Budget friendly skincare can be just as effective as pricey skincare - in fact if you know how to choose ingredients that are safer, cleaner and more organic, it can be even better for your skin. Here is our compilation of the best budget friendly skincare with relatively clean ingredient lists.
Cleansers
In terms of oil cleansers, we recommend trying the Farmacy Green Clean Balm, which is great at melting off makeup and grease.
If you are wearing makeup, you may need to go in with a dedicated makeup remover as well, to remove the remaining makeup residue, e.g. an eye makeup remover like the Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover if you are using heavy eye makeup. For general makeup removal, we like using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water or the Garnier Clean Sensitive In Waterproof Make Up Remover, which are effective at getting most of the makeup off. We then go in with a dedicated oil and gel cleanser.
We use the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (vitasprings) because it’s the most effective cleanser we’ve found that does the best job at removing sebum (for all skin types) while not drying out the skin. However, it does contain parabens, so you can experiment with different cleansers to find one best suited to your skin type. By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
Exfoliants
Some of the most affordable exfoliants we love are the COSRX AHA Whitehead Power Liquid (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%, and the KraveBeauty Kale-Lalu-yAHA.
These are relatively gentle on the skin while still helping to exfoliate dead skin cells and fading postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and pigmentation over time. You do need to be patient and use these for a few months to see results.
Toners
There are a range of relatively affordable toner options though they may have a lower concentration of active ingredients.
Two brands to check out are Isntree and Secret Key. In particular, try the Secret Key Milk Brightening Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) and the Secret Key Aloe Soothing Moist Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), as well as the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner (Style Korean)(Jolse) and Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Jolse). Another one in this category that comes to mind is the Etude House SoonJung pH 5.5 Relief Toner. These products contain relatively safe brightening and/or antioxidant ingredients such as green tea. However, if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid or aloe, you should take care. Always do a patch test first to be sure.
For dry skin or climates, try the Hada Labo Premium Lotion (Olive Young)(dokodemo)(Jolse). This is a moisturizer that is formulated with the consistency of a toner. It’s relatively cheap but packs a punch in terms of keeping our skin well hydrated but not greasy during winter.
Essence and Serums
If you are looking for an alternative to the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (dokodemo), give the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning (Althea)(Jolse) or the Neogen Real Ferment Microessence a go. These contain saccharomyces ferment filtrate, which works as a humectant. We find that these essences do a good job at helping to draw moisture into our skin.
We also recommend the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which contains 2% niacinamide. This has helped to even skin tone and brightened our skin. You can read more about the effects of different niacinamide percentages on your skin in this post.
To help fade pigmentation and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and for anti-aging effects, we also use the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, but we only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over our face, to minimise the risk of irritation.
The AHC Minimal 10 Watery Essence (Olive Young) contains one of highest concentrations of centella asiatica among the essences, at 98%. Centella asiatica is a great ingredient to look out for because of its association with anti-inflammation. We feel that it helps to soothe irritation associated with breakouts.
In terms of affordable serums, the The Ordinary "Buffet" gives you bang for your buck, considering there are many serums with similar formulations that are at least double the price. This is a serum containing multiple peptide complexes which help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and facial folds. This serum does contain sodium hyaluronate, which is a water-soluble form of hyaluronic acid and an excellent humectant. Take care if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid however, and always do a patch test first.
Facial Masks
Among the affordable sheet masks we love are the Innisfree Second Skin Masks (Style Korean)(Jolse). You can choose different targeted ingredients depending on your skincare needs, such as for moisturizing, nourishing, firming, soothing and brightening effects. Keep in mind these masks generally contain alcohol, castor oil, and fragrance, which can be irritating for some people.
We also love the Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Masks (Style Korean), which contain honey, propolis and royal jelly extract. This mask is incredibly soothing for our skin, and our skin is always extra radiant, plump and hydrated after using it.
Moisturizers
As discussed above, the choice of which moisturizer to use will depend on a lot of individual factors, including your skin type, concurrent skincare products used, and climate. See our rundown of the best moisturizers here.
Our favorite moisturizer for oily or combination skin is the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which is a very lightweight consistency but packs a punch in hydration thanks to ingredients like snail mucin. It also has never caused us any skin irritation or breakouts because it doesn’t contain many other extracts. However, note that it doesn’t sit well under makeup or sunscreen.
Eye Creams
If you can afford it, it’s better to use a different moisturizer around your eyes compared with the rest of your face. However, if that’s too pricey for the time being, moisturizing around your eyes with safe facial moisturizer ingredients can also be ok.
In terms of dedicated eye products, you should choose these depending on whether you are after temporary depuffing or concealment of eyebags and dark circles, versus potent anti-aging effects, which become more relevant in your 30s and up.
The Mizon Collagen Power Firming Eye Cream (Jolse), Innisfree Perfect 9 Repair Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean), Innisfree Jeju Orchid Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), Benton Fermentation Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse), Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream and the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream (100% pure) contain potent antioxidants and have helped to keep the eye area feeling hydrated, do not cause milia, and helped to depuff our eyes (especially products containing caffeine). The Moogoo Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Vitamin C, on the other hand, is great for helping to lighten the appearance of shadows under the eyes.
By the way.. some the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which is an awesome, trustworthy site with great organic products. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
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P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!
