What the cluck? The Ordinary skincare brand sells eggs, but why?

There has been a lot of noise about The Ordinary dropping eggs in New York and apparently smashing them. Kat Thomas ,founder and global chief creative officer of One Green Bean, opens the carton on a new trend.

The backstory to this cracking tale relates to the price surge of eggs on America’s east coast, due to extreme shortages because of the bird-flu outbreak. The US Department of Agriculture predicted a 40% price increase, and, as a result, the internet has been doing its thing. Memes, hysteria, complaints about empty shelves and the inevitable creative solutions… like the downtown deli selling ‘baggies’ of three eggs for three bucks, which is giving real ‘egg dealer’ energy.

The Ordinary then entered the chat, dropping an Instagram post that stated: “We heard NYC needed eggs”, with a photo of a carton of eggs adorned with its logo. It announced a limited edition run of affordable, branded eggs available in stores across the city. Cue hundreds of media articles, plus tens of thousands of posts on social media.

Two things strike me as curious.

First, this is a brand that has been loud and proud about its vegan credentials. It has been certified by PETA for its vegan and cruelty-free status. Seems slightly at odds with a stunt designed to capitalise on a genuine crisis—and one that is very likely caused by aggressive, mass factory farming.

Second, we’re in an era where the liberally minded are demanding organic produce, ancient grains and happy hens. Who the hell wants ‘ordinary eggs’? I sure don’t. I want to know they’re anything but ordinary, sourced from a responsible farmer who holds the highest standards in free-roaming animal welfare.

However, instead of choosing to partner with a producer living these ideals and highlighting the importance of small batch farming, The Ordinary chose to partner with MSCHF: a self-described art collective known for its ‘provocative’ stunts. WTF?

I’m left wondering where exactly an affordable vegan(ish) cosmetics brand and a ‘merch and mischief’ company have procured a truckload of eggs during an egg shortage?

But it seems I’m in the minority. A quick scan of the coverage in the US and further afield, and I can’t find anyone asking these questions. Even poking around in the gospel of Reddit, I can find lovers and haters, but no real scrutiny on the ethics. I’m surprised at that. Maybe battery-farmed eggs are the new plastic straws?

Still, I’m sure it’ll make for an eggcellent case study.