James Welsh: 564 skincare products reviewed

Every review.

All 564 products James Welsh has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Against the gurus

Type

Serums92 reviews

"Another one that I constantly talk about is the Frankly PDRN Bounce Ball Serum. I have emptied this over and over and over and over again. I'm on my fifth bottle of this now. They call it a radiance focus serum, and I guess it's created to improve the appearance of dullness, fine lines, firmness, and dehydration with salmon PDRN. It's a few different salmon derived things, but they say claims help support skin renewal and improve elasticity alongside salmon egg extract. Rich in amino acids and nutrients that help nourish the skin and moisturize the skin too. PDRN can help plump the skin, and some have said even help calm irritated skin barrier. Niacinamide in here again, so basically that middle egg yolky bit that you see, which is a very nice gimmick, is the PDRN. Then that formula you see on the outside is more of like a skin evening type thing. Then you shake it up and it creates this slightly oily textured watery serum. It's not oily. If you have oily skin, your skin is going to love this so, so much, but it doesn't feel like an oil, but it helps trap everything in."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum

"I tried this on and off for about two years and would just forget to use it, but I opened it up and used it every single day, twice a day. It's a very ferment-heavy serum with galactomyces and bifida ferment lysate, very like an essence. It focuses on barrier support, brightening, and skin elasticity. While it gives a nice dose of hydration, it's a very slow burn - after a few weeks your skin just looks better, smoother, more even, and feels more resilient. The texture is slightly thick but very lightweight and sinks in nicely. It's one of those serums that makes your whole routine work better. When I stopped using it for a month, I noticed I was building texture back up in my skin, so I miss it and know I'll go back to using it eventually."

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Paula's Choice CellularYouth Age-Disrupting Longevity Serum for Firming, Lifting, and Smoothing

"Paula's Choice released their Cellular Youth Longevity Serum, which claims to be an unparalleled longevity serum that visibly reverses the look of skin age, restoring firmness, smoothness, and radiance for a younger look longer, but the ingredients are pretty basic, and it just feels like they've chucked in the word longevity on a normal moisturizing serum."

✕Nay

61%Guru Score

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

"The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% plus Zinc 1%, one of the most popular products to come out of The Ordinary. But people still are like, you don't need 10% niacinamide. You just don't need it. There's no need for this."

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Sungboon Editor Deep Collagen Power Boosting Cream in Serum

"That serum is incredible."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid

"The Peptide Glazing Fluid was similar to the lip treatment, but for the rest of the face. It was also super hydrating. It's supposed to smooth out fine lines, plump skin over time, and of course, give that glaze look that Haley Bieber is known for."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum

"This is one of the most famous hydrating serums in Korea, and honestly I do think for a good reason. I put off using this for the longest time because I was like, oh great, another hyaluronic acid serum. And it is another hyaluronic acid serum, but this was probably one of the first serums I remember to use five different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, which means it can hydrate multiple levels of the skin, not just the surface. The lower molecular weight can get a little bit deeper, plumping up the skin even further. But what makes this stand out though compared to other hyaluronic acid serums, in my opinion, is how soothing this formula is. It's not just hydration. We also have panthenol, vitamin B5, allantoin and madecassoside in here as well, which is all going to help calm irritation and strengthen skin barrier too. So it's perfect if your skin is feeling sensitive, dehydrated or slightly reactive."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

"This is Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. And it really is a staple for a lot of people. It's rich, it's thick, and it's nourishing. And that's why I don't like it because it's maybe a little bit too thick for my under eyes. [...] This is based around avocado oil and shea butter, which again, a little bit outdated, a little bit old, but they moisturize well enough. But the formula is fairly heavy. It doesn't do much beyond that, which is fine again because that's all you really need under your eyes for most people."

✕Nay

77%Guru Score

Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Dark Spot Serum

"I actually really enjoyed it. Not for hyperpigmentation though. I liked it as a general nicely hydrating skin brightening product. When I say brightening, it kind of just made my skin look a bit fresher, not more even. It didn't get rid of hyperpigmentation, but my skin looked happy when I was using this. But I do not think it's a go-to for pigmentation in my personal experience. The hero ingredient is of course vineperine, which is a plant extract from vine sap which they claim to be 60 times more effective than vitamin C at inhibiting hyperpigmentation. It also contains olive-derived squalane which is nice for hydration and softness without feeling greasy. It did give an overall brightening effect for me, but the issue for myself and many people is it just doesn't deliver when it comes to fading stubborn dark spots like post-acne marks or melasma."

~Mixed

72%Guru Score

Parnell Sea Manuka 92 Serum

"We have 729,707 PPM of Centella Asiatica to help calm irritation, reduce redness and support skin repair as well. We also have Manuka Honey Extract and Honey Extract to help hydrate. We have Ceramides in here as well alongside Melatonin, which is basically antioxidant. And then Coptis Japonica and Artemisia Vulgaris oil to calm the skin. This definitely helped to soothe my skin when it was at its most peely and red and irritated. When my skin was destroyed and ruined, I decided to use this and see how much it actually calms my skin. And luckily for me, this really did help calm and repair. I use it alongside the Aestura ATO Barrier Cream, an amazing combination. I think they describe it as a lightweight serum and it kind of is, but it's got a thickness to it that makes it more feel like a gel cream. But again, it's not thick on the skin. A little bit sticky, but you can't feel that through a moisturizer. One of those ones where I have other calming serums that work great. This worked too. I really enjoyed it."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Anua Rice 7% Ceramide Hydrating Barrier Serum

"This serum feels like 10 steps in one. When my skin is irritated, dull, basically over whatever I've done to it that week, I drop all actives, everything, and use this. It's kind of thick. It's a little bit gooey. It feels great. It makes it look like I've done a full 10-step skincare routine without the risk of irritating my skin or making my skin even worse. So in here we have rice brand water, honey extract, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, alpha butin. It really does have so many beneficial things in giving you brighter, glowier, bouncier skin and calm skin too. All those ingredients in making it look and feel like I've used five different products, toners, essences, serums, but I've just used one. I obviously love it. I've got backups of it. It's a little bit gooey and it feels absolutely fine. I like to spray my skin with a little bit of an ample mist or like just water, then apply this. I just find that it glides on nicer and kind of penetrates the skin a lot quicker. Without it can feel a little bit sticky but nothing that's going to interfere with the rest of your skincare routine. So if you are tired of your skin looking and feeling tired, give this a go if you haven't already. It'll be your fix without the irritation."

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops

"Think La Roche Posay Cicaplast, Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, right? Or basically anything from Cerave or The Ordinary. All these had huge viral moments without any of the brands input. The brands did nothing. But they got so much from this. And that's great, you know, I think that is great, especially for smaller indie brands who might not be able to compete with the marketing budgets of well established skincare brands. [...] Brands whose products just worked tend to go viral so easily."

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Fenty Beauty Dew N Plump Hydrating Nectar Glow Serum

"There's nothing in here that makes you think, wow. Polyglutamic acid, hyaluronic acid, very basic panel, very basic, niacinamide in everything. The only interesting thing here is that super quench juice complex. Knowing Fenty, this probably does give you a really, really nice glow and is a decent product. Will I be buying it? No, I don't need it. I've got a lot of products that do this kind of thing without having to experiment with more. If it landed in my PR, I'd use it, but I'm not going out to get it."

✕Nay

65%Guru Score

SKKN Vitamin C8 Serum

"The Vitamin C8 Serum at $90, featuring a powerful dose of vitamin C8 to help boost collagen synthesis. This was horrific to use. It shoots out at you when you first try to use it. It felt like the old fashioned vitamin Cs where they smelt like money and felt stingy, watery, smelled like hot dog water. There was no excuse to have a vitamin C serum like this in today's modern day and age."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

SKKN Hyaluronic Acid Serum

"They also had a Hyaluronic Acid Serum at $90, which was a multi molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid Serum that they said delivers long lasting 72 hour moisture and helps reduce dehydration and the appearance of fine lines. Another ridiculously expensive serum. For what it is. It's... you can go to The Ordinary and get the same thing."

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

SKKN Night Oil

"The Night Oil at $95, nourishing recovery treatment developed to help re-energize the skin overnight for supple, smooth and glowing skin by morning that feels hydrated and plumped. I have never seen my pillowcase looking so disgusting in my whole life. This transferred like crazy."

✕Nay

52%Guru Score

SKKN Vita C Glow Oil Drops

"This, this is just an oil."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Serum

"While it still hydrates, the formula has kind of evolved but all they've really done is highlighted the hyaluronic acid because that is now a popular buzzword. Whilst I feel like green tea used to be very popular and hyaluronic acid used to be very popular too, people are all about other things now when it comes to hydration. I think even in Korea the brand isn't as popular as it used to be, and that's the thing is I feel like whilst the industry had all their kind of core collections they didn't evolve much and it all became very outdated and kind of old. I think in today's world for a brand to survive there has to be that kind of well what do you do, like what else do you do, what's the gimmick, what's the catchy thing. Isntree is lacking in that regard. I don't think every brand should have to have this, Isntree should be able to stand alone great on its ingredients and what their products do, but I feel like it's just not kept up with the times, which is sad."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic

"SkinCeuticals is one of the many brands owned by L'Oreal. The patented technology they used in the SkinCeuticals serum was used to stabilize ascorbic acid in combination with ferulic acid and vitamin E to enhance its photoprotective and anti-aging properties. Whatever new technology they'd used, it seemed to be working as the CE Ferulic serum was widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best type of product of its type on the market."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum

"Drunk Elephant received notices of violation under California's Proposition 65 [...] alleging that [...] their B-Hydra Intensive Hydrating Serum contained DEA but did not have the proper warning labels that should have been provided to consumers. [...] While DEA isn't carcinogenic itself, it's thought to interact with other ingredients, [...] mainly other preservatives, to create something called nitrosamines which are recognized as potential carcinogens. [...] It's a potential irritant. However, they need to stick to the laws where the law says they can't use it."

✕Nay

60%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum

"Mini versions of Drunk Elephants vitamin C and glycolic acid serums. Not for kids."

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

"Mini versions of Drunk Elephants vitamin C and glycolic acid serums. Not for kids."

✕Nay

65%Guru Score

The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum

"Not to be a slender of the Ordinary, but I tried their pink barrier serum. It ruined my face. It messed me up bad. I have sensitive skin too, so maybe that was an L on my part. Several people in the comments said that they had the same issue."

✕Nay

76%Guru Score

JLo Beauty That Glow Serum

"JLO Beauty serum, amazing, amazing."

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Medicube Age-R Booster Pro

"This does make it stand out from other microcurrent devices. It has a few different modes: the [...] booster mode, which enhances absorption of active ingredients; the MC mode, which is a microcurrent mode to target and volumize facial lines; the dermatop mode, to stimulate skin and create a firmer facial contour; and the airshot mode, which is essentially like electrical needles that improve skin elasticity without damaging the skin. I barely use this tool, to be honest with you, and I've only used it on level one. With a beard it's not very comfortable, so I personally do not use this tool that often. It's also not great for my rosacea. But a lot of people love this product, a lot of people have seen great effects from it. Haley Bieber helped it go extra viral, it's a well-loved device and it has gone truly viral on TikTok. Influencers, skincare professionals, enthusiasts, and celebrities love it, and there are very good before and afters of its transformative effects, not just from [...] one use but like a year's difference that you can really find online that shows the effects of this tool. Because of its popularity everyone's using it, including the subject of today's video and her viral TikTok post. [...] She showed a quite troubling video [...] about how she supposedly, allegedly developed Bell's palsy, a condition causing temporary facial paralysis, allegedly after using the Medicube Age-R Booster Pro. She explained that after using the device for just two days on level one, she started experiencing symptoms."

~Mixed

72%Guru Score

Educated Mess Golden Hour Gold Stabilized Vitamin C Serum

"This is one that I feel like I haven't given enough attention to and this is the Golden Hour Gold Stabilized Vitamin C Serum by Educated Mess. It's an antioxidant serum designed to brighten and even out skin tone whilst providing really instant hydration, and that's what I love about this. A lot of vitamin C serums are just that, and I feel like I'm always removing one serum to bring in [...] a vitamin C serum. What I love about this one from Educated Mess is it feels like I'm just using one of my favorite hydrating morning serums that just so happens to have gold stabilized vitamin C, which enhances the stability and efficacy of the vitamin C. Vitamin C being known for its ability to help with collagen production, antioxidant protection against free radicals, and reduce hyperpigmentation, but in here it is stabilized in that gold, basically extending the shelf life of your product so you get maximum benefits from that vitamin C. We have glutathione in here as well, another powerful antioxidant that works with the vitamin C that protects skin from oxidative stress."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Skin Rocks Gentle Acid

"My favorite exfoliant of the year has to be the Skin Rocks Gentle Acid. This is an exfoliating toner formulated to deliver all the benefits of exfoliation without the irritation, containing AHAs and PHAs and skin conditioning ingredients. I have struggled with exfoliating toners this year, but this exfoliant has just been so nice to use, non-irritating whatsoever. I can happily use this twice a week, which just shows to me how gentle this really is. When it comes to AHAs, we have [mandelic] acid in here to help target hyperpigmentation to give you that really glowing, more even skin that you get from AHAs. Lactic acid in here to help smooth the skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines as well as hydrating the skin. Gluconolactone as well, which is a PHA to really gently exfoliate, but PHAs are also great for hydrating the skin too. Then we have fruit extracts like mango, which is naturally rich in AHAs, and then they paired that with things like panthenol and glycerin to hydrate and soothe the skin."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Face Serum

"You would think the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Face Serum would be amazing, and it's not amazing but it's also not bad. It's nothing compared to the Cicaplast cream. It's nice but it's just fine, it could work, maybe, I enjoyed it. The one thing putting this in the middle is the packaging: you end up losing a lot of product and it gets really messy, so you lose more than you actually use."

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

"Dear Klairs vitamin C, remember this one, that was really good."

✓Yay

61%Guru Score

Experiment Super Saturated 30% Glycerin Hydrating Barrier Serum

"If you need that extra dose of hydration, you need to try the Experiment Super Saturated serum. It's one of their best selling barrier essentials."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum

"Whilst it's not anything revolutionary, the Glow Recipe Plum Plump hyaluronic cream is basically one of the best ever plumping hydrating moisturizers I've ever used, both for the feeling of deep hydration and the look of plumper, more hydrated skin. It's perfect for my combination skin, with my oily skin benefiting from the humectant while it's nourishing enough for my drier cheeks. It also contains polyglutamic acid, which I personally prefer to standard hyaluronic acid."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum

"I fell in love with the Glow Recipe Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum within a month's usage. It's a great peptide serum, plumping and firming, but also just a great daily use serum with some great antioxidants and hyaluronic acid. It just makes your skin look pretty great."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream

"I actually really like the Torriden Dive In low molecular weight hyaluronic acid soothing cream. It's really nice, nothing revolutionary or to run out and get, but if you have dehydrated, dry, combination, oily or all skin types you can enjoy and benefit from it. This particular cream feels a lot more quenching and hydrating compared to others, especially combined with the serum version."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief Serum

"I bring out Krave Beauty Great Barrier Relief when my skin is truly bad because it is guaranteed to heal my skin, and heal it fast. It contains tamanu oil which helps with redness, and ceramides which replenish and strengthen the skin barrier. If you have eczema you will love this product."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Bloom Effects Black Tulip Eye Treatment

"This is one of my favorite eye creams. It's a lightweight eye gel almost like serum that's designed specifically for that delicate skin under the eyes. It helps with puffiness, dark circles, and fine lines, and it does deliver really nice instant cooling kind of like snatched kind of look to under your eyes. What I love about this is the black tulip complex. They use upcycled black tulip petals, and the black tulip in particular is rich in flavonoids and antioxidants which helps smooth, firm, and hydrate the skin. We have rosemary leaf extract and a peptide complex in here which apparently work hand in hand to help depuff and brighten the skin. As far as peptides goes, whilst it's not Botox in the bottle, it's very good at hydrating the skin and kind of like adding a plumpness to the skin. We have orchard stem cells, saponaria stem cells, and sea fennel stem cells which apparently enhance the firmness of the skin alongside red algae and caffeine to give this instant tightening effect. It's actually so so gentle and I love it."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

"Such as the lunar sleeping oil and tidal brightening enzyme water cream these products complemented their already hugely now popular lineup"

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

Sunday Riley UFO Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil

"Critics were unhappy with Sunday Riley as they felt the brand had misled customers regarding the effectiveness of the product, saying that its properties as an effective treatment for acne were vastly exaggerated. Many who used it said it had little to no effect on their acne."

✕Nay

60%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil

"Drunk Elephant's first six products, which included a cleansing bar, a hydrating marula oil and a vitamin C serum, were all fairly popular from the start."

~Mixed

59%Guru Score

Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum

"Their Violet SE Brighton serum was runner up in the skin tech Wonder category for Vogue Beauty Awards"

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment

"Niacinamide has been proven and all the studies have been done on the effectiveness of niacinamide at around two to 5% and it works perfectly consistently. Is using three times the amount of niacinamide you usually use gonna make your serum more effective? Not necessarily, no. Can it cause more irritation? Quite possibly, yes, it did. With mine, I thought I'd give 20% a go. Never again. A 20% higher percentage doesn't mean you're going to see better, quicker results."

~Mixed

67%Guru Score

Medicube AGE-R Booster H

"They say that the Medicube AGE-R Booster H creates temporary passageways on the skin to help rapidly penetrate active ingredients. Why does that not sound like a nightmare for somebody with rosacea? I guess another way of saying this is that it temporarily disrupts your skin barrier. A cosmetic safety assessor and toxicologist mentioned that not only can these products help active ingredients penetrate the skin like the brand says, but also some ingredients that don't really need to penetrate the skin any deeper than they were designed to, which can be some not so good news for those with easily sensitized and easily irritated skin, like rosacea. So that is something to really, really consider when spending so much money on something like this. Like, does your skin really need this? Can your skin even take this kind of temporary disruption? I'm more on the side of, you know what, my skincare has been working absolutely fine up to now. I don't think I really need them to penetrate the skin any better than they already do."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum

"Peach Slices, the sister brand of Peach and Lily, do an anti-redness azelaic acid serum which has 10% azelaic acid alongside algae extract, centella, and panthenol, so I'm getting those soothing hydrating healing benefits alongside azelaic acid. The Peach Slices serum also feels a lot more hydrating compared to the Paula's Choice one and it's also half the price for the same amount of product."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid Serum

"Whilst these products are horrifically overpriced, [...] I do believe if you're going to make something super expensive it at least needs to feel good on the skin, this brand is a perfect example of a brand that uses somebody's doctor title and fancy sciency sounding words to justify their extortionate prices. Their Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a perfect example, [...] hyaluronic acid does not need to be expensive [...] to work, [...] yet this is what they hold onto to say why theirs is over £300."

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

Remedy Clear Serum

"Remedy for pore size, this has everything in it. This has retinol, salicylic acid, niacinamide and green tea to really target everything that you need to help your pores look smaller. You could just use this like one and done, cleanser, this, moisturizer."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Prequel Redness Reform Soothing Serum

"They say it's a custom Advanced molecule blend inspired by nature but with significant soothing benefits that provide beneficial topical redness relief and reduces underlying sensitivities. [...] They have oat kernel extract which of course we know to be soothing, and somebody who tests skin care consistently, somebody who has rosacea, I need that soothing serum consistently within my routine. Oat is great for that and vitamin F is great for barrier support. [...] It's not a color corrector. [...] It's kind of like a thick gel cream, very [...] hydrating and really soothing. [...] Over the last [...] 4 months, my redness that I get from rosacea when I flush, the breakouts that I do get, I don't get that itchiness, I don't get that need to pick at my skin. [...] I don't get that anymore. I feel soothed, my skin feels calm."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Dr. Idriss Deep Puffer Roll-On Serum

"I actually really enjoy it as a soothing serum. I do reach for the Prequel one more, but when I feel a little bit bougie in the evening when I'm taking my time to get ready, or if I'm going out early and I look like I've just woke up, I will use that roll-on in particular."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Anua Peach 70% Niacinamide Serum

"The Anua Peach 70 Niacinamide Serum is an amazing, very nice niacinamide serum that unfortunately is just a little bit too fragranced for me. I am a fan of fragrance, but I do not think it belongs in a niacinamide serum, and this scent is very unique and niche, the kind that not everyone will enjoy, so it is a bit of a gamble. I can look past that though because it works so well."

✓Yay

58%Guru Score

The INKEY List Niacinamide Serum

"The Inkey List Niacinamide Serum combines two basic actives, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, that fit into everybody's routine, since everyone can benefit from both and it is usually fine alongside other treatment serums. A lot of people will say The Ordinary, but The Inkey List has a bit more complete formulations."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Remedy Dark Spots Nightly All-in-One Treatment

"I'm using both at the moment and the dark spots is probably the one that actually stood out to me because of the sheer amount of ingredients. I was a little bit nervous because I really want to support this brand, Dr. Shah is one of a handful of dermatologists who I really, really trust online, and I was like what if my skin just can't handle this? However, my skin is absolutely fine with this. In fact, it's really been enjoying it so far. In here we have 0.1% encapsulated retinol, mandelic acid which is a gentle AHA, 1% kojic acid which I feel like isn't in enough skincare to help with dark spots, glutathione again to help with dark spots, licorice root, 3% tranexamic acid, 5% niacinamide, 1% coumarin which I've never heard of before but this is a milk thistle-derived flavonoid that helps prevent new dark spots and offers profound photoprotective benefits, along with glycerin, squalene, turmeric root extract, green tea, ceramides. There is everything in here. It's like the chemists were like what do you want and Dr. Shah was like yes, everything. And all this is in such a nice lightweight soothing feeling kind of texture."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Peach & Lily Rescue Party Barrier Restore Serum

"The serum is $47. [...] Peach and Lily are kind of a little bit up there in price range, but I will always want to try their products because of that vitamin C serum they did, which helped with a huge irritated scar and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation so quickly that I will always pay a bit more money for Peach and Lily because I know their products work for me. [...] This does sound like a unique take on a barrier support product with the calcium complex that delivers calcium deep into skin and visibly restores the barrier. This is a more unique take that I'm interested in."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Krave Beauty Oil La La Serum

"It turns out that acne prone skin lacks a specific fatty acid called linoleic acid in its sebum. Without it, our naturally occurring oils become waxy and pore clogging. With this that's packed with linoleic acid, your sebum composition transforms to a more fluid, less cloggy texture that won't cause breakouts or oiliness. It's really fucking nice. It smells a little bit like breadsticks, but I'm kind of used to that with Krave Beauty products. I always break out with the change of season, guaranteed all the time, but I've just been using this every single day and I absolutely love it. The breakouts I get on my forehead were just calming down. I break out when my oils go crazy, and that's where I break out these times of year. So I've been using this not only when I break out, but consistently, and my breakouts have calmed down so much. We had another kind of heat spike recently and we're going back into colder weather again and I kind of thought I was going to break out and I haven't been. My oils seem to be a lot more chilled."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Sarah Ford Biocell Oxygen Serum

"It's nice to see a celebrity not dripping product all over their face with a pipette and putting it in their hand and then applying it to the face. I think that's nice to see. That bottle was huge. I bet it's expensive, but it's huge."

~Mixed

70%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Brightening Treatment Serum

"This time last year, I never used this. I barely used this product. I didn't really care about Vitamin C serums. I wasn't really interested. And I did mention, I said something like, I don't really hear people talk about this serum and I still don't, which after using this pretty constantly for the last three months, I don't know why, because this is such a nice serum. I don't really use Vitamin C serums for its evening of skin tone. I never truly find Vitamin C effective for that. The Tranexamic Acid in here, however, will do a really, really good job at that. As I mentioned in my anti-aging video, I am after the antioxidant power of a Vitamin C serum to team up with my sunscreen during the day and really fight that free radical damage that can break down collagen and elastin. And I hate Vitamin C serums. Well, not newer ones, but I have that old fashioned Vitamin C stereotype stuck in my head of hot dog water, stingy metallic Vitamin C serums. And this is anything but. This just feels like a really nice moisturizing, hydrating serum with the Vitamin C benefits. Usually I would recommend other things if you're looking to even out your skin tone, but if you are looking to even out your skin tone and get the antioxidant power of Vitamin C, this with the Tranexamic Acid in, I think you'll absolutely love. This is one I really love too."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum

"This calms irritation and tackles redness with its main ingredients being Ceramides, Allantoin to help moisturize and soothe the skin, Rice Milk to soothe and hydrate, and Avocado Butter and extract to help moisturize the skin. I really enjoy this serum, but this is the serum I wish was a moisturizer. If this was just a little bit thicker, this would be the ideal evening moisturizer. As the weather gets colder and my skin sometimes needs this recovery stage, I love that bit of extra attention and healing ability that I can sleep on overnight with a thicker layer on my face. But it's a perfectly nice ceramide serum stage."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

"I don't think any of us knew what Hyaluronic Acid was before The Ordinary launched their serum. [...] Thanks to The Ordinary, consumers are more clued up on ingredients in their skincare, but also the price points of skincare. The Ordinary really has changed the way the beauty industry and consumers see and consume skincare in so many different ways."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum

"There are amazing Vitamin C serums around nowadays. Naturium is one of them. I cannot deny their antioxidant effects. If I dedicate myself to these things a few times a week, I'm going to be fine. I'm going to age gracefully."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Summer Fridays CC Me Vitamin C Serum

"There are amazing Vitamin C serums around nowadays. Whether I like it or not, simply applying a Vitamin C serum in the same routine as my sunscreen is going to do my skin so many favors. My mind is stuck in the days of old, stingy Vitamin C serums that smelled like hot dog water and metal. I used to get really stingy skin and little red bumps. But those days are gone."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Bio-Oil Bio-Oil

"Bio-Oil, in my opinion, the biggest scam ever, probably the biggest blatant lie in the skincare industry that we all fell for. [...] Bio-Oil has always advertised themselves [...] as a blend of oils that helps remove stretch marks, which it kind of is potentially maybe. [...] When you look at the ingredients, it's essentially just a cocktail of oils and 14 different fragrances. [...] This is really overboard and really potentially irritating for those with easily irritated skin. The fragrances are all listed individually because they have to be, because they are some of the most known irritants when it comes to skincare."

✕Nay

45%Guru Score

Experiment Buffer Jelly Barrier Boosting Oil Gel

"Ever since really concentrating on adding that hydration and locking it in, which I've always done, but using this in particular to do that, it does appear as though I'm a lot less dehydrated looking. My skin never feels tight. My pores here for some reason, they obviously look so much less visible. I'm gonna love this, such an amazing product. If you like slugging, it's going to be around forever now. It's a good thing to do, so it's nice to see this brand kind of evolve on that."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Bioderma Sensibio AR Serum

"I'm going to go in with a Bioderma Sensibio Defensive Serum. This is just a really nice moisturizing serum. In hotter weather, we're having a bit of a heat wave again here in the UK. I like to concentrate on hydrating and moisturizing ingredients before my moisturizer, then just use a really lightweight moisturizer and sunscreen over the top because I don't like my skin to feel too bogged down with occlusive ingredients."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics

"This is a hyaluronic acid alternative that delivers deep hydration through exopolysaccharides from marine bacteria, Hawaiian red algae, glycoproteins from Antarctic marine sources, blue-green algae and amino acids. It's a water-based formula targeting hydration below the skin's surface for a softer, plumper complexion. You don't get the satisfaction of using a thick serum - it's very lightweight and watery - but it does really make you feel very deeply hydrated. With consistent use over a month, you do see plumpness and a revived quality to your skin. Your skin never really feels dry or parched."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Green Machine Jelly Oil Serum

"Their Green Machine serum, they're just really nice products to use that do the job they're supposed to and I kind of love this kind of mix of skincare with a final finished look to it without it being makeup."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum

"One of the best hyaluronic acid serums I've ever used, I absolutely loved this product. This is an award winner, approved by the British Skin Foundation. They've got the highest concentration of Vichy volcanic mineralized water rich in 15 essential minerals, suitable for sensitive skin. This is such a lightweight, almost water-weight kind of feel on the skin. It goes on like a normal serum, but when you put it on it does just feel like a splash of hydration with a really minimalist ingredient list. Usually when you see these serums that are so hydrating, they have every kind of version of hyaluronic acid that you can possibly get within formulating a product, whereas this just has glycerin, it has butylene glycol and sodium hyaluronate. But it really is one of the most skin-quenching serums I've ever used. So if you do feel a little bit dehydrated or you just want well hydrated skin because hydrated skin for me equals happy skin, this is a really good, affordable serum that you can easily get your hands on. I absolutely love this one."

✓Yay

91%Guru Score

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum

"The serum gives a very nice natural dewy glow without being thick or greasy, but my skin doesn't feel the way it looks. It feels a little bit tight even though it looks very nice and hydrated. So the serum is a little bit of a letdown."

~Mixed

74%Guru Score

Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

"The Paula's Choice Azelaic Acid Booster has ten percent azelaic acid and has really really helped with my rosacea redness and even breakouts. It's a good all-rounder for me. It's fragrance free and it's really nice and soothing, pairing high percentage actives alongside nice soothing and calming ingredients. It also has salicylic acid, which is great for breakouts. However, the Paula's Choice one gives me a tingling sensation that I can feel, especially around the eye area. Because I'm using it mainly for the redness on my cheeks, the product does slightly travel up and that's where I get a really tingling sensation."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

I'm From Rice Serum

"After about four months of use, I was just so underwhelmed. It literally felt like the products did nothing. The Rice Serum felt like a thicker version of the toner, and I felt like I could have just used one of those products. They felt very generic. I felt like I'd used these products a thousand times before from other brands, and they were nothing compared to the toner. The brightening, smoothing, and hydrating benefits I got from the toner did not translate into a serum at all."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

La Roche-Posay Rosaliac AR Intense Serum

"This is the La Roche-Posay Rosaliac AR Intense Serum, a rosacea serum. They've got their own kind of trademark ingredients which are said to target the blood vessels in rosacea skin. Honestly, when I first used this it took about six months to see any difference, but with continued use that difference sticks around. It really is the difference in your rosacea that you just see without the flushing. But this is a product that you have to religiously use for such a long time before you see a difference and then continue to use morning and night. It can be a little pricey and sometimes it's hard to find, but I really do love this. I do feel like it's one of the only targeted rosacea products that I genuinely see a difference with. I absolutely love it."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Selfless by Hyram Peptide Q10 and Ginger Daily Defense Antioxidant Serum

"These ingredients aren't crazy new exciting ingredients in any way, but what they are is it's the combinations. I'm like, actually, that sounds really good. Like, that will work. Why has no one done this before? I love the look of this antioxidant serum that isn't just a run-of-the-mill vitamin C serum, but has all the impact and benefits of a vitamin C serum. And I also like the fact that this has Q10, peptide Q10, in something other than Nivea Q10 plus. The ginger root interests me as well as a brightening evening ingredient. When this becomes available in Cult Beauty, I'm definitely going to buy it."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + Hyaluronic Acid

"Alpha Arbutin from The Ordinary is an amazing product that can help even out skin tone and lighten dark spots."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Prickly Pear Peptide Mucin Serum

"Then we have ectoin that reduces inflammation and barrier support. Over time with this, you're going to notice your skin needs less hydration, but it's still important to hydrate. My skin became less reactive especially. It felt stronger and very plump. I love this so much."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

COSRX 5% PDRN Collagen Vitalizing Serum

"This is a crazy serum in my mind. It it's just got everything in it. It's your one and done serum."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

Abib Glutathione Dark Spot Serum Vita Drop

"There's something about the combination of all the ingredients in this one serum that I really, really loved for evening out skin tone. They kind of hit pigmentation from multiple different angles instead of just relying on that one hero ingredient. The Vita drop serum is watery. It's very, very watery. All those active ingredients are suspended in these little capsules which kind of just pop, not pop, but rub on the skin. And it's super fast absorbing. So it literally just feels like water on the skin. Lays great under sunscreen and makeup. It's also so much more affordable, which in my opinion and experience makes it easier to stick with longterm, which is so important because you need consistency over months, not days. So if you've tried other serums and found them underwhelming for stubborn pigmentation, this Vita drop serum gives you that broader ingredient lineup, a lighter texture at a much friendlier price point. Honestly, I just think it's the best one."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Purito Wonder Relief Centella Serum Unscented

"If your skin is angry, red, maybe overexfoliated, irritated and you really need to strip everything back and heal, the skin centella ample will be perfect for you. If you want a multitasking serum that calms the skin, heals the skin, treats dullness, uneven texture, plumps up the skin, soothes and hydrates that you could use every day alongside your usual skincare routine, then go for the Purito serum. Both are great, just totally different strategies for what you want for your skin. One is kind of like more traditional medicinal, the other one is a multifunctional allrounder."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum

"It does leave this kind of slip on your skin that honestly I don't mind at all. It's not oily or thick or anything. It's just like a nice kind of feel, it feels like it's locking everything in. We also have glutathione in here which is a brightening antioxidant as well as turmeric eggplant extract and basil, holy basil or something which apparently calms the skin. All I know is that this is one of my favorite hydrating products. I've been using this purely after a toner before a treatment serum just to give my skin that extra hydration and I love it. It's got that stringiness and it feels thick but light at the same time, and I feel like this gives me the satisfaction of that quench that I'm always looking for."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

VT Reedle Shot 100 Collagen

"VT's Reedle Shot 100 uses those micro spicules to help ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin, while also gently exfoliating, with centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid to calm and hydrate. I've been talking about it non-stop."

