The Ordinary educates customers with ‘The Periodic Fable' exposing beauty myths

The Ordinary is holding a mirror up to the skincare industry with its latest campaign, The Periodic Fable — a tongue-in-cheek "scientific table" featuring 49 completely made-up elements designed to expose buzzwords and educate customers.

Launching this month, the campaign sees the cult skincare brand continue its crusade for transparency and truth in skincare. The Ordinary’s Periodic Fable flips the idea of a periodic table on its head, instead of scientific compounds, it lists industry catchphrases such as "Poreless," "Medical Grade," "Fat Freezing," and "Eternal Youth." The goal? To highlight how many beauty claims are more marketing fiction than scientific fact.

In a statement, The Ordinary said the campaign "brings awareness to buzzwords driven by marketing that can mislead consumers into purchasing a dream or magic with no scientific backing."

Founded in 2016, The Ordinary built its reputation on simplicity, ingredient transparency and affordability, offering science-backed formulas without the inflated markups. Its latest effort, the brand says, "aims to separate fact from fiction and ensure consumers know exactly what ingredients they are using".

The Periodic Fable will be unveiled through a global outdoor campaign and digital activation, including an engaging launch video and a dedicated website where consumers can explore all 49 fictional "elements".

"Transparency in quality ingredients, packaging, science, and price has always been our foundation," the brand told TheIndustry.beauty. "Integrity in pricing ensures quality products are priced sensibly - avoiding over-the-top marketing that inflates prices without bringing meaningful value".

This campaign follows The Ordinary’s growing efforts to dismantle misinformation across the beauty sector. Earlier this year, the brand published a series of free white papers aimed at "bursting bubbles on industry misinformation," removing the paywalls that often gatekeep essential scientific knowledge from consumers. The searchable resource features detailed ingredient explainers written by scientists, alongside transparent information on formulation percentages and packaging.