How to figure out if your The Ordinary product is real or fake. Counterfeit The Ordinary products are all over the internet. Have you got yourself a dud? Here are some pointers to help you find out.

I moderate two very busy The Ordinary forums and “Is this a fake” posts are on the rise. The best way to ensure your product is real is to order directly from Deciem themselves. But that’s not so easy if you live somewhere that Deciem doesn’t ship to or if your favourite product isn’t available for whatever reason. I’ve put together a guide to help you get that genuine TO.

Important note! If you think the product you have is fake, don’t use it. Who knows what is in there. At best it won’t work and dodgy ingredients could actually cause skin rashes and allergies. I’ve put together this guide to the best of my knowledge but skincare companies do change their packaging and forgers get better every day. The best advice I can give you is to ONLY BUY FROM DECIEM ITSELF OR ONE OF IT’S APPROVED SELLERS it’s the only way to be safe.
If you buy a fake, there’s no way to know what you’re putting on your face. Their processes won’t be sanitary, the chemicals could be harmful. There won’t be any actives. Plus you will be lining the pockets of criminals. If you buy from an unapproved sellers, even if you get the genuine product who the hell knows how it was stored or for how long.

This article is meant as a guide for anyone who suspects they may have bought a dodgy product. If you are entering into the world of The Ordinary, you may be interested in some of my other TO content, or Deciem Chatroom on Facebook.

Head to the Deciem- Find Us page for approved sellers and to check if they deliver direct to your country, click the map in the top right corner of the screen.

A quick disclosure- this post is not sponsored but the links may be affiliate. If I’ve helped you today, I’m not going to ask you to buy me a coffee or anything like that, but if you could share my blog on social media I would be super pleased.

Does Deciem Ship to My Country?

Deciem itself ships to many destinations, 258 at the moment of writing-

Genuine The Ordinary Sellers

These are the ones on Deciem’s site (this page doesn’t open on all devices, so I’ve put the list here)-

• Canada– Well.ca, Curlique Beauty, Socialite, Sephora, Hudson’s Bay
• UK– Boots, Face the Future, ASOS, Cult Beauty, Beauty Bay, Grooming Clinic, QVC, Fenwick, Harvey Nichols, Oxygen Boutique, Pretty Little Thing, Look Fantastic, FeelUnique
• USA– Look Fantastic, Sephora, Pretty Little Thing, New-London-Chelsea, Skin Store
• Australia– Absolute Skin, Adore Beauty, ActiveSkin, Mr Brains & Brawn, Myers, Priceline, RY, Vim&Co, TheFreshGroup
• Austria– Douglas
• Belgium– Cosmicary
• Switzerland– Douglas 
• China– Byogo, Henrida, Magic Dealer, Tmall Oversea Warehouse
• Germany- Alsterhaus, Basler Beauty, Brueningen, Dergepflegtemann.de, Douglas, Kadewe, Oberpollingdr, Ohhh de Cologne, Purish, Stadt-Parfümerie Pieper, The Lucky Fish
• Denmark- Magasin
• Estonia- Beauty Republic
• Spain- Douglas, Druni
• France- Galeries Lafayette, Merci, Nocibé, Smallable
• Hong Kong- Sephora
• Croatia- Superskin
• Ireland- Arnotts, Brown Thomas, Cloud 10 Beauty 
• Iraq- Al Batul Group
• Italy- Douglas, La Rinascente
• Lithuania- Molecule 
• Norway- Beauty Heaven, Beth’s Beauty, H&M, Vita
• New Zealand- INÉS, LaFemmeBeauty
• Poland- Cosibella, Douglas, Drogeria Pigment, Glow Shop
• Portugal– Loja Zero
• Serbia– Metropoliten
• Sweden– Boozt, Eleven, H&M, Kronans Apotek, Lyko
• Singapore– Escentials
• Slovenia– Beautyology, Superskin
• Slovakia– Natureal
• Ukraine– Blue Mint, Cosibella, Happy Bunny

How to Tell if Your The Ordinary Product Itself is Fake

If you’re familiar with the smell and consistency of a The Ordinary product, that will make it easier to notice if your new product is suspicious. Deciem doesn’t add fragrance to any of it’s The Ordinary products, so if your newest purchase has a perfume smell, it’s likely to be a fake.

Google image search the product and read blog reviews for descriptions, that should help give you some clues.

Here are some brief descriptions to get you started-

• Euk 134 0.1% – oily consistency, brown colour, brown UV bottle, 
• Pycnogenol 5% – 15ml bottle, UV protected, brown, oily consistency, can have a warm feeling on application
• Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% – Brown oily consistency, Brown UV bottle, can have a warm feeling on application 
• Squalane Cleanser – a balmy texture, thick non runny texture
• Coverage Foundation– a fluid foundation, tends to look more yellow than the shade suggests
• Serum Foundation– a highly fluid foundation, light and runny  
• High Adherence Silicone Primer– a silicone based primer, a colourless silicone paste/cream
• High Spreadability Fluid Primer– a clear, runny colourless fluid
• AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution– a dark red viscous liquid. The legendary red peel (aka AHA 30% BHA 2% Peeling Solution) is often copied as it is one of The Ordinary’s most popular products. I think some of the counterfeit products have a red dye added to give it that red colour, which can stain the skin. The Ordinary’s peel will not stain your skin, your face may be a little pink after use but that is from the inflammation it causes (it’s a strong product). It has a true red tone as opposed to pink-

