The company that’s disrupting the beauty industry with a portfolio of ingredient-focused brands at mass price points, and a relentlessly transparent ethos, opened its first New York location in Nolita in December. Beauty Insider took a tour—here’s what we saw.

Located on Prince Street in the heart of Nolita, price is a key part of Deciem’s buzz. Founder and CEO, Brandon Truaxe, has been particularly outspoken about the beauty industry’s markups, especially with regard to ingredients that are readily available. He created Deciem, aka The Abnormal Beauty Company, to break the association between quality and price, as well as prices inflated by marketing. Subsequently, Deciem’s portfolio of brands feature classic, powerhouse ingredients – think vitamin C, retinol, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid – at eminently modest prices. No compromise necessary between cost and quality.

To that end, upon entering the space, the store’s knowledgeable staff pointed out that two products on offer had recently gone down in price. Thanks to Deciem’s growing might and purchasing power, it had negotiated a better deal on Ethylated Ascorbic Acid (EAA), an expensive direct form of vitamin C, contained in the product NIOD Elan (30%) and the product Hylamide C25 (25%). As a result, each now costs $42 and $27, respectively (as opposed to $70 and $33). The price reduction was even explained in an Instagram post written by Brandon.

The front of the store is made up of several Deciem brands ranging from skin care to hair care, men’s grooming and supplements (including NIOD, The Chemistry Brand, Hylamide, Stemm, AB Crew and Fountain). The Ordinary, Deciem’s cult brand, is tucked away at the back of the store and occupies the most real estate. The Ordinary’s products are grouped in sections: More Molecules (for targeted treatment); Hydrators & Oils; Direct Acids & Antioxidants (exfoliating); Vitamin C (brightness); and Retinoids. The Ordinary’s new Colours makeup section already boasts 21 shades of foundation at eye-poppingly low prices ($6.70).

Despite Deciem’s profusion of brands, the long, narrow Prince Street store feels breathable, thanks to a minimalist, industrial aesthetic design: plain white tiles; exposed brick; easy-to-navigate sections. Product packaging is similarly functional, with dark brown bottles with labels that detail the precise ingredient concentration of the hero ingredient, with no attempt to dress up the chemical name.

Deciem’s store bestseller is The Ordinary’s “Buffet” ($14.80), which is described as a ‘multi-technology peptide serum’ featuring a Matrixyl 3000 complex (informally known as ‘Botox in a bottle’) that hydrates the skin and targets signs of aging. Another strong seller is Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane ($9.60), an advanced retinoid that attacks multiple signs of aging.

The most expensive product in the store is NIOD’s Copper Amino Isolate Serum ($90) that actually consists of two products: the serum itself and an activator that, combined, help maintain healthy skin by encouraging collagen production.

The Canadian company, which launched in 2013 and has more than 10 brands with more in the pipeline, reportedly had net sales of $120 million to $150 million from markets such as UK, Canada, Australia and South Korea. Without factoring in the American market, Deciem is on track to double its sales in 2018, according to Brandon. Last summer, Estée Lauder announced a minority investment in the company.

Deciem’s newest venture is a fragrance brand called Avestan, currently under construction right next to the Prince Street store. The collection of Avestan fragrances promises to disrupt the fragrance industry as Deciem is disrupting skin care, as an affordable force to be reckoned with.

Deciem established its presence in the U.S. in Miami’s Design District in 2017. Other locations opening in 2018 include Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hong Kong. Several more are slated for Manhattan this year.