Skincare is such a divisive thing once prices come into play.
I feel like in many ways, people are more willing to pay for a more expensive makeup item than they are a more expensive skincare product.
Might it be because a makeup item can last longer, while you’re likely to finish your skincare product in 3-4 months? Think of the last expensive eyeshadow palette you purchased. I’m sure it’s still sitting there after a few years, while that last expensive skincare product has been emptied many moons ago LOL!
Often therefore, when I share about a skincare product which is more expensive than normal, I’m asked if it’s worth it.
Well, what do you think? Is expensive skincare ever worth it?
I think you can make a case for it either way 🙂
Expensive skincare is absolutely worth it!
On the one hand, there is some sort of research and development and technology in making effective skincare. Research isn’t cheap, and it can take years to develop a new product or discover a new effective ingredient.
If you take that viewpoint, then yes, expensive skincare is absolutely worth it. Who won’t want to pay to take advantage of all that technology? Also, if a product contains a higher percentage of an active ingredient, are you not willing to pay more?
In the past, I’d have been more willing to subscribe to this viewpoint.
Cheaper brands of skincare tended to be filled with fillers, be low in content on key ingredients or contain cheap ingredients that weren’t very effective. The perception therefore was that the more expensive skincare brands were better for your skin, because they did more.
However, I don’t agree with this point of view anymore, because technology in skincare has come a long way. Now that many brands are owned by larger groups and holding companies, facilities for R&D can be shared, and the information they obtain can be easily spread across the brands they own, which usually span the low, mid and high-end.
I won’t say that expensive skincare isn’t worth it (I make my case for it below), but I do certainly think more than twice before trying something new that is expensive, because I’m not sure what I’m paying for – product or brand name?
Expensive skincare isn’t worth it at all!
On the flipside, there is the argument also that a lot of what goes into a product is costs that you don’t otherwise see e.g. marketing, packaging, advertisement etc.
All these costs will add up, and once you factor in brand goodwill, you can end up with a product that can cost more than it should.
Brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List made their name by selling this concept. Their products are simple and effective, and above all, affordable. It led people to believe that they were over-paying for skincare from more expensive brands.
The availability of skincare ingredients in the mass market too led to an uptick in those pursuing a DIY approach to skincare, mixing their own lotions and potions at home, on the basis that they are more effective and affordable.
I too tend to agree these days that expensive skincare doesn’t equate quality. So often we see higher priced products delivering poorer results than something that comes from the pharmacy, or comes from a more affordable brand. I refer of course to established brands, not upstarts or celebrity/designer branded products with questionable sources and ingredients.
While that is partially true, I hesitate to take a blanket view to say that expensive skincare isn’t worth it at all.
If an indie brand sells skincare at a higher pricepoint, I can understand why. Buying high quality ingredients in smaller quantities mean a higher cost, and it’s hard to price things lower if you can’t get a cheaper price for your ingredients.
If you look into natural or organic skincare brands, quite a lot of them are priced higher than average. Natural and organic skincare ingredients go through many layers of certification and testing so all these add to the cost. It is not often that you find a very affordable natural and/or organic brand of skincare, because it isn’t easy or cheap to get the certifications.
What is it worth to you?
At the end of the day, I prefer to ask this question: What is it worth to you?
Whether expensive or cheap is a matter of perception. To some, a cream that costs RM300 is reasonable. To another, that’s expensive. There is no benchmark to establish what ‘expensive’ really means.
What is easier to judge is its worth to you, as the user. If a product you’re using delivers the results you expect, and you’re happy to continue using it, I don’t see why you shouldn’t, even if it is, by common agreement, expensive.
I don’t like telling people if anything is ‘worth it’ because it can mean different things to different people, so the best person to decide if it’s worth it, is YOU! 🙂
RELATED READING: You decide what’s worth it! READ HERE
Go for efficacy not price
Instead of price, I prefer to consider a product’s efficacy.
I’m happy using products that are affordable, that come from the pharmacy or that don’t cost very much, as long as they are effective for my needs. I enjoy using an affordable Vitamin C serum like the one from Melano CC that you can get for about RM40 on sale.
I also enjoy using the Omorovicza Vitamin C serum that retails upwards of RM300.
What it then comes down to is sustainability. Which product am I more likely to be able to sustain long-term usage of, as skincare can only be effective when used regularly, in sufficient quantities, over a period of time.
If I’m feeling flush, then perhaps I might spend on the Omorovicza Vitamin C serum for a few months. In other months, I’d likely go for the Timeless 20% Vitamin C serum, or the Melano CC serum.
I therefore enjoy using and trying an expensive skincare product, but if I can find something that is as effective and as comfortable to use at a lower price tag, I’m happy to switch too. After all, you can never have too much savings! 😉
There’s no need therefore to scoff at those using more expensive skincare brands, or to berate them for being silly when there are alternatives. We all use skincare for our own reasons, not to show-off to others.
At least, that’s what I hope people are using skincare for 😛
So, let people use what they like. As long as it works for them, that’s all that matters. It’s worth it to them, even if you don’t think so! 🙂
What is your approach to expensive skincare?
Sometimes, I think people impose too many ideals on others. Let people enjoy themselves, especially now. There is little to be happy about as it is!
