You're Almost Certainly Overpaying For Your Skincare PART TWO
The Brand Guide: a curated list of low-cost skincare high performers
So… you’re almost certainly overpaying for your skincare, but how to spend less?
Start with these products and brands, all of which are as good as - or better than - their spendier peers, in my experience.
As a reminder
There is no one-size-fits-all product that can magically transform you into an improved version of yourself overnight. We have the Internet now, you would already have heard about such a product, if it existed.
All you can do is be aware of your skin type, skin concerns and skin care preferences and then find the ingredients and formulations that suit you.
What I’ve included here
This is a deliberately brief1 overview of the brands listed and suggests hero products for a straightforward, low-cost routine.
All the brands referenced make high-quality products that represent excellent value.
They all have other products that are worth your time - deciding what to leave out was the hardest part of writing this post.
In all instances, these brands and products significantly surpass comparable products sold by higher cost/luxe brands.
The only cosmetic skincare products that I’ve included are:
Cleansers (includes exfoliants)
Moisturisers (humectants, emollients, occlusives)
SPFs
There are deliberately no peels or extraction masks, no gadgets or gizmos
Get your basic routine straight first. If that works, you’ll need less of all the other stuff.
Context
My aim here is not to get you a total routine for £$5.
All items listed are, in my opinion, the lowest cost for an effective result. They also all represent excellent value for the formulation/ingredient quality/size/longevity of the product.
This post is intended for the many people routinely spending £$20-£$100+ on individual skincare items, but without really knowing why, or who are getting poor value, because they’re not getting the effects that they thought they were paying for.
Links
The links are for information purposes so you can view the product, they are not intended to offer the best available price for the product (which will vary daily).
The links provided are for the site that will give you the most accessible English-language overview of the product - this is always the brand’s website if available in English.
Where available, I’ve provided the brand’s RRP for the product in £ and $ as a baseline.
You will always be able to pay less (usually at least 20%) than this for everything here if you follow the advice in the Shopping Guide (out next week).
If I recommend a brand/range rather than their specific products, I’ve given a cost spectrum as an indicator.
Bossy note #1
Reminder:
Only introduce one new product into your routine at a time.
Unless you have a reaction to it, monitor a new product’s results for a minimum of 6 weeks before forming an opinion
If you do react badly to a product, take note of what you were using it in conjunction with and at what stage you were in your menstrual cycle2. If you’re keen to try it again, wait at least a week and then compare results, taking the above factors into account.
In all instances, allow at least 2 weeks before introducing another new product
SPECIFICALLY: Do NOT go disco nuts, buy 14 things without understanding what the ingredients do, use them all in one go for 3 days and then tell me you have a reaction to them/hated them all.
Refresher here, if needed:
Cosmetic skincare (i.e. non-prescription)
The Ordinary/The Inkey
No surprises here. These 2 are well-known actives brands that sell powerful, low-cost, simple formulations - and a handful of more complex ones - to help you isolate which products work best for you. They’re both widely available online and in stores.
Most products are £$5-£$15 with a handful of more complex formulations from £$20-£$30.
You are almost certainly already using something of theirs. If not, maybe just stick here for a while and play in this sandpit before venturing beyond.
If you have no idea what ingredients suit your skin, I would urge you to try out some individual actives for 6 weeks at a time to see what impact they have on your skin.
The urge to over-purchase may be strong here: don’t.
There is little to separate these 2 brands in terms of price or efficacy, so you can decide your own preferences.
The Ordinary has offered 23% off its entire range throughout November for as long as I can remember. The Inkey are now one-upping them and offering 25% off over the same period, the scamps.
Japanese skincare brands
Hada Labo
These guys are the OGs of Japanese drugstore brands.
Gokujyun Premium range (Yellow/orange-packaging) = deeply moisturising
This range specifically contains Hada Labo’s richest hyaluronic acid formulations. The products are available on import only, so the product name translation can vary.
The lotion3 is frequently voted as the ‘best’ low-cost hyaluronic acid product. It’s variously known as ‘lotion’, ‘essence’, ‘solution’. It’s not the ‘milk’ or ‘milky lotion’. Around £$10-12, one bottle will last around 6 months of daily use.
