The Ordinary Ads Library
SkincareThe Ordinary runs 472 active ads out of 1,858 total creatives across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience_network, Threads. Top format: Image. Updated 2026-03-15.
Ad Creatives Overview
Ad Format Breakdown
Based on 250 ads from Feb 13 – Mar 15, 2026
Top The Ordinary Ads
How emotional scores work: GoMarble's AI analyzes each ad creative and scores it across 15 emotional dimensions on a 1–10 scale. These scores reflect how strongly an ad's visuals, copy, and tone are designed to trigger each emotional response in viewers. The scores below are averaged across The Ordinary's 250-ad sample.
Emotional Profile: Video vs. Image
| Emotion | What It Measures | Video Ads | Image Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Safety, trust, reliability | 5.4/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Esteem | Self-worth, feeling valued and attractive | 6.1/10 | 5.8/10 |
| Nurturance | Care, comfort, warmth | 4.4/10 | 5.5/10 |
| Competence | Mastery, skill, capability | 5.7/10 | 5/10 |
| Curiosity | Wonder, desire to know more | 5.4/10 | 4.8/10 |
| Empowerment | Feeling capable and in control | 5/10 | 4.4/10 |
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The Ordinary Advertising Strategy: A Data-Driven Breakdown
The Ordinary has 1,858 tracked ad creatives with 472 currently active across Meta's ad network. Based on a 30-day sample of 250 ads, the format split is 52% image and 48% video — a near-even distribution. However, product-level data reveals distinct format choices: Rice Lipids Microemulsion, the largest ad destination with 56 ads, runs 80% image creatives. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (15 ads) takes the opposite approach at 93% video, while Serum Foundation (11 ads), PHA 5% Lip Serum (8 ads), and Glycolic Acid 7% Toner (8 ads) all run 100% video.
The Ordinary's video ads average 19 seconds and open with four distinct hook types: educational hooks ("Here's the tea on glycolic acid"), problem statements ("Nobody tells you this, but you do not need a physical scrub to exfoliate your lips"), social proof ("This pumping serum went viral on tiktok for a reason"), and concept reframes ("The agency spends days thinking of ways to distract you with trends. They're concerned with good optics, not good skin care"). Transcriptions feature ingredient-specific language — lines like "This is volufiline and it directly targets sunken and hollow areas due to volume loss" and "Spoiler alert it's hyaluronic acid! This serum will give your skin an extra boost of hydration."
The Ordinary advertises across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, and Threads. The CTA distribution across the 250-ad sample skews heavily toward SHOP_NOW (213 ads) with LEARN_MORE accounting for 37 ads. Top landing pages by ad volume are Rice Lipids Microemulsion (56 ads), Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (15 ads), Serum Foundation (11 ads), and Soothing Barrier Support Serum (9 ads).
Video Hook Patterns
"Here's the tea on glycolic acid."
"Nobody tells you this, but you do not need a physical scrub to exfoliate your lips."
"This pumping serum went viral on tiktok for a reason. Let me tell you why..."
"The agency spends days thinking of ways to distract you with trends. They're concerned with good optics, not good skin care..."
Ad Transcription Excerpts
"This pumping serum went viral on tiktok for a reason. Let me tell you why This is volufiline and it directly targets sunken and hollow areas due to volume loss..."
"Here's the tea on glycolic acid. You can use glycolic acid on your face to smooth texture and even skin tone, reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles..."
"One important skincare tip everyone should know, especially if you're a beginner in skincare. Spoiler alert it's hyaluronic acid! This serum will give your skin an extra boost of hydration..."
"Nobody tells you this, but you do not need a physical scrub to exfoliate your lips. The skin on your lips is thin and sensitive so physical scrubs like this can sometimes be A little too rough..."
"The agency spends days thinking of ways to distract you with trends. They're concerned with good optics, not good skin care But it doesn't need a makeover It's been proving itself for over 55 years..."
"Here's a tea on glycolic acid."
Ad Format Strategy by Collection
| Collection | Ads | Video | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lipids Microemulsion | 56 | 20% | 80% |
| Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% | 15 | 93% | 7% |
| Serum Foundation | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Soothing Barrier Support Serum | 9 | 0% | 100% |
| PHA 5% Lip Serum | 8 | 100% | 0% |
| Glycolic Acid 7% Toner | 8 | 100% | 0% |
Emotional Targeting by Product
| Collection | Top Emotional Drivers | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% | Esteem (7.7), Security (6.1), Competence (5.8) | Confidence-driven |
| Rice Lipids Microemulsion | Nurturance (7.5), Security (7.2), Esteem (5.3) | Comfort-driven |
| Soothing Barrier Support Serum | Security (6.7), Nurturance (5.5), Esteem (5.8) | Protection-focused |
What makes The Ordinary's ads effective?
The Ordinary's ads score highest on security (6.1/10) and esteem (6.0/10) emotional drivers, reflecting creative centered on trust and self-improvement through proven ingredients. Video ads averaging 19 seconds feature educational transcriptions with ingredient-specific language — one reads "This is volufiline and it directly targets sunken and hollow areas due to volume loss." The content type mix includes features-and-benefits and UGC-style content, consistent with the brand's ingredient-first positioning.
Where does The Ordinary advertise?