✓Yay

59%Guru Score

Innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Acid Serum

"Going back to when I first got into Korean skincare, I always used to use Innisfree's Green Tea Seed Serum, which I think is called something different now. I love it. It's great for redness, breakouts, easily sensitized skin and slow aging, and it helps with oil control without stripping your skin of its natural sebum and oils. I've repurchased this serum a total of nine times and I still have no idea how it works."

✓Yay

61%Guru Score

Beekman 1802 Milk Drop Ceramide Serum

"Beekman 1802's Milk Drop Ceramide Serum is a lightweight ceramide product I love [...] for when the weather gets [...] warmer and I don't want to layer thicker ceramide creams. It's designed to hydrate and strengthen your skin barrier with goat milk, ceramide, squalane and hyaluronic acid. It's not too greasy but not too lightweight either, so you get the nourishment you want from a ceramide product."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Tirtir SOS Serum

"TirTir's SOS Serum is a really hydrating, well-aging serum that calms and soothes the skin and, in my experience, helps reduce redness, with polyglutamic acid, niacinamide, centella asiatica, chamomile, allantoin and tea tree oil."

✓Yay

62%Guru Score

Arencia Holy Hop Serum 30

"Arencia Holy Hop Serum. I did a sponsorship for the red version of this one. My skin has been drinking this up. I'm nearly out of it. What first caught my attention was the texture of this. I didn't get it at first. Why would I want to use a serum in that form? It's like a mask. It feels time-consuming and messy. But I love the consistency when I finally got around to using it. It felt extra hydrating from the moment you apply it. I think it's because it's thicker than your typical watery serum. You could use it as a mask as well, leaving it on for 10 minutes and rubbing it in. It spreads so easily, absorbs super quickly. No sticky residue, no weird film. Leaves your skin looking smooth, fresher. I'd say it gives more of a soft glow than that glass skin sheen that everyone's after, but either way, your skin will look noticeably healthier after this. The star ingredient is the hop extract, which is packed with vitamins A, C, and E. You've got antioxidant protection, brightening, and calming. Hop isn't a common ingredient, but I feel like it's doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this product. We also have niacinamide, which helps with brightening, texture, and sebum production, as well as adenosine."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Facial Cream

"It's a rich cream but very breathable at the same time, somewhere in between a thick cream and a water cream. It's really nice, not too heavy, not going to dry you out, like a velvet gel cream hybrid. It's perfect for sealing everything in without making you greasy. I've used this throughout winter and warmer weather now, and I actually love this more with the warmer weather. It has an instant cooling effect without being minty. It just sits so nicely under sunscreen without making you feel greasy. I love the natural glow it gives your skin rather than this excessive dewy glow."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Dr Sam's Neutralizing Azelaic Acid Gel

"It's formulated with azelaic acid, salicylic acid, and it helps reduce redness, the appearance of spots, the size of spots too, and prevent future breakouts. I really really really like this. I put it off for about a year, I just wasn't interested in it, and then I used it on a really aggressive spot and it was great. It's a hydrating, fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free gel direct spot treatment. It has azelaic acid in it to help with that redness and congestion, and salicylic acid to unclog pores and help with congestion. You apply this onto dry skin and then apply stuff over the top of it. It's the tiniest amount, like half a pea size amount for a spot, not even that. I apply this on a really red, aggressive spot and the next day completely gone. The redness faded completely. There was a tiny little bump but you couldn't notice it compared to what it was the day before. That spot was red, looked like it was ready to pop, it really really hurt as well. This calmed everything down."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Abib Heartleaf Tika Capsule Serum Calming Drops

"This has become one of my more used favorite serums of recent times. It's for those with acne breakouts, those who need to calm irritation and calm redness, and in general soothe their skin. For me that's a daily occurrence, so this is a daily serum for me. The first thing that attracted me to this serum is because it has these little capsules with potent ingredients that are encapsulated in an oil, so there's no kind of shell that you have to pop on your skin, which means you have better preserved active ingredients that work at their full potential once it goes on your skin. The ingredients in the capsules are Centella asiatica, but the rest of the ingredient list is kind of crazy. It's heartleaf, panthenol, allantoin, all in this soothing, light jelly hydrating serum. We've also got niacinamide and panthenol in here, all working together to help with breakouts, congestion, and inflamed skin in this amazing lightweight one-and-one kind of serum."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

"Their Glow Deep Serum with rice and alpha arbutin is another favorite of mine if you want a serum that takes care of dark spots uneven skin texture without being harsh on the skin because you have easily sensitized skin this is a great serum to check out. The serum contains alpha arbutin and niacinamide and soybean extract to help brighten the skin alongside a load of soothing ingredients and antioxidants making it a really great daily use serum."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

d'Alba White Truffle Double Serum & Cream

"If your skin is dry but also dehydrated you can take one little scoop of the aqua cream and then like two scoops of the intense cream to cater for both the dehydration and the dryness. No matter what combination you use for whatever your skin type or skin concern that day, you still get that what they call their truffle glow, which is a real glow from within, kind of dewy glow. I love this. I find that the double moisture cream is thick and nourishing but it's not going to make me greasy and sweaty looking throughout the day. I can use it happily in my T-Zone. During the winter I get more use out of the aqua serum side to be honest with you because I use this mainly as a daytime moisturizer. It's just like the lighter weight hydrating gel serum textured cream, but this will leave my oily T-Zone glowy, not oily, and well hydrated and moisturized throughout the day. Because of the two different textures and two different kinds of weights of moisturizer and creams, I use it throughout the year, throughout different seasons, and no matter what my skin is going through as well. I'm really excited about their white truffle double moisture cream in a tube, so it's that dual formula in one tube, perfect for travel. I will be taking this with me."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Hyaluronic Clay Pore-Tight Facial

"My alternative would be Glow Recipe's watermelon clay mask, because if you are looking for a clay mask to clear all the gunk out of your pores, this has BHA and PHA in alongside hyaluronic acid infused clay, so not only do you get instant satisfaction of clearer, smaller looking pores, but the more you use this as your exfoliating step the clearer your pores are actually going to be."

✓Yay

Notverified

KRX Six Peptide Skin Booster Serum

"They gifted me the toner and serum which I absolutely love so I just bought a ton more. This is KRX the six peptide skin booster with hyaluronic acid and amino acids. There's six types of peptides in here so we know that this is going to help plump out our skin and it's going to help reduce those fine lines."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum

"This is the AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum. [...] It's basically a Niacinamide serum in this kind of more moisturizing, Squalane-based kind of serum. I usually find Niacinamide serums are either just very watery or a little bit sticky, but this one has that more kind of thicker gel cream kind of feeling to it. I [...] love this one so, so much."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

d'Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum

"The White Truffle First Spray Serum I've used before, absolutely love it. This is one I'm going to take everywhere with me because of the actual glow that it gives me, the instant glow that it gives me, whilst all those ingredients are working to actually hydrate, soothe, moisturize my skin. This is still fairly new for me, first impressions still, but first impressions are very very good. I absolutely love it so far."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Cream

"I absolutely loved the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Facial Cream when I used it years ago. I remember using it all the time back then and it was one of my favorites. I love their serum too, so I'm repurchasing the cream to use it all the time again."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

COSRX 23% Ascorbic Acid Pure Vitamin C Serum

"I'm falling slowly back in love with vitamin C serum because they don't make them smell like hot dog water anymore and they don't sting. This one has 23 percent pure ascorbic acid, which is a high percentage, but as someone with very easily sensitized skin and rosacea, this doesn't sting, tingle, or burn. They have a hypoallergenic stabilized formula. Vitamin C helps with hyperpigmentation, brightens skin tone, firms up the skin, has antioxidant properties, and can help with acne to reduce redness. It's a nice one to cycle through."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

Biossance Squalane + Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum

"Their lactic acid resurfacing night serum is so good, so good. If it came through my post I would still use it and I would use it all up happily."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Skin Food Royal Honey Propolis Enriched Moisture Nutrient Serum

"I'm using the Royal Honey Propolis Enriched Moisture Nutrient Serum from Skin Food. This is just a nicely moisturizing, soothing, hydrating serum. I used to use this quite often and then I stopped using it, and then I did a sponsored job with Style Korean. I got to pick the serums and I saw this again and it kind of reintroduced me to an old favorite of mine that everyone seems to love. This is something I use when my skin is feeling a little bit like it's going to go south or when it is feeling dry or it just needs a bit of a pick-me-up."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Moisturizers76 reviews

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream

"I've used the Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream for years, I've gone through so many tubes of this stuff and it's one of those moisturizers I just cycle back to all the time. It's not stimulating collagen and it's not giving me peptides and it's not smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles, but I actually think a really good moisturizer is so important when you're talking about well aging. It's built around the barrier and lipids, it's used in hospitals and dermatology clinics, and it's got ceramide MP along with cholesterol and fatty acids in the formula. What I've always loved about this cream compared to other ceramide creams is it doesn't feel like some waxy layer on my skin, it doesn't feel thick and suffocating. It's rich, but it's not overwhelmingly heavy, which is always an issue for me with well-aging moisturizers."

✓Yay

95%Guru Score

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

"It's a simple looking balm that heals, soothes, and protects the skin, according to countless customers over the decades since its launch. It works. It does. It's good. It's still the brand's bestselling product to this day, and it's earned an endless list of celebrity fans."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

S.NATURE Aqua Squalane Moisturizing Cream

"This is still a favorite that I'm emptying time and time again. [...] This is a better than basic barrier supporting moisturizer. It says it's created for dry, dehydrated, and sensitive skin, which it works great for, but my oily T-zone loves this moisturizer too. We have 150,000 ppm of squalane to replenish your moisture, keep your skin soft, and help support the skin barrier. They also have Quaxil in here, which is a patented complex of glucose and xylitol. I think they've removed that from their packaging, but [...] that's still on the ingredient list, and this helps improve moisture retention and helps reduce transepidermal water loss over time. The brand also claims the cream helps balance excess sebum and minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores while maintaining a lightweight, non-irritating finish. I disagree with that pore claim, I didn't see any difference for me, but as far as moisturizing goes, if you want [...] a moisturizer that does the basics, this is that, but in a 2026 version. It's lightweight, watery, it looks like a thick cream but then just melts into this watery texture, and that's what I look for in my creams. It's perfect for my dry cheeks."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream

"This used to be my favorite serum and then they changed it. I was ready to be very dramatic about it. [...] But I'm on my second bottle of the new version now and honestly it's basically the same, which is very good news. The original was more about hydration, skin barrier support, that healthy plump glowy dewy finish as well as helping pores look more refined with a gentle daily exfoliation using PHA. And that hasn't changed. The texture is still the same. It's still that greeny color. It smells and feels the same on the skin. Super lightweight. Doesn't peel. Sits nicely in a routine. Layers up with everything so, so nicely. [...] They changed it, but they definitely haven't ruined it. [...] Slightly updated, but honestly, feels no different. Same results. I still like it."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream

"It does a good job at moisturizing. Some relief when my skin was irritated, but the texture has always been a bit of a letdown for me. Either I find myself getting too dry too quickly or too oily too quick. And obviously, that's on my skin. But there's other creams that I feel like do a very similar job, but do it better."

~Mixed

66%Guru Score

Rhode Barrier Butter Intensive Moisture Balm

"I don't care what anyone says or what your opinion is on Hailey Bieber as a person. This is good. This is a proper occlusive style balm moisturizer, kind of their version of the La Roche-Posay Cica Plast, but in a much more cosmetically elegant way. It has a hyaluronic acid complex and polyglutamic acid which is so nicely hydrating, murumuru butter, and ceramides for barrier support. It's designed to seal everything in overnight and it's really not that heavy as it sounds. When my barrier feels compromised or I've traveled or my skin is dry from travel, this is the final step in my evening routine. It's kind of buttery, not suffocating, and I wake up with really nice soft plump dewy skin. When I use it I really love having remnants of product on my skin the next day because in reality I wake up and go straight out for a dog walk and if I wake up dry the cold weather will dry my skin out more. I've purchased it time and time again because I'm not on Rhode's PR list anymore."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

The Ordinary Rice Lipids + Ectoin Micro Emulsion

"Ectoin is a perfectly nice ingredient. It's very nice. This is used for barrier support and hydration, but it's also one of those ingredients that has suddenly become very trendy. And it's a great ingredient to become trendy. Again, been around for a long time. Not a new groundbreaking ingredient that's going to revolutionize your routine, but it's nice. Then there's volufalene. This ingredient has been doing the rounds again recently, particularly in like lip and eye products with claims around plumping or volumizing. The issue is that the actual independent research behind volufalene is very limited. Most of what exists comes from the manufacturer data."

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Rich Barrier Moisturizer

"And it's true, adding that even if the hyaluronic acid were able to absorb water, it would draw water from the skin. Not true. Not from the atmosphere, therefore having the opposite effect the brand advertises."

~Mixed

71%Guru Score

Rhode Barrier Restore Cream

"The Barrier Restore Cream, a moisturizer that focuses on hydration and strengthening the skin barrier. It has niacinamide, shea butter, and of course peptides. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was a really decent moisturizer."

~Mixed

72%Guru Score

Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream

"If you want deeper moisturization, hydration, you take more of the capsules versus the clear cream, and you get almost like an overnight mask depending on how many of those little capsules you use. I really enjoy that. A little bit fiddly. It'll be good if it could come in like two separate pumps. My issue with this cream in particular is that it's just not moisturizing enough. When it initially goes on, it does feel nice and moisturizing. You're like, "Ooh, my skin really enjoys this." It feels moisturized and hydrated. And like an hour later, your skin's feeling tight again. No matter how many of those collagen capsules you've used, it just feels very tight. It's got some great ingredients in which are going to work for your skin. I just feel like this could have been mixed up into a serum and it could have made a nice lighter weight moisturizing kind of serum. It had no negative effect on my skin other than feeling a little bit drier than usual later down the line. If you are very oily, you might actually enjoy this like during summer. This is going to be great for me going into winter, not so much."

~Mixed

67%Guru Score

BYOMA Moisturizing Gel Cream

"It was actually BYOMA. Mark, who owns BYOMA, I had a call with him and he was like, we can see that everyone's messing up the barrier function of their skin, we want to get loads of content creators on a call and educate them about skin barrier. He was one of the first people to be like this is going to be a thing, because everyone's ruining their skin in lockdown, other than it being a marketing buzz word. It's really important that people understand their barrier, and for me it was like a light switch, because eczema is just a damaged barrier, to a degree. So when I'm putting these thick, greasy layers on, it's because I'm putting an artificial layer on my skin that isn't there because I've got eczema. So it was kind of all making sense a little bit, which was great. And then I would look for the ceramides, the centella asiatica, betaglucan, brilliant for my skin, I love it loads."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Nivea Creme

"I would always moisturize my skin with Nivea, it was a brilliant one. It was fantastic and still is."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré (Radiant Complexion Cream)

"It's a very old school emollient cream. Rich and occlusive, but not particularly innovative when it comes to skin barrier support like all the new hydration technology we have or long-term skin health. For the price and the hype, you're mostly paying for its reputation as a backstage favorite at fashion shows. It's going to do the job very, very well. But there's just so much more innovation to skincare now."

✕Nay

63%Guru Score

Clinique Clarifying Lotion One

"The clarifying lotion, which is basically an astringent, has gone from revolutionary to kind of infamous to be honest with you."

✕Nay

50%Guru Score

Bioderma Sebium Gel Moussant

"Bioderma Intense Purifying Cleansing Active Foaming Gel with salicylic acid and glycolic acid in. I love this kind of stuff when the weather is hotter. It helps reduce excess sebum. It's formulated for oily and acne prone skin. I don't have acne, but I'm very breakout prone in my oily T-zone. Obviously with the salicylic acid and glycolic acid helping smooth out skin texture, helps with breakouts, congested pores, but I also have zinc and copper sulfates, I believe, as well and vitamin E as well, which help soothe a little bit. But yeah, perfect for when my skin is producing a little bit more oil than I'd like. This product completely clears the pores from my nose."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

VT Reedle Shot PDRN Capsule Cream

"With these creams you can pick a certain amount of the capsules versus the clear gel depending on how you're feeling. In the morning I will use one little capsule, one little bit of the gel cream, get an even amount. In the evening, I'm taking more of the gel capsule versus the gel cream, so I get more of kind of like an overnight mask type feeling with this in the evening. I absolutely love it. VT have really kind of reignited my love for not just Korean skincare, but skincare innovation over the last year or so."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5

"La Roche-Posay Cicaplast [...] had a huge viral moment without any of the brand's input. The brand did nothing, but they got so much from this. [...] Brands whose products just worked tend to go viral so easily."

✓Yay

91%Guru Score

SKKN Face Cream Firming Moisturizer

"A face cream at $85. A luxuriously indulgent firming moisturizer that works to nourish and revive the skin. Formulated with postbiotics and enriched with a natural alternative to retinol, Bakuchiol. Claiming to visibly improve firmness, fine lines and elasticity and overall radiance. This was not great either. It provided very surface level moisture. It didn't feel like it was hydrating your skin at all. And kind of made your skin look very crepey and oily."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator

"Clinique's Moisture Surge moisturizer has been a bestseller for them for years, but they have competition now and so many better products. There are plenty of brands offering more effective formulas at a lower price."

✕Nay

74%Guru Score

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

"Their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion became an instant hero product of theirs, loved for its lightweight, non-irritating formula. Today it's still one of Clinique's bestselling products worldwide."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

CeraVe Daily Facial Moisturizing Lotion

"The lotion was a lightweight lotion aimed at daily moisturizing."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin

"Their Renewing Salicylic Acid Cream, which was formulated to exfoliate and soften rough, bumpy skin, making it suitable for conditions like keratosis pilaris."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Kylie Skin Face Moisturizer

"The Face Moisturizer was one of the most popular products at launch, but looking at the ingredient list, nothing really stands out. I remember them really trying to push this kiwi thing, like every brand had their thing at the time, and Kylie Skin was really trying to push kiwi for some reason. The products weren't bad but they weren't great. Critics labeled the brand as just overpriced Instagram skincare with no real science behind it, felt it was an obvious money grab that was just rushing out some basic formulas."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Pro Collagen Peptide Plumping Face Moisturizer

"Their new campaign for their Pro collagen peptide Plumping moisturizer is a good example of how the brand are Changing"

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer

"In my personal experience, I have found that I dry out a lot quicker with the Tatcha Water Cream. It just seems to disappear too quick on the skin, especially on my dry parts. I find gold in skincare tacky, to be honest with you. Tatcha does feel a bit more geared towards those seeking pore refinement and oil control and anti-aging benefits with a touch of luxury. But what that says to me is that people don't want what Tatcha are often claiming their product does, if that makes sense. What they want is a nice lightweight watery cream, a deeply hydrating watery cream."

✕Nay

78%Guru Score

Rovectin Clean Lotus Water Cream

"Rovectin does a nice lightweight watery cream, a deeply hydrating watery cream which I think considerably better than Tatcha. What people want is that deeply hydrating watery cream, and Rovectin does that in my opinion considerably better."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Beekman 1802 Bloom Cream Daily Face Moisturizer

"My favorite daytime moisturizer for the whole year it has to be the Beekman 1802 Bloom Cream Daily Face Moisturizer. It's lightweight, it's so hydrating and watery, it's so nourishing and moisturizing at the same time, and it incorporates goat milk and a blend of botanical extracts to support a healthy skin barrier and promote a more radiant, well-hydrated complexion. Goat milk is kind of like Beekman's signature and it's rich in lactic acid, vitamins, and minerals and it really is there to hydrate and nourish the skin and support a balanced microbiome, and then you team that with niacinamide to also help enhance radiance, even skin tone, texture, aloe vera extract to help soothe and moisturize, it's anti-inflammatory, honey which is nicely moisturizing, and then cucumber extract for this soothing feeling. The texture of it is so lightweight and watery, it's just like quenching, and one of the nicest moisturizers I've ever used not just for feeling truly hydrated and moisturized but for looking glowy and dewy as well. My dry skin loves it, my oily skin loves it. It's just like a perfect moisturizer, and this is one of the products I take with me when I'm traveling around because I know my skin is safe with it, I know my skin loves it, and I know it's not going to be thrown off by this product in any way."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream

"While some batches of the [...] Protini Polypeptide Cream lack a preservative system, tests actually revealed the presence of yeast, such as Candida parapacillosis and bacteria related to the bacteria it was found. [...] They were actually all microorganisms that are commonly found on the human skin and in the environment, but they can cause infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals or those with compromised skin."

✕Nay

65%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream Rescue & Recovery Moisturizer

"While some batches of the Lala Retro Whipped Cream lack a preservative system, tests actually revealed the presence of yeast, such as Candida parapacillosis and bacteria. These were microorganisms that are commonly found on human skin and in the environment, but they can cause infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals or those with compromised skin. You don't want to be putting this stuff on your skin. Drunk Elephant advised people to stop using the products immediately. You can check the lock code to see if your product is part of the affected batch, and you can go to their official recall page to get a refund or a replacement."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

Murad Cellular Hydration Barrier Repair Cream

"The Murad cellular hydration barrier repair serum claims to heal the skin barrier in just 30 minutes. It didn't do that, it didn't even heal my barrier in a month. It contains peptides and Salix alba extract which I'd usually enjoy, but it also contains limonene and linalool, two fragrant ingredients known to be irritants, and I don't think fragrance belongs in skin healing and repairing products. What's even weirder is it doesn't even have a nice smell, it just smells like off tea. This is the worst barrier healing product in my opinion."

✕Nay

60%Guru Score

Lan Cream Skin Refiner

"And of course number one I have to kind of stick with the classic has to be the Lan Cream Skin Refiner"

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

"You've been a big you know fan of cream VI for so long great at educating people about it"

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

"One of the best has to be their Omega Water Cream and I never see anyone talking about it. This is one of the best gel cream textured moisturizers I've ever used. I have combination skin and it's perfect for the most driest parts of my skin and for the oiliest parts. There's ceramides, glycerin, and niacinamide in here so our barrier and hydration levels are cared for. It targets everything that needs to be targeted but it's just super super quenching. I would call it if you haven't tried it already give it a go, I'm pretty sure you'll love it."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Educated Mess Sake Bomb Targeted Peptide Hydra Burst Moisturizer

"It starts off like a cream, like a gel cream, right, and then you start putting it on your skin and it turns into like this thick water that just feels so quenching on the skin but doesn't sink in and disappear. You are left looking glowy and dewy, feeling super well hydrated. It's got Aloe Leaf in it as well which I love for soothing and hydration. I love this and it's a moisturizer I can rely on to keep me looking hydrated but not greasy and oily throughout the whole day."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream

"The most iconic products within Tara including their Moisture Rich silk cream"

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

La Mer Eye Concentrate Cream

"Their much loved eye concentrate will cost you $270 for a tiny 15ml jar, that's over three times as expensive as their crème de la mer. Not only that, but a quick look at the reviews on the US website show that customers are far from happy with the product. When my research had a look at the reviews, the most recent eight reviews gave it a one-star rating. The ninth rating wasn't even that good, they gave it three stars. The next one was straight back to one star. The majority of those reviews even claimed that the product made their eyelid swollen and itchy, or they even suffered some kind of chemical burn from using it. Those definitely aren't the kind of results that you'd expect from a luxury skincare product you paid hundreds of dollars for."

✕Nay

59%Guru Score

Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream

"When I use this pink collagen cream, I was meant to be going to an event. I did go. I wore a lot of makeup, but my skin was hot. It was [...] raining, it was cold. Hydrolyzed collagen always seems to be a guaranteed for me [...] to flare up my rosacea. When it does flare up, my rosacea flares up to the point where it burns and is almost painful. I can guarantee you hydrolyzed nano collagen hyaluronic acid is on that ingredient list. It's the only consistent thing. [...] I'm so disappointed. I didn't like these products."

✕Nay

50%Guru Score

Real Barrier Extreme Cream

"If you're a fan of CeraVe, Aura, Illiyoon, I think you will love this brand, their real barrier Extreme Cream is an award winner of course, improving barrier function, barrier strength, in turn improving hydration, with ceramides and other essential ingredients for your skin barrier to penetrate quicker for faster healing and deeper moisturization."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Anua Peach 77% Niacinamide Enriched Cream

"My current favorite product of theirs is their Peach 77% enriched cream, it's got ceramides, niacinamide, panthenol, collagen, and it leaves you dewy and peachy looking, and the fragrance isn't actually that strong, it doesn't linger around like it does in the serum."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

Beauty Bay Colloidal Oatmeal Plus Oat Lipid Rich Moisturizer

"One of my current favorites is their Colloidal Oatmeal Plus Oat Lipid Rich Moisturizer, great for irritated skin, dehydrated skin, skin prone to breaking out, itchy skin, inflamed skin, there's oat kernel flour in here which is really soothing along with panthenol, squalene and glycerin to hydrate. It's one of those moisturizers that when you think my skin's screwed, you reach for that one."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Dr. Idriss Major Fade Active Seal Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer

"I will use a moisturizer with vitamin C in like the Dr. Idriss Major Fade Active Seal Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer, I've been loving at the moment to protect your skin alongside sunscreen."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

e.l.f. Pure Skin Moisturizer

"The e.l.f. Pure Skin Moisturizer is a budget option that works as a great daytime one. I personally did not like it, but I know a lot of people absolutely love this one."

~Mixed

70%Guru Score

Augustinus Bader Rich Cream

"I'm going to use Aesop barrier"

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Bubble Cloud Surf Water Cream Moisturizer

"The key ingredients are hibiscus extract to help control seed production, celery seed extract to help minimize the appearance of pores, and lilac extract to mattify and equalize the tone of acne-prone skin. [...] For me with combination skin, oily and dry, this is one of those moisturizers that is [...] great for both. It's moisturizing enough, it's hydrating enough. [...] It's moisturizing and nourishing enough where it needs to be but also light enough where I'm very, very oily and it's watery, just glides over the skin. It feels quenching as well. It's a true watery cream, almost like the consistency of serum but just that tiny bit thicker that allows you to use it as a moisturizer. [...] Some of the natural ingredients are questionable, not always backed up by a lot of science, but that doesn't mean that they don't work. [...] Overall as a moisturizer it does a great job. For £16 I think it's decent. A little bit goes a long way, one to two pumps usually is fine for my face and neck. [...] For summer this is going to be perfect, or just as a daytime moisturizer or even in the evenings when I just want to moisturize my skin."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial

"I use my Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial. I'm running out of this. I need to buy some more. This is only meant to be used at night."

~Mixed

70%Guru Score

Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream

"Their Ceramide Ato-Concentrate Cream, I think is pretty much the same thing as Aestura's Ato-Barrier Cream. Love them both. Again, a really nice Ceramide packed moisturizer. Their Ceramides are delivered in these little capsules, which is supposedly supposed to help with enhanced penetration, so you really reap the benefits of those Ceramides. And again, it's just a really nice cream that's perfect for those days where your skin does feel so much drier or you've irritated your skin after experimenting with different skincare. Again, two of my go-to, mainly evening, moisturizers."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eyed Gel Cream

"The other one is of course Glow Recipe's Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eyed Gel Cream, which I personally love to use in the evening or if I'm going out somewhere because it has this slight reflective ability to it."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

Peach & Lily Rescue Party Barrier Comfort Cream

"Peach and Lily have launched the Rescue Party Barrier Comfort Cream, and [...] I really like Peach and Lily's products. I feel like they have a nice small kind of capsule collection at the moment. [...] These products have five different ceramides and good fats to help replenish your skin barrier, 0.8% colloidal oatmeal to relieve signs of irritation, Korean star botanicals like heartleaf and mugwort, and panthenol to visibly quell inflammation. [...] Hyaluronic acid and squalane restore lost moisture. Importantly, they uniquely stay ahead of the calcium curve with a proprietary calcium complex and visibly restore your skin barrier. [...] Our skin has a literal calcium curve, aka epidermal calcium gradient, [...] with calcium ions in a bell shaped distribution. Healthy levels are linked to a healthier skin barrier, while depleted levels equals a weak barrier. Their calcium complex delivers calcium deep into skin and visibly restores the barrier."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Kate Somerville Peptide K8 Power Cream

"Kate Somerville Peptide K8 Power Cream is a high performance moisture which delivers intense hydration whether used alone or as part of a skincare routine. It includes an expertly formulated blend of ceramides and oligopeptides which helps improve the skin's texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. [...] This has been amazing mainly as a daytime moisturizer saving my skin from that real dryness now we're going into much colder weather. [...] I believe it's because of peptides in general, my skin is loving peptides for so many different reasons, but teamed up with ceramides, my skin barrier feels stronger in the sense that I'm breaking out less, my skin is less prone to irritation, my rosacea has [...] calmed down, my flushing doesn't tend to happen as much. It's not recommended for oily skin but its key target is for people with dry, combination, and normal skin. I'm having no issues with this whatsoever with my oily T-zone. It feels watery when you put it on the skin, it looks very thick when you pump it out but it feels watery when it goes on."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream

"I don't understand why people love this moisturizer. I get everybody has their preferences, but I do feel like the love for this moisturizer is primarily led by influencers. I've never scrolled through TikTok and seen a non-influencer under a certain amount of followers willingly buy this product unless it was gifted. I don't see anyone but influencers talking about this product. Is this a nice hydrating moisturizing moisturizer? Yes. It has got those fragrances in it that need to be listed separately because they're known irritants. Do I think a dermatologist should be recommending, in an article, something like this for dry, irritated skin? No. I do feel dermatologists have a responsibility to recommend products that probably don't have fragrance in for irritated skin. And that's kind of like what this product was recommended under, was for dry, irritated skin. This does include Linolol, Citronellol, fragrance."

✕Nay

57%Guru Score

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Water Cream

"I actually really like this product. When I first used it, I was like, this feels really, really nice, and it was a nice moisturizer. But since using this, I found so many cheaper, more affordable moisturizers because I've been actively hunting for a dupe or something that feels as nice as this, that has that water cream hydrating texture. I have found so many that is like half the price of this or more so."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream

"It's fucking expensive. It's so expensive. Do I think it's worth the money? Not in my personal opinion. I believe there is a place for luxury skincare, and if you can afford it, use it. Enjoy yourself, pamper yourself. Do I think you can get amazing skincare for £3 or under five quid? 100%. Absolutely. People love La Mer. It's fine. I personally don't."

