Are Expensive Skincare Products Worth It?
The skincare product industry has an estimated value of over $157 billion. Economists predict the value will rise to $321 billion over the next decade. Consumers are increasingly interested in skincare products to treat and improve the existing look and condition of their skin.
Some of the biggest skincare product categories include:
- Cleansers: Clean away dirt and debris particles from the pores of the skin.
- Makeup: Improves the beauty of the skin.
- Sunscreen: Protect the skin from the dangerous UV rays of the sun
- Moisturizers: Hydrate dry skin to prevent peeling
- Acne Treatment: Reduce the appearance of skin pimples and blemishes
- Anti-Aging: Brightens the skin and reduces wrinkles for a more youthful appearance
You can find cheap and expensive skincare products in each of these categories. The products vary based on the ingredients and formulation that went into creating them. Different people may have varying experiences when using these products.
After all, everyone’s skin has different levels of sensitivity to certain ingredients and chemicals. The price of the skincare products does not factor into these sensitivity levels either.
Before choosing a product for your skin, we recommend that you be examined by a dermatologist, get information about your skin type, and get advice about the products you intend to use.
Cheap Skincare Products vs. Expensive Skincare Products
Society has made consumers believe that expensive skincare products are automatically better than cheaper skincare products. But why? You must stop and think about what makes one skincare product better than another because it’s not necessarily the price tag.
Let’s compare the various factors of cheap and expensive skincare products to help understand their similarities and differences:
Branding
One of the primary reasons why some skincare products cost more than others is the branding. Many expensive products come in fancy packaging with recognizable brand names and labels on the outside of them. Like with many higher-priced items that have cheaper alternatives, you are usually paying more because of the brand name.
The cheaper generic skincare products with store branding and labeling may offer similar results for your skin. It all depends on whether the ingredients and overall formula are significantly different in the cheap products versus the expensive ones.
Ingredients
Ingredients are one of the top factors to consider when shopping for skincare products. Regardless of the price, you should always review the ingredient list on the back label of skincare products that you are thinking about purchasing. The ingredient list will help you better understand whether the product has what you need to treat your skin.
For example, some of the best skincare products will have effective active ingredients for treating skin, such as salicylic acid, retinoids, niacinamide, peptides, tea tree oil, coconut oil, and Vitamin C. Take it upon yourself to research these ingredients to see if they offer the skincare benefits that you desire.
It would help if you also looked out for unwanted filler ingredients in the skincare products. Some product brands will add low-quality fillers, such as fragrances and alcohols, to their skincare formulas to create a certain appearance, smell, or texture to them. Unfortunately, these filler ingredients don’t usually benefit the skin’s health very much. In fact, some filler ingredients can even have adverse effects on the skin for certain people.
The best skincare products have a high concentration of active ingredients and a low concentration of filler ingredients.
Expensive skincare products with luxury brands will usually avoid filler ingredients, but not always.
So, make sure to check the labeling to verify whether a particular product has too many fillers or not.
DK's Expert Advice: Skin care products typically do not specify the proportion of their ingredients. Therefore, identifying the primary active ingredients can be challenging. However, the ingredients in the first few rows of the content list are the ones with the highest density. As you move down the content list, the density of the relevant content decreases.
Skin Sensitivity
Some people need hypoallergenic skin care products formulated specifically for people with sensitive skin.
Hypoallergenic means that the skincare products are less likely to cause someone to develop an allergic reaction from using them.
However, some “sensitive skin” labeled skincare products might not be called hypoallergenic. Unless you are worried about suffering an allergic reaction to using a skincare product, you don’t necessarily need to concern yourself with the hypoallergenic label.
The important thing is to use “sensitive skin” labeled products if your skin is more prone to developing acne, blemishes, rashes, or other imperfections from applying simple ingredients.
It just so happens that expensive skincare products are more likely to offer “sensitive skin” options, whereas the cheaper products don’t usually provide it.
DK's Expert Advice: Check if the product's pH level is suitable for your skin. A pH level between 4 and 6 minimizes the likelihood of skin reactions.
Research Customer Reviews
The internet makes it easy to research the level of customer satisfaction for different skincare products.
Pretty much every major e-commerce retail store lets customers post reviews and star ratings for the products listed for sale on it.
For example, you could visit Amazon or eBay to research the customer reviews left for prospective skincare products that you are thinking about buying. The products with the highest levels of positive feedback and star ratings are likely to be quality, trustworthy products to consider for yourself. However, keep in mind that even the highest-rated product might not be suitable for your specific skin type.
The Verdict
Your skincare needs are what matter the most. Your job is to find a skincare product best suited for your skin condition treatment or beauty requirement without inflaming the skin.
Meanwhile, you want to be observant of the price of the product without paying more than necessary. If you can find a more affordable alternative product with the same beneficial skincare ingredients that you need, then it would be the wiser choice.
Overall, expensive skincare products are worth it if you need to treat a specific skin condition, such as rosacea or dermatitis, with specially formulated ingredients. Most cheaper skincare products won’t have ingredients suited to treat advanced skin conditions like these.
On the other hand, if you only need to hydrate your skin, enhance your skin’s beauty, or treat basic skin conditions like acne, you can probably find cheaper products to serve these needs.
Just remain objective when shopping for skincare products and choose one that solves your needs without breaking the bank. That is all you really need to remember.
