Drugstore ups its skincare game

By: Kerry Ingram, Arts & Life Editor
Photo courtesy of Consumer Reports

I have always been an avid lover of skincare products. Why? Because nothing is more personal than the physical flesh (cue cringing from that word) that covers your entire body. Your body’s largest organ is important, and nourishing it can not only help it to stay in its best state, but can help you to feel pampered and relax too.

There’s a commonly believed myth that the more money you spend on skincare products, the better they will work or be for your skin. I feel that this is only true half of the time – there are some pricier products worth every penny, and then there are the complete rip-offs. Despite this, many people continue to preach the idea that only the bougiest people who spend the most amount of money, buying hundred-dollar moisturizers and thousand-dollar facials, can have the best skin.

Not only do I want to challenge this idea; drugstore brands are looking to steal the spots of prestige skincare in the bathrooms of all shoppers.

There have been a ton of new skincare launch announcements made within the beauty industry over the last few weeks, and I decided to do some research and compile a list of five recent skincare launches made to give you the best skin of your life – minus the wallet pain.

  1. Wet N Wild’s New Rose Line – Wet N Wild is primarily a cosmetics brand and one of the most affordable and beloved by the budget-beauty community, so it came as a shock to discover they were launching skincare products this year. The line consists of a toner, cleansing water, oil and serum, all infused with rose flower extract to help hydrate and clarify the skin. These products are currently limited-edition, and each are less than $8. Talk about a wild deal.
  2. REVOLUTION Skincare CBD Oil – Makeup Revolution is still paying close attention to the trends. The beauty brand recently expanded into skincare, creating REVOLUTION Skincare as a way to market towards those looking to fix their skin’s flaws, as opposed to covering them up. The brand recently launched a series of oils and serums for their consumers, but I think the smartest choice was the launch of a drugstore CBD oil. CBD (cannabidiol) oils are on the rise – the oil is one of the compounds that comes from the cannabis plant (although it isn’t the same as THC, so it doesn’t make you high), and can be used for a variety of reasons, from helping with anxiety to easing muscle and joint pain. In the context of skincare, CBD is a great ingredient for fighting acne and dryness, and at REVOLUTION’s price of $14, such a product definitely deserves some recognition.
  3. Pond’s Cleansing Balm – If you are even remotely into beauty, you have most likely heard of the classic Pond’s Cold Skin Cream. The company’s oldschool cream makeup remover is getting an updated sibling, in the form of a solid oil balm. Like the cold cream, Pond’s new cleansing balm is meant to be massaged into the skin in order to remove any makeup, dirt and impurities, but unlike the former, this new product provides its users with deeper hydration and more ease in removing waterproof products. For only $10, this cleansing balm seems to wipe away all pricier competitors.
  4. Physician’s Formula Vitamin Shot (Brightening)– Another makeup-brand-gone-skincare, Physician’s formula decided to hop onto the vitamin trend this year. Its vitamin shot is meant to provide skin with ingredients, such as Vitamin C (what I call the “BLT of skincare,” since it brightens, lightens and tightens the skin) and licorice to help reduce any scarring on the skin and promote a more glowy appearance. CON: the packaging of this product is clear, which means that over time, the light it’s exposed to will break down the Vitamin C in the product, making it less effective. PRO: most expensive Vitamin C serums also have this problem, so spending $14 instead of $70 or more is still a much better deal.
  5. Neutrogena’s Gel Facial Mist – A lot of brands are starting to pay more attention to pollutants and how they interfere with the skin’s #flawlessness, and Neutrogena is no exception. The skincare brand recently launched a “City Shield” mist, meant to not only hydrate the skin, but to also provide the skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and botanical extracts to help protect the skin from pollution.

 

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