✕Nay

48%Guru Score

Bubble Slam Dunk Hydrating Moisturizer

"Their slam dunk moisturizer is this really weird in-between lightweight but also nourishing for dry patches. It has aloe leaf juice, avocado oil which is a nice antioxidant, glycerin which is nicely hydrating, and evening primrose oil which is nicely soothing. Even with oily T-Zone, it feels nice and more like a gel cream - very light, very nourishing, very hydrating. It's a really nice all-rounder. The only thing I'll say is they claim blue light protection but from what I can see they don't, and I don't believe they do. Other than that, the product is really good."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Slurp Serum Moisturizer Crush

"I'm trying their slushy serum moisturizer at the moment and I really love the finish it gives your skin this slightly dewy filtered kind of appearance."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Verso Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream

"The Verso Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream gives you really good dewy glow and your skin feels hydrated. The gel cream consistency works great as a super lightweight moisturizer for oily skin, but it's comforting, moisturizing, and hydrating and nourishing enough for those drier patches as well. It has green tea antioxidants that are incredibly soothing on the skin. While it doesn't help even out skin tone the way the more expensive option does, keeping your skin hydrated and plump can lead to less hyperpigmentation in the long run. You get the same dewy, glowy skin and deep hydration results, though the hydration is limited to about four or five hours rather than all day. With aloe leaf juice, it's soothing and moisturizing, and you can pile it on red areas and let it sit like a mask. It's such a good price point for such a good moisturizer."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Purito Dermide Relief Barrier Moisturizer

"This is their Dermid Relief Barrier Moisturizer with ceramides for soothing hydration. I love a good ceramide cream and I love when a brand comes out with their own take. I was looking forward to what Purito had to offer. I do feel like with their launches they've kind of tried to release a heavier cream to a lighter cream, but for me and my oily skin, they're all just a little bit too heavy and suffocating on the skin. This is their take on the very popular CeraVe ceramides to help strengthen the skin barrier. For me, this is one of those creams that you rub in and it's just white everywhere and you keep rubbing it in and it's white for some reason. You're getting a cold sweat on your top lip and you're pushing it around. It's caught in your facial hair, it's calling your eyebrows. And then once you're done it's just kind of matte on your skin. You're thinking, why was that so thick and why did that take so long? The user experience of this isn't very nice. That's throughout all the different kinds of Dermid creams. It's honestly everything I dislike about ceramide cream. It feels clinical, it's thick, it makes you feel like there's something wrong with you when you're using it because the products feel like prescription-only products that you just have to deal with to sort out your skin. It kind of reminds me of having to use all the old acne products I used to have to use as a teenager that weren't very nice to use but they did the job. I'm kind of disappointed because I really thought they'd get the formulation down. I just went straight back to my Aestura cream because for me that's a fail-safe cream to use and will do its job and help restore my barrier."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

"I tried the repair cream and the coconut water cream. Their formulations in particular were horrible on my skin. The user experience was horrible, and they are quite expensive for what they are."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

First Aid Beauty Coconut Water Cream

"I thought it was going to be like a splash of hydration and keep me feeling hydrated but still moisturized at the same time, and it didn't. It reminded me of a very old-fashioned moisturizer that I used to use as a teenager that kind of went on the skin and you're like where is that gone? And it didn't leave you any more hydrated than you were before. It didn't do what it said it would do."

✕Nay

61%Guru Score

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

"I find that for me this didn't rub into the skin very well. It just kind of moved around my skin, got all caught up in my eyebrows, my beard, my hairline. Whilst this isn't super heavy in any way, it felt kind of suffocating on my skin. I didn't really enjoy it, but I know loads of people love this. It's a moisturizer that moisturizes with hyaluronic acid to hydrate, super super simple. This is 6.50."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm

"The Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm became huge several years ago, it was good, though it was also pushed through K-dramas with pretty unnatural product placement, and it then traveled internationally, they did an eye cream stick and a sunscreen stick off the back of it too."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Dr. Jart+ Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Cream

"I've been using this on and off for about a year now, and there are two brands I use when my skin is really truly destroyed, and this is one of them. I love that it doesn't feel like a pharmaceutical fixing cream - it feels like a pleasure to use. It has an elegant gel-cream texture that's lightweight but moisturizing enough, and represents that Korean skincare approach of well-aging through hydration and barrier support."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Tirtir Ceramic Cream

"TirTir's Ceramic Cream is a really nice rich moisturizer that strengthens the skin barrier while deeply hydrating and locking it all in, leaving your skin feeling soft. It has ceramides, panthenol and hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydration, so your skin is left comfortable, soothed, dewy and glowy."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

belif True Cream Aqua Balm

"Belief, the True Cream Aqua Balm. Whilst I have been using this on and off for the last 5 years, within the last year, I've been using this pretty non-stop. It's a perfect lightweight gel cream moisturizer that has that perfect balance for both my oily skin and my dry cheeks, my combination skin. You get this just like intense hydration without greasiness, without heaviness. Got hyaluronic acid, glycerin, all the usual in here. But we have their signature ladies mantle which helps to calm and heal the skin. There's this proprietary blend of loads of different herbs as well. What I love about Belief is they kind of have the same cream in different textures. So they have the thicker cream and then they have the night mask as well, which I absolutely love. The True Cream Aqua Balm is just perfect all year round, especially in summer where we still want to prevent the hydration loss, but we also need to kind of pile on sun cream over our moisturizer, but we still want that added hydration. It's just a perfect lightweight moisturizer to put under sunscreens and multiple layers of, too."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

belif True Cream Moisturizing Bomb

"This is a bit of an icon in the belif and K-beauty world. I think if you've tried any belif products, it's probably this one. You can see mine is very well used. And years later, this still manages to live up to its hype and be a bestseller pretty much everywhere. If you've got skin that needs hydration, aka everyone, you're going to want to try this if you haven't already. This is a lightweight gel cream, think of a gel cream but make it just that little bit thicker but not heavier on the skin. This melts into your skin. Whilst it melts into the skin, it also leaves your skin feeling protected, like you've had this moisture wrapped around your skin. It increases hydration by 231.4%, and when you put this on, you notice an instant difference. And then like an hour or two hours later, you're like 'Oh my god, oh my god.' The texture is incredible. Perfect for my oily skin, perfect for my drier cheeks. There's no greasy residue, no stickiness whatsoever, and it wears so nice under makeup and SPF. If you're oily, combo, dry, whatever, this plays nice with pretty much everyone. Key ingredients include hyaluronic acid, Niacinamide to gently help improve skin tone and texture, and squalene and ceramides for the skin barrier."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Soothing Cream

"It's designed to provide really good hydration alongside those calming effects that we know from Centella asiatica, but we also have ceramides in here to help strengthen the skin barrier whilst the centella heals alongside allantoin as well to help the skin repair itself and provide relief to irritated and sensitized skin. This is one that's great for the colder months if you're looking for a slightly thicker ceramide repairing barrier healing supporting cream that also targets irritated skin, this is a really really nice one to go for."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Then I Met You Bong Bong Bounce Cream

"I'm so glad I did because this is my new favorite. This is the Bong Bong Cream. Bong Bong is a play on words from the Hallabong fruit, so it's not a bong. I was very inspired by the Hallabong fruit that's grown only in Jeju, Korea. These citrus fruits are only grown in the wintertime and they have this massively thick peel but the fruit itself is not huge. It's the thick peel because it's protecting the precious juicy cargo during the wintertime because there's frost and everything, so it cocoons it. I was like I love the idea that this fruit has a thick peel, kind of like how we need to coat and protect our skin during the winter to protect it from all the environmental elements. I wanted to create a barrier cream that actually was for all skin types."

✓Yay

Notverified

Isntree Onion New Pair Gel Cream

"The isent tree onion new pair sunscreen"

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream

"This is their Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream. It's a multi award winner and I think it's so popular because it really does suit nearly every skin type, especially those of acne prone skin. What I love about this product is it has tiny capsules, so you get this nice moisturization and then those capsules kind of burst on your skin, locking everything in. Birch sap, vitahaluronic acid, and glycerol glucoside have been added to maintain long lasting and deep moisture. And basically, within this birch sap, you have hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, PCA and amino acids. So all that hydration and goodness that your skin needs to help kind of lock in that hydration as well. It's one of those moisturizers that can care for both the dry skin and the oily skin in your face without making it look greasy or without being too light, that you feel like you're using a gel cream. It's in this light, fluffy, watery texture that at first, you're like, I don't think this is going to be enough. But then that's where those capsules come in. And you can feel that kind of lock in kind of film. If you have facial hair and you're using this, give this a rub in the palm of your hands first, break down those capsules, then rub on your skin. And you will love this."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Mixsoon Bean Cream

"The Mixsoon Bean Cream is a personal favorite of mine. [...] Whenever I'm doing a K-beauty shop, I will always pop this one in the basket just to have, because I know I could always rely on it and fall back on it. It has Fermented Soybean, which is great for leveling out that oil water balance in your skin and helping to retain hydration and moisture, along with [...] Fermented Pomegranate, Barley, Korean Pear. [...] The Fermented Pomegranate is a great antioxidant but also helps with skin texture. Fermented Pear Juice is great in antioxidants. It has Adenosine in here, which is nice and anti-inflammatory, along with Glycerin to help keep hydration in our skin. It's a really nice one, especially if your skin is on the drier side. If you're oilier, you'd like this more as a night mask. It's also great on the body for dry areas like elbows, knees, and the back of your feet. It's a really nice one just to have in your skincare collection for when your skin goes through those rougher times."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

TOCOBO Multi-Ceramide Cream

"Along with the multiple ceramides, this has triple Hyaluronic Acid. So it's Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid. So the idea behind that is they're different molecular weights, so they're able to get into different layers of the skin and plump from different layers of the skin too. What I love about the texture of this is that at first, it feels very, very heavy. But as I'm rubbing it in, it kind of then just turns into like a watery texture without disappearing on the skin. It goes from being this thick cream to kind of feeling like a gel cream and leaves your skin feeling super smooth and soft. And it lasts forever. This lasts so long. So, so long. I remember, like, in Summer trying to get rid of it because it just wasn't going anywhere. So I was like using it on my elbows and on my knees, those areas where you do get a little bit more dry. Yeah. Love this one. This is like a restock for me. This is a product I'll always have."

✓Yay

Notverified

Krave Beauty Oat So Simple Water Cream

"The Oat So Simple Water Cream is actually a really, really nice moisturizer for my combination skin. My skin feels so soft."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer

"Meet our best selling Pink Juice Moisturizer, a lightweight, silky gel moisturizer that hydrates, plumps, and soothes, with key ingredients being Watermelon, Hyaluronic Acid, Jasmine and Peony, which is rich in antioxidants. I absolutely love this. Perfect summer moisturizer. Really nice, lightweight texture, has that watermelon smell that just makes you feel refreshed. Perfect for oily skin. My favorite thing to do is once I've done my serums, re-damp my face with some spritzy water and put this all over and all down my neck, and I just feel dewy and hydrated and quenched. I will continue to buy and use this throughout the day or on days where I'm feeling a bit oily or I'm just at home. If you do want to feel hydrated and you want a natural looking glow, definitely go with the Watermelon Glow Pink Juice."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Vichy Mineral 89 72-Hour Moisture Boosting Cream

"For me this is the Vichy Mineral 89 72-Hour Moisture Boosting Cream. I've been using it on and off for about three weeks and I had to stop using this because for a 72-hour moisture boosting cream I felt very tight and dry almost instantly. It's got hyaluronic acid, squalane, vitamin B3 and E, lipids and their volcanic mineral water in here, but it just feels very normal. This is meant to be a hydrating moisturizer and when I use that it's almost like shameful that they call this a hydrating cream because it's just not enough for me, even in my oily T-zone. I feel like I'm using an old-fashioned style gel cream for oily skin. It feels nice literally in the first hour, then the next hour I'm like where's that all gone, everything tight, my skin looks parched. For a claim of 72-hour moisture boosting it just wasn't enough for me. It's extremely light. If you're very oily, super oily, you may really enjoy this one, maybe a nice one to put on under something else, but for me it's just not enough. It's not enough for me whatsoever in the day when I do want to keep my skin looking hydrated and dewy and plump."

✕Nay

85%Guru Score

COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream

"I'm gonna put this on damp skin because I feel like it just looks nicer. Yes, I love COSRX, but the reason I went for my drawers and got this out again is because TikTok reminded me of it because it's everywhere on TikTok shop at the moment and I'll be honest it's actually doing my head in, but it's such a good product."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Abib Heartleaf Calming Cream Tube

"The Abib Heartleaf Calming Cream Tube is a really good example that has all your nice hydrating ingredients along with Ceramides to help with your skin barrier. You have Heartleaf, of course, in here again, which is not only a great antioxidant but helps calm and soothe the skin. Arginine. So you have all those really good deep hydrating ingredients along with Ceramides. I've only just started using this. It's been a couple of weeks. But as far as a nice moisturizer that moisturizes and hydrates me in the evening, this is a really, really nice one."

✓Yay

Notverified

SkinFix Barrier+ Restoring Gel Cream

"I don't like skin barrier restoring creams that are thick, medicinal, clinical feeling, but this is a gel cream that does all the good things for your barrier with all those really nice skin-soothing, restoring ingredients without being thick and heavy. It's great for my combination skin. It has niacinamide and zinc PCA which are great if you're prone to breakouts or very oily, green tea for antioxidants, and squalene - so it's nicely moisturizing without being greasy."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Cleansers74 reviews

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Fragrance-Free

"I've never liked their products. They're basic and they don't evolve with the times. The brand isn't interested in evolving with new science within skincare. Nobody really uses their wipes."

✕Nay

61%Guru Score

Dr Sam's Flawless Cleanser

"This is just one of the nicest most hydrating cleansers I've ever used and I don't usually team the term hydrating with a cleanser but when there's 50% glycerin in a cleanser it's obviously going to be hydrating. It's such nice texture. There's aloe, there's oat extract, arginine as well so all soothing and helping to support the skin barrier. You get your money's worth with this cleanser."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée 3%

"A slightly more focused cleanser, which is thankfully not stripping anyway cuz it is nice to leave on your skin for a little bit kind of like a mask, especially when you have actives in it. So, so gentle, niacinamide balancing things out a little bit. I just love this. Again, another everyday cleanser that I'd happily use morning and night, which I do when the weather gets hotter and my oily combination skin becomes more oily."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Krave Beauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser

"This is probably one of my most staple products ever. As in like, it's always coming back and forth in my routine. It's always a cleanser I fall back on. In fact, when I'm testing new products, it's one of the cleansers I use because I know how well my skin reacts to it. Great for when your skin is stressed out, you want to focus on maintaining the skin barrier. Matcha for antioxidants. We've got hemp seed oil in here as well. Nice fatty acids, a good amount of glycerin, keeping those hydration levels up. I think that this is actually one of the first really non-stripping cleansers I ever used way back in the day."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Remedy Gel-to-Foam Cleanser with Salicylic Acid

"If you want a really good deep thorough cleanse for your oily skin without stripping the out of your skin, this is the cleanser to go for. Gives you that satisfaction of almost like a deep purge without destroying your skin barrier, without voiding your face of all moisture. Salicylic acid, of course, is going to gently exfoliate. [...] Balance with like ceramides and glycerin, so it doesn't feel stripping. It's just that perfect middle ground between a nice satisfying cleanse after a hot, sweaty, oily-skinned day with that gentle, gentle cleanse."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Selfless by Hyram Centella and Green Tea Daily Gel Cleanser

"The Centella and Green Tea Hydrating Gel Cleanser has been one of my favorite cleansers since it launched. It's just that really soothing everyday cleanser that I happily used twice a day. Centella and Green Tea just doing what they do best, antioxidants, soothing, calming visible redness, supporting the skin. And then you got that really high level of glycerin, which keeps you so hydrated whilst you cleanse. It's such a good cleanser."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Remedy Derm Dissolve Cleansing Balm

"For the first cleanse, the Remedy Derm Dissolve Balm. Whilst very, very new to me still, probably three weeks I've been using this for, it's very, very good. It's very thorough, very, very good, and honestly, a fairly average cleansing balm that just does the job. So many people can make a cleansing balm. So many people are making a cleansing balm, but to do it good and effective sounds so basic, but it's hard to do. This has that soft sherbety texture, which I absolutely love. It doesn't leave that kind like those little small bits of plastic that some cleansing balms do and it's not just solidified oil. It's this kind of like almost like if you had sorbet or sherbet that's warm and then it just kind of breaks down. It's like lipid rich as well. It's packed with like those skin identical ceramides and uses a triple emulsifier system. So it actually dissolves makeup and SPF properly. Then rinses clean without leaving any greasy film behind, which a lot of cleansers do, but some of them you have to extra emulsify or spend a little bit longer rinsing away. This one, you don't have to. Emulsifies easily, then rinses everything away. You've got safflower lipids in here as well for barrier support."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

"This has stayed consistently in my skincare routine. [...] This one has just been my go-to over and over and over. It kind of feels like this isn't viral, and this should be because this feels luxury, but it's very much drugstore price at the same time. This does beat out to me all those viral really popular well-marketed oils which I've tried. [...] The reason I love this one so much is there's three different versions and I love the Speedy version. [...] It's not just oils, the emulsification process, everything is really good, [...] but it's very quick. That's what I used to hate about using oils, it felt like this is going on for so long, the oil's dripping down my face, it's going to my eyes, it's going to my mouth. This one feels like it's literally over in like a minute. This is going to break down sunscreen and makeup super super fast, really fast. I don't think I've used a cleansing oil that breaks down makeup especially super quick. When I've had to put a load of makeup on my face, this is the cleansing oil that I use because it just strips everything off perfectly and super quick without having to spend ages."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

"Clinique's Take the Day Off balm is iconic. It's very nice. It's very simple. It's fragrance-free and it gets the job done. [...] This has safflower seed oil, ethexel palmitate, and a few emulsifiers. It melts down makeup and sunscreen and rinses clean. It's very basic. It's more of a cosmetically elegant kind of feeling. It's nice. A little bit pricey."

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Remedy Rich Cream to Foam Cleanser

"Remedy for lightweight cleansing is perfect for my very oily T-zone and the hot weather we just had. It is a great example of how to format a cleanser for oily or congested skin without falling into that trap of it being overly harsh and stripping. It's a classic gel to foam cleanser that's designed specifically for normal to oily skin types. Whereas most oily skin cleansers really rely on like those strong surfactants to strip away oil, which aren't always bad, they can just be too drying for some people and often leave your face feeling quite tight. This one takes a much more balanced approach. It uses 0.5% salicylic acid to gently exfoliate, dissolves excess sebum, helps keep pores clear, but instead of pairing that with these kind of more drying foaming agents, we have those barrier supporting ingredients in instead. We have ceramide MP, which of course is great for skin barrier, niacinamide, which does help with your skin barrier too, but helps with sebum reduction, minimize the appearance of enlarged pores, and of course, glycerin, that humectant to keep you hydrated and plump. We also have green tea extract in here, too, to add those antioxidant effects. And I find it pretty calming, too. So, while it is doing a job of an exfoliating pore clearing cleanser, it also makes sure your skin is like fully comfortable whilst doing so."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Prequel 1% Salicylic Acid Cleanser

"This is one of my favorite examples of a modern dermatologist created product. I've used non-derm versions of this, and I still find them incredibly drying and stripping, really leaving your skin tight with that squeaky, clean, irritated skin. Instead, this formula is all about giving you the exfoliating benefits of salicylic acid without compromising your barrier. We have that 50% glycerin which is a huge amount in this cleanser and you can see that in that kind of gummy stringy thick texture of the cleanser. It's one of the most effective humectants we have in skin care keeping you hydrated making your skin feel soft and elasticated. Team that with the salicylic acid and everything's just kind of like balanced out perfectly. We have that 1% encapsulated salicylic acid which is clever because it's time-released. So yes, spend a minute or so gently massaging this into the skin to get those kind of like pore clearing, smoothing benefits with less irritation, especially if you have easily sensitized skin like myself. Zinc PCA in here as well to help regulate oil production whilst also hydrating, which is perfect for me with my combination skin that is prone to the occasional itchy breakout."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

House of Hur Midnight Soothing Cleansing Balm

"House of Hur cleansing balms are some of my favorites. I don't think they're anything crazy special, but that's also why I find myself reaching for them time and time again. I just know they're going to do the job they have to do, which is remove makeup and sunscreen and leave my skin feeling really nice and kind of like moisturized after. It has Black Rice Extract, which is basically an antioxidant that's rich in hydration and is going to help support the skin barrier as well and potentially also calm your skin too. We also have Mexican Chia Seed Extract to help lock in moisture, replenish the skin and leave you with that moisturized, plump feeling. There is a form of physical exfoliant in here in the form of Chestnut Shell Extract, but it is so fine, it almost feels like a powder, if you can even feel it at all. It took me forever to even realize there was like a physical exfoliating function to this. One complaint I do have is that it makes the sink a little bit messy."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Kate Somerville Eradicate 3% Daily Foaming Cleanser

"The Kate Somerville Eradicate Daily Foaming Cleanser. Kate Somerville products are so good. So, so good. This is a gentle daily exfoliating cleanser. It's hydrating, exfoliating. It's also got sulfur in which my skin usually reacts to, but it's meant to be great for rosacea and breakouts, which this product is for me. I think because it's in a washoff product, I don't have an issue with it."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

The INKEY List Hydrating Cream to Milk Cleanser

"This is the Hydrating Cream to Milk Cleanser. It very much reminds you of an old-fashioned cream cleanser, but a lot more gentler and lighter feeling on the face. They say it delivers 24-hour hydration and 12-hour barrier support with 5% rice milk and hyaluronic acid. It's very soothing. I've only used it twice, but it's great for removing makeup, sunscreen, and even just unlike naked skin as a gentle cleanse."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

House of Hur Purifying Cleansing Balm

"House of Hur's Purifying Cleansing Balm isn't a massively amazing brand new concept or anything particularly innovative, but it just leaves my skin feeling so nicely moisturized. I love the combination of a very good cleansing balm in that grind-style packaging. It's just a really nice formulation that keeps me going back to using it more and more."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

"Products like the Milky Jelly Cleanser [...] became an instant hit upon release, cementing Glossier's reputation as the beauty brand for a new generation of beauty enthusiasts."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

SKKN Gentle Foaming Cleanser

"The cleanser at $43, which is a lightly foaming cleanser, developed to gently dissolve any makeup, water resistant residues, unwanted oils and impurities without stripping or irritating the skin. Honestly, this was nothing special. A good basic cleanser, but way overpriced, in my opinion."

✕Nay

63%Guru Score

Banila Co Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm

"It breaks down and emulsifies, but with this it always left like little plasticky feeling, like little bits of balm that had to break down further. It feels like the starting point of a cleansing balm, and whilst it has nice ingredients and does the job, it's a little bit outdated. There are many more richer, more nourishing balms with better ingredients that just feel nice on the skin. It's decent but outdated, and I feel like it's been replaced by many. This was everywhere at one point, but now it just doesn't hold up. There's too many better options in today's standards for a cleansing balm in my opinion."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

"Glow Recipe focuses on fruit-based formulas combined with gentle but powerful active ingredients, and they wanted to create products that are not only effective but also offer a sensorial experience that make skincare fun and like a pampering experience for all their customers. And that's why I love the brand so much because I want my products to be effective, but that doesn't mean they can't be a joy to use."

✓Yay

59%Guru Score

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

"The hydrating cleanser was a gentle cleanser formulated to remove impurities without stripping the skin's moisture. It was formulated with ceramides, as well as [...] their patented multivesicular emulsion technology. This technology allowed for the gradual release of moisturizing ingredients over 24 hours, providing long lasting hydration and enhanced skin barrier restoration. [...] This was new and something different at the time, which it feels so standard now. The [...] technology was a key aspect for the brand as they felt that other skincare products were only helpful for a short amount of time after use. They didn't have this slow release technology, which wasn't very helpful to people who suffered from skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema, as they would have to constantly keep applying these products throughout the day, otherwise their skin would get dry, flaky and itchy."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

"The Foaming Facial Cleanser, developed for normal to oily skin types, aiming to remove excess oil and sebum without disrupting the skin's natural barrier."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% Benzoyl Peroxide

"Contained benzene, a known cause of cancer at levels which exceeded federal safety standards"

✕Nay

76%Guru Score

Kylie Skin Foaming Face Wash

"The Foaming Face Wash was criticized for containing fragrance and drying ingredients that many complained weren't suitable for all skin types. The way this was being sold as suitable for all skin types is what really made people look at these products and be like that's not suitable for all skin types."

✕Nay

56%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

"The jelly cleanser, certain batches contain a preservative not listed on the product ingredient list. And whilst this preservative is found commonly in skincare products, especially those clean beauty ones, this preservative, like many paraben alternatives, can cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals, especially at higher levels."

✕Nay

57%Guru Score

The INKEY List 2% Salicylic Acid Cleanser

"For oily, breakout or acne prone skin, or those wanting to maintain well-maintained pores, I think you will love the INKEY List salicylic acid cleanser. It's a great daily use cleanser that contains 2% salicylic acid you massage on the face for 60 seconds to 2 minutes and rinse away. If you have a teenager just starting to break out and get blackheads, this is a great way to gently and safely introduce a chemical exfoliant into their routine. I love this one."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

"I'm convinced people are pretending to like Garnier micellar water. [...] I hate this one. I like the concept, and as much as I say you don't need to rinse off your micellar water, this one needs to come off your face and into the bin. [...] It left my skin sticky and stingy, it stung around my eyes and around my nose folds. It got rid of makeup particularly well, but so does a cleansing balm. If you really like the feeling of a sticky oily mess on your skin, give this one a go."

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

Dr. Althea Pore Refresh Grinding Cleansing Balm

"Dr. Althea's pure grinding cleansing balm went viral recently for a good reason, but Beplain do a better version of this in my opinion."

~Mixed

76%Guru Score

Clarisonic Facial Cleansing Brush

"I always used to use a cleansing brush like the Clarisonic, which made me think I couldn't have a proper effective cleanse unless I had a brush scrubbing at my skin twice a day. But they basically went out of business for the same reason I stopped using them: it just became too harsh, and people realized they needed a gentler approach to cleansing."

✕Nay

51%Guru Score

Bondi Sands Freshen Up Nourishing Gel Cleanser

"Bondi Sands have an amazing skincare line of very basic basics, with the default serums most brands have, and not a single product goes beyond the 15 pound mark so it keeps your wallet in budget. I love their cleanser in particular, a very good example of a lightweight hydrating moisturizing cleanser that doesn't strip your skin. All their products are simple, decent skincare that feels great to use in really nice packaging and they just do the job."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Cleansing Foaming Gel

"My rosacea flares up really quickly to it"

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Skin Rocks Gel Cleanser

"You've not messed with your face, you just feel cleaner. You don't feel stripped, you don't feel greasy, you don't feel like there's any residue left on. You have your jojoba, argan and rose hip oils which help keep the skin hydrated, glycerin in here as a humectant that's going to help keep all that hydration in the skin, not like washing anything away. And then we have ginger root extract and ambroxol, which is a soothing blend of soothing actives to help calm the skin. And it really is such a nice cleanser. A lot of cleansers you can just use twice and they do a good job, but this does an excellent job at both steps of the cleansing routine. It's the ideal cleanser to take away with me, carry around everywhere, use at home, just like a one-in-one type thing."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Dr. Idriss Soft Wash Complete Daily Cleanser

"Using the Dr Idriss Soft Wash Complete Daily Cleanser, super gentle, doesn't strip your skin in any way. So really, really good if you've got a heavy, thick mask on that you just want to rinse away in the morning."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Skin Rocks Cream Cleanser

"I'm using Skin Rocks Cream Cleanser. I actually use this as a double cleanse most of the time but I use this to take off if I'm wearing any sunscreen all that kind of stuff because it is just so so gentle and it is a cleanser I'll take with me to like a hotel traveling because it's just like a one and done cleanser, well a two and one cleanser perfect for both steps of the double cleanse routine but this one just feels extra nice."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Softy Mo Speedy Cleansing Oil

"When it comes to oil cleansers, the Softy Mo one is the only one that I've used doing this successfully."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Prequel Non-Drying Glycerin Cleanser

"This cleanser kind of turns into a really lightweight foam that feels like you're moisturizing your face with that foam. It doesn't feel like it's stripping anything. It rinses away with a really really good deep cleanse without the stripping of a deep cleanse. We have oat in here as well, I believe it's oat kernel extract which is lovely and soothing, so you can really take your time with this, and aloe as well, soothing and hydrating. It's just such a nice cleanser. It's quite a unique cleanser in the sense that the texture is a little bit different. There are a few other similar cleansers, but as far as how it then interacts on the skin, how it then foams up, how it then leaves your skin, is fairly unique. The thing about this that just feels a lot more nourishing and moisturizing than any other cleanser I've used."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water

"Bioderma micellar water is perfect for me, made to stay on the skin with sensitive skin in mind. Micellar waters are made to be left on, for convenience and a tap water free cleanse, and this one does not irritate me or break me out."

✓Yay

96%Guru Score

Youth to the People Kale and Green Tea Spinach Vitamin Superfood Cleanser

"The green Youth to the People cleanser that went viral over lockdown dried out my oily skin so bad. It takes a lot to strip my skin of its natural oils, especially my oily T zone, and this honestly felt like a stripping cleanser from the early 2000s. It is a bit much and somehow very, very stripping, and I do not see people genuinely loving it anymore."

✕Nay

64%Guru Score

Rhode Pineapple Refresh Daily Cleanser

"I am convinced people are pretending they like the Rhode cleanser. I was genuinely looking forward to it because Rhode's other products are nice, but I used it solidly for a week and it was so drying that I was breaking out badly with little whiteheads and itchy skin, and that is coming from someone with a very oily T zone. It has an odd silky feel and the whole thing feels a little outdated."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

Beekman 1802 Vegan Goat Milk Oil Eliminating Foaming Gel Cleanser

"This is their oil eliminating foaming gel cleanser with succinic acid and pineapple ceramides and vegan goat milk. If you have an oily T-zone, if you're combination, if you're very very oily and you want that excess oil to be dealt with in a non-stripping kind of way, this is the perfect cleanser to go for. The succinic acid really does care for that excess sebum. Because this is their new vegan range, we have pineapple in here to help with your skin barrier and their vegan goat milk, which they say is a breakthrough biotech milk that reverse engineers the skin benefits of goat milk to target oily and combination skin. They've been able to kind of mimic all the benefits of goat milk, which includes sugar cane lactic acid, 17 oat amino acids to help with the skin barrier, vitamins and minerals to nourish the skin, 26% pea protein to help plump the skin, 9% coconut fatty acids to deeply hydrate, and 54% fruit prebiotics to balance the microbiome. It has this jelly, watery jelly texture that really does give you a nice deep cleanse without stripping your skin completely. In summer I'm going to need this, I'm going to love this. The greasiness, the oil that comes out with me in the summer, this is going to be able to gently cleanse all this away because I cleanse twice a day in the summer and this is going to do it without irritating my skin. I love this. Hydration has been great with this."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser

"This is a hydrating, skin barrier strengthening cleanser packed with Ceramides and pre and postbiotics to balance the skin's moisture barrier while effectively removing makeup. This is the type of cleanser I've been waiting for from Glow Recipe for a long time. This is far superior. This gives a really nice gentle, effective cleanse without the slightly drying cleanse that their other cleanser gives. This is great for all skin types. Oily skin is going to love it because it's not overly stripping of your oils. Dry skin is going to love it because it's nicely hydrating and moisturizing and repairing and we have Colloidal Oatmeal in here for soothing your skin. The tiniest bit of this, pea size amount really just lathers over the face really nicely, really gently and it really does work well as a double cleanse. I would use this on top of sunscreen, just like on a dry face, massage it in then kind of lather it up and then rinse away and it gets rid of everything absolutely fine. I don't feel the need to double cleanse sometimes with this one."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm

"Key ingredients, of course, being Papaya enzymes, which are known to gently exfoliate, Papaya Extract and Seed Oil. Rich in fatty acids, Oleic, Linoleic Acids. So it's going to keep your skin nicely moisturized and hydrated and very good in general just for makeup removal. And Blueberry Extract really nice, great antioxidants. I really, really like this one. I like it more now than I used to because of my change in preference for a cleansing balm. The effortless, smooth kind of experience of it attracts me back to it."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

"For what I experience with this product, it's just too pricey. [...] This is for me was just the same as any modern day non-stripping cleanser. [...] Did it feel bougie, did it feel nice, yes, would I pay that much for it, no. I wouldn't necessarily say it would stand out for me as far as keeping my skin from drying out. [...] It says soothing, the dullness, lack of firmness, none of that for me. There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't think it's worth their price point to be honest with you. [...] If you're just after a nice cleanser that's not going to strip all your natural oils away, just go with something cheaper."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

BYOMA Melting Balm Cleanser

"It smells really good. It's like buttery soft, like it's gliding over the skin. [...] It emulsified and kind of turned into that whitey milky fluid that rinsed away so effortlessly and so easily. It's a really, really nice cleansing balm. [...] I do much prefer the texture, to be honest with you, rather than that plasticky feeling balmy texture. I do think it's going to be one of my preferred cleansing balms."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Cleansing Clay Mask

"My skin is smooth, yes, but not dry. Has it done an okay job at getting rid of my excess oils? Yes. Obviously not poreless, because that's not how any product works or our skin works, but it's fine. It's a clay mask. If you like doing a clay mask, you will like this. If you already have your favorite, you're not missing out on anything."

