allowing customers to choose the price of The Daily Set, a skincare set that includes three products: the Squalane Cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum, and the Natural Moisturising Factors + HA moisturiser. You can choose to pay the regular price for the set ($35.90), 23% off, or 40% off.
While a first for the industry, there are businesses that do their best to help the everyday person combat the cost of living. My local gay bar, Pride of our Footscray, offers free tickets to some events if you currently can’t afford it - on the promise that you can pay it back when you’re financially able to do so.
My local cafe, Something Sweet, has a pay-it-forward system. There are ‘coupons’ in front of the counter of coffee that a customer has already paid for. If you’re stuck without money and need a caffeine pick-me-up, you can use one of those coupons.
With the conversation of dupes being a huge discourse over social media, earlier this year I wrote about how the beauty indsutry needs to consider the cost of living in this conversation. Obviously, there’s a part of the population that can no longer afford their much-loved products. And you know what? It was about time that the beauty industry listened.
Skincare dupes, the cost of living crisis and consumerism
The cost of living is fucked and it’s affecting the way we consume skincare and beauty products. That is a fact.
The Ordinary has been a love of mine for a while. It’s a brand most people start off within their skincare journey due to its inexpensive products (my first was the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 2% serum; it’s currently $9.50; I’m not kidding).
To add, during November, instead of participating in the Black Friday sales, the brand offers 23% off for the whole month. Deciem calls this Slowvember, with the “hope to avoid impulse and unnecessary purchasing that is generally associated with Black Friday, influenced by flash-sale promotions containing a select number of products that may not necessarily be right for people.”
“We hope to give customers the luxury of time, encouraging them to research and only buy items which best suit their skincare needs.”
When it comes to dupes, I can tell you that I hope more brands dupe this method of being more accessible to the community. The loyalty and trust that comes with it will be priceless.