By making complex scientific papers accessible and demystifying beauty formulas, this new platform champions transparency and challenges the beauty industry’s reliance on secrecy and mystique.
The Ordinary, a skincare brand known for disrupting the beauty industry with affordable, science-backed ingredients, has partnered with Uncommon Creative Studio to bring transparency to the beauty world through a new digital archive and campaign.
Designed to decode complex scientific research in a way that’s accessible to everyone, the new platform is challenging beauty industry norms. The launch of the digital archive, dubbed The Truth Should Be Ordinary, is being hailed as the “WikiLeaks of beauty”, reflecting the project’s underlying ethos of exposing the truths hidden behind paywalls and industry mystique.
We spoke with Uncommon Creative Studio planning director Marco Del Valle and senior creatives Ellie Daghlian and Elisa Czerwenka to learn more about the creative thinking behind the project.
Radical transparency: unveiling the science behind beauty
“The Ordinary has always made quality ingredients affordable and accessible,” explains Del Valle. “But many people don’t realise how innovative the brand is. It’s got an incredible team of in-house scientists harnessing new scientific research to make these innovations accessible to the public.” For example, The Ordinary took Growth Factors – a cutting-edge technology usually available only at a steep price – and made it available at an affordable cost.
The brief for Uncommon Creative Studio was clear: highlight The Ordinary’s dedication to scientific research while showcasing its mission of making these breakthroughs accessible. But this is also where the challenge started. As Del Valle explains, “We had to figure out how to make something as dense and technical as scientific papers not only understandable but engaging for a general audience.”
The concept of “The WikiLeaks of Beauty” was born out of this challenge. “When governments and institutions hide facts from the general public, people actively rally on the street,” Del Valle says, referencing the popularisation of WikiLeaks in the political sphere.
He adds: “The same is true about the beauty industry. When critical skincare research is hidden behind paywalls or made inaccessible, it’s easier for myths and misinformation to spread.
“So, we took massive cues from whistleblowers and freedom fighters. We reframed scientific research: it’s not just facts – it’s the truth about your skin.”
Breaking down barriers of knowledge
Creating a resource that balances radical transparency with accessibility wasn’t easy. “We initially wanted to share entire, unfiltered scientific papers,” Daghlian and Czerwenka recall. “But we quickly realised that just because you can open a document doesn’t mean you can understand it. Or that you’ll have the time to sift through thousands of words.”
This realisation led the team to work closely with The Ordinary’s in-house scientists, helping to break down complex information and explain why it mattered, bridging the gap between scientific jargon and practical, digestible knowledge.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this project was its contrast to the usual beauty branding approach, which often thrives on mystique and exclusivity. “Beauty branding often relies on mystique,” Daghlian notes, “but The Ordinary has never been about that, and fancy names, packaging, or celeb endorsements are everything they stand against.
“They are radically honest and transparent; that was the legacy we knew we had to carry forward.”
Design execution: function meets aesthetics
The digital archive’s design reflects The Ordinary’s minimalist and no-nonsense ethos. “We knew that function had to come above all else,” says Czerwenka. This needed to be a genuinely practical and informative tool that anyone could use. It’s minimal, journalistic, with no fluff or distractions—just elegantly presented hard-hitting truths.”
Drawing inspiration from the MSCHF website – known for its dynamic, ever-evolving interface – the team sought to create a similar, constantly relevant feel for thetruthshouldbeordinary.com. The result is a website that is both live and current, embodying the investigative, unapologetic nature of the project.
A stripped-back colour palette, sans serif and typewriter fonts, and a simple layout give the site an air of integrity, with every design element reinforcing The Ordinary’s core values of transparency and functional beauty. “We poured over journalistic websites—whistleblowing, informative, unapologetic,” the creatives reflect. “We wanted it to feel like a place where truth is laid bare. No secrets, just simple, honest design.”
Impact on the beauty industry
The impact of this campaign is already being felt across the beauty and skincare landscape. “We want people to put added scrutiny on the brands they use and the claims those brands make,” Del Valle shares. “Are these brands telling you the truth, or are they hiding it behind distractions and gimmicks?” The launch has sparked conversations and questions on social media, with consumers actively engaging The Ordinary’s scientists to debunk more myths.
As the campaign continues to evolve, Del Valle hints at future developments: “The Ordinary’s scientists will continue to engage with consumers, turning this from a one-time campaign into a long-running conversation. We’re also looking into expanding the initiative to help ensure that critical skincare research doesn’t live under a paywall in the future.”
Unexpectedly, the campaign has gained organic support from the science and cosmetic chemist community, with influencers in these fields championing the brand’s transparent approach. “Science influencers are notoriously hard to impress,” Del Valle says. “To see them share the work and champion it to their followers was incredible.”
The future of beauty branding
Reflecting on the future of beauty branding, Uncommon believes that The Ordinary’s approach could inspire a broader shift in the industry. “The Ordinary has always been a category leader,” they note. “When they launched, their approach to clearly and transparently labelling their products was revolutionary – now, you look at the industry, and plenty of brands are clearly imitating it.
“At a time when skincare information has never been so widespread, we would love to see this have a similar impact.”
For the creative team, the most rewarding aspect of the project was the opportunity to work alongside a brand with a strong, consistent ethos. “Every meeting felt aligned,” Daghlian and Czerwenka reflect. “Everyone was united in pursuing the same goal – to make The Ordinary’s commitment to transparency the new standard in the beauty industry.”
Ultimately, The Truth Should Be Ordinary is more than just a digital archive – it’s a call to action. By exposing the truth about skincare and making scientific research accessible, The Ordinary is reshaping the future of beauty. In a world where honesty is still revolutionary, this project proves that transparency can – and should – be ordinary.