~Mixed

77%Guru Score

The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser

"I've washed my face using The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser."

~Mixed

70%Guru Score

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

"I really like one of their cleansing balms. Their products are nice, they're nice. But am I racing out to re-buy them? No, not really. I understand why people like this brand and why I'm asked pretty much on a daily basis to review them. I think it's one of those brands I knew growing up, so I'm kind of over it. I'm not in a rush to buy them because I feel like they've been around for so long. For me personally, there are other brands I want to review before Elemis, so they're always going to come after other brands because they're just not in my priority list."

~Mixed

68%Guru Score

SkinFix Barrier+ Foaming Oil Cleanser

"I really like Skin Fix products so far, and this is a really nice non-stripping foaming cleanser that I'd recommend. But I was a little bit disappointed because I thought it would be an actual oil cleanser, not just a regular cleanser with oils in it. It's a nice everyday cleanser, but if you've already got non-stripping cleansers that you like, this isn't anything new. I wouldn't rush out and buy it."

~Mixed

80%Guru Score

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser

"I really liked this for a couple of months and then I got a new one and it just started drying out my skin really really really bad, like really bad. It reminded me of my early day teenage skincare routine cleansers where my skin would feel so tight. I actually just popped it in the shower and started using it as a body wash and bought another one thinking that maybe it was just the product I got online was maybe a dud or a bad batch, but no, it continued to really really dry me down. The first one I used was great. I kind of went through a stage of using exfoliants in cleansers only because I wanted to see if it benefited my skin as much as exfoliating toners did. It did, you know, it, my skin looked good. But toners are still better in my opinion. So it's not, it was just very dry. It says it's for dry, rough, bumpy skin. My skin felt dry and rough after, very dry and rough. I would not use this again. Maybe if you got very, very oily skin, you might be okay, but at that stage I was verging more on combination with dry cheeks and an oily T-zone. But it wasn't for me at all."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm

"Not for me, I can't use this. It's just so tough to use. You have to have so much strength in order to get this out of the tube. It's just so annoying to use. And it is a good product if you don't mind the kind of user experience of it. It's got three percent oat kernel oil which is rich in ceramides and one percent colloidal oatmeal to reduce redness and soothe your skin. That's kind of its main selling point. It really is like a solidified oil. It's kind of like a cleansing balm that breaks down into oil really easily, but it's kind of like when you smell that cleansing balm it smells like an oil. It's really hard to describe. It's just not nice to use. It's such a pain. Paula's Choice have a great cleansing balm in a tube and that I really really love and would recommend over this one."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

"These Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips are tough, they are strong, they are made some strong stuff like they will get that out of your nose. The problem with nose pore strips is they're great at kind of removing what you can see on the surface, they're not great at getting right deep in there and really decongesting your nose. Something like BHA is much better for that. But before a night out, before a big event, before dinner, before seeing anyone in general, they're nice to do as like a one-off. Following up with a nice hydrating toner, calming serum, and then a repairing moisturizer is my go-to after using these. These Bioré ultra deep ones are the ones to go for if you really want to get that out. They're good, they work."

✓Yay

60%Guru Score

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser

"This is a great first and second cleanse and really it's just a nice basic non-drying non-stripping kind of cleanser. It ensures that you don't get that tight feeling to the skin. This is a good one and it's 5.50. I do find that I tend to use these up really quick compared to a lot of other cleansers, so a little bit doesn't go that far. But it's really accessible, you can find it everywhere, it's really really good. It's just a nice basic non-stripping cleanser."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

BYOMA Milky Jelly Cleanser

"This is a really gentle jelly cleanser that does very lightly foam but doesn't leave you dried out at all. This makes a perfect first and second cleanse, and it's really gentle even when my skin is at its most sensitive. It has licorice root and green tea as the key ingredients, with licorice root being good at evening out skin tone and complexion, whilst green tea is a great antioxidant and can help soothe the skin. It's a huge bottle for 9.99 and lasts for absolutely ages."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Omega Cleansing Balm

"I've cleansed my face using the [Paula's Choice] Cleansing Balm."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm

"The Living Cleansing Balm from Then I Met You. An icon in my bathroom for the last 5 years. I love this. I will forever love this. And this is very much a barrier first kind of formula. Grape seed oil, olive oil, sea berry oil, which gives it that [...] orangey yellow kind of tinge. All keeping your skin moisturized without stripping the skin. And every so often I will use this as a mask. [...] She told me that before she has a bath for example, she will apply the cleansing balm, sit in the bath, use it as a mask, then rinse it away for really well moisturized skin. And now I do that pretty much every time I use this. So if my skin is feeling very dry or extra dehydrated, rub this in, leave it on for 5 minutes, then I'll emulsify and rinse everything away. You've also got the usual kind of fatty acids in here to help dissolve the sunscreen while also helping your barrier for all my skin conditions and types reactive, dehydrated. And you get a dose of antioxidants from that seabberry. [...] Grape seed oil keeps things lightweight and non greasy. Pimmen extract is a nice little touch here [...] for very gentle brightening and helps regulate sebum as well."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

"I hate it. I absolutely hate it cuz it kind of felt similar."

✕Nay

61%Guru Score

Arencia Fresh Green Rice Mochi Cleanser

"The Arenia Fresh Green Rice Mochi Cleanser is my favorite cleanser in general of the year. [...] Arenia has used a traditional kneading process similar to how mochi is made, and that actually matters here because [...] it changes the way the cleanser works. It has this density to it that is kind of like very soft butter. It spreads slowly, cushions the skin because you can use this as a mask as well. So it needs to be able to sit nicely on the skin without drying you out, but also you need to be able to take a little bit of it, foam up, and use it as a normal cleanser. I feel like this mochi kneading process has done that perfectly. A lot of these other mask to cleanser cleansers this year have just been a little bit sticky and they don't sit on the skin properly."

✓Yay

62%Guru Score

Beplain Mung Bean pH Balanced Cleansing Foam

"I do understand why it's a, it's a an award winner, constant award winner."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Tirtir Hydroboost Enzyme Cleansing Balm

"TirTir's Hydroboost Enzyme Cleansing Balm is a very sherbety, silky cleansing balm that effortlessly removes makeup and sunscreen while leaving your skin feeling nicely hydrated."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

TOCOBO Calamine Pore Control Cleansing Oil

"The Calamine Pore Control Cleansing Oil is one of the nicest cleansing oils I've ever used. I think it's because to me it's somewhat of like a cleansing oil milk. You'll see it's a milky texture, it almost looks biphasic the way it comes out. Of course perfect for cleansing away sunscreen and makeup, but with a little bit of massaging too it also helps to loosen sebaceous filaments, blackheads, even our pores looking cleaner and cared for. While some milky oil works to melt everything away, the calamine powder actually absorbs excess sebum leaving us with clearer looking pores, leaving your skin really nice and soft, really really smooth without feeling stripped. I think it's because we have olive oil in here, we also have vegan milk and I know that's a weird name, and we also have coconut oil so it's really retaining that moisture, and the calamine powders help soothe as well."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

belif Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser

"It starts off as like this cushiony jelly kind of texture, sorbetish, but not quite. Then with obviously a bit of water, it transforms into a really light, gentle foam. No stripping lather, no squeaky clean finish, just very nice clean, balanced skin that still feels like skin. The formula actually uses amino acid-based surfactants instead of sulfates. So if you do find that your skin gets very easily stripped and your barrier gets very easily irritated from these types of cleansers, this is going to be a great one to go for. It's also packed with ingredients like ladies mantle extract, which is a classic belif ingredient for antioxidant support. It's a great morning cleanser, especially with the warmer weather coming up now or if you slug at night constantly or use thick creams. I personally like to take that all off my face the next day to avoid breakouts. I'm oily so I need to get it off. This will cleanse you nicely in the morning without stripping your skin or even the second step in your double cleanse, again, not leaving you tight, feeling refreshed, soft, and ready for what is next."

✓Yay

Notverified

VT Seeker Mask Cleanser

"This is a two-in-one very creamy clay type mask and a daily cleanser designed specifically for people with easy sensitized skin stressed out acne prone skin. This helps target blackheads congestion enlarged pores. It's formulated with Centella Asiatica green clay green tea powder and retinol but in a way that's actually gentle and non-drying on your skin. Think of like a clay mask that feels more like a thick moisturizer. When applied to dry skin it acts like a mask it absorbs all that excess oil and sebum whilst allowing the active ingredients in here to sit on the skin and actually do their job. Then once you add water it transforms into like a soft foaming cleanser to rinse everything away. It's like a clay mask without the mess without the struggle to wash it off and that dry tight feeling that you often get from a clay mask. This is by far one of my favorites as far as how beneficial the actual ingredients are in here for my particular skin care concerns, and now I don't think I could ever do this type of mask and a cleanser separate."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil

"This product went viral, and I don't understand why. Like, it's fine. It's absolutely fine. It's gonna do the job it needs to do. It's gonna take off your makeup. It's to take off your sunscreen in no different way to any other oil, other cleansing oil out there. It's fine. It's normal. It's nothing special."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Dermatica Caring Squalane Cream Cleanser

"I love using their Dermatica Caring Squalane Cream Cleanser. This is like a really creamy formula that almost feels like it's a moisturizer. It feels like you're rubbing a moisturizer on your face. You apply it on dry skin, you can use it to remove makeup and sunscreen. You massage that gently on the skin, add water to emulsify, and then rinse away, and it leaves you with basically moisturized feeling skin, thoroughly cleansed without feeling stripped. I personally like to use this in the morning because my morning cleanse has to be gentle, it can't be stripping, so this is perfect."

✓Yay

Notverified

Then I Met You Soothing Tea Cleansing Gel

"This is a Soothing Tea Cleansing Gel and when Then I Met You first launched six years ago these were the two products that we launched with. I'm just a big double cleansing person and I really think that it's important to double cleanse and this is filled with pH green tea extracts. It also has licorice extracts which brightens your skin. It is a unique jelly-like texture and it has this really nice bounce to it and you just need a little dime sized amount. With a gentle pH of six and the fact it has these natural brighteners, it maintains your pores, cleans your pores and I just really feel that that will do a really thorough job of cleansing your impurities from skin."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Krave Beauty Makeup Rewind Transforming Jelly Oil Cleanser

"Krave Beauty's Makeup Rewind is such a consistent part of my routine and daily life that sometimes I forget to talk about it. I love it because it's in between a cleansing balm and a cleansing oil, for when I can't be bothered with either. It's more like a jelly that instantly turns into an oil once you start gently massaging it onto the skin, and it clears away makeup and sunscreen very quickly without having to rub or massage too much. They use grapeseed oil, and sunflower seed oil, which is the oil that really breaks everything down, rich in barrier supporting linoleic acid, which they say helps prevent further irritation to the skin, and vitamin E. I love how easy it is to use and how convenient the packaging is, this jelly cleanser in a squeezy tube. The whole experience of it from start to finish is enjoyable, quick and easy, for when I just want a quick cleanse and go."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Heimish All Clean Balm

"This is a standard cleansing balm in a nice way. It has that kind of plasticky feel to it that rubs down into an oil, you rub that gently on your skin and emulsify it and wash away. It's a really good cleansing balm. I like this [...] size. These ones are nice because you don't have to spend ages trying to break it down. It washes away super easy once emulsifying. Heimish is known for their cleansing balm. Like, you can't not win with this one."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Skin104 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil

"I loved it. It's like not thick at all, but it's also not runny."

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

MIXSOON Bean Cleansing Oil

"Fermented Soybean and Barley ensure that your skin stays moisturized and hydrated, even after putting this on and splashing away with water. Tocopherol is in here as well, which is a great antioxidant. There's Soybean Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil. So you do really get that good kind of oily cleanse. Layers of makeup, layers of sunscreen, applied constantly throughout the day. This cuts right through in this really lightweight, non-suffocating kind of way. You don't need that much. [...] You absolutely do not need much, two pumps is more than enough. If your skin is dehydrated and you're sick of Hyaluronic Acid, you will want to try this one."

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Abib Acne Foam Cleanser Heartleaf Foam

"This is the Abib Acne Foam Cleanser Heartleaf Foam. This has all the amazing kind of soothing, healing, calming ingredients you'd expect from Abib Heartleaf, Centella Asiatica, Panthenol and Glycerin. What I love about this cleanser in particular is it's really, really good for easily sensitized and sensitive and irritated skin. And this really does have breakouts in mind. It has Salicylic Acid in, which when it's in a cleanser and you really take time to massage it in, it's a really nice way to exfoliate skin that's prone to breakouts, is breaking out, congested skin. And it is a foaming cleanser, but it's almost like this creamy foam rather than just like a bubbly foam. And this feels somewhat moisturizing in a way. And that's what I love about this, is if you want a cleanser that is going to help get rid of all that excess sebum, all that oil, all that gunk on your face without stripping your skin, without making it feel like it's super tight. Not many cleansers do that nowadays, but I do find that cleansers that are aimed at acne prone skin tend to overly dry you out, whereas this one doesn't at all."

✓Yay

Notverified

Dermatica Balancing Glycerin Gel Cleanser

"This is an amazing, very gentle, non-stripping cleanser that's very good at removing sunscreen and makeup as well as just being a nice cleanser. [...] As the name suggests, there is Glycerin in here and you could feel that, it's like a thick serum texture that leaves your skin just feeling nicely untouched."

✓Yay

Notverified

Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser

"I primarily use this as a first cleanse, although you can use it as a two-step cleanse as well, but this is really really good at removing your makeup and removing sunscreen so gently without leaving your skin feel stripped and tight and parched. At first it's like a really water down gel cream texture and then you add water to it to emulsify and it turns into like milky cream that's super easy to wash away. The yam root helps moisturize the skin and strengthen your skin barrier but also has some promising anti-aging qualities, potentially encouraging growth of new skin cells having that anti-aging effect. This is a cleanser for all skin types, anyone who maybe feels like your usual cleansers or foaming cleansers are maybe a little bit too stripping for your skin."

✓Yay

92%Guru Score

Papa Recipe Eggplant Clearing Enzyme Powder Cleanser

"Papa Recipe's blemish enzyme powder cleanser has rice powder, walnut shell, and PHA. The exfoliating ingredients are really gentle—PHA is the gentler version of AHA that works slower, meaning it's more gentle, while the rice and walnut shell powder gives you a really gentle scrub all in a pH balanced cleanser. The texture is a powder, not big shells or grains. When you add water and lather it up on your face, you feel those scrubby particles very gently almost vanish as you gently exfoliate your skin. It's like once they've done their job, they disappear and glide over the skin with a very gentle buffing texture, not a rip and scrub into the skin. With daily or every other day use of this product, you get a really nice gentle exfoliation that is effective without the risk of overdoing it without destroying your skin barrier, which will lead to further issues. It also has rice water which helps hydrate and brighten skin, even out skin tone, and make you look fresher alongside soothing allantoin and hydrating glycerin. This is a gentle exfoliating product that for rosacea-prone skin like mine at my age, I don't want to suffer from inflammaging which is irritating your skin to the point where it becomes inflamed and speeds up the aging process, so I'm taking a very gentle approach."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser

"I absolutely loved this cleanser when I first tried it. It's just over 10 pounds but if you hunt around you can get it for under, it's actually around eight pounds. It comes in a huge bottle and it is worth the price. Fulvic acid is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient, so it's good for sensitive skin and all skin types. I found this particularly good for my oily skin during the summer. It's gentle and foams up just a little bit, so don't be put off by the word acid because it's not like an active that's going to exfoliate or anything like that. You can use this daily and it's great at first and second cleanse. It also has licorice root to help even out tone and brighten, and kakadu plum which is rich in vitamin C, so you get a really good all-round benefit with this."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Make Succulent Skin Wash Serum Weight Cleanser

"The Succulent Skin Wash Serum Weight Cleanser is a super lightweight pH balance cleanser that does a really good job at cleansing your skin without leaving it feeling stripped. This actually contains amino acid packed surfactants which I've never heard of before to help maintain a healthy skin barrier. It has sodium hyaluronate, a great hydrating ingredient, niacinamide as well for skin barrier caring, aloe which is soothing and calming, glycerin which is hydrating, and prickly pear extract which I love. I usually just use one pump in the morning and it's more than enough to glide over your skin and then rinse away."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

Sunscreen65 reviews

Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50

"And super goop play. This is a mineral sunscreen"

✓Yay

63%Guru Score

Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Sunscreen SPF 50

"Supreme Screen, which is one of my favorite sunscreens of all time. This was more of an allrounder. Supreme Screen was meant to be used as a daily moisturizer and primer kind of combination whilst also providing sun protection, combining hydration, sun protection and a primer into this really smooth textured cream again with SPF 50 plus. It featured broadspectrum SPF UV filters alongside kakadu plum which is a nice antioxidant and pentitin for antioxidant support and moisture retention. And it was designed to feel light but nourishing. Really aimed at normal to combination skin or drier skin types, too."

✓Yay

92%Guru Score

Ultra Violette Lean Screen Mattifying SPF 50 Zinc Sunscreen

"Despite being marketed as having an SPF rating of 50 plus, Choice revealed that their test returned an SPF rating of just four. This rating was so low that Choice actually sent a sample to another lab in Germany just to double-check the results, and that came back with an SPF rating for Lean Screen of five. So slightly better, I guess, but not the rating they promised. A drop from a rating of 50 plus to just four or five would be bad enough for any sunscreen product. But considering that Ultraviolet's products aren't cheap, it was even more disappointing to consumers."

✕Nay

57%Guru Score

Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminizing Skin Screen SPF 50+

"Queen Screen is a super lightweight serum textured sunscreen that felt more like a really light moisturizer than sun protection while still having a really good SPF rating of 50 plus. This is an oil-free formula that's designed to melt into the skin super quickly. And it does, it really, really does. Providing a subtle glow without any greasiness. It can get a little bit greasy if you're oily, but it's a really nice texture. Formulated with those NextGen UV filters and a blend of vitamins, it's aimed to brighten, hydrate, and smooth the skin. And it was originally pitched as an alternative to like a primer for dry or dull skin."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Ultra Violette Vibrant Screen SPF 50 Sweat-Safe Face and Body Sunscreen

"It's still very very good. It feels very nice. It doesn't sting my skin."

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 SPF 50

"I get why people like it. It's affordable, very easy accessible. You know, it's a dermatologist favorite. And I'm not saying it's a bad sunscreen, but on my skin, it just felt like an oldfashioned throwback sunscreen like when I was a kid, which, you know, would be kind of like nice and nostalgic if it didn't burn my eyes so bad. I've tried it so many times. I wanted to give it a really fair chance, but every time I use it, I end up like squinting. My eyes are burning. I end up having to wash it off. It's irritating. My rosacea flares up. For me, it's just one of those like cult favorites that I just cannot get to work no matter how hard I try."

✕Nay

84%Guru Score

Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF 50 Body Lotion

"I hate the smell of this sunscreen. Horrific. It was horrible. And I was doing a meet and greet and the queue was going past the display and I saw people in the queue who were coming to meet me and Robert picking up the product and smelling it and pulling a face. A lot of people didn't like the smell."

✕Nay

71%Guru Score

IOPE UV Shield Sun Ample

"IOPE's UV Shield Sun Ample is an SPF 50 [...] sunscreen that's part skin treatment, part sunscreen, and it's amazing. It's lightweight and watery and very quickly vanishes on the skin, with no stinging, no peeling and no white cast, and you can keep layering it [...] without a greasy finish. It has their Allantoin complex of allantoin, onion bulb extract and peptides to calm, soothe and repair, plus their Stem 3 Ample [...] for hydration and barrier repair. [...] If your skin hates sunscreens, I think you'll love this one. The only problem, and why I think I made a mistake recommending it, is that you can only get it in store at Olive Young, [...] it's sold out elsewhere, and where it is available they charge almost double or triple, so [...] grab it if you can visit Korea."

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Tirtir Hydro UV Shield Sunscreen SPF 50+

"TirTir's Hydro UV Shield Sunscreen is so good I immediately had to buy another one. It's broad spectrum, full protection and chemical so there's no white cast, and it just feels like a lightweight moisturizer. It has three different weights of hyaluronic acid for nice hydration, plus collagen, aloe vera and panthenol, so you're hydrated, moisturized and soothed with no stickiness or greasiness, and it layers perfectly under makeup. It does have a slight fragrance, which has never been an issue for me. If you want glowy, dewy, well-hydrated, plumped-up skin without irritation or that sunscreen feeling, this one's perfect. I've been reaching for it nonstop over the vast majority of my sunscreen collection."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Day Dew Sunscreen Lightweight SPF 50

"It's a smooth fast absorbing formula and it's essentially their first American version using FDA approved filters. It's impressive to see how quick they came up with this. They say that this is best for people who really, really like dewy, glowy skin, and it's great to wear under makeup. Not water resistant though. I will be buying this because I love Beauty Sunscreens. I have seen a few sponsored posts, but from influencers who I know really take their sponsorship seriously and aren't just going to sell any old thing and it looks great on their skin. They love it, too. Beauty of Joseon makes some really nice products. So, I would give this a go. I really, really would."

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30

"It has a beige tint to it that kind of blends into skin and neutralizes that redness, great for rosacea and acne scarring. I think it's zinc, so if you can't wear a mineral sunscreen without it going white on you, you might want to patch test this before you use it. It doesn't match your skin tone like TikTokers say it does, it just goes like a natural skin color. It's thick, so it's not for everyone, and it's a little bit grippy as well. If I want to use this because it does look nice on the skin, my issue is I use it on my cheeks where I am dry and my forehead as well, so I have to prep my skin very differently. I have to hydrate well, I usually have to do like a sheet mask or toner pads on my cheeks for extra hydration, and make sure I use a slightly thicker moisturizer just on my cheeks. There is a lot of prep, but it's a nice product. If you're oily, I think you'll love this."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation

"There was some good buzz surrounding it. But then people actually started to use it and surprise, surprise on deeper skin tone, on black skin it leaves a white, gray, ashy cast. It was chalky, it was pasty, it was everything you would expect from a mineral sunscreen, how you expect a mineral sunscreen to look on black skin. It's ashy as f*ck. Like it's a mineral sunscreen, not invisible as promoted. Multiple black creators posted reviews about this product, all these creators were showing you exactly how sunscreen looks when you apply the recommended amount, the appropriate amount of sunscreen, the amount of sunscreen you should use in order for your sunscreen to be effective. Not a dab, not a tiny dot like the Tower 28 promo show. A full actual application. And it just did not blend in. It wasn't invisible at all. Which makes you wonder, did they even test it on deeper skin tones and black skin? Or did they do the usual, apply a pea size amount, rub it in, take photos of it and call it a day and say it's for everyone."

✕Nay

64%Guru Score

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++

"The Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++. A cult J beauty favorite. It's a chemical sunscreen that's been reformulated a few times now. The current version whilst doesn't feel any different, just feels better in some way. Photostable chemical UV filters that provide broad-spectrum protection while being lightweight on the skin. What makes this stand out is the texture. It's that watery essence that just disappears into the skin, making it perfect for those who may be a little bit more oily and find reapplication of sunscreen throughout the day a bit of a problem. It contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, royal jelly extract, and citrus extracts for added antioxidant benefits. It's great for humid climates, oily skin types. It does contain a little bit of fragrance, however, which I don't love in my sunscreen, but I'm not really bothered by it to be honest with you. With these alcohol heavy sunscreens, which is very typical of Japanese sunscreens because it helps everything absorb quicker and has this cooling effect on the skin to sit in those humid climates, you need to add a little bit of something in there to take away that smell. If you're very sensitive, you might want to avoid this. I personally am easily sensitized and I'm fine with this one. Been using it for years on and off."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Krave Beauty Beet The Sun SPF 40

"They came out with another version of it, which was good, which I really, really liked. They're back with the original formulation. Only if you are outside of the US, though. And this is, of course, because the US FDA don't approve certain filters. That's not to say that the US version is bad. It's not. I've been using it perfectly happy. But the original formulation was just incredible. Amazing. One of the best sunscreens I've ever used. I feel like I've been using this for like 4 years on and off. It's everything somebody with any skin type would want, right? It's lightweight, but it's hydrating. It's moisturizing. It's chemical, so it doesn't leave a white cast. And it's just perfect. Perfect for daily use under makeup as well. This sunscreen is formulated with beetroot extract which is known for its antioxidant properties that help combat that free radical damage and UV damage too. It also contains hyaluronic acid to keep the skin hydrated and vitamin E to support skin barrier health. What I appreciate is its real non-greasy texture. Absorbs super super quickly. It feels like nothing on the skin. It's fragrance-free and suitable for most skin types. If you're looking for something that's just like a reliable everyday sunscreen that offers protection, this is a really worth considering. The best sunscreen is the one you're going to use consistently. And this is just one that I constantly grab cuz I know I'm going to be fine with it, and have been for years."

✓Yay

58%Guru Score

Undefined Beauty RNR Mineral Sunscreen

"My favorite is the Undefined Beauty RNR Mineral Sunscreen. Three play-around shades and hopefully more coming soon. They've not announced that but I hope there's more coming soon. This is just a perfect sunscreen that you can reapply and reapply. It doesn't peel throughout the day. It looks like natural skin."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Bloom Effects Tulip Dew Sunscreen Serum SPF 50

"My favorite sunscreen has to be the Tulip Dew Sunscreen Serum by Bloom Effects. This is an ultra lightweight hydrating 100% tinted mineral sunscreen. I was gifted this when I went to Texas this year and this was perfect fit in the humid hot weather. It rained as well for a little bit, the weather was crazy, and a product that I expected to just slip off my face with the rest of my oils and sweat from the humidity stayed put on my skin. It kept me looking dewy, not greasy, throughout the whole day. I was just so impressed with how this was on my skin and how this sat on my skin. It's a broad spectrum sunscreen that does leave you with a dewy glow. Being Bloom Effects, they of course have their Dutch tulip complex in here which is rich in antioxidants, natural moisturizing factors, and amino acids for softer, smoother, hydrated, more glowing skin. They have a triple plum blend with kakadu plum and two other plum types that are basically rich in vitamin C, providing antioxidant benefits, and shiitake mushroom extract as well which is rich in antioxidants."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30

"One thing I noticed as well, it's also not as affordable and easily accessible as it used to be. Over the past few years, CeraVe has implemented quite a few price increases across their whole range. In March of 2023, a Target employee actually highlighted a huge price hike, mentioning that certain items have nearly doubled in price. For example, a 3 ounce face moisturizer with SPF 30 increased from $14.99 to $24.49. They're also now owned by a huge conglomerate who can in all reality afford to keep these prices down. So I feel like a lot of people have this idea that they're still basic, affordable skincare at a drugstore price level, when really they kind of aren't."

✕Nay

72%Guru Score

Purito Centella Green Level Unscented Sun SPF 50+

"The sunscreen only offered a really low and disappointing SPF rating of 19, far below what it had claimed to provide, far below 84"

✕Nay

51%Guru Score

Keep Cool Soothe Bamboo Sun Essence SPF 50+

"Keep Cool's Soothe Bamboo Sun Essence SPF 50+ were also bought into question and also failed independent SPF testing, all having SPF results much lower than what they were advertising"

✕Nay

56%Guru Score

Bondi Sands SPF 50 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Lotion

"Bondi Sands is a brand I don't see many people talking about beyond that one viral sunscreen they have, which I actually didn't like very much."

✕Nay

79%Guru Score

Prequel Sun Barrier Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50

"The Sun Barrier Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 plus PA4 plus is from Prequel and is one of my favorite mineral sunscreens as somebody with rosacea, because chemical sunscreens can flare me up sometimes. This is a mineral sunscreen so those with deeper skin tones will not be able to use this. It does have a slight peachy tint to it which I don't think they did to try and counterbalance that at all, but this peachy hue kind of blends into the skin and leaves this more natural, more even kind of finish to the skin. I am slightly tanned and I do struggle with most mineral sunscreen still to be honest with you; it gives me like this gray finish to my skin. So to have this peachy hue that really glows and shines through those mineral filters is perfect for me. It contains bisoprolol and centella asiatica which helps reduce redness as well, which I find sunscreens always give me, and it's not glass skin, but it has ingredients which reduce skin stress and help with UV exposure, and they have a skin care technology called Lamellar phase emotion which is structurally similar to intercellular skin lipids."

✓Yay

57%Guru Score

Purito Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++

"I believe is one of the brands that was affected I feel like they reformulated and course corrected and now there doesn't seem they were really good they were so open with everything they posted their results of everything"

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF30

"Successful examples of this include their relaunch of their Umbra sunscreen with an updated formula, as well as swapping the basic jar of lala cream for an airless pump bottle, all based on what their consumers told them that they wanted."

~Mixed

65%Guru Score

The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF 30

"My least favorite is The Inkey List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF 30, which is a perfect example of what I mean by don't make really objectively a bad product, it just didn't work for me. [...] I was really looking forward to trying it. It's got polyglutamic acid in it which is super hydrating, soothing green tea, rice extract in, all things my skin usually loves. But unfortunately this time around, my rosacea did not enjoy this at all. It hates one of these UV filters. I'm not sure which one. This isn't an Inkey List thing, it's a chemical sunscreen thing for me. But if you want a sunscreen that's not going to dry your skin down, doesn't smell alcohol heavy, doesn't sting your eyes, doesn't sting your skin, and you don't have rosacea, I would give this one a try. It's a really nice sunscreen, it just feels like a nice quenching moisturizer. Unfortunately my rosacea was not having it."

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++

"The ginseng moist sun serum is another amazing sunscreen I've not seen enough people talk about. If you are super oily and you hate layering sunscreen throughout the day and reapplying every two hours because you just feel like other sunscreens get greasy, it sits on your skin, makes you look oily, then you should try this. This is super lightweight. There's an SPF 50+ PA++++ with 30% ginseng root extract which is great antioxidant to help fight free radical damage along with the sun protection, and the arbutin will kind of help even everything out."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

Garnier Vitamin C Daily UV Brightening Fluid Invisible SPF 50+

"Listen I've tried them and they're decent but the way people go on about them on this app it's like there's something revolutionary"

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

Fenty Beauty Skin Hydra Vizor SPF 30 Invisible Sunscreen

"That is actually a really good sunscreen"

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40

"One of their best and I would say most iconic products is their unseen sunscreen, purely because everyone can use it, it works great as a sunscreen, a lot of clear sunscreens can be very greasy and oily looking, this one isn't, in my opinion, and it doesn't sting my eyes."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Undefined Beauty RNR Sun Serum SPF 50

"Probably my favorite sunscreen of all time, this is a fully mineral tinted sunscreen available in three shades, it's got cica mushroom in it which is very hydrating, and niacinamide, it gives you a very natural looking glow, sometimes people ask if I'm wearing makeup but it's not heavy coverage. I've been using this solidly for about 2 years now, absolutely love it, never going to stop using it."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Barrier Protect Mineral Sunscreen

"I hope Paula's Choice Barrier Protect Mineral Sunscreen is going to be a bit of a lifesaver for my rosacea, it's SPF 30 with allantoin and centella asiatica so it should be soothing, calming, healing. After a wear test, [...] I completely forgot I even had this sunscreen on, it's so comfortable on the skin, my eyes aren't stinging whatsoever, [...] my skin feels very comfortable, [...] honestly I think this is going to be one of my new favorite sunscreens. There was a bit of [...] my rosacea flaring up on a really warm day, but [...] not too dissimilar to what sunscreens always do to my skin."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Tatcha Silk Sunscreen SPF 50 Weightless Mineral Sunscreen

"I can apply this throughout the day, regularly, every 2 hours, or however much I need to apply it, without it getting greasy, without pilling up on top of each other. The only thing is, it is zinc. It's slightly tinted. It gets caught up in my facial hair, eyebrows, hairline. If you're any darker than me, this is gonna show up on your skin like crazy. They say it's sheer. It's not. But as a first step in the morning, I'm really, really enjoying this. Do I think you need to run out and purchase it? No, I think there are better mineral sunscreens. Tatcha's overpriced, usually anyway. It is one of the nicer mineral sunscreens. But unless you're white to this kind of tan, it's not going to be good for you. It's not the best to reapply, but it does feel nice as your first sunscreen application in the day."

