Popular skincare brand takes advantage of egg crisis | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Over the last few months, people across the U.S. have desperately perused their nearest grocery stores in hopes of finding reasonably priced eggs.

Unfortunately, most people have been unsuccessful in their quest. For the lucky ones who miraculously found eggs at their nearest grocery store, the prices are often too high to justify the purchase.

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The current bird flu outbreak has caused a huge decline in egg production over the last few months due to contamination risks. Inventory has fallen around 2% overall, making it harder for the industry to keep up with consumer demand as the days go by.

This egg shortage has caused prices to skyrocket, with a 12-count carton of eggs costing approximately $8.50 in New York and up to over $10 in some states. This is a huge jump from the beginning of this year when eggs reached $5 per dozen, which now seems like a bargain in comparison.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of eggs recently rose to an all-time high, rising over 15%. This was the most significant increase since June 2015, accounting for about two-thirds of the monthly food-at-home increase.

A dozen eggs costs more than $10 in some parts of the U.S.

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The Ordinary democratizes skincare and eggs

The Ordinary is a skincare brand owned by Esteé Lauder Companies ( (EL) ) that offers high-quality skincare, makeup, hair, and body products at affordable prices.

The brand’s motto of “democratizing skincare” is possible since it maintains low costs by keeping its formulations simple, minimizing branding and packaging, and developing a direct-to-consumer business model.

Because The Ordinary is committed to providing affordable and accessible products for everyone, it decided to join forces with the art collective MSCHF to create one of the year’s most culturally relevant marketing stunts thus far.

On Mar. 22, The Ordinary posted photos of egg cartons with the label ‘Ordinary Eggs’ printed on them to its Instagram account with the caption, “We heard NYC needed eggs,” claiming, “This weekend, you can get 12 ordinarily priced eggs at our stores for $3.37” and, “No frills, just eggs. While supplies last.”

That weekend, The Ordinary temporarily sold 12-count egg cartons for $3.37 each at its Manhattan stores in the Nolita and Fifth Avenue locations to provide New Yorkers with reasonably priced eggs, which sold out within minutes as people have not been able to find a deal as good as this one over the last few months.

Consumers react to The Ordinary’s viral marketing stunt

The Ordinary’s post and marketing stunt went viral on social media, increasing brand awareness and expanding its audience.

However, it also led hundreds of netizens to bombard the brand’s comments section to express their thoughts on the bold move, and the reactions were incredibly mixed.

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One Instagram user praised the brand by commenting, “Brilliant, give your marketing team a raise.”

Another user expressed her concerns about the economy, commenting, “You know things are bad when affordable eggs become a PR stunt.”

A netizen expressed her approval of the brand’s marketing tactic but raised a few concerns, commenting, “The fact that it takes a beauty brand to provide affordable groceries is sad. But I’m sure a lot of people are thankful and happy! Hopefully, people purchase them that truly cannot afford the inflation cost and don’t end up an esthetic piece from already wealthy influencers.”

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Other Instagram users were upset by the move since the brand claims all its products to be vegan and cruelty-free since it first launched in 2016.

One Instagram user commented, “A vegan company doing this? Please explain! Most of us are very confused!

Another user expressed disappointment, commenting, “I buy The Ordinary because you are supposed to be a vegan brand. I thought you were vegan because you care about animal cruelty. The egg industry is far from cruelty-free. Are you vegan or not?”