The Ordinary’s Serum Foundation Is Back — But You’ll Have To Move Fast

Do you remember what you were doing on 6th December 2022? I do. I was frantically filling my virtual shopping cart with The Ordinary’s Serum Foundation following the brand’s announcement that it would discontinue the product a few months later.

The Serum Foundation may have disappeared into the ether, but it left a lasting legacy: Makeup artists, beauty enthusiasts and TikTok content creators have mourned its discontinuation as recently as last month, and there are even entire Reddit threads dedicated to finding a replacement for it. That’s why I’m pleased — actually, beyond excited — to announce that on 21st February, the Serum Foundation will return.

While the Serum Foundation amassed a 25,000-strong waiting list when it launched in 2017, it was shelved just a few years later. In a social media post from 2022, The Ordinary explained that although it had set the price at an accessible level, this approach wasn't sustainable in the long run, especially because sales weren’t high enough. But you never miss a good thing until it’s gone, and ever since then, fans of Serum Foundation have flooded The Ordinary’s Instagram posts demanding its swift return. 

Like all good things, though, there is a catch. While the brand has been working hard to bring back all 36 shades, this will be a limited release. For now, the brand has no plans to make the foundation a permanent fixture — but that could change. When asked on Instagram whether the foundation would be brown girl friendly, The Ordinary responded by highlighting their 36 original shades and said that if the product was well-received, it would work with its lab to expand the range further.

Happily for diehard fans, the formula is the same — and it’s just as affordable. At just £6.40, Serum Foundation is a snip of the price of most foundations on the market, and if you ask me, it’s even on par with some high-end offerings thanks to its ability to provide impressive coverage and substantial hydration — all without the heavy, mask-like feel of other foundations.

That’s all down to the clever formulation. Unlike The Ordinary’s extensive skincare dynasty, there are no hi-tech ingredients. Rather, Serum Foundation consists of a water and silicone base and makeup pigments. Once applied, both the water and silicones evaporate from the skin, leaving behind a delicate veil of coverage that doesn’t budge until you see fit to remove it. 

Shades 2.0N and 2.0P were staples in my makeup routine depending on the season, and until it disappeared from the shelves, it was a foundation that I recommended to friends, family and R29 readers who were after a light to medium coverage with a featherlight feel. Let’s be honest: Serum Foundation walked so that skin tints could run.

At this point in time, The Ordinary isn’t resurrecting its concealer, which was also part of the Colours makeup range. The Serum Foundation will exist alone until it sells out. 

While The Ordinary is stocked by retailers including Boots, Sephora and Cult Beauty, the Serum Foundation will only be available through the brand’s official website and four freestanding stores from the 21st February: Distillery Lane in Toronto, 5th Avenue in New York City, Commercial Street in London and Gertrude Street in Melbourne.

Like all products The Ordinary launches, I predict a sell-out — and I’ll be first in line to stock up.