Science over Celebrity: The Ordinary Exposes The Beauty Industry's ‘Secret Ingredient’

A few weeks ago, The Ordinary dropped this cryptic post on social media:

“25.04.25, 433 Broadway, NYC. The beauty industry’s secret ingredient will be revealed. And you’re invited to see it.” The imagery? A wad of dollar bills with “The Secret Ingredient” with a date and location of their upcoming activation. 

What followed was one of the best brand activations we’ve seen this year.

At 433 Broadway in NYC, The Ordinary and their partner, Uncommon Creative Studio, revealed what they coined “the beauty industry’s secret ingredient”: celebrity endorsements, and the price tag that comes with them.

The storefront window was filled floor-to-ceiling with stacks of dollar bills, visually representing the millions of dollars some skincare brands shell out for a single celebrity post. The message on the window display read: “This is the amount of money we would have to add to the price of our products if we paid for a celebrity endorsement.”

Inside, they displayed side-by-side comparisons showing just how much more customers would be paying if their products were backed by celebrities, which, in some cases, was up to 61% more.

As marketers, we love campaigns that challenge consumers, and the industry as a whole, to think differently. Instead of bringing in celebs to sell their product for them, The Ordinary doubles down on its core brand promise: science over fame.  

As Amy Bi, VP of Brand at The Ordinary, put it: “We are a brand built on science, not celebrity. Most people don’t realise just how expensive this ‘ingredient’ can be” adding that “if your product is good, they will endorse you for free.”

And once again, The Ordinary has stopped us in our tracks, and Uncommon Creative Studio has reminded us why they’re one of the most disruptive agencies in the game.

If this is what the future of transparent marketing looks like, we’re all in.