~Mixed

66%Guru Score

Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++

"This is just the most hydrating, moisturizing sunscreen without being greasy, without being oily. It's perfect to reapply and reapply and reapply throughout the day. And it gives you that same glowy, dewy, natural dew, dewy glow each time you apply it without looking heavier. We have Vitamin C in here, we have ascorbic acid in here. We also have niacinamide and adenosine as well. So you kind of get like all the benefits of a nice daytime moisturizer, which is what this feels like, with the sunscreen protection. And this is a product I bought over and over and over. I can reapply and reapply. Unless you're super, super oily, super greasy, there's no reason you won't like this. This is like a constant multi award winner. It's popular for a reason."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Supergoop Resetting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35

"Lab muffin who actually did an example on a YouTube short to show you how that powder would sit on your face if you were using enough and it's not nice it doesn't look good the makeup would look very cakey is cakey the right word for powder it would look very thick and powdery it's just not enough coverage. I think it's nice to use if you want to maybe reapply your sunscreen then go over the top with the sunscreen powder but you just aren't getting the right coverage. I honestly feel like they're kind of useless in general as a sunscreen product but I'm not against having some kind of sun protection every single product it can it can only do good right well sometimes there's no point at all in this case. You shouldn't rely on this as your main sunscreen or even as a reapplication sunscreen unless you want to look like a powdery mess. It's just never going to be good enough coverage."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50

"Brush on sunscreen like this is never enough coverage. You just cannot get the full coverage you need or the total protection in a brush on sunscreen like this. The amount of powder that you would see on your skin that gives you the required amount of sunscreen you need covering your face, creating that shield that sunscreen needs to make on your face. This isn't going to do it. As a sunscreen alone, no. Even for touch ups, you're really not getting good coverage. A spray would be better than this, or a sunscreen cushion compact would be much better than this. The way they tell you to apply it, it's not enough coverage. They have this technology that is meant to sound like it's going to give you a perfect, full coverage of sunscreen. It's not."

✕Nay

67%Guru Score

Ultra Violette Future Fluid Super Light Mineral Skin Screen SPF 50 Plus

"This leaves you super hydrated, feeling nice and dewy and glowy without stinging the skin, the eyes, or leaving you looking overly greasy in any way."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

e.l.f. Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30

"The elf one I still use, very, very nice. Made my rosacea a little bit red, a little bit rosacery. But to be honest with you, I expect that from chemical filters. It's something that triggers my skin. So I'm at a stage, though, where the sun will trigger my rosacea or sunscreen will, unless it's like a real zinc sunscreen. So it's just a thing for me. I'd rather wear sunscreen if I'm going to flush either way. How it looks on the skin and how it feels on the skin was really, really nice."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Supergoop Glow Screen Sunscreen SPF 40

"I didn't want to waste money on this and I didn't—it was in a Sephora gift bag. I've said before I don't really get along with tinted sunscreens. In real life it's showing up every single bit of texture on my skin. It looks like I've got liquid bronzer on all over my face. The pearlescent finish is clinging to every pore and makes me look dirty and sweaty. It doesn't sting and feels fine, but I don't like it at all. I want to take it off immediately."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

Bondi Sands Daily Moisturizing Face SPF 50+

"It's a really good affordable sunscreen, it really is. However, one of the main reasons I got this was because it said non-greasy. I was like, fine, like everyone loves it, I'm probably gonna love it. It's water resistant, UVA UVB protection, 50 plus, you know, everything that you'd really really like from a sunscreen. But this was so greasy, I don't understand why it was so greasy on me. I posted about this and made a video about it as it was in a video, a lot of people said, yeah, it's incredibly greasy on me too, and that's even in my drier areas. Here it was just slippy and slidy. I definitely wouldn't say it was non-greasy. However, as a chemical sunscreen, it didn't sting my eyes, it didn't sting my skin. If you have very very dry skin, you're probably gonna love this. I'll be honest, we've got aloe vera in here and vitamin E as well for hydration and moisturization. And yeah, other than that, it's a very basic sunscreen. Just didn't work for my oily T-zone in any way whatsoever or even my dry cheeks. It was very greasy for a non-greasy sunscreen."

✕Nay

65%Guru Score

Naked Sundays Cabana Clear Water Gel Serum SPF 50

"I do really really enjoy the Naked Sundays Clear Glow Radiant Sun Serum. It's a bit less like powdery and pasty feeling compared to Unseen by Super Goop. Whilst I wouldn't say this hydrates your skin, the texture feels a bit more hydrating to apply as a clear cream, whereas Unseen by Super Goop feels like melted Vaseline. Then you're left with that really velvety touch and that is kind of the same as this, but I don't feel as matted down and tight on the skin. Having this really clear actually clear sunscreen that leaves me a little bit matte has been good especially with the warmer weather because I can apply this, it matters me like a little bit, not too much to the point where I dislike it, but then it kind of slows down my greasy, sweaty oil production. This has watermelon extract in it, squalane which moisturizes without being too greasy, kakadu plum again for vitamin C helping fight against free radical damage. The whole brand actually is cruelty-free and vegan across all their products and paraben-free."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Garnier Anti-Dark Spots and Anti-Pollution Super UV SPF50 Fluid

"This is a very typical chemical sunscreen with that fluid texture that you would expect. It goes on the skin pretty much transparent. It's definitely a dupe for the La Roche Posay sunscreen, but this leaves you with a bit more of a dewy finish. However, this stung my eyes a bit when I was being active. It didn't break me out or anything like that, but I'm not used to a chemical sunscreen that stung my eyes for a really long time. This does smell like your typical sunscreen, like a day at the beach. But it's 6.99, it's a bit of a bargain. You can do a bit of powder over your eyes when you apply this and it stops that stinging sensation."

~Mixed

79%Guru Score

Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA++

"I'm gonna go into my sunscreen. I am going to be using the Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Daily Sunscreen SPF 50

"The Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Airy Fit Sunscreen is another one I really like, I feel like I can just use it as a daily sunscreen because it feels exactly like a moisturizer."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++

"I absolutely love the new Round Lab one if you are after one that is watery in texture. So lightweight, doesn't sting the eyes, doesn't irritate your skin. This is an amazing one."

✓Yay

90%Guru Score

Purito Wonder Relief Centella Daily Sun Lotion SPF50+ PA++++

"The sunscreen doesn't peel, it doesn't sting, it doesn't feel occlusive. Even when my skin is bad I tend to try and avoid sunscreen because it can irritate my skin further. But I can use this on everything. Breaking out, irritated skin, rosacea. In fact, it feels calming compared to other sunscreens."

✓Yay

Notverified

APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++

"It's an SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreen, the glutathione sunscreen with Centella Asiatica extract. It has a really soft feeling, very similar texture to the moisturizer, very lightweight and cooling. It spreads so easily over the skin, feels just like a normal moisturizer, no white cast, no fragrance. This is a sunscreen you could just use as a moisturizer every single day. There is just so much goodness in this sunscreen, packed full of really beneficial ingredients in a really gentle way. It has a really nice natural dewy finish, nothing extreme, no glazed doughnut look, just a nice natural glow."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++

"This is Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice and Probiotic Sunscreen. This is one of the only skincare products that truly went viral of its own accord last year and the year before because it is so amazing. This is an SPF 50 plus PA4 pluses. This is a chemical formula, but it feels like a light nourishing moisturizer. It's perfect for my oily T-zone, perfect for my dry skin, and it's packed with skin beneficial ingredients. 30% rice extract, which rice has been used in Korean skincare for like centuries. It's rich in amino acids, antioxidants, and minerals that help brighten and hydrate the skin along with barrier repair and improving skin elasticity. Lactobacillus ferment lysate is a probiotic that strengthens the skin's microbiome. This helps with things like inflammation, strengthens your skin barrier and makes it more resilient over time. We also have niacinamide, which is a well-known brightener and anti-inflammatory that helps regulate sebum and improve uneven skin tone. The finish is dewy but it's not greasy, which means you can reapply and reapply every 2 hours throughout the day without it just sitting on top of your skin and you looking greasier and greasier. And it's moisturizing enough to skip your everyday moisturizer if you have oily or combination skin."

✓Yay

92%Guru Score

TOCOBO Bio Watery Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA++++

"It's so watery on the skin. It feels watery, it's sunk into the skin, you can rub your finger along your skin after applying this and it's not going to feel like there's just excess product sat on the skin. It gives you more of a natural glow from within kind of look and it's more of that hydrated feeling rather than that kind of moisturized feeling. We have mung bean extract in here which helps soothe irritated skin, which I do love especially in a chemical sunscreen because my skin can sometimes get a little bit irritated, not from this one at all, but also helps with the hydration. Then the biohyaluronic acid, this is derived from whitewood ear mushroom. To help moisturize but also help maintain those hydration levels. What I love about this one as well is although it does have a natural glow to it, the more you apply it that glow doesn't become more and more. You can reapply every 2 hours as recommended without it piling up on the skin, without it just looking like a ton of product on your skin. Great under makeup, doesn't peel, doesn't sting my eyes, doesn't irritate my rosacea. It's viral for a reason, it's a bestseller for a reason, a constant bestseller on any K beauty website you go on."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

TOCOBO Cotton Soft Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++

"The Cotton Soft Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++ is great for reapplication. What I love about this one is how it absorbs excess sebum. It doesn't mattify your skin, it keeps that glow but takes away any greasiness. So if you are extra oily, this sunscreen is going to make you oily, but of course your natural oils are going to come through, so this is a really nice one to take that shine away while supplying protection. It's got a micronized powder that absorbs sebum and excess oil but applies so thinly. It's like a powder in stick form but it's also sunscreen. Just like the Bio Watery Sun Cream, we have some soothing ingredients in here too: turmeric and Bisabolol along with antioxidants as well to help protect against that free radical damage. Perfect around the ears, around the neck, corners of the nose, crevices. Great for reapplication throughout the day."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF 50+

"It's just a sunscreen, it's got no fragrance in but it smells like sunscreen. It reminds me of a very old-fashioned sunscreen. For me it stung my eyes, for me it irritated my skin. I do have a particular disliking for a particular UV chemical filter but I can't narrow it down just yet, so that could be the case here. But for me there was nothing special about this sunscreen as far as application, drying down, reapplication. It was just a very basic run-of-the-mill sunscreen. I think if you're very very oily you'll be absolutely fine with this sunscreen. If you're very very dry you'll be fine but you probably prefer something like Round Lab sunscreens, like something that's actually moisturizing. But for me this was just like, it's a sunscreen."

✕Nay

78%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF 40

"This is a mess to use. It is so sheer, so so sheer that the only tint I got was actually the whiteness from the zinc oxide side. It wasn't really anything tinted at all. And it peels like crazy. There's no playing around with this. You have to put it on your skin, rub it in as little as possible, and then don't touch it. If you touch it, you're done. It clings to the dryness. I have very dry crevices and it was just clinging to them. I couldn't get it to work. I used primers, I used everything like extra hydration to try and get this to work around the area and it just didn't work. I gave this product way more time than I usually would, way more effort than I usually would for a product to the point where I was like this is getting ridiculous now. I shouldn't be having to put this much effort into getting a product to sit nicely on my skin. It's such a shame because I thought this was going to be my new favorite mineral tinted sunscreen and it's just not at all."

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++

"If you haven't used this Korean sunscreen already and you love K Beauty and you love Korean sunscreens you are missing out"

✓Yay

90%Guru Score

Then I Met You Light Essence Broad Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 50

"It's a perfect sunscreen and moisturizer in one. In the daytime you could even skip your moisturizer and go straight into the essence light sunscreen for all skin types all skin tones and it just makes your skin so glowy. It's my version of the Korean sunscreen, it's not as like the lightweight ones that like drip on your skin but I like hydration. I like for my sunscreen to feel like it's cocoon your skin and it doesn't leave a white cast and it just makes your skin glowy. You do it on, half reapply it's not like greasy, it's not like a greasy glow so if you're out you can replay every 2 hours and you're not going to feel like bogged down. It also layers really well under makeup it doesn't pill. It's my favorite sunscreen."

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Daily Soothing Sunshield SPF50+ PA++++

"For on the go, I like to use the Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Daily Soothing Sunshield. SPF 50+ PA++++. Chemical filters again. That leaves that natural not too matte, not too greasy finish on the skin, and, of course, easy to reapply on the go. That's why I love a sunscreen stick. And the curved shape enables you to get into all the crevices, which I love in a sunscreen stick. Like all Haruharu products, it is, of course, cruelty free. We have their Air fence, which is like a mattifying and cooling ingredient without feeling like minty. It's like a powdery ingredient that helps absorb all that oil, excess sebum, maybe the kind of greasy look that you get from reapplying sunscreen over and over, but it doesn't leave a white cast. Ectoin and Betaine for hydration and moisturization whilst helping the skin barrier. And then Niacinamide and Adenosine for soothed, glowy skin. This is actually an airless pump, so there's very little risk of oxidization. So an amazing combination for at home and on the go."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Stick

"Skin1004 is one of my favorite soothing healing type of products. If you're looking for sunscreens in general that don't irritate your skin, I have rosacea prone skin so I'm always on the lookout for a sunscreen that doesn't do that sticky, stingy kind of thing. The sunstick gives you all the kind of hydration that the regular sunscreen gives you with hyaluronic acid and the centella as well, so you get this hydrating calming soothing combination which I absolutely love. But also this sunstick is sweat proof and you can feel that when you're out. My oily skin feels a lot more controlled. If you're oily skinned like me and you find yourself having to reapply more regularly because you're constantly blotting your oily T-zone, this has such good oil control and sweat proof that you know it lasts the recommended time before reapplication. Really really good one if you don't like constantly reapplying sunscreen because it can build up and get greasy."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Abib Quick Sunstick Protection Bar SPF 50+ PA++++

"The ABIB Quick Sunstick Protection Bar SPF 50+ PA++++ is another great one for reapplication. What I like about this one is it's curved. I know that sounds like it's not a big deal, but it's so much easier to roll across the face, get into the crevices like around your nose, over the nose, around the forehead, along the neck, behind the ears. That tiny adjustment of just curving the product ever so slightly makes such a big difference in terms of how easy it is to use. Not only do we have green tea and centella in here so it's nice and soothing, but you also have ceramides as well to help with your skin barrier, locking in moisture, which you still need to do in the summer. It's really nice. This one can be a little bit oilier than some others, so if you have dry skin this is a good one. If you have oily skin or dry, this is a good one too. I personally just find this easier to carry around and reapply throughout the day."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Abib Airy SunStick Smoothing Bar SPF 50+

"This is the ABIB Airy SunStick Smoothing Bar. This is a broad spectrum SPF 50+, water-resistant up to 80 minutes. This somehow gets that perfect balance between nice natural glowy skin that isn't dewy, but it's also a nice matte finish as well. It's a very silky smooth matte finish. These sunscreen sticks are great for reapplication. So if you do have a sunscreen that you love, but maybe you're finding it a bit greasy as well, you can also just go over the top with this to kind of bring that shine level down and add that soft touch matte finish to your skin. It's curved, which makes it just easy to glide around your skin, get in all those crevices, behind your ear, around your neck, in all the grooves of your face. That simple curve just makes such a difference. This does have a mattifying powder in, which honestly is the nicest thing when you have the oiliest t-zone of all time ever, and you're out and about, because you can quickly just kind of rub around and that mattifying powder takes care of that excess oil."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Purito Deep Sea Pure Watery Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++

"This is the entry hyaluronic acid watery sunscreen SPF 50 plus broad spectrum PA 4 pluses. We all know this one, viral truly viral for a reason, everybody loves this moisturizer sunscreen. It feels like a moisturizer, it feels like a super lightweight moisturizer, very very nice. If you have oily skin in the summer, this is your moisturizer and sunscreen. In the winter months I would team this up with a moisturizer."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++

"This is one of the very first K-beauty sunscreens I use that I was like, wow, this is different. This isn't like my Piz Buin, like Nivea face and body sunscreen like all those years ago. And it's the first sunscreen that I was like, this is just a moisturizer. It feels like just a moisturizer. And I'll be really happy to use this every single day. My skin has changed a little bit since four or five years ago when I first reviewed this. And whilst this isn't heavy heavy, it's actually a lot lighter than I remember it being. I still use this in the drier areas where I'm not so oily because it does have a more kind of standard moisturizing feel. It's not too light and not too heavy. Actually dried down very nicely and kind of left an almost matte, silky smooth feeling. And not in the horrible primer way, but in a nice kind of soft skin way. The key ingredient in here is Aloe. Nice and soothing. Also very, very hydrating. So again, you do get that more moisturizer than sunscreen feeling with this. And the smell of it is very lightly fragranced, but more in that kind of like soft, Aloe kind of scent. I feel like this is going to be a nice Winter sunscreen."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops SPF 50 Sunscreen

"You can't rub this in, you can very gently rub. Then you have to start patting, otherwise it's going to pill. I do get that people kind of find that annoying. When you get a sunscreen, you just want to rub it in and be done with it. A lot of people find that it pilled throughout the day. If they even touch their face, it would pill. I don't use it anymore. I just don't use it anymore. And that's mainly because there are better sunscreens out there. I think a good sunscreen is a sunscreen that you're just going to use without having to think about it too much. And unfortunately, you do have to kind of be considerate of how you use this and also what products you're using in conjunction with it. I still really enjoy it as a sunscreen, but if you don't like faffing about with your products and maybe you do wear makeup, this probably isn't the best."

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF 50+ PA++++

"It's the Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel, an SPF 50+ PA++++, broad spectrum. [...] We all know to find yourself a lightweight, non sticky, non greasy, non irritating, non eye stingy sunscreen like this one, but also one that gives you that kind of hydrating and moisturizing feeling. We have eight types of Hyaluronic Acid in here for real good hydration, Centella Asiatica as well to help soothe the skin, which I love for my easy, sensitized and rosacea prone skin. I apply SPF first thing in the morning, often in place of a moisturizer."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick SPF 50

"We have eight types of Hyaluronic Acid in here for like real good hydration, Centella Asiatica as well to help soothe the skin, which I love for my easy, sensitized and rosacea prone skin. Then these Sun Sticks are perfect for reapplication throughout the day. So always start your day with this, reapply when you can with this. But if you're out and about and you want to reapply your sunscreen super easily, then the Sun Stick is the way to go. So this has Niacinamide and Adenosine in, so it's not only going to protect you from the sun, but also all those other skincare goals that you're trying to achieve. Again, super hydrating. And it has this teardrop shape on the top of it, which is great for getting into all those awkward crevices that we tend to avoid or miss because they're hard to get into. Be generous with this when you're outside. Quite a few passes of this for reapplication, which is why you need one that is super lightweight, non greasy, so the more you reapply it throughout the day, it shouldn't be getting greasier and greasier, which is why I love this one."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

House of Dohwa Rice Brand Sunscreen

"This is so heavily fragranced. It smelt like there was a scented candle following me, put under my nose. Every time I wore this, it made my cheeks very red. It was far too strong. I physically cannot put that on my skin anymore. I got headaches from the smell and I've never, I probably have, but I don't remember the last fragrance product that actually physically made me feel sick. Really disappointed in this one because I really wanted to like it because how it looks on the skin and how it feels on the skin was really, really nice. I just got headaches from the smell."

✕Nay

Notverified

Hello Sunday One That's a Serum SPF 50 PA+++

"It's new and improved and they've even updated the formula and I find it super easy to get a really good amount of sunscreen with one squeeze. What I initially loved about this product is it's super lightweight and non-greasy. The new and improved one feels even lighter. I can use a really lightweight moisturizer if I want to with it and still layer it up without feeling bogged down, oily and greasy. It kind of feels more like a moisturizer than it does a sunscreen, like a super lightweight gel type moisturizer. We have a vitamin C in here, a great antioxidant to help fight free radical damage alongside your sunscreen protection, hyaluronic acid for hydration as well as improving barrier function, glycerin for hydration, panthenol and allantoin for that soothing factor which I love in my sunscreen, especially as someone with rosacea. I need that kind of cool down and calm my skin. Aloe leaf juice powder, which is a new one for me, but that basically just keeps all the good benefits of the aloe without the water content so it's soothing and moisturizing. For me I know I can count on this one no matter what kind of state my skin is in and great for all skin tones and colors. This is one of my go-to holy grail sunscreens."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Hello Sunday One Serum SPF 45

"The One Serum comes as a mini, so having this little mini to actually just pop in your bag or even pop it in your pocket, so tiny, and be able to reapply throughout the day makes this like a super handy little thing to have. It's super easy to reapply without having to check in the mirror if it's like left on your skin or anything. It just sinks perfectly into the skin and you get a nice even spread using the correct amount of sunscreen to cover all areas."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Mary&May Cica Soothing Sun Cream

"They are a vegan brand and this is a mineral sunscreen with a surprising amount of minimal white cast in a non-greasy texture. I often find that mineral sunscreens are drying and powdery, and this doesn't feel like that at all. It's got a really normal, moisturizing moisturizer feel to it. This sunscreen uses seven kinds of centella asiatica, which means it uses every part of the plant to maximize the benefits, including madecassoside which is a great antioxidant that works well with sunscreen. We also have niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, and you can feel that it's hydrating. It's confusing because I was expecting something completely different, but it honestly just feels like a very nice moisturizer. Reapplication is very easy; it doesn't feel bogged down or greasy. While these are one of those brands that market themselves on being non-toxic and EWG-approved, which I don't usually opt for, this is such a nice sunscreen that I'm willing to see past that."

✓Yay

Notverified

Other45 reviews

Frownies Forehead and Between the Eye Wrinkle Patches

"These can temporarily smooth the appearance of lines by hydrating the area and physically flattening the skin, which kind of boosts the hydration in fine lines, making them temporarily look plumper and less obvious. But they're not wrinkle erasing in any way."

~Mixed

62%Guru Score

VT PDRN Reedle Shot Eye Lifter

"I immediately thought this was a gimmick when I first saw it - it has a vibrating metal applicator that delivers 12,000 vibrations per minute which sounds really dramatic. But it actually is really nice. It helps with lymphatic movement and product absorption. It helps the eye cream absorb super fast and sinks down into the skin, and it just feels nice. It doesn't contain hydrolyzed sponge spicules which thank god because I don't want those anywhere near my eyes. It contains peptides, PDRN derivatives, ceramides, tranexamic acid, and niacinamide so you get brightening, barrier support, and hydration. If you struggle with dull under eyes and mild puffiness, this is really enjoyable to use. I use it consistently, not just for content. The only thing that bothers me is I bought it because it's refillable but I cannot find the refills anywhere."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Temporary Eye Tightener

"It's marketed as an instant tightening and smoothing treatment for the under eye area that visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and puffiness within minutes. I'm always skeptical of these kind of products that promise these drastic results in a few minutes. And there were a few reviews complaining that this product was a complete scam, but it works. This does work. It's a temporary dramatic result that disappears once you wash your face. It does seem to make a noticeable difference for most people and people are showing off their transformations all over Tik Tok, Instagram, and everywhere else."

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Dr.Melaxin Calcium Stick

"If you have dry, underhydrated skin, you are going to notice a difference almost straight away with this product. But this is surface level hydration, not wrinkle removal or structural replacement of volume in any way whatsoever. [...] We have adenosine which is going to help with fine lines over time. Trela mushroom extract again hydrating. Hoba seed oil good for hydration. It's a decent moisturizing stick. It's quite nice to use over a moisturizer in those areas where you're drying out a little bit. But that is it. Topical products as we know even ones with special calcium ingredients cannot make structural changes to your skin."

~Mixed

62%Guru Score

Bloom Effects Royal Tulip Nectar

"This is like the poshest version of slugging you're ever going to get. It's like this ointment to serum sort of like nectar that melts the moment it hits the skin. It's thick, cushiony almost like a thick honey at first but once you work this in it becomes so moisturizing, like this soft nectary honey blanket over the skin with a similar texture to Vaseline but kind of like softer and more, not [...] watery but almost like a less rich version of Vaseline. The website says this is for people with dry skin, dehydrated skin, damaged skin, overexfoliated skin, post-procedure sensitivity. I have combination skin. My oily skin loves this. It's absolutely fine with it. But basically, if your skin barrier is suffering in any way whatsoever, this is a good product to pick up to kind of revive everything and make your skin feel normal again. It has a slight fragrance to [...] it, smells a bit like bread. It has sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid, so it's a humectant that's going to give your skin that cushiony feel."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener

"The exfoliation is so gentle and they pair that with calming and barrier supporting ingredients including centella asiatica, hoiana katata which is antibacterial and calming, chamomile flour extract which is soothing and redness reducing. [...] This doesn't sting because it kind of soothes whilst you're doing it. It's very gentle. [...] I love this. It's gratifying because you get those instant results that you want from something like a pore strip without the irritation, but long-term it also really just helps keep everything congestion-free."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Proactiv Solution (Three-Step System)

"The routine consisted of a BPO cleanser, a glycolic toner and a treatment lotion. And it was marketed as a complete skin management routine rather than as one off light products. The products were good at the time and people who tried them generally loved them."

✓Yay

60%Guru Score

Dove Beauty Bar

"It wasn't just another soap. It was a gentler alternative that still cleaned your body and killed bacteria whilst also moisturising your skin at the same time. And although that sounds so basic now, it was actually the first of its kind and it helped position Dove as something closer to a beauty brand than a typical soap brand. They really leaned into that moisturising aspect of the product with all their ads focusing on the fact that their bars contained a quarter moisturising cream. [...] Dove was a modern, scientific and aimed at women specifically as a way of caring for themselves. Fans of the brand also love the strong fragrance that Dove added to their beauty bars."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter

"The Halo Glow Liquid Filter, which is seen as a dupe of Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Recovery and Defense Concentrate

"It's marketed as this revolutionary hydrating serum packed with volcanic water and hyaluronic acid and is very very very nice. If you want a good dose of hydration, you're going to get it from here. When I look at the ingredients, it's quite basic in a nice way, not in a bad way. Water of course, glycerin, butylene glycol, and then some sodium hyaluronate. It's lightweight and hydrating. It literally just feels like water for your skin. And then the claims about the barrier support and antioxidant protection are mostly coming from their mineral water, which doesn't really have the same robust clinical backing as ingredients like peptides or ceramides, for example."

~Mixed

77%Guru Score

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

"It's essentially a mix of like peppermint oil, rosemary, and a ton of fragrances that you don't really want in skin care or a product that you're going to be reapplying throughout the day. It's got some grape extract in there, which is nice, and rose oil, fine. It's a very refreshing spray, if you want to call it that. I find it absolutely horrific. It's minty. It's like spraying a cold mint all over your face, and you get a tingle, which is mostly from peppermint and alcohol. You can feel that evaporation, not from anything really improving your skin or refreshing your skin. And in fact, for sensitive skin, that combination of fragrance and essential oils in here is going to be more irritating than beneficial."

✕Nay

63%Guru Score

Fenty Beauty Skin

"Fenty Skin by Rihanna amazing."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Redken Acidic Bond Repair Concentrate

"Recently genuine competitors have come into the market like k18 and redkin bonding"

✕Nay

59%Guru Score

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Ice Stick

"I had to do like five on my cheek, five on the other cheek, a fair few on my forehead and then I was patting it in. You just didn't get the hydrating payoff that you get with hydrating serums, calming serums, cooling serums. [...] I don't get serum stick form [...] in this case. The payoff wasn't enough for me. The instant cooling was very very nice and that's probably more what I would use this for on a daily basis rather than the ingredient benefits. But [...] I don't know, if you don't like your skin dewy, glowy, feeling hydrated and you just want it calmed, this will be fine. But I feel like if you're going to have these hydrating ingredients in a serum, it should feel like your skin is hydrated. My skin felt like nothing was on it after, which I don't like."

✕Nay

57%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops

"Drunk Elephant received two notices in December 2024 alleging that their D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops with peptides contained DEA but did not have the proper warning labels that should have been provided to consumers. While DEA isn't carcinogenic itself, it's thought to interact with other ingredients, maybe certain preservatives, to create something called nitrosamines which are recognized as potential carcinogens. It's a potential irritant. However, they need to stick to the laws where the law says they can't use it. And I mentioned this previously just a few months ago. In November of 2024, Drunk Elephant voluntarily recalled specific batches of three of their products due to an ingredient mix up during production. I believe they mixed up preservatives with surfactants."

✕Nay

58%Guru Score

r.e.m Beauty R.e.m Beauty

"As a beauty founder, as the founder of r.e.m Beauty, I think it's important to have transparency. [...] I am still four years clean. You see the lines? I love them. I [...] think it's nice to hear a celebrity with a [...] beauty brand say that she doesn't use Botox, but when she does, she'll let us know."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Foreo Luna

"I still use my Foreo to this day. I love their cleansing device. They launched the Foreo Luna in 2014, which has silicone bristles, which provides a gentler, more hygienic facial cleanse. That addressed two of the main issues people have with Clarisonic devices: that the traditional bristles were too abrasive, especially for sensitive skin, and that they would harbor bacteria like toothbrushes do, especially kept in the bathroom. Foreo's decision to use silicone bristles not only made cleansing gentler, but silicone is also nonporous, so it doesn't harbor bacteria like traditional brush heads do. That meant you didn't need to clean it as regularly or replace it. People were saving huge amounts of money because the Foreo Luna was a one time purchase, you never had to buy replacement heads. You charge it once a year, I can't count the amount of times I've lost the charger because I never have to use it."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Neutrogena Wave

"Neutrogena launched their Neutrogena Wave, which was a vibrating cleanser that used disposable cleansing pads instead of brushes aimed at younger consumers."

~Mixed

61%Guru Score

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex

"Whilst I understand why the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum is a cult classic, I feel it gained popularity at a time when you couldn't find anything similar for cheaper with the same sort of ingredients. It may be packed with an amazing cocktail of ingredients, [...] but they're all ingredients you can find [...] in individual products, and when you buy those separately your whole routine will still cost less than this one serum."

~Mixed

65%Guru Score

Numbuzin No.3 Vitamin Nourishing Concentrated Pads

"I'm loving Numbuzin's rebranding and all their products at the moment, they've got really really good ones, a big selection without being too complicated. They have the pantothenic acid B5 soothing range, and I'm already using the cream, the moisturizer and the serum."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

JLo Beauty JLo Beauty

"Nearly every single celebrity Beauty brand that has ever launched post pandemic has been a massive failure miserable failure but there are some of those celebrity Beauty Brands that have flopped harder than others and one of those celebrity Beauty Brands for me has to be JLo Beauty"

✕Nay

53%Guru Score

Romand Bare Water Cushion

"I love this, it's so lightweight, it's got a nice dewy finish. I don't have to wear primers with it or anything like that. I can just apply this after my moisturizer, even if I've really layered up my hydration, even if I've used a heavy moisturizer, this doesn't skid around my skin. It just applies flawlessly, effortlessly. I've got it on now with this dewy, very natural looking glow to it. It's hard to find a lot of Korean cushion foundations that say they have a dewy finish but really do, like they're maybe a little bit shiny but it's not hydrating feeling and watery like this one."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant O-Bloos Rosy Drops

"Under their ownership, drunk Elephant even launched body and hair care lines, as well as venture to makeup with products like cult favourite old blues, rosy Drops, I hate the stupid name."

✕Nay

59%Guru Score

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint

"This is one of the nicest easiest makeup products I've ever used. Something that just sits on my skin so easily without me having to do a lot of work is perfect. I use a flat brush to get a really nice even layer of product on my skin, and then I just lightly paint it on where I want it to go. With a beauty blender, I can pat that in. You can still see a little bit of redness from my rosacea and some natural skin tone, but it is buildable. It looks like there's more coverage once it oxidizes. You can also just use your fingers to apply it."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Tatcha Luminous Skin Softener

"Personally for me the essence isn't great, it's one of the more expensive essences on the market but definitely not one of the best, in theory it sounds nice, it's got all those fermented ingredients alongside camellia and green tea, but it falls a bit flat, it didn't do anything for me, and even worse it's got a weird smell to it, it smells like somebody licked you and then you let their saliva dry on your face."

✕Nay

56%Guru Score

Rare Beauty Find Comfort Body Collection

"I have some good and some bad things about Rare Beauty's Find Comfort Body Collection. The hydrating body lotion has some really nice ingredients and is moisturizing enough without a greasy film, and I love that brands are putting facial actives into body care. The fragrance of jasmine, lemon zest and cashmere wood is lovely and natural smelling, though it does not linger long, and the body and hair mist is the perfect non overpowering amount of scent. The packaging looks nice but the bottles are too hard to squeeze and the hand cream lid is annoyingly long. An unexpected favorite is the aromatherapy pen, a lavender and peppermint gel cream that is soothing without lingering everywhere. I do not hate this range, I am actually really enjoying it."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Escentric Molecules Molecule 01

"Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules smells like your friend who works in media, always clean and busy to the point where you are not sure if they are wearing a fragrance or that is just how their skin smells. I like this as an everyday fresh, clean scent."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Sudocrem Sudocrem

"I started face basting with Sudocrem, applying a generous layer of the zinc oxide cream over a basic evening routine to help heal the skin, reduce inflammation and calm breakouts. I went to bed a greasy mess but woke up surprisingly dry, with my tiny breakouts reduced and my skin calmer. The results were pretty good, however it stinks, so I swapped it out."