The Perfect Gel is a personal favourite for a deep overnight emollient. Around £12/$15, I’d be surprised if you use daily unless you have bone-dry skin, but you’ll get around 120-150 applications from it.
The whole range is excellent if you’re after deep HA moisturisation.
Gokujyun range (White/pale blue packaging)
The foaming wash is excellent and non-drying, it‘s formulated with hyaluronic acid. About £$10. One bottle lasts 4-6 months of daily use.
Hada Labo Tokyo
This is an export range formulated for the EU/UK/US market that’s sold through Superdrug in the UK and via an Amazon Store in the US. I haven’t used it, because the original Japanese products that I’ve used forever are exported widely, but the reviews are great. RRP £3-25, $9-$28
Kose
Softymo cleansing oil.
Kose is a cosmetics mega-brand in Asia. Softymo is one of its drugstore lines and it makes an amazing cleansing oil.
There’s a pink one (Speedy) and an orange one (Deep). The orange one is a thicker formulation, which works better for me, but the pink has many fans.
IMO, this is the only oil cleanser you’ll ever need45.
About £$9-£$11. The bottle is 230ml - how long that lasts you will depend on how often you oil cleanse and how heavy your make-up is. It should last you around 3 months of once-daily use to remove heavy eye-makeup (2 pumps). Much longer if not.
Biore
Aqua Rich Watery Essence UV SPF
Asian SPF formulations are generally preferable for daily use/under make-up (i.e. not actively sunbathing) because they’re very comfortable on the skin and are specifically designed to be worn with cosmetics.
Biore’s Aqua Rich SPF is overwhelmingly voted the best Asian SPF, in a crowded field.
They make 2 formulations, Gel and Essence. There is significant online preference for the ‘Essence’ formulation, so I’ve always bought that one.
I’m linking to Biore’s Japanese site because the Japanese formulation, manufactured in Japan is the one that I recommend. This is a different formulation from the formulation commonly sold under the same name in the UK/North America.
The Japanese formulation says Made in Japan on the back of the bottom left of the tube and looks like this:
The Japanese version can be bought here and here. Both are reputable sites (that I have used frequently) and ship to UK/US/AUS (and others).
If you’re looking at an ingredients list, the presence of Ethylhexyl Methoxysilicate (should be third on the list) indicates that it’s the Japanese one. If this specific ingredient isn’t there, it’s not the Japanese formulation6.
Around £$13 for 105g. How long that lasts will depend on the frequency and enthusiasm of your SPF application.
Korean Skincare Brands
Corsx
The brand that bought snail goo to the world! Across the board, they make high quality, excellent value products. These are my recommendations.
Advanced Snail 92 All-in-one Cream
If you appreciate the texture and are ok with the concept of the ingredient, it’s an intensely hydrating moisturiser. RRP£27/$26 for 100g, which lasts me for a year.
The essence is also excellent if you want something lighter. RRP £22/$25
Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask
This contains glycerin and niacinamide and is another deep hydrator. A tube of this usually lives beside my bed and lasts me around 8 months.
RRP £23/$18
Acne pimple master patch
These are legendary and spawned 1,000 lower-quality imitators (avoid those). If you suffer from breakouts, you want a pack of these about the place. RRP £5/$6 for 24 - larger packs that offer better value are available
Dear, Klairs
I’d forgotten how much I love this brand until I started having to pick out specific products.
Their brand website doesn’t list the RRPs, but nothing I’ve recommended from this brand should cost you more than £20/$25 and most is around the £15/$20 mark.
Rich Moist7 and Midnight Blue ranges
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried from both of these ranges (mainly emollients containing humectants).
Both ranges are deeply moisturising, with glycerin and shea butter bases.
Rich Moist contains additional smoothing and brightening ingredients,
Midnight Blue has actives aimed at soothing irritated and tired skin.
I honestly can’t pick a hero product from either range, all are worth your time and money. I’d urge you to take a look at both ranges with your specific skin concerns in mind and see if anything grabs you.
I *do* often use Rich Moist Soothing Cream on flights.
Black Sugar
The black sugar facial polish is one of only 2 physical exfoliants that I’d recommend without fear that you might scrape your face off.
And their Vitamin E overnight mask (rich emollient) contains niacinamide and is a real gem8.
Purito
This recommendation is specific to centella-based products.
