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Skin care is sometimes confusing and expensive, but it shouldn't be. Not every effective ingredient is costly to formulate.
There are plenty of affordable skin-care lines to buy from in 2019 that compete with luxury products.
Below are 12 brands you should know about, and what to buy from each.
Skin care, with its ever-evolving technology and the subterfuge of insidious marketing campaigns, can become a confusing and expensive category. Without insider knowledge or the time and funds to do the field-testing on your own, it's sometimes easier to spend an uncomfortable amount for the tacit understanding that, hey, if it's this expensive, it must be pretty good.
But that's not necessarily the case. There are plenty of affordable skin-care brands that are dead ringers for luxury products, at a fraction of the cost. It's no great secret that certain clinical heavy-hitters work, or that products sold for $30 can be made by the same cosmetics teams that work on $300 tubs of cream. And while sometimes it's worth it to splurge on beauty products, it doesn't automatically mean you're buying a better product.
Thankfully, most of what the Insider Picks team does is test new products to see which ones are worth the money and which ones you should skip.
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If you're looking for a handful of affordable skin-care brands off the cuff, find 12 we trust below:
Below are 12 affordable skin-care brands you should know about in 2019:
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
The Ordinary is a well-loved, affordable skin-care brand known for "clinical formulations with integrity." In other words, for using familiar, effective clinical technologies with transparent communication and pricing. The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution is one of its most popular products for its gentle exfoliation for better skin brightness and clarity.
"Panacea" is another word for a cure-all, and that's what this minimalist Korean brand with its three unisex products aims to be. Contrary to the idea that the more products you use the better your skin will be, Panacea's ethos champions efficient simplicity.
It focuses on the contents, rather than the quantity of the skin-care products, and uses cruelty-, paraben-, and sulfate-free ingredients to achieve natural, healthy results. The simple, gender-neutral products streamline your skin-care routine.
Maelove is a relatively new skin-care line priced entirely under $30 that was founded by MIT graduates. Eschewing the marketing schemes that make luxury $300 lotions the norm and skin care confusing and expensive, Maelove makes simple, effective skin-care products for all skin types in the same high-end cosmetics labs that luxury brands use.
Their cult-favorite $28 vitamin c serum (which consumers have pointed out is very similar to SkinCeuticals' $166 version) put the company on the map, and is prone to frequent sellouts.
Right now, get 10% off any purchase of two products or more with the discount code "TEN" at checkout.
It's all in the name: Simple is the skin-care brand to know if you'd like affordable, simplistic products that won't irritate sensitive skin. As Insider Picks editor Sally Kaplan wrote, "Of all the expensive makeup removers and cleansing waters I've tried, this drugstore version is the one I tell everyone about."
Hero Cosmetics makes Hydrocolloid patches to draw pus from pimples, resulting in noticeably smaller and less inflamed blemishes overnight. The treatment was originally used to treat wounds, but it's gained popularity lately as an answer to acne. Hero Cosmetics is a relatively new brand name, but Insider Picks reporters agree that their patches work better than those from the genre's most popular competitor.
Here's how it works: Place a sticker on top of a blemish and remove it after a few hours or overnight wear. In a nutshell, it's an overnight miracle product. Multiple reporters credit the Mighty Patch with being the only quick fix worth its money — and one we earnestly wish had existed years before.
No B.S. is a plant-based skin-care brand that blends scientific heavy hitters with natural ingredients to make for simple, hype- and fad-resistant skin care that just works. Everything is free from fillers like parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, or phthalates.
Aztec Secret really only sells one product, but we would be remiss not to include the phenomenon of the Indian Healing Clay Mask in an affordable skin care list. The Aztec Clay Mask basically acts like a vacuum for your pores in the five-20 minutes it's on. The 100% natural calcium bentonite clay draws out all the impurities deep in your skin for what has been called 'the world's most powerful facial' — and it's helping combat serious acne. The mask has been championed everywhere from Sephora beauty blogs to the review section on Amazon (which has over 11,000 five-star ratings).
If Muji calls to mind stationery sets and ballpoint pens, you're thinking of the right Japanese retailer. Most of its offerings are household goods, but the skin-care line is the real unsung hero. For instance, this High Moisture Light Toning Water is gentle, extremely hydrating, and doubles as both a toner and moisturizer. Our editor swears by it for preventing dry, flaky skin.
Mario Badescu is the brand behind the popular drying acne spot drying lotion that everyone from beauty editors to supermodels and celebrities like Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner relies upon. Badescu products have a potent combination of the usual scientific suspects as well as botanicals. It's best known for the Drying Lotion and facial misting sprays.
After finding their own options lacking, Josh Meyer and Matt Bolduc founded Brickell Men's Products to bring a premium men's skin-care line that uses natural and organic ingredients. The products are almost all standouts, but Insider Picks reporter Amir Ismael especially calls out the Purifying Charcoal Face Wash: "it uses all natural ingredients like charcoal, peppermint, and eucalyptus. I'm able to deep-clean my pores and get a refreshing and invigorating sensation without using harsh chemicals on my skin."
Farmacy makes affordable farm-to-face skin care that combines great natural ingredients with scientific advancements. Their cult-favorite Green Screen daily SPF uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect skin from the sun, while the antioxidants in the echinacea give skin a boost. According to Insider Picks Buying Guides editor Malarie Gokey, "the addition of marigold extract seems to help calm my skin and prevent redness or inflammation. The sunscreen isn't oily, thick, or sticky, and it blends in well, too."
Acure is making a name for itself as the 100% vegan and "0% pretentious" brand for skin, hair, and body products. You won't find any parabens, sulfates, mineral oils, petrolatum, silicones, or animal testing — and the Brightening Facial Scrub, which works on all skin types and uses a chlorella growth factor to stimulate new cell growth, has over 1,500 five-star reviews on Amazon.
