Into the spotlight: The Ordinary’s approach to skincare copywriting

[brand voice analysis]

Cult favourite formulations meet the science of skincare – what really goes into skincare copywriting with reader appeal? I’ve been an avid The Ordinary user since it’s inception in 2016. Back when they built a brand around zero paid advertising, not a skerrick of PR and (under no circumstances) influencer promotion. Unique to the time, they *never* ran sales or offered discounts (something typically reserved for luxury products – a far reach from their median product price of >$20), instead relying on simplistic packaging, no fluff and science-backed formulations that are equally kind to the hip pocket as they are your skin barrier.

So, what makes their skincare copywriting brand voice unique?

They do an incredibly good job at balancing professionalism and integrity with accessibility. It’s easy to stonewall your reader when taking on a more assertive tone – with the biggest perpetrators being jargon and poorly-paced paragraphs. However, The Ordinary keep things as simple as possible, without diluting their credibility. Sentences are short and impactful, never wasting a word or lingering longer than needed on a certain point.  

Using consonance to increase interest in skincare copywriting

Consonance is a literary technique where the same consonant sound repeats within a group of words. It’s a great way to improve the pace of your copywriting and can improve reader engagement. The Ordinary use it selectively in short bodies of text to keep the reader engaged and actively moving through the copy. They keep their sentences action-orientated with short, impactful calls to action.

Integrous positioning takes careful planning – and yes, this does tie in with brand voice

A huge component of effective and consistent brand voice application is planning. Integrity is a cornerstone pillar of The Ordinary’s brand personality. It’s littered throughout their website and every word choice, paragraph and campaign includes threads of integrous selection.

Take their latest Black Friday campaign – they’ve called out the frivolity of spontaneous add-to-carts and questioned the legitimacy of buying from a deficit mindset (as opposed to purchasing with consciousness and purpose). It aligns with their values so closely, yet still allows The Ordinary to harness the power of discounts and Black Friday hype. Careful word choice emphasises the concept of trustworthiness and encourages the reader to be choosey – and choose them.

I could type for hours on the intricacies of reader psychology – but I’ll leave you with this little screenshot instead, along with some final thoughts below.

How building and understanding your brand voice saves time, money and tumultuous content creation

It’s one thing to receive a beautiful deck of brand guidelines, marvel at a logo suite and apply your new colour pallet with a flourish… But it’s an entirely different ballgame to take a single page of ‘Brand Voice’ direction and try to write content that resonates with consistency and readability. I hear it so often, “My brand is supposed to be FUN; how do I write to sound light-hearted and FUN?!”.

I’m going to figuratively take your hands as I let these consoling words wash between us: it’s impossible. You cannot be expected to bring a brand voice to life from a handful of prompts and catchphrases tacked onto the end of your band guidelines. Brand voice development is part 2 of bringing your brand personality to life and it’s why I dedicate so much time to these quippy little case studies. They help to demystify the brand voice development process—providing an enjoyable and accessible insight into tone of voice.

If you’re curious about skincare copywriting (or copywriting for any industry) that involves elements of brand voice curation – I’d love to chat and create something together.

📝 Read a little longer

• Skincare copywriting with purpose, professionalism and quick-paced character
• Clever and approachable brand voice strategy: A fun look at Dirt.
• Brand voice and personality case study: The masculinity of Parfums de Marly
• 3 email marketing facts that will transform your eDM writing
• Working with a copywriter for web development