If you’re looking to treat redness/rosacea, this is an ingredient you’re probably aware of. The better-known brand for this is Dr Jart+. Which is an entry-level drugstore brand in Korea, but is far more expensive in the US/UK9.
Try Purito instead...
Their centella range is here.
I’m not going to give specific recommendations, because your choices will be driven by the condition that you’re treating and the treatment formulations that you prefer.
BUT, the recovery cream is pretty legendary. As well as the centella (50% of the formulation), it contains glycerin, squalane, niacinamide, shea butter and a bunch of other good stuff.
You can get it for around £$10. It's highly concentrated, so last months.
All products have high-quality formulations and are substantially cheaper than Dr Jart+. Everything at Purito is in the RRP range of £$8-£$22.
Laneige
Don’t get excited, because I know this is one you may have heard of.
This is here so that I can deliver the following blow: if you’re over 30, you’ve aged out of this brand.
The products are formulated for 20something skin, it’s an entry-level drugstore skincare brand in Korea10.
French Pharmacy brands
La Roche Posay
NB - in the UK, they are offering free online consultations with a dermatologist 21-27 Nov
These are the ones with the blue and white packaging that is steadily taking over the world. I could - and will - write all day about LRP.
The products you have to know about TODAY are:
Effaclar range
If you have acne/congested skin, I’d expect your cosmetic (as opposed to prescription) routine to be largely made up of these products. It’s consistently referenced and loved by the skincare community for the management of breakouts.
Try the cleanser and Duo moisturiser first and top-up from the range if/as required.
Effaclar Purfying gel cleanser contains zinc and skin conditioning agents. It should only be used once a day, so if you wash your face twice a day, use at night and use a gentle cream cleanser in the morning.
RRP £$22 for 400ml (refill pouches are available for less). Easily 8 months’ worth.
Duo Moisturiser (RRP£20/$3611 for 40ml) contains niacinamide, salicylic acid and other emollients. Gel and tinted cream formulations are available)
Both are PH-adjusting.
Toleriane range
Another hero range, this one’s for dehydrated/sad skin.
If you’ve struggled with the dryness of most foaming cleansers, try this before abandoning all hope12
Gel Nettoyant (£22 for 400ml) contains our old friend niacinamide) so will feel gentler and more smoothing. This is known as Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Cleanser ($17 for 400ml) in the US. The formulations are identical. As before, 400ml should last you at least 8 months
As you’d expect for dehydrated skin, there’s a vast array of moisturisers in this range and your choices will depend on your preferences of texture/density. There are no duds, all contain LRP spring water and one or more of ceramides, glycerin and niacinamide.
A note on sizing
The cleansers are best value in the larger sizes (400ml). Additionally, only the larger sizes come in a pump dispenser, which infuriates me13.
Obviously though, buying a large size of something that you don’t finish is false economy, so I’d recommend you buy a smaller size the first time you try, unless the pump is a deal-breaker.
Avène
Avène Thermal Spring Water
If you need light moisturisation and prefer a mist to a cream (especially if you live in humidity, where creams can feel too heavy), this facial mist is a winner.
It has many other uses, but we are not getting into those for today.
It’s available in 3 sizes. RRP for a 300ml (largest size) spray is £15/$19
If you’re looking at this and saying “$20?? FOR WATER???”
The big can will last for months, even with daily use
It’s magic water. No, actually.
Many of you reading this have regularly been spending $50+ on a 30ml pot of zhuzhed-up glycerin. A cosmetic company buys that amount of glycerin for under $0.0314. Where was your indignation then, oh Savvy Consumer?
UK-Only cosmetic skincare: Sorry, USA 😕
Superdrug
Superdrug has some phenomenal low-priced skincare. I’d recommend any of these if you want to try out actives at low cost, but you may also just end up repurchasing these indefinitely.
All their ranges frequently go on offer and Superdrug offers generous Member discounts if you sign up for their free loyalty scheme.
Hada Labo Tokyo
As above, the western-formulated range is available here
Naturally Radiant
This own-brand range offers incredible value (£2-£12) for gentle glycolic acid-based products.
Me+
Superdrug’s answer to The Ordinary/Inkey is Me+, their own range of low-cost actives. If you want to be able to go into a shop on the high street and easily fill your basket with actives to try at a low cost, this range is extensive, well-formulated and extremely well-reviewed.