  

• Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%– has a white colour and silicone feel
• Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution– a straw coloured water liquid
• Lactic Acid 10% + HA– a peach/brown gel solution with a very specific smell. May sting on contact
• Lactic Acid 5% + HA– a peach/brown gel solution with a very specific smell. May sting on contact  
• Mandelic Acid 10% + HA– a clear runny serum with slightly oily feel
• Salicylic Acid 2% Masque– a black gritty paste
• Salicylic Acid 2% Solution– A clear gel solution, Deciem doesn’t make this any more
• Multi Peptide Serum for Hair Density– a clear serum with a thin oil like texture
• B-Oil– a green oil with a heavier texture and marine smell, brown UV bottle
• 100% Cold Pressed Virgin Marula Oil– a thin clear colourless oil, brown UV bottle
• 100% Organic Cold Pressed Borage Seed Oil– a light yellow oil with a cooking oil smell, brown UV bottle
• 100% Organic Cold Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil– brown UV bottle
• 100% Organic Cold Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil– brown UV bottle
• 100% Organic Virgin Chia Seed Oil– brown UV bottle
• 100% Organic Virgin Sea Buckthorn Oil– brown UV bottle
• NMF + HA– white cream, all the tubes I’ve had have had a bit of a lumpy texture, there is some variability to this lumpiness, sometimes you’ll get a tube that comes out smoother

  

• 100% Squalane– clear runny oil, UV bottle 
• 100% Plant Derived Hemi Squalane– brown UV bottle, very thin oil, very runny
• Hyaluronic Acid 2% + Vitamin B5– a clear colourless water based serum with a tacky feel as it dries down
• Marine Hyaluronics– a watery serum with a marine smell, absorbs without stickiness
• Amino Acids + B5– a runny serum with a light oil texture, may tingle on application
• 100% Niacinamide Powder– a fine white powder which dissolves easily in water
• Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA– a gel like water based serum with a slightly tacky finish
• Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG– light brown, clear, sticky, water based serum in UV packaging
• Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%– a clear water based gel serum, clear bottle, comes in 30 and 60mls, you might get some white crust residue at the neck of the bottle where it dries-

  

• Buffet– a slightly cloudy water/gel serum with a tacky texture on application
• Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%– a light blue gel like water based serum
• Argireline Solution 10%– a watery, clear colourless serum
• Matrixyl 10% + HA– a clear, colourless serum
• Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion– a light yellow, opaque creamy serum
• Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane– a light yellow oil in a UV protective brown bottle
• Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane– a light yellow oil in a UV protective brown bottle
• Retinol 0.2% in Squalane– a yellow brown oil in a UV protective brown bottle
• Retinol 0.5% in Squalane-a yellow brown oil in a UV protective brown bottle
• Retinol 1% in Squalane– a dark yellow/brown oil in a UV protective brown bottle
• Mineral UV Filters SPF 30 with Antioxidants–
• Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% – can have a warm feeling on application, yellow colour, oily texture
• Ascorbyl Glucoside 12%– clear, watery serum
• Ascorbyl Isotetrapalmitate 20% +Vitamin F– clear, colourless, oily feeling serum
• Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15%  Solution– a clear, thin, dry oil
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%– an emollient cream with a slight brown hue, slight odour reminiscent of baking, in a tube
• Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%– a white grainy cream with a sticky texture on application, in a tube
• Vitamin C Suspension 30%  in Silicone– a white silicone textured cream
• 100% Ascorbic Acid Powder– a very fine pure white powder in a jar

Is Your The Ordinary a Fake? How to Tell From the Packaging

I’ll say it again, the only way to know if your product is safe is if you buy it from a reputable source. Over on my The Ordinary subreddit we have a lot of posts asking if this or that dropper looks right or whether the batch number should match. If you want a second opinion about your product, head to our Fake To? thread.

• The box– The card box should have a sort of velvety feel to it rather than shiny and glossy.
• The text– Deciem has some variations to it’s packaging, so your genuine product may well not match a photo you find on the net. There are subtle differences in wording, units of volume and positioning of the text. Below is an example- these boxes are both real Deciem, you can see differences in the boldness of the text and font. Sometimes it says U.S. after the fl oz. If you see this on your product, it’s not necessarily a copy. This is why it’s so difficult to spot.

• The cap– Recently all the lids/caps coming from Deciem are a bit wonky. We have had lots of reports of lids not screwing on properly, products leaking etc. And these are genuine products. There is always a little gap between the cap and the bottle. The cap has six deep vertical indents. Some of the fakes have more superficial indents. 

• The pipette– The bulb of the pipette on real products is soft and white or white/grey. I have read reports that fake The Ordinary products come with a firmer bulb that can appear more yellow white. There will be a small gap between the bulb and the cap on an original productThe glass portion is quite sturdy.
• The silver stripe– There is a silver stripe that runs around the box. It’s not grey, it has a metallic sheen to it when you hold it up to the light.

• The tube– if your have a suspicious product that comes in a tube, the colour of the tube is very specific, it’s a light bronze colour. The batch number will be at the top of the tube, like this-

  

• The batch number– Deciem products have a little code printed on the bottle and the box. They will be either bright blue or grey and the codes should match.

Hope this has been some help to you to figure out if you have a real or a fake The Ordinary, but really the only way to be secure is to buy from the right places. If something looks dodgy, it probably is, but forgers are getting more skilful and it’s really hard to clock some of these fakes.