We’ll happily try out the latest drugstore makeup, but many of us prefer to invest a bit when it comes to skincare. Skincare plays a huge role in your skin’s health and appearance. Typically, good ingredients can mean more expensive products.
On the other hand, just because something costs more doesn’t necessarily mean it is worth the cost. Plenty of luxury skincare products contain fragrance, alcohol, and other bad-for-you ingredients. You pay for the packaging, the branding, the scent, and not much else.
Thankfully, affordable and effective skincare is more and more prevalent. You can now find drugstore skincare products with active ingredients that are cruelty-free and even sustainable. A lower price tag doesn’t always mean lower quality.
- ELF Holy Hydration Face Cream Fragrance-Free, $12 (shop here)
Some high-end moisturizers can cost three figures. Why spend so much when you can get the same ingredients at drugstore pricing? ELF Holy Hydration Face Cream is luxurious, hydrating, and suitable for all skin types.
Beauty bloggers say this is also the best dupe around for Bobbi Brown Face Base ($62, shop here), and it’s fragrance-free (which means no potential irritation). ELF is also cruelty-free and vegan, so you get everything a higher-end brand offers, plus some.
- Pacifica Vegan Collagen Complex Serum, $22 (shop here)
Pacifica is a vegan, clean, and cruelty-free drugstore brand that makes makeup, haircare, and, of course, skincare. Their packaging is adorable, and their products truly work. The Vegan Collagen Complex Serum restores collagen and smoothes wrinkles at a drugstore price.
This age-defying blend of moisturizers and hydrators plumps the skin and leaves it feeling dewy and fresh. It is ideal for dry and mature skin – but everyone needs hydration in their skincare routine, even acne-prone teens.
- Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel, $6 (get on the waitlist here)
Good Molecules is a brand with insanely affordable prices and kick-ass ingredients. We could go on about their products tried for ages, but the eye gel is the best so far.
For only $6, you get a generous amount of vegan and cruelty-free product (15 mL is a lot for an eye product). You may not be able to find this brand at your local store just yet, but you probably order most of your skincare online anyway.
This fragrance-free eye gel is lightweight and intensely moisturizing. It absorbs quickly but keeps the notoriously dry under-eye area nice and plumped. Antioxidants help fight dark circles, caffeine reduces puffiness, and hyaluronic acid hydrates and plumps fine lines.
- Fourth Ray Beauty Lip Mask, $10 (shop here)
We all know and love ColourPop – the indie makeup brand with endless, affordable options. Well, they came out with a vegan, cruelty-free skincare line. Though the packaging is super-cute, their lip masks don’t play.
With five delicious flavors to choose from, you can indulge while treating your lips to luxury. Vitamin E, shea butter, and fruit oils will nourish and repair your lips overnight.
- The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%, (shop here)
The Ordinary took the beauty world by storm with its simple packaging, minimal formulas, and low prices. The brand is all about ingredients – no extras, fillers, or fragrance.
You might get some iffy textures, but the results of their products are undeniable. Their azelaic acid, for instance, has a less-than-luxurious feel but works to fight acne and post-blemish marks. Any other products that come close are more than double the cost.