🚨🚨PSA🚨🚨
There was an outstanding hydrating serum in the Superdrug Simply Pure range for £2.69.
It’s now been totally reformulated (the hyaluronic acid and ceramides have been removed), renamed Hydrating Day Serum, they’ve increased the price and The Internet Is (justifiably) Very Angry about it. So don’t go looking for it in its original, incredible, formulation: it’s gone.
There is a night version with glycerin and squalane that looks like a decent bet if you want to give it a go for £3.99 (RRP, so before any discounts). There are no ingredients in this that meaningfully15 increase sun sensitivity, so you should be fine to use during the day if you prefer.
Superfacialist
If you want a single brand that’s easy to find, cheap, smells nice without being overpowering, feels nice and is effective and well-formulated across the whole range, I defy you to do better than Superfacialist.
It won’t transform your skin, but if you don’t feel your skin needs transforming, get involved.
It’s not expensive to start with, but it always on offer somewhere, so shop around and you’re unlikely to pay more than £4-£8 per item.
Don’t bother with the higher priced retinol/anti-ageing products, there’s much better out there, but the basic salicylic acid, Vitamin C16, hyaluronic acid and rosehip cleansers and scrubs are really good at the price.
These and the Dear, Klairs scrub are the only physical exfoliants that I’d recommend without apprehension.
I think you can find better value than Superfacialist’s moisturizers, but if you just can’t be arsed with the effort of shopping across multiple brands17, this is a soft place to land.
The price point also makes this ideal if you have a teenager who’s hungry for skincare products.
This brand can be bought on Amazon.com in the US, but becomes so much more expensive on import that it’s not good value.
Wait… you didn’t mention CeraVe or Cetaphil
I know. I tossed this up for a long time.
I have used both. I do not think that either are ‘bad’ or low quality, but any products of theirs that I have tried were outclassed by similar products by other brands at comparable price points.
If they work for you, they are an effective, low-cost option, so I’m not going to dissuade you. You’re not overpaying for those skincare products - congrats!
I’ve chosen not to specifically highlight any of their products in this post, because I believe there are better alternatives.
NB The CeraVe formulations differ slightly between the US and EU/UK versions of CeraVe products, so if you’re from one continent and you buy from the other whilst travelling, you may notice the difference.
Prescription skincare
If you are serious about reducing fine lines and wrinkles, you will need some version of azelaic acid and/or retinoids (vitamin A) in your routine.
No cosmetic skincare can achieve the results that one or both of these products can.
I would therefore urge you to replace any cosmetic skincare products that you’re specifically using with the goal of reducing fine lines or wrinkles with prescription skincare instead. No matter what the advertising/nice lady at the counter told you.
In the UK/US/Aus, retinoids above 0.12% and Azelaic acid above 15% are only available on prescription.
In the UK and Australia, both of these are cheaper on prescription than the majority of - less effective - cosmetic skincare products. In the US, pricing will depend on insurance but is higher18.
Superdrug/Boots online - UK only
NB Superdrug online is amazing - you can order a private prescription19 of the contraceptive pill, testosterone, prescription skincare, the morning after pill, testosterone (for menopause) and sexual health tests/medications (and a bunch of other stuff) from them. It goes to a doctor for review and then you can either collect it in-store or they post it to you, often same-day.
You can buy azelaic acid 15% (Finacea) for £22 for 30g and retinoid 0.025% (Treclin) for £28 for 30g. 30g lasts me about 2 months of daily use.
Dermatica/Skin and Me (UK) Curology/Apostrophe/Dermatica (US) Software (Australia)
All of these companies operate on the same principle: you fill in an online questionnaire/have an online consultation, send some photos and they send you a bottle of bespoke formula for £25-30/$30US/$54AUD a month that you apply once a day.
For treatment of fine lines and wrinkles, the formulation typically contains retinoid, azelaic acid and niacinamide and they scale up the dose over time depending on how you respond, which means you don’t have to work it out for yourself. The dispensers typically dispense an exact amount, so you don’t over-apply.
They also have formulations for acne, rosacea and hyperpigmentation.
