Drugstore Skin-Care Buys Better Than the Pricey Stuff

Looking for a luxurious moisturizer for dry skin that feels exactly like the pricey stuff? You won’t be disappointed with RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Rich Cream ($39, walgreens.com), with ceramides, glycerin, shea butter, nourishing jojoba and macadamia oil and, of course, a wrinkle’s worst enemy: hyaluronic acid. 

How about a basic do-all a.m.-p.m. cream? Get a tube of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors+ Hyaluronic Acid Daily Moisturizer ($7, kohls.com) with plumping hyaluronic acid and fatty acids to lock in all that moisture. 

Need overnight repair for sun damage and wrinkles? Get results as you snooze with a buffered retinol cream like Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream with Retinol + Hyaluronic Acid ($38, cvs.com) or Womaness Overnight Magic Nighttime Repair Cream ($30, ulta.com) with the plant-based retinol alternative bakuchiol and hyaluronic acid. They’ve done all the research so that you can relax.

(From left) Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum; Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum; Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum With Niacinamide & Sunflower Seed Oil.

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3. Serums that enhance moisturizers.

Serums are another easy-on-the-credit-card buy that’s snatched the spotlight from high-priced peers. These small, concentrated infusions of ingredients act like a mighty rescue team for underperforming creams and mature skin needing an extra boost. 

Serums have a silky texture that absorbs quickly, and smaller molecules that deliver ingredients deeper into the skin than creams. Layered under a top coat of moisturizer or night cream to seal it all in, a serum skin-care “sandwich” lets you improve any cream’s efficacy.

You might choose a formula that increases hydration and plumps up lines and wrinkles, like Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum ($30, walgreens.com); fades dark spots, like Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum ($12, target.com), with tranexamic acid and niacinamide; or brightens, like Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum With Niacinamide & Sunflower Seed Oil ($26, ulta.com).

(From left) RoC Revive + Glow Eye Balm; The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream; Byoma De-Puff + Brighten Eye Gel; No 7 Radiance + Bright Roll & Glow Eye Cream.

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4. Eye creams that erase fatigue, bags and sag.

For those on the fence, using a separate eye cream is always a good idea, and drugstore versions are a home run. What actually started as a low-cost, “meh” category has become a bestseller for women over 50. That’s because no matter how much concealer, brown eye shadow, liner and mascara you wear, the eyes tell all.

Eye creams are silkier and more emollient than face moisturizers, so they’re a better solution for the thin, extra-dry skin of the eye area. You don’t need a high-priced eye cream, which can run anywhere from $40 to a whopping $200, to solve your issues.  Low-cost brands address puffs, circles, fatigue and crepey, lined skin just fine. 

Good choices now include RoC Revive + Glow Eye Balm ($35, cvs.com), which has vitamin C to brighten, peptides to firm and a cool feeling upon application. Plus, the twist-up stick format glides on touch-free, meaning there’s no chance it will migrate into your eyes.

Other eye products also deliver champagne-level results on a tap water budget, like The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream ($12, sephora.com) and No7 Radiance + Bright Roll & Glow Eye Cream ($17, walgreens.com), both with caffeine to effectively deflate puffs and address dark circles; and Byoma De-Puff + Brighten Eye Gel ($14, ulta.com), a refreshing, cooling gel with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C to wake up tired eyes fast.

5. Multitasking all-year sunscreens.

Wearing sunscreen 365 days a year is no longer negotiable — not if you want to protect aging skin from UV rays that lead to lines, wrinkles, discolorations, precancerous issues and skin cancer. However, until recently, few women bothered to include a high SPF daily sunscreen in their routine. Unbelievable but true.

Drugstores changed all that when top brands figured out two solutions that solved the “ick” factor with what dermatologists call “cosmetically elegant” formulas. Tinted sunscreens with skin-enhancing ingredients, like Eucerin Sun Tinted Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 35 ($20, target.com), a sunny, sheer formula for all skin tones; CeraVe Hydrating Sunscreen Sheer Tint Lotion SPF 30 ($18, cvs.com) available in Light, Medium and Deep Sheer tint; and tinted moisturizers with high SPFs like e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF50 ($18, walgreens.com), available in a whopping 18 shades, have blurred the boundaries between makeup and sun protection. 

Applied and worn on their own, they can double as light makeup to even out skin tone and blur discolorations. These products also work as makeup primers when layered beneath non-sunscreen tinted moisturizers and foundations. Ingenious!

(From left) Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Brazilian Coco Firming Bum, Bust & Body Oil; Olay Super Serum Body Wash for Extra Dry Skin; Saltair Body Lotion; Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Oil Mist With Oat and Jojoba Oil.

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6. Body care game-changers. 

Everyone benefits from body lotion, but only women over 50 say, “My legs have alligator skin!” and “My crepey décolletage is wrecking the look of my V-necks!” Low-cost skin care takes these issues and others, from eczema to garden-variety dry, itchy skin, seriously. Brands know we’re looking for a feel-good application, quick absorption and lasting moisture that won’t quit after an hour or two.

There are plenty of excellent low-cost creams targeting eczema by brands like CeraVe, Gold Bond and Eucerin. This is a category drugstores truly “own.” There’s also a major category of cost-effective body creams, lotions, oils and washes that offer plenty of hydration, innovation and a touch of high-priced aesthetic appeal that compete with expensive products.

Right now, nongreasy oils like Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Oil Mist With Oat and Jojoba Oil ($13, target.com), lightly scented and packed with oat oil and jojoba oil (rich in skin-loving lipids and fatty acids), and Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Brazilian Coco Firming Bum, Bust & Body Oil ($16, cvs.com) with vitamin E, offer a post-shower transformation for dry arms and legs. Just spray or smooth on blotted, still-damp skin and massage it in for an instant makeover. Hydrating body washes with soothing niacinamide and exfoliating beta hydroxy acid (aka BHA), like Dove Skin Replenish Body Wash ($10, walmart.com) and Olay Super Serum Body Wash for Extra Dry Skin ($13, walgreens.com), gently slough off flakes while leaving a barrier of moisture in their wake.

Do you want a body lotion that smells like the high-priced ones? Try Eos Shea Better 24H Moisture Body Lotion in Creme de Pistachio ($11 for 16 oz., target.com) — the same brand that made egg-shaped lip balms famous — with shea butter and shea butter oil and a scent like toasted pistachio and vanilla (it’s also vegan and hypoallergenic), or Saltair Body Lotion ($14, ulta.com), with coconut oil, cupuacu butter, kukui oil and murumuru butter, plus niacinamide to improve the look of dark spots. Its six take-me-away scents include Santa Bloom, with sandalwood and musk, and Pink Beach, with coconut and vanilla notes.