The MOARdinary: Deciem in London’s Covent Garden – Store Photos & Review

Sandwiched unassumingly between Chanel and Dior at London’s Covent Garden (aka beauty heaven–just see the list of beauty shops) is a bright, airy Deciem store featuring practically all the brands under the Deciem umbrella.

Deciem
5B The Market Building
Covent Garden
London WC2E 8RF

The Ordinary. NIOD. Hylamide. Finally, a place to sniff and touch everything you’ve only read about online.

Although The Ordinary and NIOD take up the most real estate–only natural because they’re the most extensive lines–lesser-known Deciem brands are on full display.

Spotted: The Chemistry Brand (Hand Chemistry), Fountain (edibles), Inhibitif (hair growth inhibitors), haircare lines Stemm and HIF, men’s brand AB Crew, and WhiteRx (cringeworthy products mainly relying on titanium dioxide, reminiscent of the worst and cheapest skin “brighteners”).

Not spotted: Any signs of NIOD CAIS2 (the reformulation of CAIS –which I luurrrve–expected in November) or the brands “coming soon” on Deciem’s site.

Deciem Store Review

The store is easy to move around in and plentifully staffed. The sales associates were ready to help but not pestering. They answered questions about the differences between products (which retinoid or retinol was most effective), and one even steered me away from an expensive NIOD product that likely would have dried out my skin. (Thank you!)

Very helpfully, the NIOD display had a book summarizing each product. And that’s how I learned that NIOD has a Dior Lip Glowish product called Lip Bio-Lipid Concentrate (but my lips aren’t in need of $60/£38 worth of glow!).

Tip for Americans: Before buying, compare U.K. prices to U.S. prices. At current exchange rates (£1=$1.30), some items were significantly cheaper in the store, and others were slightly more expensive. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask whether they do tax-free forms for non-residents to get the VAT refunded. Think of the VAT as a sales tax that’s already included in the price.