Paris B
I enjoy using products that work and show results regardless of the price or brand. However, my ‘expensive’ skin makes me use expensive products but not Chanel or Dior. They break me out like crazy, definitely due to fragrance. I was using a complete skincare range from Clinique while I was in my last year of university and broke out like crazy. Stopped immediately and went an esthetician and have been a loyal customer of skincare products from Bioelements to Jan Marini and now Glowbiotics (formerly MyBody) for the last 25 years.
I am only adventurous when it comes to eye area. Tried Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Strivectin, NARS, Bioelements, Jan Marini, Glowbiotics and many more but I am not impressed. Recently, I ventured into Avene and find their Soothing Eye Cream Contour works very well for for a drugstore brand. Also I am happy with Avene’s Very High Protection B-Protect SPF 50+.
Bioderma Sensibio H20 is the best micellar water I have ever tried, pricey than average but still cheaper than branded ones. French brands drugstore products are more promising than US brands.
I’m 100% with you on French pharmacy brands. They are usually very effective and don’t cost the earth. After all, what’s important is what works, and it’s always better if it has a small price tag to boot!
Hi Paris!
IMO, Hylamide is “worth it” for everyone. Sulwhasoo and elite Hanbang competitors are worth it for the R&D, proprietary or public.
I remember when The Ordinary launched as a loss leader for Hylamide and NIOD, instead of the money-maker with old formulations and slow reformulations that it is today.
I totally respect the difficulties DECIEM or even Drunk Elephant is facing. It’s a normal result of their exponential growth, as validated by journalists like https://twitter.com/cherylanneny
Because of their business model with GWP, IMHO ELC’s ANR is not worth it, despite the legendary status of the serum. YMMV lah!
Hi there! I know of many who will agree with you about EL’s ANR! 😀 I however, do still enjoy using it, but much less now, because there are other options, with more active ingredients in them. Big companies like EL take a long time to pivot and innovate, so they tend to rest on their laurels and eventually get left behind haha! I’ve actually used a few products in the Hylamide range. Won’t consider them pricey and they’re good value, but not everything sits well with me. I gave up on using their skincare when the shipping costs at Deciem became too expensive, and it became harder to get hold of the products. There are so many options these days from all price spectrums anyway! 😀
I am with you in this topic; I prefer my makeup to be at the higher end but I am not fussy about skincare if I found cheaper alternatives that work as good as if not better than their more expensive counterparts. I agree that technology and R&D in skincare world has progressed so much that makes it possible and easier to find even local brands with great performance. I am yet to dip my toe with local brands because I need to finish up my stash first (another story) but I can’t wait to try them!
You are I both on local brands HAHA! But that said, I have noticed some local brands that look quite legit (not the celebrity/makeup artist brands that I can’t be sure what they are) so I’m curious about them. But I still have so much to go through, I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever get round to trying any 😛
Such a great question, and like many people, I come down on both sides. My skin is extremely dry and sensitive. EXTREMELY. Back when I was a teenager and all my friends were worrying about having oily skin, I was slathering moisturizer all over my face. Now that I’m a wee bit older (ha! 53!), I find it very hard to find things that are effective enough–yet gentle/not irritating enough–to handle my skin’s needs. So that’s where I spend my money: on oils and moisturizers. I can’t handle treatments like retinols or vitamin c; I just need soothing, moisturizing products. I love oils from Votary (their Superseed Sensitive Skin one, whatever it’s called) and the Blue Cocoon from May Lindstrom, and a very few other things like that. (Like @Nvie, most “big” brands just cause trouble for my skin.) I do use an acid on my skin to help with cell turnover, and there I spend money, too: I find Biologique Recherche p50, used sparingly, is brilliant. Everything else I’ve tried either doesn’t work or irritates my skin.
So where do I save money? On cleansers, for starters. Paula’s Choice makes a creamy cleanser that works well for me and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I also use Clinique’s Take the Day Off oil cleanser. Another area where I used to be able to rely on a drugstore(ish) product was sunscreen. In the past, I used Cotz mineral sunscreen. I loved it for YEARS. But last summer it began irritating my face and arms horribly. It looks like they changed only one ingredient, and not a leading one, but I guess it was enough. So now I need to find another that hopefully won’t put me in the poor house! I’ve tried a few, nothing is working. I’m stuck wearing hats and long sleeves when I go out. 🙁
Anyway, thanks for the post! Great topic.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I loved reading everyone’s take on this 😀 I think it’s great that you know what your skin needs, and you feed it accordingly. Personally, many ‘big’ brands don’t sit well with me because of fragrance too. I also think some of them could do with more injection of technology, rather than just perfume and fancy marketing! As for sunscreen, have you considered Avene? I just discovered it recently, and it’s been really good for my skin, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! 🙂 I dont believe in spending too much money on sunscreen. What’s important is that we use it, and lots of it, not stint on use 😀
I saw your post on the Avene Very High Protection, as well your many mentions of it in your IG Stories, and I looked for it. But it is not on the US Avene site, and I can’t seem to find it elsewhere. 🙁 I will keep looking to see if I can purchase it from an international site. Thank you for the reminder–I will keep my eyes open.
And yes, many of the “big” brands need to advance their formulas rather than rely on fancy marketing and fragrance. So true!
Ah! I’ve been helping you look too, and I think it must be something about the formula that isn’t approved for sale in the USA 🙁 However, I spotted it on this website that sells French skincare brands, https://www.cocooncenter.co.uk/ and they ship internationally, so maybe you can try it from there 🙂