The Ordinary’s Hong Kong launch, and life after Brandon Truaxe – Deciem CEO on roller-coaster ride from indie brand to global cult favourite
- Deciem was founded by Brandon Truaxe, who died in January in Toronto
- Truaxe was replaced as CEO in 2018 after legal action by minority investor Estée Lauder
Nicola Kilner’s smile never wavers, despite being on her third day in Hong Kong travelling with a baby with jet lag who’s not sleeping till 1am, as she supervises the local launch of skincare brand The Ordinary and gets ready for Shanghai.
“For such a long time there’s been a demand for the products in Hong Kong, it’s nice to finally be here,” says Kilner, CEO of Deciem, the Canada-based beauty company behind The Ordinary. The Harvey Nichols counter is the cult brand’s first in Hong Kong, but there are plans to expand towards the end of the year.
The Ordinary’s full line of skincare is available at the high-end department store in Pacific Place, Admiralty, and make-up products, including foundations, should soon follow.
Kilner says those products aren’t in Hong Kong yet because there isn’t enough stock, but when you insist on manufacturing everything in-house – even when you become a massive global brand with impressive speed – that’s how it is.
“I joined in 2013 when there were five of us,” Kilner says. Now Deciem employs 800 people worldwide.
