We Tried The Ordinary’s Concealer Before Anyone Else — & Here Are Our Thoughts

The Ordinary has amassed millions of diehard fans worldwide since its launch in 2016, and for good reason. Whether you love the buzzy niacinamide serum or always stock up on the dermatologist-approved retinoid, there's no denying each and every product has a cult following — and it's all thanks to the proven results, Instagram-worthy dropper bottles, and, of course, the affordable price tags. After all, good skin shouldn't be a luxury.

Considering the success of its skin care, it made sense for the brand to branch out into makeup with The Ordinary Colours. The Serum Foundation (which is super lightweight and breathable) and Coverage Foundation (which lends a more seamless finish) soon followed, but there was one product missing: concealer. Until now, that is.

This week, The Ordinary added the High Coverage Formula Concealer to the Colours family, and Refinery29 UK's editors were among the very first people to try it ahead of the launch. Priced at $5.80, the concealers boast 36 shades which correspond to the foundation collection, making it easier to find your match, with 15 additional shades to come later this year.

"People who are already users of The Ordinary Colours Foundations will be able to match their concealer shade to their existing foundation shade," says Prudvi Kaka, chief scientific officer at Deciem. "As the formulation is slightly different for concealer, the shade may look different from the foundation before application but will match once applied to the skin. Our concealer shades have been created to be very slightly lighter than the foundation shades since our research pointed to this as preference."

As the name suggests, the product is highly pigmented, so it's perfect for cloaking acne scars, dark circles, hyperpigmentation, and other complexion concerns. "It's a highly moveable, flexible formula with a good amount of slip," says Prudvi. "We wanted to create a dual-purpose formula that could be used both to conceal blemishes and also in the under-eye area."

There's a big focus on undertone, too. "Undertone is an important consideration to ensure that shades do not look flat on the skin," says Prudvi. "Our shades are divided into four categories: 1 for fair to lighter tones; 2 for medium tones; 3 for dark/deep tones; and 4 for deeper tones." A letter is also added to the shade code to identify the undertone. "P (pink) and R (red) indicate cool undertones," says Prudvi. "N indicates a neutral undertone and Y (yellow) indicates a warm undertone."

The brand also looked at the pesky makeup mishap that is oxidization (when your makeup changes color throughout the day) to make sure every shade was perfect even after hours of wear. "We tested the shades across a large group of people, taking feedback over the course of a full day, to ensure that the undertones remained suitable throughout long wear of the formula," says Prudvi.

Everything sounds great — but should you stockpile The Ordinary's new concealer before it inevitably sells out? Ahead, six R29 UK staffers share their honest thoughts.

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