Image credit: The Ordinary

The Ordinary

Rated: It's a start

price:
$$$$

location: Canada

The Ordinary sustainability rating

Planet

3 out of 5

People

2 out of 5

Animals

5 out of 5

Overall rating: It's a start

Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (We avoid) to 5 (Great) How we rate


The Ordinary is owned by The Estée Lauder Companies.

Our “Planet” rating evaluates brands based on the environmental policies in their supply chains, from carbon emissions to wastewater, ingredients' impacts, product circularity, and more. Here we rate The Ordinary “It's a Start”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • There’s no evidence it uses any lower-impact ingredients.
  • It’s set a science based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both its direct operations and supply chain but there’s no evidence it is on track.
  • It has no policy to evaluate the biodegradability and environmental toxicity of its ingredients.
  • Its product packaging is recyclable.

Workers’ rights are central to our “People” rating, which assesses brands’ policies and practices on everything from child labour to living wages and gender equality. Here we rate The Ordinary “Not Good Enough”. These are a few factors influencing its score:

  • Its final production stage happens in lower-risk countries for labour abuse, however it doesn't publish an aggregate breakdown of supplier locations.
  • There’s no evidence it provides financial security to its suppliers, which can result in poor working conditions and wages.
  • Its Code of Conduct covers ILO Four Fundamental Freedoms principles.
  • It audits its suppliers but does not specify what percentage.
  • There’s no evidence it ensures workers are paid living wages in its supply chain.

Note that the "People" rating in Good On You’s methodology is defined by labour rights and does not consider consumer health.

Brands’ animal welfare policies and, where applicable, how well they trace their animal-derived products, are the focus of our “Animals” rating. Here we rate The Ordinary “Great”.

  • PETA listed the brand as vegan.
  • It's certified as animal test-free by PETA, but its parent company does not exclude animal testing in all circumstances.

Based on all the publicly available information we’ve reviewed, we rate The Ordinary “It's a Start” overall.

Last updated 2026-09-08