~Mixed

62%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops

"When you introduce the Goldi Drops. It's not for kids. That's what you say. Why do you not have some sort of disclaimer in the caption?"

✕Nay

65%Guru Score

Glossier Solution

"We added an amount of all-natural fragrance to solution. This was about their chemical exfoliant. Basically saying it was low enough to not really have any irritating levels on skin."

~Mixed

75%Guru Score

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%

"According to studies available and actual ingredient claims, this is an effective Peptide. It can't paralyze the muscle in the way Botox does. [...] The studies that we currently have on Argireline shows that this Peptide is very, very good at reducing the appearance of fine lines. [...] Whilst this is a great Peptide to decrease the depth of fine lines and wrinkles, this is not an ingredient to use if you're looking for longer term anti-aging effects or structural aging of your skin. [...] This is more on par with plumping, hydrating and moisturizing ingredients. In order to see results, you have to keep using this consistently forever. When you stop, results will stop too. Unlike other Peptides, some studies have shown that Argireline may be able to actually enter deeper into the skin, but it still can't reach deep down into the muscles to paralyze. That's maybe why The Ordinary themselves say it's good for fine lines around the eyes, because the skin around there is so thin. Current literature and current results don't show that this is really Botox in a bottle, but more an advanced Peptide, which is still amazing."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

The Ordinary Aloe 2% + NAG 2% Solution

"Their aloe 2% NAG 2% serum, when I was using it was amazing at keeping my skin hydrated and calm."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Crest Whitening Strips

"I do use and love Crest Whitening Strips. My main thing is I buy them when I am in America. I can physically pick them up from the shelf. I know they're real. I know they're not imported from Wish or AliExpress. I have used them for possibly ten years with no issues whatsoever. Maybe once every two years my teeth stay white. It's never been an issue for me."

~Mixed

80%Guru Score

Face Halo Face Halo

"Face Halo, great for cleansing, removing masks, like wiping everything away, perfect."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Face Glaze

"Their Face Glaze is almost like a highlighter moisturizer minus the makeupy kind of thing. It's lightweight and gives an amazing dewy glaze on the face but also contains ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalene so we have this really nice kind of moisturizing quality to it without being heavy and greasy."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Farsáli Rose Gold Elixir

"Their Rose Gold Elixir is a lightweight oil that I don't like oils. I'm not interested in oils, so I'm just going to skip that one."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

VT PDRN Glow Ample

"It's like an ample toner and what that really means is just a toner that packs all the amazing benefits of an ample. An ample usually means it has more concentrated ingredients all in this feather light mist style serum packed with vegan PDRN ceramides and [panthenol]. You just spray this on your skin and it really leaves your skin looking instantly hydrated and plumped and glowy but you can feel that as well. You get a very nice glow but in a very natural way as well. It's amazing after the Garlic AC Real Shot Spot Cream actually, it can really help calm and replenish the skin whilst helping reinforce your skin barrier. I use this in the morning, I use it in the evening between stages as well. You can use this during the day as like a skin reset when your skin feels a little bit dry and tight. The vegan PDRN is Korean Ginseng extract to help reduce the appearance of fine lines. I love the lightweight serums and the ample sprays that can give you a dose of ceramides without having to use thick heavy products."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Abib Heartleaf Spot Pad Calming Touch

"I really do like when that toner pad serves more of a function on its own rather than like oh this could have just been a toner and I use these particular tone pads year round because as somebody with very easily irritated skin easy sensitized skin and rosacea these are so soothing and calming everything I want for my skin and they've done their own case studies as abib have to show how much these significantly cool down the skin. So this helps with my rosacea flushes if I've got irritated skin this is very calming if I got extra annoying and irritated kind of like itchy breakouts this instantly soothes of course heartleaf been at the core of the ingredient list in this product but then we also have some really nice hydrating ingredients that you'd expect to find in a toner like sodium hyaluronate and glycerin and something called hydroxy ethyl urea which kind of really just helps keep your skin bouncy and hydrated."

✓Yay

Notverified

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Sleeping Pack

"This is really really nice in summer if you're like me and like you want to slug in summer or you want to have a thick overnight mask in summer because your skin does still get dehydrated in summer but you hate the feeling of it like thick and heavy on your skin this is a really really nice one to go for. Or in general if you are just oily and you want some lighter weight that you can wear overnight this is a really really nice one to go for."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Then I Met You Then I Met You

"Charlotte launched Then I Met You, her own premium skincare line, which she founded in 2018. The brand is an extension of her deep appreciation for Korean beauty rituals and her belief in the importance of thoughtful, meaningful skincare routines. Then I Met You is built around the concept of a Korean term that describes deep emotional connection, empathy, and care that develops between people or towards things over time, and is often shown through acts of care and kindness. Charlotte incorporates this philosophy into her brand by encouraging consumers to cultivate a deeper relationship with their skincare routine and be more mindful about self-care. The philosophy is meant to emphasize the importance of going beyond the surface to make deeper connections, and Charlotte hopes it will encourage consumers to approach skincare with intention and mindfulness, treating it as a self-care ritual rather than a chore. Then I Met You has won numerous awards and accolades from beauty editors, influencers, and skincare enthusiasts for their effectiveness and their luxurious feel."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

VT Reedle Shot 100

"Pat it into the skin instead of rubbing because this feels less prickly but we ensure that the seadles penetrate the skin as they need to. Second tip, use this in conjunction with a soothing sheet mask, lay a sheet mask over the top, pat the skin again, gently roll your fingers over the sheet mask like a rolling tool. Again, this will help the seadle penetrate the skin as they need to, but in conjunction with a soothing mask it's going to feel a lot more soothing. I love these products so much."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

VT Reedle Shot 300

"Not only is this a really good skin booster in the sense that it boosts everything throughout the rest of your skincare routine, but as a standalone serum it's surprisingly calming because of the Seeker, despite you getting little micro needles in your skin, and hydrating as well. I love it, I absolutely love it. It's always out of stock though, so if you want it get it, but get like two. I've got like three because I know it's always out of stock."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Skin1004 Zombie Pack

"It's a tightening and lifting mask that dries. You mix it up, it's like a powder. You mix it up, put it over your skin, and it crackles and dries. And with consistent use, is meant to help with fine lines, wrinkles, make pores look tighter, and help lift your skin as well. This contains Niacinamide, Centella Asiatica, Aloe Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Panthenol, Copper Tripeptide, Glycerin. It's got some really nice ingredients in. Two to three times a week you're meant to use it."

~Mixed

65%Guru Score

Skin Food Carrot Carotene Calming Water Pad

"I've gone for the Skin Food Carrot Carotene Calming Water Pad. There are 60 pads in here. And these are really, really popular. Style Koreans told me that 2.3 million have been sold in Korea. And these are just going to be good for, like, helping moisturize the skin. Carrot Seed Oil and Carotene, which is a nice antioxidant. What I love about these ones is you can use them like normal masking, but you can also kind of cut them into different shapes. So one pad can do several parts of your skin. So 60 pads, but that doesn't mean 60 uses. You can double it to 120 if you want to. But yeah, hydrating, soothing, moisturizing."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

COSRX Master Patch Intensive

"The COSRX Master Patch Intensive Pimple Patches are iconic bestsellers. Wherever I have an itching, a burning, a swelling, a dark patch, anything like that, I will put one of these over it to stop me picking at it. The best time to apply these is right after cleansing before you put any toner or anything on your face. They stay stuck on and you can tone and moisturize right over the top. These hydrocolloid patches are known for the ability to suck up all that gunk, all that oils, extra sebum, and just protect whatever's lying underneath. These are actually infused with tea tree, so they help soothe that area of the skin. If you've got breakouts, it's going to help calm that down and most importantly for me, they stop me making the situation worse. If I have a spot that I know I'm going to pick, I pop this over the top and I'm not going to get a dark spot from picking it. Even if I just cut myself shaving or plucking, I put one of these over the top and there's no scars whatsoever because you're allowing that space for your skin to heal. I would just buy a load anyway. I stock up on them all the time."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Toners39 reviews

The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner

"When a brand that built its brand on evidence-based skincare suddenly leans into an ingredient with very little solid research, it raises a few eyebrows. And then there's the Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner. Milky toners are absolutely everywhere right now. It's one of the biggest texture trends in skincare at the moment. Korean brands of course have been doing this for years, but recently they have exploded globally. So, seeing The Ordinary suddenly release their own version right as that trend peaks feels convenient."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

Beekman 1802 Milk Shake Hyaluronic Acid & Squalane Facial Toner Mist

"The main one I have because it comes in such a big bottle is actually the Beekman 1802 Milk Shake Hyaluronic Acid and Squalane Facial Toner Mist. This one's just one of my favorites. It's bifase, meaning it's hydrating and barrier supporting at the same time. You shake it up and you get this blend of goat milk, which is really nourishing and soothing. We have mugwort as well, great for redness, calming irritation. Squalane, that really nice lightweight oil to soften the skin and lock everything in along with hyaluronic acid to keep your skin plump and hydrated. This combination is pretty much ideal when you're literally about to go out in the cold air. It kind of feels like a temporary wrapped layer around my face, keeping my face supple instead of letting the cold dryness essentially pull water out of my skin. You get that really nice hydrated bounce with a very light occlusive layer from the squalane. It's not greasy. It's not heavy. It's more like a breathable shield."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Kylie Skin Vanilla Milk Toner

"The Vanilla Milk Toner was criticized for containing fragrance and drying ingredients that many complained weren't suitable for all skin types. I think the way this was being sold as suitable for all skin types is what really kind of made people look at these products and be like that's not suitable for all skin types."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Purito Wonder Relief Centella Toner Unscented

"My favorite toner has to be the Wonder Relief Centella Toner Unscented by Purito. It's a very gentle fragrance-free version of their other popular toner that hydrates sensitive skin and calms sensitive skin as well. Of course, with centella asiatica known for its healing and soothing properties, calming down irritation, we have panthenol in here as well for skin hydration, improving elasticity, and helping repair skin barrier. [...] It's a really simple toner that does the job that traditional toners are supposed to do: hydrate and calm the skin, setting your skin up for the rest of your routine. There's something about this that's instantly soothing and cooling as well. If you have rosacea, easily irritated skin, that irritation that's like itchy and hot and annoying, this will bring your skin back down to a really calm level while it's really deeply hydrating the skin too. [...] I like the simplicity of this toner, which means I can have as many actives in the rest of my routine as possible because I'm not fighting with the essence toner that I've used. It's just everything a toner should be."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

BYOMA Milky Toner

"Byoma is probably the most popular brand on this app, focused on supporting a healthy skin barrier with effective actives without the irritation. One product I particularly love, that I've talked about to death, is their hydrating Milky Toner. It's hydrating and moisturizing like all those other viral milky toners, but so much more lightweight, refreshing and hydrating feeling. It's also super soothing and contains all their barrier supporting ingredients."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

I'm From Rice Toner

"Number five is a classic, the I'm From Rice Toner. I really had to go back into the archives for this one. I used this years ago, but it is making a bit of a comeback. I used this toner non-stop for about two years and my skin was well balanced, there was no excessive sebum production whatsoever, more even skin tone, really probably just down to me consistently using one product consistently. But also the niacinamide in here, I know a lot of people find niacinamide overwhelming because it's in everything, but my skin loves it. It also has this brightening property to it, and the way it just makes your skin look instantly upon use, it's so nice, it just looks more even, bouncy, and hydrated. There is an ingredient in this one called Pearl Extract which helps with irritated skin, it's anti-inflammatory and it's also an antioxidant. It's a very simple ingredient list in this one, as is with all of the I'm From products, but this really does just leave your skin looking and feeling super smooth, cared for, moisturized, and hydrated. I need to get back on this one, I need to reopen one, get back into using it, once I know I can consistently use it."

✓Yay

95%Guru Score

Equalberry Swimming Pool Daily Facial Toner

"I just like it for hydration and really gentle exfoliation."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner

"I shared this for a soothing toner and I found this actually stung a lot and a lot of people agreed with me and had the same issue. I cannot stand the heartleaf 77% toner, it's a soothing toner that's stung my face like crazy, it's also too watery when I use it, I lose half the product down my arms. For a product for irritated skin it shouldn't irritate my irritated skin."

✕Nay

87%Guru Score

Thayers Milky Hydrating Face Toner with Snow Mushroom and Hyaluronic Acid

"Then they sent me their milky toner, absolutely love this, it's got snow mushroom in alongside hyaluronic acid so again really really nicely hydrating, it will often foam a little bit for me which is annoying, but for the price I don't really care, all in all I've been impressed with this brand so far."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Manyo Factory Panthenol Essence Toner

"I love their Panthenol Essence Toner, it's got a load of soothing, hydrating, and barrier repair ingredients in it. I talk about this to death, this is my second bottle, this is now my go-to line for calming my irritated skin, for helping with redness, healing a damaged skin barrier and strengthening my skin barrier, this in conjunction with the cream is amazing for my skin."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Anua Peach 77% Niacinamide Essence Toner

"I'm very very surprised by the fact that I'm enjoying this Anua Peach 77% Niacinamide Essence Toner. This is my second bottle because I did like their serum but as I mentioned I didn't use it much, it was nice, but the fragrance was just too much. However in this toner and their cream, the scent is still there but it doesn't linger like it does in the serum. So I don't know what they're doing differently there, but this also has alpha arbutin in and vitamin C, so you're really getting like a whole powerhouse of ingredients in this one toner. Again in the toner stage, so kind of allowing me to use whatever treatments I want next, still bearing in mind that you have vitamin C, alpha arbutin, and niacinamide in here."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Pixi Glow Tonic

"When it comes to a chemical exfoliant you cannot really go wrong with Pixi Glow Tonic. It is a little fragranced, so if your skin does not like fragrance, give it a skip and go for something from The Inkey List instead."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

COSRX Hydrium Watery Toner

"I'm going to use the tear tier milky toner despite what it looks like. I've been using this for some time and it just never seems to go down. It's a very nice, more on the moisturizing side of milky toners but still nice and light. It smells a little bit like plastic."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Goop Good Clean Goop 10% Glycolic Acid Toner

"They have a 10% glycolic acid um toner a jelly cleanser and that healthy aging serum I actually quite like like that term not well aging or anti-aging healthy aging is actually quite nice thanks gweni"

~Mixed

68%Guru Score

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Serum Toner

"You feel really good after using this. Like you've done a lot for your skin. I am tempted to try the rest of their products now. I bought this with my own money. I've got backups because I love it so much. Dr Jart+ is a very kind of, either I really like the product or I just don't like it at all. There's no real in-between for me, and for me this is a love of product. I love this one so, so much. This is really just a good all rounder. Like everyone can benefit from this."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner

"We also have copper tripeptides in here, which I didn't know about, which I feel like everyone is kind of taking interest in now as a skin healing anti-aging ingredient. Licorice root extract, which can help even skin tone, add some brightness to it, revive the look of it, and sodium hyaluronate as well to help hydrate. It really is a really nice, simple hydrating toner that if your skin's ever feeling tight and dehydrated, it's just good to splash on your skin. I really, really enjoy this one."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

"I do not use this on my face, but this has become part of my body skincare routine for a good year and a bit now, and I've purchased these over and over. I use this for my armpits. My armpits got quite dark from use of certain deodorants, and when a product has caused that kind of darkening of the skin, I feel like I need to fix that. I've been using this on and off for like a year and a bit now, and my armpits are like one color now but smooth and even. Once or twice a week I'll use this, sometimes with deodorant, sometimes not. This does stop the smell. I won't smell for like a day and a half after using it, and it will keep my armpits fresh no matter what I do. I'll also use this on my dry knees and it's great. It's an exfoliant that doesn't make my skin feel dried out or tacky after, which I find a lot of chemical exfoliating toners do."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Peach Slices Acne Exfoliating Toner with Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment

"The Peach Slices Acne Exfoliating Toner with Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment is perfect. It has two percent BHA in the form of actual salicylic acid. It also has antioxidants like green tea and centella paired with really nice soothing ingredients. It also has allantoin, citric acid, glycolic acid, and some fruit extract as well, so you're getting a really nice formulation with more actives for your money. The only thing is it's like watery, so you do have to apply it on a cotton pad because if you put it in the palm of your hand it will just go everywhere. But as far as results go, it's really good."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-Tight Toner

"I absolutely love still, but this is like the evolution of snail mucin without the snail... it's nice that we have this alternative and especially for those people who really kind of like focus more so on what it is and is put off by the amazing benefits that mucin can have. I feel like this is such a good thing to do have this kind of like cruelty-free alternative. Snail mucin is basically a complex of polysaccharides, amino acids, minerals, humectants, which is why the Glow Recipe product is interesting because it pretty much perfectly recreates that function from all those essential ingredients."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

Numbuzin No.9 NAD+ PDRN Glow Boosting Toner

"A layer of this toner feels like three. It's incredibly thick in a light way. You have to use it to know what I mean. And it feels like it's wrapping your skin in this hydration barrier. It's so so nice. I have emptied this time and time again. I love it. I love it so much."

✓Yay

91%Guru Score

COSRX PDRN B5 Vital Soothing Toner

"The texture is extremely watery and absorbs pretty much instantly giving that fresh glossy look whilst the ingredients in here work to give you that glossy dewy look longterm as well. When you first splash this on the skin, it's quenching. I love that word for toners, but especially in the colder months now, my skin is parched, so the first time I put one layer of this on, it's like an instant quench. And then you can layer this up."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Tirtir Milk Skin Toner Light

"TirTir's Milk Skin Toner Light is perfect for humid weather and great for easily congested, oily skin. It gives a dose of instant hydration while helping to refine pores."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

belif Aqua Bomb Hydrating Toner

"For a regular toner, the belif Aqua Bomb Hydrating Toner. I've been using this for just under 5 years. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, which helps hydrate your skin. Honeysuckle extract to help soothe the skin. Baobab tree seed extract to help with moisture retention. It's very watery, but it just leaves my skin feeling refreshed and plumped. It's everything a daily use toner should be. Hydration, soothing, locks that all in. It doesn't fight with my serums when it comes to active ingredients. It's not trying to be anything other than a hydrating toner, which is in my opinion all a toner has to be nowadays. I don't want to have actives in that might clash with the rest of my routine. And this is perfect for that."

✓Yay

Notverified

Anua Rice 70% Glow Milky Toner

"So first of all, they contact me knowing I didn't like one of their products, and then made me say it in a video. They didn't make me say it, but they were like, you know, you maybe should so that people can tell how much you love the rice one. And I think that's great. I think when a brand knows that not everybody's gonna love every single one of their products, I think it just shows how much the creator genuinely loves the other product, if that makes sense. And to be able to say that and for a brand to be okay with that, I think that's worth giving props to."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Abib Glutathiosome Dark Spot Vita Touch Toner Pads

"The Glutathiosome Dark Spot Vita Touch Toner Pads feel very different, they kind of feel gummy with a little bit of texture to them. I would use them to exfoliate. They feel like a very plush cotton. This targets dark spots and uneven skin tone with vitamin C, glutathiosome, and niacinamide along with allantoin, camelia, and cholesterol as well, so you get all these skin brightening and evening ingredients with that soothing and healing skin barrier caring touch. And LHA as well for very gentle exfoliation. There's a lot of essence serum in here, but the thickness of these pads really does hold on to that and keeps it very close to your skin."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk Toner

"This is what they call a double layered toner so you have your one layer which is the moisture and then one layer which is almost like powder, [...] which makes this sound really drying but it's not. The moisture layer obviously moisturizes, but it's so lightweight, it's lightweight non-greasy, and then the powdery bit helps absorb excess sebum. So the toner has an overall not matte finish but it also won't leave you looking overly dewy, but then you also look moisturized and hydrated. It's this perfect in between if you don't like dewy glowy skin but you still want to look well hydrated and feel it. This is perfect. You have those barrier repairing and loving ingredients like ceramides and nice calming ones like panthenol and centella and something called Coffea japonica root extract which is a medicinal herb to help soothe inflamed skin. It's a very very nice toner. Honestly though I do wish it was a little bit thicker. At first I didn't want to use it because it looks so watery, like almost too watery. I thought it would just like slip down my arms, which it doesn't, but it does need to be just that little bit thicker. But the way it makes my skin look and feel I will continue to just keep using this. This is one of those toners I have backups for."

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner

"Their Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner, it main humectant is of course hyaluronic acids so it provides a really nice hydrating feeling that remains throughout the day and it's kind of like just thicker than water kind of consistency. [...] Rice extract is a really popular ingredient within K Beauty, Haru Haru's version is fermented meaning their fermented black rice extract is two times more effective. It's moisturizing, it's an antioxidant, the black rice leaves your skin feeling plump. This is one of those toners, personally in my opinion, that I love one application for your standard hydration step in your routine, but if you are looking for a dewier glow, say you're going out, you're going to put makeup over the top and you want that glow to shine from within, do a couple of layers with this, a couple after your cleanser and then one more layer before your moisturizer and you're going to get that dewy glow, your skin is going to feel and look super hydrated."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Tirtir Milk Skin Toner

"This is a really moisturizing toner. We know toners to be mainly focusing on hydrating, but if your skin just needs that extra boost of moisture, maybe it's winter and your skin is changing and your moisturizer isn't quite cutting it for you, or you have very oily skin and you want something that's a nice light moisture, this is great for that because you get your hydration and you get your moisture. They say it's got 24-hour moisture retention, and I've not tested it for 24 hours, but my skin feels well moisturized, hydrated, and nourished throughout the day whenever I use this. I believe that."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

TEER Tier Milk Skin Toner

"There's copper tripeptides, there's ceramides, there is so much in here that you can use this as your toner, essence, serum stage on a daily basis. [...] This is my second one, I am flying through these. [...] I love this so much. [...] The glow that it leaves on your skin is incredible. If you need that extra kind of wrap of moisture and nourishment to your skin, this is incredible. It also really helps with the texture of your skin in general. [...] We have soybean ferment extract which is supposedly very good at balancing that oil moisture level [...] and help strengthen the skin barrier. We have pear juice which is an antioxidant and pomegranate extract again which is an antioxidant."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner

"This is a super hydrating toner that you could also use on a cotton pad to gently remove dead skin without it being overly exfoliating. It has dead sea water in here to help maintain the hydration of your skin, then panthenol and allantoin, which helps soothe. This is a nice one to put on [...] cotton pads and leave on your skin. If you get hot rosacea like I do, having it flare up, you can soak it in and leave it on and you get this instant soothing feeling. It's very watery so I prefer to use it on a cotton pad. One of my favorite toners, and a multi-award winner. It's also really good on dry legs if you get dry legs [...] in the winter."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner

"The fermented rice water helps give your skin a more luminous complexion, and fermented rice water is especially a staple in K-beauty for helping to soothe the skin as well. Fermentation allows the ingredients to be better absorbed into the skin. Fermented ingredients [...] in an essence are a must-have for me. This is such a nice watery toner. [...] It almost looks like a little bit of a watery jelly in the packaging, but the moment you pump it out into your hand, it [...] turns into a more liquidy toner. When you put it on your skin, it almost just feels like water on the skin, and it just sinks in. You feel like your skin's just had a little drink of something. This does have a slight smell to it, but it's very refreshing, citrusy sweet without being lemony and bleachy. [...] It's a multitasker. You can use it in the toner essence stage, and this works as the toner, essence, and serum all in one. I used it as [...] the only step between a cleanser and a moisturizer for a week and that's all I needed."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Abib Heartleaf Calming Toner

"This is the Abib Heartleaf Calming Toner with Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol. This is a very nice, super hydrating, calming, recovering toner. I use it by soaking cotton pads in it and putting them on areas where I'm finding myself super dehydrated, where I have a little bit more texture than usual, or where I'm very, very red. I sit in front of a fan and instantly feel the toner getting cold, and my whole face cools down almost instantly. I was worried it would dehydrate my skin, but about ten minutes later when I took off the cotton pads, my skin felt really dewy and hydrated. I patted in that excess toner and my skin felt plump and dewy and like it had a life in it again. I've been doing this every single day now, especially in our heat wave and after exercise, and it really does help bring down that redness."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

e.l.f. Pure Skin Toner

"This is for me a really hydrating, nourishing, calming, soothing toner. It has oat milk, aloe juice, and niacinamide. Aloe juice is one of my favorite ingredients for soothing and hydrating the skin. Oat milk is nourishing, soothing, and very calming for my skin. Niacinamide evens out skin tone, balances sebum production, and has skin soothing properties. It also has hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramides to help your skin barrier heal and recover. I've gone through one of these and I'm halfway through this one now because it's something I layer up morning and night. My one gripe is that it's a bit too liquidy and watery. If it was just slightly thicker, I feel like I would use a lot less of it and one bottle would last me much longer. But for £9 for 150 ml, I really don't think that's a bad price."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner

"This is a really really nice simple toner with great antioxidant and healing properties. We have green tea, Centella asiatica, willow bark extract which I love for soothing my skin, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, and beta glucan to help hydrate and moisturize. It's very very lightweight and like an instant soothing drink for your irritated skin. It's very very nice."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Isntree Onion New Pair Essence Toner

"This essence toner helps to treat blemishes, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, dark spots and also helps soothe irritated skin. The main ingredient here is red onion, and red onion in particular contains something called flavonoids, which are essentially quite a potent antioxidant, as well as quercetin, another potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties protecting against free radical damage thus protecting against dark spots. This is an incredibly soothing, calming toner, helping to moisturize the skin, but we also have tranexamic acid and a vitamin C derivative. Tranexamic acid helps with uneven skin tone and dull skin, it helps brighten your skin, and the vitamin C derivative really gives your skin that brighter look. I love this when I used it, it's more on the watery side for a toner, so it was definitely like a summer one for me."

✓Yay

Notverified

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

"I use low percentages more often with great results, and this is a very low percentage double chemical exfoliant that's really gentle and can be used as a daily exfoliant. It has betaine salicylate, which is a moisturizing version of BHA, and glycolic acid as well. It's very gentle and works on texture and tone without over-exfoliating."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner

"This is a really decent exfoliating toner, one of the more gentle that I've used. The main exponents are the BHA which is salicylic acid, the PHA which is lactobionic acid, and the AHA which is papaya fruit extract, so it's really gentle. I prefer the lactobionic acid, the PHA, especially as I have rosacea because sometimes AHAs can wreak a little bit of havoc on my sensitive skin. This does have tea tree in which I love for my breakout-prone skin. We also have niacinamide which has acne-fighting benefits and skin-repairing benefits. There is some peppermint oil in here which I don't love, but my sensitive skin has never had an issue with this product. As far as gently exfoliating, evening out skin tone, reducing the appearance of enlarged pores, blackheads, and sebum production, this is a really really nice toner. I used to hate this and I don't know why, but I'm enjoying it now. If you're starting out with exfoliants or you just want a more gentle yet effective exfoliant, this is a really really good one to go for."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

AXIS-Y Biome Comforting Infused Toner

"The Biome Comforting Infused Toner is a perfect example of a toner that doesn't just hydrate but provides moisturizing ingredients too. It's got their biome blend meaning it's going to strengthen the skin barrier, beet derived prebiotics to help restore moisture to the skin, sodium hyaluronate which is really hydrating, butylene glycol, glycerin, and the saccharomyces fermented filtrate giving us amino acids which are key for our skin, minerals and vitamins that help soothe, moisturize and even brighten and even out the skin tone. Ceramides have also snuck their way into this which is like the key building blocks of our skin barrier. For me a toner is a great way to soothe down irritation and redness with ingredients like cintella asiatica that will soothe your skin whilst calming any inflammation and mugwort extract which is really really good at wound healing, calming and healing any actual inflammation and irritation. You should shake this toner up before using it because it creates these nourishing bubbles that kind of help deliver everything into your skin. I love it, it's just so lightweight again like what I feel a good classic toner should be."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Papa Recipe Noble Rot Toner Essence

"The Noble Rot Lifting Essence is a perfect example of what a hydrating essence should look like and what it should do. It's a deeply hydrating and soothing essence that you can feel the moment it touches your skin, not only getting into your skin but soothing and smoothing the surface of your skin, providing instant hydration that you can feel throughout your skin. It's formulated with lower molecular weight hyaluronic acid to deliver that hydration into your skin. It also has seaweed extract which makes your skin look and feel super smooth and moisturized, adenosine for barrier repair and healing, and it's soothing. This is a great essence for sensitive skin types, oily skin types—anyone can actually use this. When you apply two layers or even three layers, it makes your skin look and feel great, and more importantly, it helps support barrier function. Both this and the other product are so great for all skin types, especially sensitive skin types, and they give you that glow, that dewy glow, while actually hydrating the skin without being heavy and greasy."

✓Yay

Notverified

Masks & Peels33 reviews

Experiment Avant Garde Reusable Sheet Mask

"My favorite reusable sheet mask is from Experiment."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

"Their AHA 30% BHA 2% peeling solution is also another popular product for the brand. And it's also one that many people complain is far too strong. Like people at home just don't need this. Of course, every skin is different and not everybody needs something as strong as a lot of what The Ordinary products are. But a lot of skincare enthusiasts were still made to feel like these products were suitable for them."

✕Nay

58%Guru Score

Dr. Melaxin Peel Shot

"This product is perfectly fine as an exfoliant. It has mild chemical exfoliants in it like PHA and BHA. And those little balls act as a gentle physical exfoliant, but it cannot draw anything out of your pores. No topical product can. I originally wanted to give Dr. Melaxin the benefit of the doubt here. [...] But given the fact that so many of these videos say pretty much the exact same thing about this product, making the exact same claims, it seems likely that it's all part of the script given to creators by the brand. [...] The brand's own promotional material shows one of those cellulose balls and says real skin or something like that when it's not. And this is all over Amazon, all over TikTok shop and what I presume is their official website."

~Mixed

54%Guru Score

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

"That Laneige one is super lightweight."

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

SKKN Exfoliator

"They also launched an exfoliator which was $55, a double mechanical and again enzymatic exfoliator that helps promote skin resurfacing. This was horrible. This felt like shards of finely milled glass poking into your face. It wasn't gentle at all. It hurt while using it. It made my skin red and stingy when I applied products after it."

✕Nay

49%Guru Score

Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Capsule Serum Sheet Mask

"I love the Anua PDRN hyaluronic capsule um serum. So I just wanted the sheet mask in them too again for when I'm feeling extra dehydrated."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask

"It involved them partnering with Charity Water a nonprofit which helps bring safe drinking water to impoverished communities"

✓Yay

68%Guru Score

Kylie Skin Walnut Face Scrub

"It was marketed as a gentle exfoliator but skincare experts and dermatologists were pretty alarmed to see that this type of physical exfoliant was included in the product lineup. Dermatologists were warning about how a physical scrub like this could cause micro tears in the skin, irritation, inflammation, and long-term possible damage. Some skincare experts even called it a disaster in a bottle. The real issue with physical scrubs is you don't use them every day. You do not use them every day. For Kylie to say that you can use this every single day, it's just plain wrong. It will destroy your skin."

✕Nay

56%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

"The Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant was one of the industry's first leave-on exfoliants and it was seen as a game changer all over the world. With salicylic acid being known for its effectiveness at reducing blackheads, decongesting pores, and smoothing skin texture, so many beauty fans swearing by this product, it's no wonder that this became a global bestseller for the brand. This is without a doubt still the brand's most iconic product, probably the most popular and most viral, and the formula has barely changed since it was created nearly 25 years ago."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

Sungboon Editor Deep Collagen Power Boosting Mask

"Sungboon Editor's collagen masks, the other versions, I absolutely love."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Gel Mask

"Medicube do amazing collagen mask versions, their turmeric kojic acid brightening one is a favorite of mine."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Lindsay Modeling Mask

"I know the Lindsay modeling masks are the more popular ones, but I just don't like modeling masks in general. They take a lot of time, they stick to my facial hair and eyebrows even when I try to avoid them, and I never get the benefits they're offering. [...] If anything it's a nice occlusive layer to trap in moisture, [...] but I find it a waste of time to be perfectly honest with you."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial

"They capitalized on this growth, introducing several new products to their line, including the very popular C firma Day serum and TLC Sakuri Baby facial."

