Uncommon and The Ordinary Win D&AD Black Pencil for Parody Periodic Table Exposing Beauty Industry Buzzwords
Uncommon, a creative studio based in London and co-founded by Nils Leonard, received a D&AD Black Pencil for its campaign 'The Periodic Fable' in collaboration with The Ordinary. This initiative humorously reimagines the periodic table by substituting elements with 49 trendy beauty terms such as 'Flawless' and 'Elixir,' highlighting the emptiness of beauty marketing jargon. The Ordinary confirmed that none of the terms had any scientific validity. The campaign's minimalist aesthetic included out-of-home advertisements, a launch film directed by Olivia De Camps, and displays on London Underground trains featuring students engaging in skincare routines. The campaign achieved an impressive 11.8x boost in website traffic and a 10.4% increase in purchase intent among American women. The D&AD Black Pencil was awarded in 2026.
Key facts
- Uncommon won a D&AD Black Pencil for 'The Periodic Fable' campaign with The Ordinary.
- The campaign parodies the periodic table with 49 beauty industry buzzwords like 'Flawless' and 'Elixir'.
- The Ordinary worked with scientists to confirm each term had no scientific or regulated basis.
- The launch film was directed by Olivia De Camps and produced by Smuggler.
- Results included an 11.8x increase in website traffic and a 10.4% rise in purchase intent among American women.
- The campaign received over 80 pieces of press coverage.
- Out-of-home advertising included placements on London Underground trains.
- Nils Leonard is co-founder of Uncommon and described D&AD as 'the definitive award'.
Entities
Artists
- Nils Leonard
- Olivia De Camps
Institutions
- Uncommon
- The Ordinary
- D&AD
- Smuggler
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom