The Ordinary Launches Colours Foundation at Ulta
When deciding which retail partner to choose for The Ordinary’s Colours foundation expansion, Deciem chief executive officer Nicola Kilner had accessibility in mind.
The Ordinary’s Colours foundations, which have sold more than 3.2 million units since launch in 2017, according to the brand, are available on Ulta.com, starting today. It is the first retailer in the U.S. to stock the buzzed-about foundations. The products are the brand’s Serum Foundation and Coverage Foundation, which are each available in 21 shades. They are priced at $6.70 and $6.90, respectively.
“It was a natural next step to introduce our Colour formulations with a partner that spans a beauty offering for all, led by accessibility,” Kilner said. The retailer started carrying 26 stockkeeping units from The Ordinary last year.
The brand has had issues meeting demand with the foundations, which it said had a 75,000-person waitlist for the products when the products first launched seven years ago. In spite of supply chain issues being exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, Kilner said the brand is well prepared to meet any level of demand.
“When it first launched, we were blown away by the demand and absolutely unprepared. We let demand lead supply, not the reverse,” Kilner said. “Today, we are confident of the work our team has done to ensure that The Ordinary truly is accessible for everyone.”
Kilner also said that the products’ successes were not the only reasons for their expansions, citing consumers’ increased interest in color cosmetics from the brand. “What was interesting to see was that 15 percent of our customer conversations were focused on our Primer offerings from The Ordinary, as well as makeup posted by beauty influencers with a strong content background in color cosmetics,” she said. “[It] essentially suggested conversation is branching out from traditional ‘skinfluencers,’ showing us the expansion from color to skin care and vice versa.”
The interest in makeup comes at a critical time for color cosmetics, which have seen double-digit declines in the prestige market this year. Even Ulta has reported floundering sales in the category. Kilner thinks the transparency and simplicity offered by the Ordinary could resonate more broadly.
“Consumers are thirsty for transparency, and previously, brands at large have ignored these very important changes in the audience profile,” she said. “We’ve aimed to make a foundation that the function of how your skin looks is highest priority.”
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