~Mixed

72%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel

"The Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel gives me like really nostalgic feelings. I feel like peeling gels are overlooked nowadays. If you have easily sensitized skin or mild rosacea like myself, peeling gels are a great way to exfoliate without overly hassling your skin. Still to be used once or twice a week. However, this peeling gel contains 8% cellulose which boils up as you rub it on your skin and it's that cellulose that gently exfoliates away all those dead skin cells. It does take care of your dead skin. 19% Apple fruit extract which is something I only really ever see in K Beauty but this is nice and moisturizing."

✓Yay

63%Guru Score

Skin Rocks Exfoliant

"I'm currently using the very few last drops of my Skin Rocks Exfoliant, which are amazing if you have easy sensitized skin and rosacea. They feel so gentle, they don't feel like exfoliant at all."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Tatcha Rice Polish

"They are actually very very beneficial not just in skin care but also in diet. This was inspired by what was a Japanese traditional diet, being rice, seaweed and green tea being the staples at a dinner table in Japan in the geisha times. Using this new complex they kind of expanded their range over the next few years introducing really their core skincare line which we all know today and kind of love. The most iconic products within Tatcha including their rice enzyme powder."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

"St. Ives apricot scrub is safe to use as long as you don't scrub like we used to in the '90s, gently and in moderation like any other exfoliant. Listen, it's not my favorite exfoliant, I think it's drying as hell, but if it works for you keep using it."

~Mixed

39%Guru Score

Laneige Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask

"Another product that I really don't like is [...] their bouncy and firm sleeping mask, [...] it's just not what you expect, what you want from a sleeping mask, for a sleeping mask I want something thicker that's going to lock in all that hydration overnight. [...] This does feel like a very nice lightweight gel moisturizer, [...] it's going to make a nice daytime moisturizer, but not a sleeping mask."

✕Nay

73%Guru Score

Caudalie Instant Detox Mask

"There is good and bad news about this viral clay mask. It does not detox your skin, that is an unregulated term and you cannot detox through your skin, but it does pull out excess oil and gunk thanks to bentonite and kaolin clay, though that is not unique to this product or price point. It is not suitable for all skin types, especially rosacea, sensitized or acne prone skin, because it is packed with essential oils, in particular bergamot, which is a known irritant. That said, it is a nicely formulated clay mask that dries down really nicely without over drying, and the grape is a nice antioxidant touch. For the price point I think it is decent, but you are paying for luxury fluff and there are better clay masks out there that do the same job without the potentially irritating ingredients."

~Mixed

65%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment

"This is a resurfacing treatment that gently exfoliates, hydrates, and brightens with 2.5% BHA... PH balance, AHA complex for dramatically smoother, brighter, firmer looking skin. And we have all the key ingredients that their Watermelon line have in here, Hyaluronic Acid, Watermelon enzymes, to soothe, smooth, hydrate, Niacinamide, and an AHA complex. I really, really like this night treatment, it's nice and gentle. I avoid AHAs as much as I can on my rosacea because I've noticed it's a bit of a trigger for me, but this doesn't bother it at all. I think moisturizers with AHA in work better for me because it's at that final stage, it's not direct contact with the skin, it's got a bit of serums it has to buffer through, and I feel like that works really, really well for me. This just feels like a night version of the Watermelon Daytime Moisturizer. I don't wake up dry from these, I wake up still pleasantly like, oh, my skin doesn't feel dry and I haven't lost all hydration and moisture throughout the night, but going into winter my skin craves something thicker. This is really, really nice, but I don't think you're missing out if you don't buy this, to be honest with you, because I do prefer some of their other exfoliating products."

✓Yay

66%Guru Score

Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask

"Whilst the mentholy cold thing might be a bit more of a gimmick, it may be down more to the actual ingredients within the mask that help with the lifting, the firming, whatever it is that they're claiming affects. Menthol, whilst it can be irritating in some ways, I believe the way it's formulated into this particular product is more just a cooling sensation and even anti-inflammatory. This is a nice luxury to have. I wouldn't say I will keep buying it to cool down my skin, seeing as I do know my moisturizers do just as good a job. Even like a cold mask in the fridge, even just a sheet mask straight out the pack also cools down my skin. This gives you that kind of placebo effect, because you feel it as well. You're like, oh my God, it's tingling, it's cooling, it must be working. And maybe over a period of time, this can have some really nice lifting and firming effects on your skin. I'm going to keep using it because it was expensive. It was like 50 quid. So maybe in a month's time or so I might have some updates for you. But I don't really enjoy the feeling of stingy menthol on my skin."

~Mixed

66%Guru Score

Abib Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask Barrier Jelly

"I am one for jellies, I love a good jelly. If a product is named Jelly I'm going to buy it because usually I link that to soft, light, quenching, hydrating and good for both my dry and oilier skin. The texture is the most important thing about this. It's like slugging meets a gel cream, it's like a really nice unique texture that would be great for people with oily skin. Your skin feels protected, it feels like you've got a nice layer on it without any stickiness, without any greasy feeling. It's just heavy enough to protect your skin from moisture loss but light enough to not feel sticky and intrusive and suffocating. It's a very unique texture but it's so so nice. Whenever I use thick masks I will wash my face the next day but to me that's just a sign that my overnight mask did a good job. Really unique, a really nice unique product. I feel like ABIB haven't been getting the attention that a lot of their products deserve and this could potentially be their big viral product."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Bubble Overnight Hydrating Sleep Mask

"I've not been overly interested in Bubble, but this night mask is incredible. I'm using it during the day because it's just a little bit dry, my skin's a bit dry and it's cold out there. It leaves my skin very plump and dewy overnight."

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

I'm From Honey Jelly Mask

"Their honey mask is a product that I'm going to love like forever."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Versed Doctor's Visit Instant Resurfacing Mask

"This is a once a week two minute exfoliating mask with lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and pineapple and papaya enzymes. When I used it, it was instantly cooling, two minutes felt super quick, it didn't feel like an effort to use or put on, and there was no tingling or burning at all. It rinsed away super easy and my skin looked refreshed. I don't love the texture though, it's fun and jelly-like but I felt like I was going to drop a lot of it, it was a bit too jelly-ish. Once it was on the skin it felt lovely and cool and I did really enjoy using this. I really like this product and I think for 14.99 you're going to get so many uses out of it. A tiny bit goes such a long way, you can just rub it very thinly over your skin, use it once a week and this is going to last you forever. This is for me a product that I really really like."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask

"Is it gimmicky? Yes. It launched when every other skincare brand was launching a peel-off mask. [...] Niacinamide, ceramides, we have hyaluronic acid, glycerin in here, and PDRN. So, you're going to get that plumpness. If you are struggling with dehydrated skin, a layer of this at night after your full skincare routine is going to lock everything in. And this was the only peel-off mask I could actually sleep in."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask

"I love collagen masks that you leave on your skin, but the Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask is one I avoid. There's something in these, in all the versions from this brand, that triggers my rosacea and sensitizes my skin, and I don't seem to have that issue with any other brand. [...] I've had issues with lower molecular weight collagen before, and that's [...] the only connection I can make, though I'm not sure why since I use it in other things fine. It's an interesting product, I just avoid it for my sensitive skin."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid 4%

"For me, the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid 4% is a great alternative for those wanting to take a gentler yet still super, super effective approach."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Pore Minimizing Quick Clay Stick Mask

"The Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Pore Minimizing Quick Clay Stick Mask is essentially a quick clay mask stick as the name suggests, making it quick and easy and mess-free to mask. So of course in here we have kaolin clay which is going to help absorb excess oils leading to the appearance of smaller looking pores without over drying. Centella asiatica to help calm irritation, soothe and heal the skin. We have green tea extract in here which is rich in antioxidants. This is really great for those who are looking to reduce shine, minimize the appearance of enlarged pores, control that excess sebum. I don't clay mask a lot, I'll be honest with you, but when I do, just the T-Zone, I want to minimize those pores, get rid of excess sebum. It's usually again pre-event, pre family occasions, that kind of thing."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA and AHA Salicylic Serum

"If you're looking for more even toned skin, I actually think the Glow Recipe strawberry exfoliating serum is just amazing."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask

"This is the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. If you haven't used this before, imagine your favorite clay mask but without the horrible drying down, the tightness, and the way it leaves your skin void of all moisture. There's something here called rice Lees extract which is brightening and helps boost elasticity. It's a fermented ingredient as well, so you get all that kind of better aging benefits. Rice whole powder makes this a really nice gentle exfoliation once it's time to rinse off. You apply a little bit of water and give a very gentle scrub and then rinse away. Honey is nicely soothing and moisturizing. Then you do have kaolin clay in here, so you do get the benefits of absorbing that excess oil and sebum but without stripping your skin of all its natural oils. It easily rinses away as well. You're not left with all these little bits on your face and you're not left rubbing your face with a washcloth trying to get the excess clay off. It's just a nice gentle, more modern version of a clay mask. If you have oily skin or even if you don't have oily skin and you just want an extra dose of moisturization, this is an amazing one to go for."

✓Yay

97%Guru Score

Zit Sticker Press Refresh Sheet Mask

"Zit Sticker, do you remember Zit Sticker? I used to do a lot of sponsorships with them. Their Press Refresh masks are so, so nice. For breakout-prone skin, it's a really cooling hydrogel mask that has salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and allantoin to help hydrate the skin. They say replenish and soothe while obviously you're getting exfoliation alongside it. This is one of those masks that when I used once a week, for example, so like you get five in a pack, I used it for like five weeks, you do start to see a really good difference. Dare I say there is an immediate, immediate difference, I think because of the cooling sensation your pores kind of look like probably because of the peppermint. I shouldn't like peppermint but it did feel, you know, fresh but not in that horrible stingy way. If you do have very, very easily sensitive skin or impaired skin barrier, obviously don't use this, don't use any exfoliants. But I think leaving a mask on your face for about 20 minutes, I think they recommend this, might not be the best for some people. My skin, my rosacea is absolutely fine with this."

✓Yay

90%Guru Score

Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid

"This is a salicylic acid exfoliating product, and it's really really nice. It's again non-intrusive on the skin, it feels like a lightweight toner with no redness, no irritation, no stinging. They use upcycled chestnut shell, so this is the waste from the chestnut industry that they take and extract for this product. Salicylic acid removes dead skin cells, unclogs pores, helps with clogged pores and blackheads, smoothing out skin texture. Chestnut shells contain tannins which can calm the skin, help the appearance of tighter pores as well as controlling sebum, reducing redness and inflammation with some antioxidants too. We have three different types of hyaluronic acids so you don't use this and feel dry and stripped like an old-fashioned astringent toner. I think this will be perfect if you have oily skin, you have an oily T-zone, you're finding that you got a lot of blackheads on your nose and large looking pores on your forehead. I think you're going to love this, I think it would be great for you. One of my favorites."

✓Yay

88%Guru Score

Mists & Essences32 reviews

Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule

"It has to be Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule. If you follow me on TikTok, you know how much I have used and repurchased this product this year. Green tomato is rich in antioxidants and tannins that help support firmness, but [...] it's more the other ingredients in here that hydrate and collagen for plumper looking skin. We have PHA in here, a very gentle exfoliant that you can use daily with this serum with no irritation whatsoever, just a nice more even looking texture to the skin. We have niacinamide in here for oil regulation and a bit of brightness too. Then they have something called anti-sebum which [...] helps balance sebum production. So if you're very oily this is a great one. But if you're dry or dehydrated it's not going to dry you out in any way whatsoever. [...] As somebody with combination skin, this was so nice during summer when my skin felt kind of thick with excess sebum, congested, a little bit more textured than usual. This just kind of fixed all that."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Wellage Real Hyaluronic Blue Ampoule 100

"Again, this is another really super hydrating serum but with a very different approach."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist

"The iconic Cheirosa 62 fragrance helped make the Bum Bum Cream so popular. I think everybody loves that. And if they don't love it, they can understand why it's so popular. That blend of pistachio, salted caramel, caramel, and vanilla became instantly recognizable to fans of the brand who couldn't get enough of it. When the brand launched their Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist, it gave consumers the scent they loved so much without having to moisturize first to get it."

~Mixed

73%Guru Score

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater

"Who is still using Mario Badescu facial sprays [...] in 2025? I feel like people buy it purely because the packaging is niche. [...] It has one nice ingredient, aloe, but other than that it's just colored, flavored water. It's like a childhood potion of water, [...] food coloring and perfume that they decided to call a toner."

✕Nay

58%Guru Score

Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray

"Tower 28's hypochlorous acid spray is an amazing product and ingredient in general for breakouts, rosacea, irritated itchy skin, to oversimplify it, it's like an anti-bac for your face. These versions have gone viral but [...] if you're in the UK you can't actually get Tower 28's products."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Rhode Glazing Milk Ceramide Facial Essence

"This is a milky toner that I absolutely wanted to love, however it is more on the thicker side of milky toners, so as somebody with a very oily T-zone I just found this maybe a bit too on the moisturizing side, and it also broke me out a fair bit, but compared to other milky toners it hasn't got that much more going for it, [...] though objectively I think it's nice and I see why people enjoyed this."

~Mixed

77%Guru Score

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

"SK-II were supposedly the founders of galactomyces ferment filtrate and they bottled it for £100, it's a bit steep but this product is very nice, like very very nice, if you can afford it get this one, it's great."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Prequel Universal Skin Solution Dermal Spray for Face and Body

"Prequel's hypochlorous acid spray is an amazing product and ingredient in general for breakouts, rosacea, irritated itchy skin, it's like an anti-bac for your face. [...] I've been using this alongside prequel, and compared to the cheaper dupe, prequel gives you a really nice mist rather than it all ending up in your face."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence

"Their best and severely underappreciated product is their galactomyces 95 essence, this has all the fermented power of SK-II's essence but for around £15, with niacinamide it's super effective, skin brightening, soothing, healing, plumping, helps target fine lines and wrinkles, and it's perfect for prepping your skin for the rest of your routine. Out of the whole lineup this is probably my favorite skincare product that I repurchase over and over and over."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Then I Met You Giving Essence Brightening & Hydrating Treatment

"For £44 you can get the giving essence from Then I Met You, all the benefits of galactomyces ferment filtrate, but this one kind of makes my skin feel a lot more hydrated than the SK-II, probably because of the added polyglutamic acid and the red algae."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence 5X

"A classic has to be the Missha Time Revolution Essence. This has niacinamide in yeast ferment extract, butyline glycol, and adenosine, so you have all those traditional essence ingredients that are going to make your skin look tighter, plumper, more even, brighter all in this stage. And there's something about essences and toners and well-hydrated skin that just makes your skin look tighter, firmer and prevents me from leaning into the heavy percentages of actives when it's in such a lightweight hydrating stage."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Numbuzin NAD+ PDRN Essence

"My issue with this is the smell. As I mentioned, it's got an amazing ingredient list. But we have these two fragrant ingredients in here that overpower the smell. It just hangs around. It lingers. It smells like Niels Yard, you know, kind of thing. I feel like the smell doesn't match the brand."

✕Nay

61%Guru Score

Numbuzin No.3 Super Glowing Essence

"This was so hydrating. It was so brightening. It was so soothing in some ways as well. But I'll be honest, I dreaded using this. Absolutely dreaded it, because that smell just lingers. If I use it in the evening, I would get a headache. Like, it's such a strong smell. It's unfortunate. The added fragrance, which is geraniol and citronel, I don't enjoy. I don't like. My skin doesn't like it. I don't enjoy the smell. Yeah, it's very old fashioned. Unfortunately for this, the smell kind of lingers. If you don't mind fragrance, if you don't mind that very old fashioned, almost floral aromatherapy kind of oil smell, you could probably really enjoy this if your skin doesn't mind it. But for me, I just cannot get over the smell."

✕Nay

55%Guru Score

Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate the Mist

"Hydrate the Mist is one of my favorite products of all time. It fits so perfectly into every routine. Jordan Samuel Skin is a brand that I use constantly and consistently. As I enter my mid-30s, this is one of the eye creams I've been using consistently for a couple of years now. What I love about it is it's a performance eye gel, not a cream that you have to stand there doing with your delicate finger for ages. I love a gel moisturizer because it matches that dewy glass skin that I prefer in the rest of my skin. This in particular has green tea extract, which is a great antioxidant. It also has caffeine, which is a very good ingredient for under the eye because it helps circulation under the eye and can work on that thinner delicate skin. And another ingredient is glycerin, which we know is hydrating."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Hydro Essence

"Aestura focuses on your skin barrier, the Ato-Barrier range in particular, restoring your skin barrier, reducing irritation. So of course, we have Ceramides in here. We have Squalane, Glycerin, and Urea as well, actually, that not a lot of people talk about, which is nicely moisturizing. I always just use this as an essence serum because of its healing abilities and the fact that it is quite thick."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea

"I always call this flavored water because that's what they are. It's like Mario Badescu's home fragrances because you have some okay ingredients, like some nice ingredients, but then you have parfum fragrance, but then we have hexyl cinnamal, linalool, and then some colorings which is fine, but these are the fragrant ingredients that they have to list separately because they are known irritants. I just don't see the point. To me, something about these products, like, just feel like, you know when you're a kid and you used to make perfume and you'd mix like sand and leaves together and anything you could find in the garden? That's what these Mario Badescu sprays remind me of now."

✕Nay

53%Guru Score

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Skin and Makeup Enhancing Mist

"I'm going to use the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin. This is an ultra-fine hydrating mist that is used to prep your skin for makeup, I believe, and as almost like makeup enhancing mist."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

"It smells a little bit foody, kind of like curry powder mixed with a floral scent, and it's got added fragrance which I'm a bit confused about. But it feels very light and refreshing and gives me a nice dewy glow straight away. I like that a lot for an instant kind of dewy fix. It's pricey but that's expected from Tatcha. For an instant dewy fix I'd use this in the morning under my other products and I can see it looking nice over makeup. I actually quite like this."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Dr. Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence

"This is a beautiful hydrating and moisturizing essence that for me is kind of like the evolution of Lancome cream skin refiner, like it's what Lancome should try to be now. It just does an amazing job at making you feel the hydration within your skin whilst leaving your skin nicely moisturized without feeling greasy and heavy. We have the tea essence in here which is a great antioxidant, we have cintella in here as well which is nice and calming, and some nice oils. What I love about this is like this will replace a moisturizer for me in the summer. It's heavy enough to moisturize your skin, put sunscreen over and be very very comfortable whether you have dry skin or oily skin. In fact if you have oily skin you would love this as a moisturizer replacement. I absolutely love it. I've already repurchased it twice already. I got two more new bottles and I'm going to open them and keep using them as my key essence. The essence is full of serums as well which I absolutely love for my skin all year round, all the time, especially as I experiment with a lot of skincare."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

VT PDRN Essence Stick Balm

"I love this one. It's a stick like Vaseline, but with actual active ingredients. It works great as like almost a minimalist overnight mask if you want to target certain areas and smooth areas down. So you have PDRN in here from Korean ginseng, which [...] basically means it's going to give the same kind of support and look as what PDRN is supposed to do, so elasticity smoothing of the skin. We have ceramides in here to help strengthen moisture barrier. Collagen to give you that plumpness and softness to the skin. Then sunflower seed oil and shea butter, nice light moisturizing. Nothing too suffocating. It's dewy. It's glowy. It melts like instantly on contact. Not greasy, just very soft, almost silky. [...] Great to target all different sorts of finer areas. I've used this on smile lines, under my eyes, [...] great for a little bit of extra attention on really irritated skin or dry skin."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence

"This retook inspiration from the SK-II Pitera Essence but brought it to a much wider audience at a much more accessible price point, and in my opinion it's more effective and has a much better ingredient list. We have over 90% bioferments in here, bifida ferment lysate, rice ferment, and saccharomyces, all designed to hydrate and help strengthen your skin barrier. This absorbs so quickly into the skin. Your skin is bouncy, dewy, looks plump and feels plump as well. This is an essence I happily layer. I'll do a very small amount, then another one, and remember the seven skin method? This was my seven skin method essence. I would layer this up, and [...] especially with [...] drier skin, it just adds that hydration instantly back into your skin. You feel smoother, you feel brighter, you look smoother and brighter. And it still exists. I think the first time I mentioned this was like five or six years ago, and there have been viral products that have come and gone. It's been reformulated a couple of times, but it still has the same effect and the same amazing results. It's not a trending product, it's like a fundamental step that fits into any routine and just continues to deliver results, which is why it's still around today."

✓Yay

92%Guru Score

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

"It's 96% snail secretion filtrate, which does give hydration and slight repairing benefits as well in that unique slimy texture, which people seem to either love or hate. I personally love it. In that snail mucin, you have naturally occurring peptides, glycoproteins, and of course, antioxidants that help support skin barrier, smooth texture, and help with redness too. And of course, hydration long term. COSRX also have added sodium hyaluronate, allantoin, panthenol and arginine for this extra hydration and soothing. It's a really nice product. The downside however is that whilst it's a nice hydrator, it's quite a simple formula which isn't a bad thing, but I found in my experience it's one of those things that you have to keep using it [...] all the time to just feel hydrated. [...] I do find whilst I'm using this, I have to keep topping up my face. [...] It can also feel sticky, which not a lot of people enjoy."

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule

"Skin 1004's Centella Serum, Madagascar Centella Serum. Love it, love it, love it, love it. It's incredible. I absolutely love it. When my skin is ruined, when my rosacea is flaring up, when I need some soothing, if I want to make a quick mask out of cotton pads and this serum, because it's so affordable in such a huge amount, I will use this serum. Their toner is just as good. [...] What I will say is they are misleading about their ingredient list. They say that this is 100% Centella Asiatica, but it actually has some other ingredients in. I believe there's also glycerin in here and a few other preservatives, things that keep the product, things that make it a skincare product, which isn't a big deal. But to say 100% Centella Asiatica is a little bit misleading. But the products are very, very, very good. I believe all the claims. I've seen great before and afters. It's a product that skincare influencers always talk about behind the scenes as well. People love it and I think it's amazing."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Mixsoon Bean Essence

"I genuinely love this product. I do think it's really, really nice. [...] I love this product as a hydrating product. I love the fermented ingredients in here for my skin personally, when I have very, very dry skin, I'm going to use this. Especially if I know I'm wearing makeup during the day for whatever reason. I get a lot of texture on the top of my nose here, bit of Bean Essence over the top there, covers right over it. No texture whatsoever."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Capsule Ampoule

"This is an ampoule, this is a more concentrated treatment for brightening and hydration again with our soothing healing centella and we have five layers and we have five different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid in here to ensure deep hydration and make sure all that hydration is locked in. This is another one again for those looking to brighten a dull skin tone, uneven skin tone, but really if you feel dehydrated, if you're looking to add some extra glow, some extra hydration to your routine, this is a great one to go for. I remember using this just as like an extra in any routine. I didn't swap out anything for it. I would just add it before my moisturizer, after all my products, pop it on the skin, pat it in, leave it a little bit damp, then put my moisturizer on, and I would have constant dewy, plump, hydrated skin throughout the whole day."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Skin1004 Probio-Cica Intensive Ampoule

"Skin1004 Probio-Cica Intensive Ampoule, another one that's on the rise I feel, packed with probiotics for health your skin. They have their probiotic complex in here which helps strengthen the skin barrier and promotes a balanced microbiome, which I don't know a lot about, I need to get to know more about it, but I know it's important for your skin and is actually something I feel like has potentially really really helped with my rosacea. But I just don't know it because I'm using a lot of probiotics in skincare and I feel like it could be something big. It's in Centella Asiatica but also Cumis in here as well to really help bring, retain that moisture, and improve your skin barrier. So it's perfect for anyone dealing with a weakened skin barrier or whose skin is constantly facing environmental stress and damage."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Tirtir Ceramide Milk Ampoule

"This is the Tirtir Ceramide Milk Ampoule, and this has appeared in many of my end of month favorites videos. They describe this on their website as a single drop of milk that makes your skin glow. It's like a multi-layer serum, they call it a triple cream ampoule. You have vegan milk on the bottom, essence in the middle, and then an oil on top, so you do have to give it a little bit of a shake before you use it. All those make it like this amazing, hydrating yet moisture boosting serum that leaves this incredible, longlasting glow on your face. And if you put moisturizer and makeup over the top of it, which I'm going to do, you still see that shine shining through. So if you like glass skin and don't want to look greasy, give this a go. Their vegan milk complex gives you this really nice moisturized feel to the skin, and then we have that ceramide complex in here to help keep all that in and help with your skin barrier, along with avocado based peptides, vegetable collagen, and phyto amino acid complex. So this is a really nice skin barrier loving, friendly, repairing, healing, supporting serum. And then we have rice bran extract which is going to give us that glow, and then squalene, so you have that moisturized kind of look without that greasy heaviness of an oil. Yeah, I love this."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

VT PDRN Essence 100 Elasticity and Wrinkle Care

"It can help stimulate collagen skin cell regeneration and boost skin elasticity and works like a humectant to plump out fine lines or wrinkles. There's also peptide complex for the barrier, polyglutamic acid, a great humectant that adds this nice radiance and glow, and squalane to help provide moisture. It's a little bit thicker than what you'd expect from an essence. I have an oily T-zone and dry cheeks and it's been really nice so far. You'd use this before you use the sheet mask, so you put this straight on after the essence to maximize the benefits. A lot of people have been using these for months and months say that this is a must-have with the essence line."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Isntree Real Bifida Ampoule

"The main purpose of this product is to help even out your skin tone, brighten your skin tone as well as increasing elasticity. It does that because it contains 88 percent fermentation filtrate as well as helps protect weakened skin barriers. It's in this like little bit thicker than water texture but it goes on the skin nicely and gives you a little bit of a dewy glow. We also have niacinamide in here to help with those pores, even skin tone, sebum control, everything amazing that niacinamide does, as well as three types of peptides for that wrinkle care and three types of fermented extract. Those are pumpkin ferment extract to help protect the skin barrier, soybean ferment extract to supply nutrients and rice ferment filtrate that kind of does the job of both of those. This is a really nice affordable ferment product because a lot of them they hike the prices right up."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

AXIS-Y Biome Radiating Intensified Essence

"The Biome Radiating Intensified Essence is like giving your skin a vitamin tablet. It has the bifida ferment lysate and the five probiotic complex working in harmony with the fructo oligosaccharide to keep our skin barrier in the best condition. A key ingredient here that's really going to nourish our skin is adenosine, an ingredient that's naturally found within our bodies but it's known for its soothing healing effects and its ability to actually restore and repair the skin barrier. Serums try and find a serum with that key ingredient that's targeted to what your key concern is skin barrier repair, resetting, restarting our skin, so adenosine is perfect but it's also got the ability to potentially reduce fine lines and wrinkles and unlike other wrinkle and fine line reduce ingredients within some skin care, adenosine actually works amazingly when applied topically. There's 73 percent bifida ferment lysate in here and I love my ferments especially in K beauty which is going to help smooth the skin texture, it's very very gently exfoliating whilst also giving your skin back its natural dewy glow. This serum is incredibly lightweight yet super nourishing. They describe it as a velvet fluid and that is such a nice accurate way to kind of capture how it feels, so soft yet enveloping on the skin. It's been really really nice."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

COSRX Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence

"My absolute favorite for barrier repair is the COSRX Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence. This contains the iconic snail mucin essence along with a creamy, nice, cinnamony kind of serum. Snail mucin has been shown to help with barrier repair, wound healing, and skin regeneration, so we're talking about that burning, itching sensation, the redness, acne. It's a great all-round ingredient that if your skin is easily sensitized, sensitive, or damaged, it's a great ingredient to use to help restore your skin. We also have niacinamide in here, which is another skin barrier repairing product that helps boost products like your moisturizers as well as helping even out your skin tone and reduce the appearance of pores. There's five percent niacinamide in here, so a great percentage that's not too much. It's perfect to add that kind of extra hydration, moisturize, dewy look to your skin. I love this product so much. I'm always like if you get one thing from COSRX, if the first thing you should try is their exfoliants and this product for sure."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Teca Ampoule

"I use this mainly in the mornings. This is the Madagascar Centella Ampoule, a 100% centella ampoule to help calm and balance the skin. This centella goes through a very strict four-step process when it comes to sourcing and extracting centella in order to keep it as pure and potent as possible. What I like about this is how lightweight it is. It feels like water. It's a little bit tricky because you kind of put it on your hand and then you're like, careful so it doesn't spill anywhere, but it's so lightweight. It's got that instantly calming and soothing effect that a lot of centella products have."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Lip26 reviews

Glow Peach Peptide Lip Balm

"This lip balm is so popular that brands keep trying to copy it and failing miserably. [...] I fully get why people keep trying to copy this brand. It's not one of those very basic lip balms that you put on and it disappears and you have to like reapply within an hour. This is really hydrating almost like jelly-like texture. [...] You can use enough to make your lips look really nice and glossy or pile on to make it more like a nighttime lip mask or just enough to have your lips nicely moisturized and smooth. [...] There are five different peptides in here, so it's all about plumping out those lips, keeping them well hydrated and bouncy as well. [...] It really does feel like more of like a treatment balm rather than just like a normal lip balm. The few brands I've tried to do their own version of this, they either make it too glossy, too sticky, or like not enough of either. [...] This is like the perfect in between and oddly buildable for a lip product."

✓Yay

87%Guru Score

Glossier Balm Dotcom

"They made Balm Dot Com vegan and everyone hated it, so they switched back."

✕Nay

82%Guru Score

The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum

"PHAs are a very gentle, nice exfoliating acid, but lips don't usually need chemical exfoliation. Most dry, flaky lips aren't caused by a buildup of dead skin. They're usually just dehydrated or irritated. A regular lip balm tend to work much better than adding acids into the mix."

✕Nay

70%Guru Score

Rhode Phone Case with Lip Balm Holder

"Stupid. Stupid, but genius at the same time."

✓Yay

62%Guru Score

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

"Their Lip Butter Balm is so popular on TikTok and Instagram. It's got shea butter, muru muru butter, and vegan waxes. Yes, it's moisturizing and softening, and it gives you a really nice shiny finish if that's what you're after. [...] But compared to alternatives, I feel like you don't have much control. It's shiny or nothing. And looking at the ingredients again, it's just a lot of very basic lip balm stuff. It's not groundbreaking. I [...] find myself reaching for it fairly often and my lips drying out fairly often, too."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

Laneige Lip Glowy Balm

"The Laneige Lip Glowy Balm [...] combines some of those more nourishing butters with a formula designed for both treatment and aesthetics. [...] It has that shea butter and miru, but it also delivers that glossy finish without the stickiness. [...] The texture is a lot lighter. It comes with added antioxidants and in tinted versions too, so [...] it's that kind of hybrid of skincare and makeup. Laneige has years of lip care expertise behind their sleeping mask, which is a cult favorite, [...] and that's been adapted into this portable on-the-go balm. Laneige offers that same hydration with an added polish to it, comfort on the lips, and real longwear lip conditioning where I don't find myself constantly reaching for my lip balm."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Rhode Peptide Lip Tint

"Rhode's peptide lip tints used to be my absolute favorite lip product, [...] but for at least a year or longer now they've been so grainy. [...] On paper and at launch they were iconic, with peptides, babassu and shea butter, [...] but the shea butter [...] has started to crystallize. When the brand finally released a statement they said you just need to warm it up, so people are basically boiling their lip balms. I'm not a chemist, when I buy a lip balm I want it to be a lip balm, [...] and these aren't cheap. [...] It's been years now, Rhode, please fix the problem."

✕Nay

74%Guru Score

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

"It's rich in fatty acids and antioxidants muru muru seed butter, nicely moisturizing, and vitamin C-rich berry extracts for that antioxidant boost. It's just very good at what it does. It's thick, it's got a balmy texture that locks in hydration overnight. I don't like the strawberry scent for some reason, but every other version of this lip mask genuinely helps with dry, flaky, tight-feeling lips. While you can probably just use Vaseline and while you could probably use any other lip balm, it's still great. It still holds up. It's really stood the test of time."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

"The black honey lipstick, which I think has gone viral again, it's had its moment or something like that. Introduced in 1971, the black honey lipstick was relaunched in 1989 as Almost Lipstick. It quickly became a cult favorite with many consumers loving its universally flattering shade and versatile texture. It actually really significantly boosted the brand's visibility and sales during the 1990s, and the same thing happened again just a few years ago."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm

"One of my least favorites has to be The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. Out of all the lip balm launches we saw this year, this is my personal least favorite. While it has a really nice unique slip to it when you first put it on that makes it feel more than just like a thick occlusive Vaseline type layer, I will never get over the taste. [...] If you put something on your lips you are going to taste it whether you like it or not. It's one of the main reasons brands add fragrance to lip products and advertise them as different flavors because you can taste it, and unfortunately this one tastes a little bit like chicken soup, which isn't the worst taste in the world, but it's definitely not pleasant."