The Ordinary runs ads across five Meta placements: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, and Threads. All five platforms appear in the brand's active ad distribution. The 250-ad sample shows consistent presence across these placements, with SHOP_NOW as the dominant CTA (213 of 250 ads) and LEARN_MORE used on 37 ads.
How we analyze The Ordinary's ads
GoMarble's AI continuously monitors ad creatives across Meta's Ad Library and other platforms. For each brand, we track active and inactive creatives, classify ad formats by examining actual media content (not Meta's delivery labels), and run every creative through our proprietary 15-dimension emotional scoring model.
Competitor identification uses AI-powered market analysis combining brand signals, product keywords, and category positioning. Format breakdowns are computed from a 30-day rolling sample of real ads, not platform-reported delivery formats. All transcriptions are extracted directly from video ad audio.
GoMarble breaks down any ad's hook, angle, offer, and emotional score — in seconds.
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The Ordinary Creative Patterns & Ad Formats
Emotional Profile by Format: Across the 30-day sample, The Ordinary's image ads score higher on security (6.7 vs. 5.4) and nurturance (5.5 vs. 4.4) than video ads. Video ads instead score higher on competence (5.7 vs. 5.0), curiosity (5.4 vs. 4.8), and empowerment (5.0 vs. 4.4). This maps to the brand's format choices: image ads emphasize trust and comfort for products like Rice Lipids Microemulsion, while video ads lean into ingredient education and transformation narratives.
Landing Page x Format Strategy: The Ordinary's format decisions vary sharply by product. Rice Lipids Microemulsion — the largest ad destination with 56 ads — runs 80% image and 20% video. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (15 ads) inverts this at 93% video and 7% image. Three product pages run exclusively video: Serum Foundation (11 ads), PHA 5% Lip Serum (8 ads), and Glycolic Acid 7% Toner (8 ads). Soothing Barrier Support Serum (9 ads) runs 100% image. Products that require demonstration or ingredient explanation receive video; products positioned around comfort and barrier protection receive image.
Video Hook Patterns: The Ordinary's video transcriptions follow four opening strategies: (1) Educational hooks — "Here's the tea on glycolic acid" — that frame ingredient knowledge as insider information; (2) Problem statements — "Nobody tells you this, but you do not need a physical scrub to exfoliate your lips" — that challenge common skincare practices; (3) Social proof — "This pumping serum went viral on tiktok for a reason" — that leverage platform culture; and (4) Concept reframes — "The agency spends days thinking of ways to distract you with trends" — that position The Ordinary against marketing-driven skincare. Each hook leads into ingredient-specific education.
Emotional Targeting by Product: The Ordinary's emotional profile shifts by product destination. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% ads score 7.7/10 on esteem and 5.8/10 on competence — confidence-driven messaging for a bestselling serum. Rice Lipids Microemulsion ads score 7.5/10 on nurturance and 7.2/10 on security — comfort-driven messaging for a moisture product. This emotional segmentation aligns with each product's functional positioning: active ingredients get esteem-focused messaging, while barrier and hydration products get nurturance-focused messaging.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
Facebook: The Ordinary runs ads on Facebook across both video and image formats. Video ads on Facebook feature educational UGC-style transcriptions averaging 19 seconds, with SHOP_NOW as the primary CTA directing to individual product pages. Image ads on Facebook feature clean product photography with ingredient callouts.
Instagram: Ads appear on Instagram with the same creative formats as Facebook. The brand's ingredient-education video content and product-focused image ads distribute across the Instagram placement. SHOP_NOW and LEARN_MORE CTAs both appear on Instagram placements.
Messenger & Audience Network: The Ordinary extends ad reach to Messenger and Audience Network. These placements receive the same creative as Facebook and Instagram, providing additional distribution without requiring separate creative production.
Threads: The Ordinary's ads also appear on Threads, Meta's newest placement. This indicates the brand is distributing across all available Meta placements.
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Security and esteem lead emotional scoring: The Ordinary's ads average 6.1/10 on security and 6.0/10 on esteem, reflecting creative built on ingredient trust and self-improvement.
Near-even format split masks product-level decisions: While the overall split is 52% image / 48% video, individual products range from 100% video (Serum Foundation, PHA Lip Serum) to 100% image (Soothing Barrier Support Serum).
Educational hooks dominate video openings: Video transcriptions use ingredient-specific language like "Here's the tea on glycolic acid" and "This is volufiline and it directly targets sunken and hollow areas," positioning the brand as an ingredient educator.
SHOP_NOW accounts for 85% of CTAs: Of 250 sampled ads, 213 use SHOP_NOW and 37 use LEARN_MORE, creating a direct conversion path from ingredient education to purchase.
Emotional profiles shift by product: Niacinamide ads score 7.7/10 on esteem (confidence-driven), while Rice Lipids ads score 7.5/10 on nurturance (comfort-driven) — distinct emotional strategies per product.
Video ads average 19 seconds: The Ordinary's video creatives use short-form educational content with ingredient-first narratives rather than lifestyle or brand-focused production.
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Lovingly assembled by GoMarble's AI — which analyzed 1,858 The Ordinary creatives so you didn't have to. Tracking 1.5M+ ads across 80+ countries. Last updated: 2026-03-15.