Why The Ordinary Launched its GF 15% Solution with a Side of Science

The Estée Lauder Co.'s brand The Ordinary (gained through the DECIEM acquisition) debuted its latest age-support skin care, GF 15% Solution, on Jan. 7, 2025, accompanied by the launch of a new website dedicated to cosmetic science education: TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary.com. Why? We asked Rita Silva, senior manager of global scientific communications and brand engagement, to explain. Read on to learn more.

With TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary, we focused on removing knowledge barriers, which can lead consumers to buy into misinformation disguised as a product benefit." 

GF 15% Solution Supports Aging Skin

First, it helps to know that the serum features a 15% concentration of three mimetic growth factors — EGF, IGF-1 and TGFβ-2 — targeting visible signs of skin aging such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity and uneven texture. It is designed to revitalize the appearance of aging skin by supporting natural elastin, collagen production and skin density. This innovation aligns with Deciem’s commitment to making high-quality, science-backed skin care accessible. (See the end of this interview for the full ingredient disclosure.)

TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary.com Breaks Through Misinformation 

The accompanying website serves as a platform to address misinformation within the beauty industry, providing evidence-based insights on ingredients like growth factors — and breaking through the misconception that advanced ingredients warrant a higher price point. Silva provided further insights into the science behind the GF 15% Solution and DECIEM’s educational mission.

Silva Explains the Side-by-Side Launch

• Was TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary.com originally created to promote your GF 15% product? And why did you decide to promote scientific research alongside this product in particular?

Rita Silva, DECIEM

The website went live on Jan. 24. This concept was created to run alongside our GF 15% Solution launch campaign. This product was, in a way, our re-commitment to the democratization of ingredients, as we have brought to market a product with a high concentration of raw materials that were perhaps prohibitively expensive for many, and made it more affordable.

Because growth factors are newer ingredients, when compared to other active molecules, the misconception existed that a higher price point was warranted, but this is not always the case. With this launch, we wanted to focus on the concept of gatebreaking breakthroughs, and how we could continue to remove barriers and democratize skin care science. While economic barriers have always existed in beauty, particularly when it comes to innovation, The Ordinary has been historically committed to removing them.

With TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary, we focused on removing knowledge barriers, which can lead consumers to buy into misinformation disguised as a product benefit. Concept-wise, we were particularly inspired by websites like WikiLeaks, as well as the conversation around open access to scientific research.

• How did you roll out the GF 15% Solution across media? How did you communicate the research repository alongside it to consumers?

The GF 15% Solution launched on The Ordinary's website and in stores on Jan. 7 and it is also available through multiple retailers, including Sephora (North America and APAC). This launch included activations across all social media platforms. We wanted each portion of this launch campaign to have its moment, so TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary came later. On Jan. 24, we hosted two livestreams across two of our social platforms simultaneously (Instagram and TikTok), where one of our team members read a manifesto disguised as a typical livestream turned "glitchy."

We wanted to spark our community's curiosity and create an aura of secrecy around what are essentially open access scientific papers that anyone should have access to when being bombarded by misinformation as a form of marketing. After that, the livestream stayed up for 30 min with a link to the website, prompting viewers to visit the page and explore it for themselves.

The viewer's response was exactly what we had hoped: Some commented "Have they been hacked?" - and that was our intention, as we were heavily inspired by hacking the system and giving power to the people through knowledge.

We have since gone out with out of home content in major cities, which we hope will continue to lead curious minds to the page.

• How do you decide what goes into the scientific paper repository? Do the papers align with certain products?

"We wanted to spark our community's curiosity and create an aura of secrecy around what are essentially open access scientific papers that anyone should have access to when being bombarded by misinformation as a form of marketing."

The papers were selected based on misinformation that we have identified across multiple platforms. We asked ourselves, can a topic be easily demystified by one single open access paper? After identifying that paper, making sure it was comprehensive enough (priority was given to reviews), and confirming the authority of the authors and publication, our scientists summarized the main points of said paper in a way that was relevant to the general consumer, in 500 words or less. We hoped to increase accessibility to information through this knowledge translation exercise — because you should not need to be a scientist to understand the main takeaways of a scientific paper.

• The web page appears as if the GF 15% Solution is the "sponsor" behind your repository. Was this the intent? Why or why not?

Yes, that was the intent. We wanted to make clear both our commitment to democratizing knowledge and innovative skin care ingredients.

• How were the repository and GF 15% launch conceptualized and developed? in parallel? in tandem?

The development of the concept for TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary came after the initial NPL campaign concept development, as our team felt there was a clear connection between this product launch and our mission as a brand. After making an initial commitment to commoditizing well-known skin care ingredients so they could not be sold to consumers as innovation, we focused on the democratization of the access to lesser-known ingredients being sold at a premium. GF 15% Solution was the perfect representation of this, and so we felt like it warranted a brand-led initiative that showcased to our community our continued commitment to our founding values.

• Will the repository be highlighted alongside other products, or continually promoted as a stand-alone resource? How do you plan to use it in your brand strategy moving forward?

We want to continue engaging with our community, so we have asked people what misinformation they would like to be cleared up through science next. We are also looking into research funding opportunities in the future, with a particular focus on open access to scientific research.

• What consumer need, demand or trend does your product + repository strategy respond to?

We definitely wanted to break through the noise of misinformation, which is still being used to create fear in consumers and sell products. Skin care science has evolved so much: we know what pH a cleanser should be, we have developed so many alternative methods to animal testing, and we have known, for years, exactly how sunscreens protect our skin from UV light.

It should not be necessary to use wrong or antiquated science as a selling point when we have evolved so much as an industry. Because consumer needs dictate the choices many brands make, we have always wanted to empower consumers to require honest, transparent communication from brands.

Ingredient Disclosure: GF 15% Solution

(As of Feb. 2, 2025, on the brand website): Aqua/Water/Eau, Butylene Glycol, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Oligopeptide-1, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-76, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sclerotium Gum, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.