DECIEM, the parent company of skincare brands The Ordinary and NIOD, was founded in 2013 and fully acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies this year after making cumulative investments totaling $1.7 billion between 2017 and 2024. From a small Canadian startup to a global beauty giant, DECIEM has now been on a mission to become the number one skincare brand in the worldPremium Beauty News spoke with Nicola Kilner, CEO and co-founder of DECIEM, talks about the company’s rise and its global strategy with the aim of giving the skincare brand The Ordinary even more cult status.

“I am incredibly proud that We are still an organization that is guided by science in all decisions,” said Kilner. “Product concepts and brand campaigns originate from our science team and are then passed on to the marketing team. I think we have prioritized and continue to do the right thing in terms of scientific innovation, consumer needs and transparency.”

And this, she believes, is crucial for success in today’s competitive beauty world, especially given increasing growth plans.

Still “over-indexed online”

When asked how DECIEM plans to balance online and brick-and-mortar in the future, Kilner said The Ordinary, for example, is still “online above average” across all retail partners and e-commerce or pure retail remains larger for the brand in Europe and North America. In France, for example, The Ordinary’s sales were 80% online versus 20% in-store. Promoting online channels therefore remains key to The Ordinary’s growth plan, she said.

“We definitely do a lot with our existing pure-play partners, and they are very strong partners for us. There are a lot of online activations planned (…) meaningful activations that we want to drive forward while maintaining the educational aspect,” she said.

DECIEM has just launched in the TikTok Shop in the USAsaid the CEO, which has proven to be a “significant success” so far. “We weren’t initially sure when we launched because it’s a new channel, but it turns out that consumers want to shop on TikTok.” The company plans to initiate further discussions soon about a wider expansion of the TikTok shop, particularly in the UK, where the platform is also operational, she said.

However, brick-and-mortar retail will remain an important growth path for DECIEM and The Ordinary in the future, she said. “We definitely want to continue to be strong on both sides,” said Kilner, because there are many consumers who still value trying out products in the store and getting expert advice.

Pharmacies and flagship stores

Astrid de la Noue, EMEA Regional Director at DECIEMIn addition, the targeted development of completely new retail space was also planned.

“There are still many areas in which we are not yet active – the pharmaceutical industry is one of them in which we see great opportunities for ourselves, also for the future,” said de la Noue.

The Ordinary had already started introducing products in pharmacies across Francebut she said further roll-outs across the EMEA region would strategically continue, acknowledging how “very different” these retail spaces are compared to specialty beauty stores. “We want to get it done; we want to get it right. A lot depends on what the visual merchandising system will look like and what support we can get from the pharmacists themselves.” Ultimately, our goal is to become the number one skincare brand in EMEA.”

Within the next two to three years, The Ordinary also plans to open its own stores in Paris and other major European cities, she said.and provides a space where consumers can “get a strong sense of the brand” and “dive deep into the products and the broader brand purpose.” “…Since COVID, there’s been a trend of ‘return to retail’ and this desire for verbal guidance.”

However, Kilner reiterated that both online and in-store remain important to the brand. “At The Ordinary, we strongly believe in accessibility and choice.”

And that last point, choice, is even more important today, considering how much power today’s cosmetics consumers have over brands, she said.

More transparent than ever before

Consumers today are questioning brands “more than ever” about the science behind formulas, environmental impact and broader social values, she said. As a result, beauty brands are now expected to be more transparent than ever – across all areas of their business – as consumers are scrupulously checking all these aspects of a company.

“I believe consumers have more power than brands,” she said.

When asked how this has impacted DECIEM’s growth and innovation plans, Kilner said: “The area I want to continue to get more involved in is the area of ​​’doing good’. So sustainability; how we donate; how we create social impact; how we use our voice, because the world seems to be getting more difficult to navigate in recent years (…) It’s good that brands and larger companies are using their size, profits and voice to do more good.”

She said mental health and advocacy for marginalized communities were other areas where DECIEM and its brands wanted to do more.