In the UK and Australia you’re paying slightly more for the convenience of them creating a formulation for you than you would if ordering the products separately, but it’s still much cheaper than the majority of anti-ageing cosmetic skincare. And it has a much higher chance of reducing lines and wrinkles than anything else applied topically.
In the US, I’d say this is a no-brainer.
I don’t currently use any of these services as I’m travelling, so it’s not possible, but I’ll definitely sign up once I’m back in the UK.
Bossy note #2
You should not start using prescription skincare without consulting a dermatologist, either online or in person.
DO NOT hare off and buy the prescription products I’ve listed above, just because I told you how cheap and effective they can be. This kind of shiz is exactly what got you here in the first place.
Have a consultation with a derm (this will likely be online, might be via one of the 3rd parties listed above and will almost certainly require you to answer a questionnaire honestly) before buying or applying prescription skincare. FFS.
Bossy note #3
Don’t do what I did20 when I signed up for a similar service in the US and overstate the severity of your skin conditions so that they send you a more concentrated dose and/or apply the product more frequently than indicated, because you still believe more is better.
More is not better when it comes to skincare. Less is better.
All you’ll do is aggravate your skin, which will then take longer to repair in the long run.
Bossy note #4
A note on buying prescription skincare from an overseas online pharmacy website: don’t. It’s only £20-30 at home - why would you bother navigating this minefield?
A note on buying prescription skincare when you’re on holiday in Mexico (where it’s available without prescription): I would strongly advise against it, even in cities. There are department stores that have pharmacies in them, these should sell authentic products, but they’re likely to be expensive21.
Mexico has become a hotspot for people to purchase prescription medication over the counter, and it’s going about as well as you’d imagine. I would not risk this any time soon.
And there you go…
Feel free to let me know in the comments if you think I’ve left something out.
Don't buy anything until you’ve read the shopping guide next week. Unless you want to carry on overpaying for your skincare, you maverick.
Wait… This was A LOT of information. Is there a summary or something?
*sighs heavily*
Luckily for you, a) I am extremely neuroatypical and b) there’s currently no-one in Cartagena on Bumble worth my time. So here you go22:
Reminder: just because it’s here, doesn’t mean that you have to buy it. LESS IS MORE.
The real work for this post was figuring out what to leave out, much of which pained me. There will be follow-up posts highlighting products within specific. skincare categories.
If you are female and pre-menopausal
I deliberately linked an image that shows that is available both as a bottle and a refill pouch. As is common with refills, the volume in the pouch is less than you’d get in the original bottle, so just look out for this when comparing prices.
DHC has its fans, but I found it unpleasantly thick/hard to wash off cleanly and I did not appreciate the smell. It’s also twice the price. Do not overpay for your skincare.
As with the Hada Labo lotion, these come in bottles and the smaller refill pouches.
I have no idea whether this is the hero ingredient, but it’s a very distinct one near the top of the Japanese ingredient list, so is the obvious choice to highlight.
I know 😬. Some product names do not translate well.
For some reason I can not write about this brand without sounding like an advert. I went back and toned it down, so the above is the least that I can say about them, I promise.
It has become comically more expensive than when I used to use it, about 5 years ago.
“But what about the lip mask?” Yeah, it’s £20/$24. For a lip balm whose primary ingredients are water, alcohol and glycerin. If you don’t think that that’s overpaying for your skincare, then I’m not sure that this is the right article for you.
I agree that this price discrepancy is weird
Don’t forget about the Hada Labo one either
This is my packaging must-have. If a cleanser doesn’t come with a pump, you’ll really struggle to get me to love it.
If you want to buy an actual ton of glycerin, now’s your chance
It contains a small concentration of lactic acid.
Yes, I said what I said about Vitamin C. I still think there are better skincare ingredients out there, but I’m not telling you to actively avoid it, just not to pay more for its presence.
This is a valid choice
*Writes 35,000 word post about about the sheer ridiculousness of the US healthcare system, then realises comment is futile. Shrugs, shakes head sadly and presses delete.*
So not NHS prescription prices
I was younger and far less wise once upon a time.
As I found when I went to a couple in Mexico City and actually laughed out loud in horror at the quoted legal price
If anyone feels called to draw my attention to a typo, please refrain. Also, if you know me IRL, you are never allowed to ask me about skincare again 😂
Amazing article! Thank you xxx