Iconic £6 foundation returns, Helen Mirren’s MUA loves it for mature skin (2025)

Foundation is one of those products you might assume is worth splurging on, and I’ll admit I have a weakness for bases from fancy brands like NARS, Shiseido, Charlotte Tilbury and Hourglass. However, in these cash-strapped times, nothing brings a glow to my complexion quite like a foundation that delivers the goods and leaves change from a tenner. Hence my ecstasy on hearing that The Ordinary is bringing back its iconic Serum Foundation, and for just £6.40 a bottle – only a 70p price hike since it was discontinued three years ago.

After launching to a whopping wait list of 25,000 back in 2017, the foundation won rave reviews from shoppers and beauty editors alike, but sadly it proved a victim of its own affordability. When it was finally pulled in late 2022, The Ordinary explained that the £5.70 price tag simply wasn’t sustainable in the long term.

The brand has been inundated with demands for the Serum Foundation’s return ever since, and now it’s finally caved. The original formula is now back in all 36 shades, with cool, warm and neutral undertones to shop across the inclusive colour range, but there’s just one catch: it’s a limited release only, so don’t expect stock to hang around.

It’s not just shoppers that are buzzing about the comeback. Makeup artist Val Garland, who's worked with Helen Mirren in her L'Oréal Paris campaigns, is among the Serum Foundation’s biggest fans, and says the formula has “got everything”, especially for older women.

“Why do I love it? For me personally, the consistency of it means that it doesn't sit into my fine lines,” Val says on the social media campaign she’s fronting for the brand. “It won't clog your pores. It's perfect for a more mature skin [which] tends to be on the dry side. It's blendable, and it's got great buildable coverage. I think my skin looks really good. It feels really good.”

Why is The Serum Foundation so cheap?

While high-end brands justify their prices by creating ‘skincare-first’ foundations, The Ordinary Serum Foundation is a product that’s “purely about pigment”, says the brand. Rather than incorporating active ingredients in the foundation (which would inevitably bump up the price), this bargain base uses a formula based on water and “well studied silicones” which evaporates quickly to leave behind a “smooth finish of pigment and no heavy film”.

A false economy to skimp on actives in foundation? Not in Val’s view who thinks it’s fine to keep skincare and makeup separate: “Skincare is there to prepare, nourish and protect your skin and the foundation sits pretty on the top to even out any imperfections,” she explains. “It's going to give you that real skin finish, which I love.”

Is the Serum Foundation worth buying?

I’d already been a beauty editor for well over a decade when the Serum Foundation arrived, and I remember it fondly as a real gem: flattering, featherlight (before skin tints were A Thing) and a total bargain. That said, things have moved on hugely in the beauty business since 2017 (that was peak Kardashian contouring era after all), so there was also a chance I was looking back through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia.

When I opened the box, it struck me how tiddly the bottle looked and I wondered if this was a bit of a swizz. However on closer inspection, I noted that, at 30ml, it was exactly the same volume as my regular beloved Shiseido Revitalessence Glow Foundation, which just seems far bigger due to the hefty, premium-style packaging. The Ordinary dispenses with such frills, which is what the cost reflects. Phew.

There was no confusion over the formula itself, though. It really is a beautifully delicate fluid texture, and it sank seamlessly into my skin. Val recommends using a brush, and while that does make it quicker to apply and gives the most polished finish in my unforgiving, mega-magnifying mirror, a lazy finger blend is perfectly passable, too.

I especially like the subtle line-blurring effect it lends to midlife skin. It’s one of those products you’ll apply to the back of one hand, and immediately want on your face when you clock the difference. Some blur-finish makeup can be a touch drying, but my face stayed comfortable through the day even though that airbrush finish stayed intact. I was even told my skin looked ‘fresh’ and healthy - well worth the £6 price tag alone.

The Serum Foundation is available to buy it now as an online exclusive, while stocks last. Let’s hope it gets extended into a permanent return.

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