Amazon is taking on another brand from the Estée Lauder Cos.
The Ordinary, flagship brand of Lauder-owned incubator Deciem, is heading to the platform Tuesday with its full assortment of products. The move comes at times of growth for each party, as Amazon’s premium beauty business gains market share and The Ordinary continues to “pick up in terms of virality and consumer demand,” said cofounder Nicola Kilner, who stepped back from her chief executive officer role last year.
“When you’re quite community-driven, you tend to have these fluctuations in being the hot thing, then you cool off, and then you go hot again. It feels like we’re becoming hot again,” Kilner continued, noting the brand was performing especially well in Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
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“When we do the Amazon launch, it’s just going to add more buzz. We tend to see when you have new distribution, you’ll often see the halo effect,” she said.
Amazon, as reported, has taken 7.3 market share points of beauty and personal care sales in the last three years, per NIQ. Prestige beauty brands have warmed up to the platform, with brands owned by both Lauder and L’Oréal joining.
“Our demographic is already on Amazon, so I actually think we’re one of the best-suited brands for it,” Kilner said, knowing that convenience was imperative for The Ordinary’s core consumer.
“In North America, online shopping is a bit harder than it is in the U.K. simply because of the vast size of the land, and Amazon’s short delivery times make it stronger,” Kilner said. “We are for everyone, but we do have a core demographic of Gen Z and Millennials that really value that convenience, and Amazon is probably the most accessible retailer in the world.”
In fact, the Lauder brands that have joined the platform are seeing success there. The first one, Clinique, was said to have had a strong debut, as did Estée Lauder. Those brands debuted with a virtual skin diagnostic and a virtual try-on tool on the platform, respectively. The Ordinary, however, is taking cues from its no-frills ethos.
“We’re doing the best of what we know — detailed product pages, before-and-afters wherever we have them, making sure reviews are syndicated. We’re a brand a bit more about simplicity, and doing things simply is the best way,” Kilner said.
Earlier this year, Amber English, Lauder’s president of digital and online for North America, told WWD, “They have over 160 million Prime customers, the penetration of beauty is pretty high and it felt like a natural way to reach our consumer in a different medium,” hinting that more brands would soon join.