✕Nay

60%Guru Score

Vaseline Lip Therapy Original

"Vaseline's hugely successful Lip Therapy was launched with the product going on to become synonymous with the Brand"

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm

"I didn't like this. I actually think this irritated my lips. [...] My lips just stung with this. They start to crack all up here. And when I use this, [...] throughout the day I was having to like remove soft, dead skin from my lips because it did that to my skin throughout the day."

✕Nay

62%Guru Score

Tatcha Kissu Lip Serum

"For a little extra cost you can get the Tatcha kissu lip mask, which does everything that the Laneige lip masks do but in this more cushiony, more hydrating, almost more occlusive feeling lip product, it also has squalane, peptides and antioxidants like the Laneige one. The only issue is it doesn't come in different scents or flavors, but I'd rather have nicer lips overnight than like a mango lip mask."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

K Skin Lip Balm SPF 30

"I discovered that my K Skin Lip Balm has the same squishy packaging, but it's not working anymore. Look at that, my lip balm is prolapsing and nothing is coming out. The situation is that a lot of people were experiencing this, not only after being absolutely fine using their product, but also the samples in the shops were prolapsing too. Nothing has been mentioned confirmed or denied by the brand, but it's weird considering that this is such a common applicator type and every brand is launching their own version. It's odd to see a manufacturing issue like this on something so common."

✕Nay

78%Guru Score

Gisou Honey Infused Hydrating Lip Oil

"The new viral lip oils, which, side note, is the best lip oil ever."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment

"Just using this, this is the Ole Henriksel Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment. It's really, really nice."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Remedy Lip Balm

"This is probably for me my favorite product from the brand. [...] I'm really into lip balms that don't just moisturize your lips but actually hydrate your lips as well. There's something to this Lip Balm that feels like it happens in two stages. So you put it on and it feels kind of almost watery, like there's a real slip to it, there's a real glide. It feels like you're putting like a watery serum on your lips, and then when you're done, your lips feel nourished and moisturized but all of that's going to be locked in without it being overly occlusive. It feels like a diluted Vaseline in the sense that it's almost like a hydrating toner meets Vaseline. [...] You have petroleum, squalane and Shea Butter, which is what you would expect to find in a Lip Balm, ceramides especially nowadays, which makes sense for it to be in a Lip Balm, peptides in here as well that really help plump and add that hydration to the lips, and Aloe leaf extract as well. There's just something like it's not watery but there's something that feels like quenching to it even though it's in such a thick consistency. I've just not used a Lip Balm like this before."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

Tower 28 SOS Lip Softy

"I actually love the Tower 28 lip balms, with a really nice natural color payoff that is hydrating as well as moisturizing, so I am ranking them fourth."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm

"What I like about these as well is they don't shift. They don't shift at all. They stay in place. They're the right consistency as well. They're not too light, they're not too thick. They transfer a little bit like any lip balm does, but more of the balminess and not the tint. I feel like I get my money's worth more with the Naturium Phyto-Lip Balms just because they stick around for a lot longer."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Gloss Balm

"Love it. Love it"

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Naked Sundays Glow + Go Lip Oil SPF 50

"It reminds me of [...] Hawaiian Tropics, something like [...] that. Like a very old fashioned sunscreen. [...] After a good five minutes, that sunscreen taste kind of goes. It does leave and the stickiness does calm down. I feel like you need to give it a minute. [...] However, it's very, very glossy. [...] It's nice. I do like Naked Sundays. I'm going to use it. I will continue to use it up."

✓Yay

70%Guru Score

MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick

"She just overlines her lip and uses her favourite MAC lipstick. That's all it is."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip

"This does not feel like a lip oil, this feels like a lip gloss and it's so pretty. When I tried it, this feels like a lovely lip gloss. I love lip oils, I know some people don't like them so much but I love a good overnight, put this on, go to bed feeling like I'm not going to get chewed mouth in the morning, you know like I'm not going to wake up with dry crusty lips. I tried this and whenever the word oil is in a product name it immediately makes you think like drippy greasy suffocation. You can put it on very lightly and it doesn't look like a heavy gloss or like a really shiny gloss or you can kind of load that up and it will still stick on your lips, it's not going to travel down, it's not going to be sticky onto everything. It's so nicely elegant. The clear one is so nice, it feels cushiony and plump and you could put on a lot less shinier and you could just have this as I personally don't like too much of a shiny look on my lips and it tastes so good, smells so good, it's extremely comfortable to wear and my lips feel very nice after."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Hello Sunday Lip Balm Broadspectrum SPF 50

"You get some very popular and favorite sunscreens like the Hello Sunday one for your lips. That's an SPF 50."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment

"Her products are decent. They aren't extreme. They're not trying to be the most visually shocking. They're not relying on gimmicks in the formula. [...] Whilst her products do the job they need to do, I think that's clever."

~Mixed

78%Guru Score

Torriden Solid-In Ceramide Lip Essence

"I use this all the time. It is a serum, my lip balm, and it's really nice. It's very simple, I would say almost a bit aqua-forward in texture with a really nice smooth dewy glowy glossy finish to it. If you got cracked, dry, irritated lips, this is the product to go for. Put everything else down for now, anything colors in, anything fragrance in, flavors, put it down for now. Take this, smother it on overnight and leave it and let it do its work. It's got a hob oil in as well, so you get that really kind of thick layer that's not too suffocating, not too sticky. For $38, it's an absolute bargain."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Eye Care19 reviews

Remedy Super Stacked Under Eye Dark Circle and Depuffing Treatment

"This is such a nice lightweight eye cream. I use eye creams help with puffiness and fine lines and this does a good job. There's kojic acid in there if you do want to help brighten dark circles, peptides, there's a marine algae complex for hydration, for firmer, smoother looking skin. And the gel cream just works with the applicator tip. I love an applicator tip that you can like massage the cream in with."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Hydra Gel Eye Patches

"The gold under eye patches in particular became super popular. Not only were they effective, but they were also very photogenic, which made them perfect for the social media era that was just beginning."

✓Yay

62%Guru Score

Numbuzin No.9 NAD+ Retinol Volumetox Eye Cream

"The Numbuzin No.9 NAD+ Retinol Volumetox Eye Cream is a close second."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

SKKN Moisturizing Eye Cream

"The eye cream at $75 was a Moisturizing Eye Cream that preserves elasticity while acting to reduce puffiness and fine lines around the eyes. This is the best product in the whole line. I absolutely loved it. Firmness, plumping of fine lines. A good plumping under the eyes just to make your eyes kind of like not look so shallow. I absolutely love this one but, still overpriced."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Dieux Forever Eye Mask

"Then the Forever Eye Mask, an iconic skincare beauty product. A reusable eye mask, which I absolutely love. It's made from medical grade silicone and works like a seal over any eye product. You can use this with any eye cream, and it just helps those eye products absorb more effectively. I'll apply the eye cream, then place this mask over for about, they say, 10 to 15 minutes, but I just leave it on for as long as I possibly can. For me, the longer the better. It's just a great way to lock everything in, a great way to depuff, smooth out, plump a little bit as well. And over time you do notice your eye area looking a lot smoother and hydrated and brighter overall."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum

"A class action lawsuit was filed against Drunk Elephant in New York alleging deceptive advertising of its Shaba Complex Eye Serum. The plaintiff claimed that the product did not deliver the promised skin improvement benefits"

✕Nay

74%Guru Score

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Overnight Eye Serum

"My favorite eye cream has to be the Jet Lag Overnight Eye Serum by Summer Fridays. This is really almost like an under eye mask because it's a lot more nourishing and hydrating and thick than your usual eye cream but made for that delicate skin around your eyes. It combines really super hydrating ingredients like glycerin along with gentle retinoids to help visibly minimize fine lines and smoother skin under the eyes. I get like those little bumpy bits under my eyes and this has been smoothing it out safely and gently. Along with the glycerin we have a gentle retinoid blend, retinol and retinol linoleate, which helps with the appearance of fine lines and texture under the eyes but really delicately. This is an example of an eye cream that isn't a scam because an eye cream should be a product with ingredients that is specifically formulated for the delicate skin around your eyes. You wouldn't put your normal retinol around your eyes because your skin's way too delicate there, so this is a great option because it's an eye cream that is formulated with retinoids for that delicate skin under the eyes. You also have licorice root extract in here too to help with puffiness and reduce pigmentation if that's a concern. This is where you should invest your money when it comes to eye creams, not in eye creams that just hydrate because your moisturizer can do that."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream

"I like to use effective actives in percentages and formulations made for under the eyes just so I can ensure that they're gentle enough and safe to use around the eye area. Caffeine can potentially restrict blood vessels under the eyes that can help prevent dark circles and puffiness. For £10 you can get a really really good one from The INKEY List. This is a nice lightweight formulation that you don't have to spend ages patting into the skin and they also use peptides to help hydrate and potentially reduce the appearance of fine lines."

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

Caudalie Vinoperfect Eye Cream

"Their resveratrol lift eye cream is incredible, I tried it after seeing Selena Gomez use it and absolutely loved it. After a solid month of non-stop use twice a day there was some definite tightening under the eyes, it was just firmness, and it helps hydrate under the eyes so not only do you get an instant under-eye glow but in the long run your under eyes just look fresher."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Jordan Samuel Skin Performance Eye Gel

"This is just a nice lightweight eye cream without being bogged down with grease under your eyes. I absolutely love it. If you're going to dedicate yourself to an eye cream, there's a few I recommend and this is definitely in the top three if not the top two."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

"This is a good example of a good ingredient to use under eyes that you would pay more for, but this is The Ordinary so we are talking 6.40 maximum for this. This really is just a serum to help awaken under your eyes, making you look less tired, less puffy, less dull around the eyes. It sinks in super super quick and it's something you use morning and night. At night I would pair this up with Vaseline to create that nice occlusive layer around the eyes."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

L'Oreal Revitalift 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid and Caffeine Eye Serum

"The ingredients don't wow me other than the addition of caffeine which is a standard eye cream ingredient nowadays. This is just a hyaluronic acid serum, a very watery hyaluronic acid serum that is nice to use around the eye. The applicator with the massage wand is nice, it's very cooling and feels good. However, do I think this product is worth 24.99? Maybe for me no. Personally this does nothing more than what my hydrating toner does that's safe to use around the eyes, and for me that feels a lot more hydrating and plumping than this standalone serum. Whilst the massage wand is nice, it's not really a product I'll repurchase just to have a nice feeling while I'm putting on an eye serum. That combination of a toner and an eye cream for me beats this."

~Mixed

68%Guru Score

Shark Beauty Cryo Glow Under Eye Cooling LED Anti-Aging and Blemish Repair Mask

"LED therapy has been the best thing for my rosacea. But it's not a miracle. You've got to use this all the time, every single day. This mask for me stands out for a couple reasons. Under eye cooling, the cooling pads. People either love these or they hate these. I love them because they reduce that puffiness. They calm down any inflammation and they kind of add this more like relaxing kind of feel to the LED mask experience with proper eye protection, too. A lot of people don't like this because the LED isn't getting to the under eyes, which I completely understand, but for me, that cold therapy really, really helps. And it makes the whole thing enjoyable. It makes it feel like a really relaxing moment for me. And that's important for me because these masks are all about consistency. You've got to use it every single day if you want to see a difference. We have a few different modes here. The anti-aging mode, which is red and infrared, which I absolutely love. I find infrared amazing for my rosacea. You have blemish repair, which is blue and red. Skin sustain, which is brightness kind of like maintenance overall. And each session is short enough to actually fit into your life, into your routine."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

belif Aqua Bomb Eye Gel

"If you're dealing with puffiness, I would say more than anything, Belief's Aqua Bomb Eye Gel might be what you need"

✓Yay

65%Guru Score

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream

"The Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream is a new one for me. I've only just recently started to kind of be interested in Bakuchiol, so I'm looking forward to trying this eye cream more. For those who for whatever reason cannot use retinol on their skin, maybe it makes you red, irritated, so Bakuchiol is often the recommended alternative. It's not oily and it's not sticky so it doesn't sit heavy under the eyes. It's not going to look like a greasy mess. They actually recommend using it as a makeup base as well so you don't get like all creepy underneath. Combined you're going to get this really nice dewy natural glow with the antioxidant properties from all these products. You could use the Bakuchiol eye cream in the morning as well, twice a day. It absorbs super quick, it's not sticky. You don't have to spend like 10 minutes patting this thick cream into your under eyes, which is what usually makes me stop using eye creams."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

Tirtir Collagen Lifting Eye Cream

"This is one of my top 10 favorite products of the last few months. When it comes to eye creams, I don't want to be sat there patting it in for like half an hour and end up just having really greasy looking shiny under eyes. I like eye creams that are kind of like my moisturizers but made for around the eye area, and this is a really lightweight almost like gel cream texture that's delivered on this roller ball, so you have a really nice smooth application. This has plant derived collagen so it's very very good at keeping the under eye area well moisturized with a firming effect alongside peptides, niacinamide, adenosine, and you really do see that boost in brightness and tightness under the eyes. I get a lot of that chickeny skin texture under the eyes, those very fine little bumps, but when I use the right eye cream that just all goes. When I have an eye cream that is really nice lightweight hydrating but does the job at nourishing and moisturizing, my under eyes just look so much better. Peptides are definitely something I look for under my eyes because they do have that plumping ability along with the collagen."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal

"This has Ginseng and Retinol. Ginseng is a great antioxidant and of course, Retinal is great for those fine lines, but a bit of texture as well. This is nicely not lightweight, but not heavy as well. Just use a normal pea size amount and it sinks in so nicely without having to spend hours patting under the eyes. This has really good reviews across the board, especially on Amazon."

✓Yay

95%Guru Score

Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream

"This one from Heimish, this is their Marine Care Eye Cream. Really caught my eye because of a few key ingredients. Hydrating ingredients, of course, to help plump that skin and keep it hydrated. Antioxidants to help fight free radical damage, Niacinamide for tone but also peptides as well, which can supposedly help with collagen and elastin production, really concentrating on those fine lines as well. But I really have noticed a difference using an eye cream versus just a moisturizer that I hope works well under my eyes. The way it plumps out under the eyes in a nice way, gives it more volume, the way it also helps with the texture that I sometimes get under the eyes. Like that chickeny kind of skin completely goes when I really commit to an eye cream."

✓Yay

71%Guru Score

Some By Mi Retinol Intense Advanced Triple Action Eye Cream

"This is supposed to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. It's retinol, improved dark circles, et cetera. I've been using it and it's very nicely light under the eyes. It gives like a nice dewy, moisturized look. We have a lot of antioxidants, soybean, centella asiatica, niacinamide, 0.1 retinol, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, and tranexamic acid. I'm interested in this one. I think this is a good example of an eye cream because retinol formulated to go around the eyes is worth buying an eye cream for, since if you put your normal retinol around the eyes you can get really dry, flaky, and cause a lot of irritation, especially under and above the eyelid."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Retinoids11 reviews

Dermatica Custom Blended Prescription Retinoid

"I started using the Dermatica retinoid maybe 3 months ago. This is a prescription strength retinoid and the only topical proven to actually reverse signs of aging in the skin, increasing cell turnover, smoothing texture, fading pigmentation, and stimulates new collagen production. But it's not an overnight transformation. I've been using this for 3 months and I can tell you results aren't that fast. I'm peeling in a good way. I think I'm seeing a lot of less texture on my nose and forehead, but the changes are very subtle for now. Tretinoin is like a long game. You don't really notice how much is done until like one day you look at yourself in the mirror and you're like, oh, okay. Wow. It doesn't hydrate, it doesn't calm, it definitely doesn't replace barrier care. So whilst tretinoin is incredible for resurfacing, you still need to hydrate. You need those supportive products around it too."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment with Peptides and Vitamin C

"It was during this time that they actually launched a lot of their more popular products including their clinical 1% retinol treatment"

~Mixed

66%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol

"It was during this time that they actually launched a lot of their more popular products including the resist a barrier repair moisturizer"

~Mixed

81%Guru Score

Paula's Choice Clinical PRO Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment

"In the description they claimed that their product contains adapalene adapalene is a drug treatment and their product absolutely does not contain adapalene so this is just a straight up lie"

✕Nay

73%Guru Score

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream

"It's a very strong retinol. Only use it if you are a pro."

~Mixed

55%Guru Score

The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane

"I've seen a lot of hate for their retinols online which I don't understand because they're very good beginner-friendly retinols. They go up to a high enough percentage for those who've been using retinol for years. They're delivered in squalane so they're less irritating and less drying - your skin's not going to start flaking and peeling. I don't think they're that bad - I think they're decent beginner-friendly retinols."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

VT Reedle Shot 100 Retinol

"If your concerns really are like better skin texture better aging this is a really really good one to go for"

✓Yay

72%Guru Score

COSRX Retinol 0.1% Cream

"It's kind of great for first-time users of retinol because it's super gentle and they paired it with ingredients like panthenol and adenine as well as obviously vitamin E to help not only with the anti-aging process but to also add hydration, elasticity, a bit of soothing as well. You also avoid all that dryness that some people can get from using a retinol for the first time. I really, really like this. I think I'm going to keep this one out because I don't know why I stopped using it to be honest with you."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Glow Recipe Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum

"I had literally just picked at my skin and within a week I started to see my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation fading. [...] Being able to use this once a day in the evening daily as somebody with very easily triggered rosacea, this has been amazing. I'm very happy that I'm able to use this with no issues whatsoever."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

COSRX Retinol 0.5%

"When I do use retinol, I like to use it in like a cream form or like a creamy serum form or with an oil. I've talked about this one before, the COSRX 0.5 retinol. This is a great starter retinol that counteracts that kind of dryness that you may experience with first time retinol users, using Squalane. And I also find that retinol in an oil or a moisturizer in general just feels a lot gentler on the skin. And I do find in general retinols from Korea seem to be gentler, they're not as potent, but they do seem to be a lot gentler."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Innisfree Retinol

"Innisfree do a really, really good one. You can get on Style Korean as well, which is very nice and gentle. Again, a great beginner retinol."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Acne10 reviews

Starface Hydrocolloid Pimple Patches

"Starface has built an incredibly successful identity around making acne feel like a fashion statement, even breakouts become something you can dress up, and I really love that. Their star-shaped hydrocolloid patches are always colorful, they're collectible, they're fun, and they've become very popular with teenagers and younger skincare consumers. I love the fact that Starface essentially takes something people want to hide and turns it into an accessory, rather than pretending the spot isn't there, you put a huge yellow sticker on it."

✓Yay

58%Guru Score

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

"When I woke up for work the next morning and I looked in the mirror, I wondered what was all over my face. My initial reaction was that it was loads of spots. It kind of looked like I had 100 whiteheads on my face. I touched my chin and that's when something popped and I realized that they were blisters. All this clear and yellow liquid came out. It was horrible. [...] It felt like a throbbing pain on my face. It was burning and sore to touch, my forehead was where it hurt the most, as that was the deepest burn. [...] The packaging only warned about stopping use in case of persistent irritation and that the product could increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun."

✕Nay

84%Guru Score

Murad Rapid Relief Blemish Spot Treatment

"She's putting this rumored to be Spot Treatment all over her face right and during this video there's no audio but she says that she started to feel a stinging sensation but she decided to keep the product on as like a mask or something"

✕Nay

63%Guru Score

The INKEY List Succinic Acid Acne Treatment

"They haven't been shy of controversy, however, with a lot of cosmetic chemists and scientists who work in the cosmetic world calling them out for their alleged misleading claims about their Succinic Acid Blemish Spot Treatment, and in turn, their response to those claims. I think it's fair to say that it did leave a bit of a bad taste in a lot of skincare creators' mouths."

✕Nay

73%Guru Score

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

"I don't rate pimple patches with micro darts any more than these very standard ones. A lot of those patches contain active ingredients like BHAs or vitamin C which you can just use in serum or toner form and then pop a paper patch over the top. Still, for me these are some of the best pimple patches around and a real bargain."

✓Yay

75%Guru Score

Peach & Lily Transparency ProSpot Treatment with 20% Vitamin C

"This Peach and Lily Transparency ProSpot Treatment with 20% Vitamin C contains salicylic acid and THD ascorbate, niacinamide, tranexamic acid, and ferulic acid. [...] I did a sponsored video with them years ago where they wanted [...] to see results in a week, and [...] it faded my dark spot so quickly that [...] I had to do disclaimers in the video because the results were so dramatic. The pictures weren't photoshopped. It really faded that dark spot quicker than I had ever seen anything fade a dark spot. [...] For stubborn pigmentation, this should be part of your routine. The THD ascorbate plus pure ascorbic acid really does deliver quick results. There's tranexamic acid [...] helping fade hyperpigmentation, [...] and ferulic acid to stabilize and enhance the vitamin C complex. There are peptides in here too, so you're getting a nice dose of hydration, brightness, and plumpness. It sounds so extreme, yet it's so gentle."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

AXIS-Y Spot the Difference Blemish Treatment

"The Spot the Difference Blemish Treatment is obviously to help fight against blemishes and honestly looking at the ingredients, breakouts as well if you're breakout prone. [...] We have four-terpineol which is the main active ingredient found in tea tree, which I personally love for breakouts and my rosacea as well, not in its purest form but formulated into product, as well as antioxidant properties it helps with breakouts. So we have an AHA and BHA in here as well, gentle enough to help exfoliate on a daily basis, fighting whiteheads, blackheads, texture, and sebaceous filaments, and then niacinamide as well if you're particularly oily, that's going to help with that excess sebum production and in turn can help your pores look much smaller, appear much smaller. [...] It smells very tea tree."

✓Yay

73%Guru Score

Dr.G R.E.D Blemish Clear Soothing Cream

"This is the Dr.G R.E.D Blemish Clear Soothing Cream. I bought this when I went to Korea last year and used it all up and absolutely loved it. If you have acne, if you have like painful wounds on your skin, if you've picked your spots a lot or maybe your acne does get a little bit irritated, rosacea, easy irritated skin, this is an amazing moisturizer to go for. It's a Centella asiatica kind of base moisturizer and it contains like pretty much all the Centella plant so you get all your types of Centella asiatica. It's great for things like irritated skin, blemishes, and especially if you're prone to breakouts this is great throughout the whole process of a breakout. It helps with irritated skin, it helps calm irritated skin and redness, helps with the skin barrier, and after it helps fade those post acne, post breakout marks. It has ingredients like glycerin, niacinamide, Centella asiatica. It really works on everything from your sebum to your skin barrier to the redness."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Triple Acid Resurfacing Serum

"Their triple acid resurfacing serum sounds crazy harsh with triple acid, but it's really nice and gentle. In this serum we have salicylic acid great for blackheads, PHA which is a very gentle kind of AHA alternative, and tranexamic acid which is great for evening out skin tone and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and all helping prevent breakouts. So yes, I'm looking forward to using this more as an exfoliating step in my routine."

✓Yay

69%Guru Score

Papa Recipe Blemish Serum

"The Papa Recipe Blemish Serum is huge—150 milliliters compared to your average 30-milliliter ampoule size. What I like about this is it's got a whole concoction of amazing ingredients. While it's called a Blemish Serum, we're not talking hardcore AHA resurfacing kind of serum. We're talking like over time this is going to even out your skin tone, help with fine lines, texture, all that kind of stuff in a really nice gentle journey kind of way. It has niacinamide which can help with breakouts, even out skin tone, help with sebum production, and help minimize the appearance of pores. It has baicalool as an antioxidant that can potentially help against fine lines and wrinkles. Sodium hyaluronate for hydration. Soothing allantoin and adenosine again to help with fine lines. Galactomyces ferment filtrate, one of my favorite fermented ingredients, which evens out skin tone, brightens, moisturizes, hydrates, is anti-aging, and rich in amino acids. Galactomyces ferment filtrate for me is the ingredient—the anti-aging ingredient other than retinol—that helps the skin barrier and pigmentation. While this isn't a real hit-hard like we'll see you in four weeks without any pigmentation, this really gently gradually helps make those improvements on the concerns you're concerned about without compromising anything on your skin. This really enjoyed."

✓Yay

Notverified

Body & Tan9 reviews

Naturium Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Wash

"This is like the weirdest mix of like an oil and gel that I've ever used. You use it like a body wash, obviously, but it feels like you've just oiled up your skin. It feels like you've moisturized. You step out the shower almost feeling like you don't need to use a lotion, and sometimes I don't after this. It's got 50% glycerin in it, which is probably why it feels so hydrating. Linoleic rich oils as well, so it's not stripping. Just feel so, so soft after using this."

✓Yay

90%Guru Score

Vaseline All Over Body Balm Jelly Stick

"It's so simple, right? And it just works. The morning after the areas I use this on always feel softer and genuinely just a lot more comfortable. You don't have that tight feeling. It's not heavy. It's not greasy in its stick form. I would say it's just amazing. If you want to try slugging but don't want to commit to the full glossy face, just use this in certain areas where you think your skin needs that little bit extra. I do put this everywhere because it does leave a nice even light layer all over the face. A classic. You can't really go wrong with it."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

"The brand's new iconic Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is a visibly firming body cream [...] with a unique scent of pistachio, salted caramel, and vanilla. Formulated with guarana extract to help tighten the skin, kapuku butter to lock in moisture, and Brazilian nut oil for antioxidant protection. [...] The combination of the addictive scent, rich texture, and beach body confidence marketing strategy really helped make it an instant hit with skincare enthusiasts. [...] I don't love the smell of this product, but when I pick it up [...] in a shop, I'm going to sniff the tester, and then I always have another sniff. I don't want it on me; I'd have it on a candle."

✓Yay

63%Guru Score

The INKEY List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Stick

"The INKEY List are like The Ordinary but with better products in my opinion, with more well-rounded formulas [...] that feel so nice on the skin. [...] My favorite product of theirs is still the Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Stick. It combines glycolic acid, salicylic acid and shea butter and helps exfoliate rough bumpy skin and uneven patches, and you can even use it as a deodorant every so often."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Vaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion

"In 1968 they finally turned their attention to expanding Vaseline's range of products with a new hand and body lotion, Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion, which was to be used for dry skin as an after sun moisturizer. It was a huge success, particularly in the US due to their Working Hands of America campaign."

✓Yay

78%Guru Score

Wild Natural Deodorant

"Wild just had an advert banned by the Advertising Standards Association, here in the UK, because much like many other Natural Deodorant brands, their advert made it seem like traditional deodorants could increase the risk of breast cancer and their ASA wasn't having any of it. Wild put out a YouTube ad back in February of 2024. Their advert showed a woman with visible bruises on her chest using their deodorant. She says, 'As a breast cancer thriver, I'm prioritizing my health and I've decided to finally go wild. I've seen so many positive comments about how it's completely natural.' The ASA thought that this could make people think that other antiperspirants, which aren't labeled as natural, are harmful in some way. And they pointed out that there's already a common myth out there that ingredients like titanium dioxide and aluminum in traditional deodorants are linked to breast cancer. Wild, on the other hand, fired back, saying it's a huge stretch to jump to that conclusion. They clarified that the woman in the advert never claimed that Wild deodorant would prevent breast cancer. But in the end, the ASA ruled that the ad couldn't air again in its current form. They told Wild to make sure they don't mislead consumers by suggesting a link between other deodorants and breast cancer, unless they have solid evidence to back it up."

✕Nay

69%Guru Score

Necessaire Eucalyptus Body Wash

"It feels nice on the skin, but it is joyless. My shower feels sterile when I use this. This will be great for people with eczema, psoriasis, that kind of stuff, but for me, as somebody whose biggest body concern is the KP on my arms, this brings me no joy whatsoever. There is no scent. There's a little bit of foaming, but I feel like I've used water to wash. I feel like I've had no help. When I shower, I like to feel invigorated and cleansed. I like some scent to make me feel like I'm doing some good for my body. I like to feel like I've had a whole cleansing experience, and this product lacks anything, any experience whatsoever. It's completely joyless, almost disappointing. After you use it, your skin feels nice, but I'm like, was that it? If you don't care about stuff like this, you'll love it, but I can't wait to finish it. I really can't wait to finish it. There's just something about this, I'm like, that was so dull. That was the most boring shower I've ever had."

✕Nay

75%Guru Score

APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Body Lotion

"The glutathione body lotion has all those key ingredients again but for your body. It's really nice and lightweight. When the weather gets warmer, I don't like to put lotion on my body because I feel like it's sticky and suffocating, but this is super super lightweight. I've mainly been using this as a hand cream because it's so lightweight. I want something I can rub in without taking minutes to rub it in because I don't want oily laptops and keypads with hair coming off on my sticky hands. I want something lightweight and this is really, really good for that."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Peach & Lily KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub

"This product is a mix of 10% AHA and PHA along with physical exfoliation, and it's really been doing the job for me whereas other body scrubs with AHAs and BHAs weren't necessarily my favorite. I use this everywhere, really I've been enjoying this on my knees, on the chicken skin on the back of my arms, my bum cheeks, my back, my shoulders, and it's great for all skin types. It's super gentle as long as you don't go scrubbing really hard. What I used to do was use a chemical exfoliant on a cotton pad after the shower, but this does it all in one in the shower then you can moisturize straight out after. It's a lot more time-saving. I've really really been loving this and I'll keep repurchasing it."

✓Yay

Notverified

Haircare8 reviews

Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo

"I loved Head and Shoulders and I'll continue to use it."

✓Yay

74%Guru Score

Remedy Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

"This has kind of been designed to be like an all-in-one medicated treatment that targets both dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. It's kind of something that dermatologists have been recommending for years, but never existed in one bottle until now. Traditionally, if you struggle with dandruff, the advice was to rotate between two shampoos, like a salicylic acid one and ketoconazole to address the yeast. The problem is switching back and forth between two shampoos is really annoying. This formula solves that by bringing it all together in one formulation. You get 1.8% salicylic acid in here to gently exfoliate the scalp, dissolve flakes, and encourage healthy cell turnover. And then you get ketoconazole, one of the most effective ingredients for controlling dandruff at its root cause. What makes it stand out even more is the addition of these soothing botanicals. When I think of scalp treatments, I always think of those really strong minty ones that hurt your eyes. This just feels nice and almost calming."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

"In 2018 they launched their number three hair perfector number four bond maintenance shampoo and number five bond maintenance conditioner this finally allowed fans of the brand to get the bond building effects of Olaplex without having to go to a salon. [...] When I worked in a salon we were an Olaplex salon we actually would not bleach hair or touch damaged hair without using Olaplex it became a must-have because of how effective these in salon versions were people loved it they were buying it out of the salon."

✓Yay

77%Guru Score

Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

"When i worked in a salon we were an olaplex salon we actually would not bleach hair or touch damaged hair without using olaplex it became a must-have because of how effective these in salon versions were people loved it"

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

CeraVe Anti-Dandruff Shampoo with Zinc Pyrithione

"Cerave decided to venture into haircare by launching anti dandruff shampoo and conditioner line. These products were formulated with ceramides and pyrithione zinc to improve scalp health while maintaining the skin barrier. The collection is getting mostly positive reviews, with many praising the same things people like about the rest of their products: efficacy, affordability and simplicity."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

Gisou Honey Milk Active Repair Leave-In Conditioner Mist

"Their leave in conditioner is amazing. You can leave it in. Doesn't make your hair feel greasy. It's so, so nice."

✓Yay

58%Guru Score

K18 Peptide Prep pH Maintenance Shampoo

"This is K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo. I love my Head & Shoulders, but this has converted me, I'll be honest. They say that this is a color safe, clarifying shampoo with skincare inspired ingredients, plus micro dosed with the K18 peptide to nourish hair while removing buildup for clean, healthy hair canvas. It has a non-stripping lather which helps to unclog hair follicles while banishing dirt, oils, silicones and things left behind from heavy product buildup. The idea behind this is that there's like a polypeptide chain which you find in the innermost layers of your hair, which are responsible for the strength of your hair and the elasticity. And these shampoos help kind of repair any damage that's caused by external aggressors, heat tools. And I don't know if the science behind this is rooted in anything, but whatever it does, it makes my hair feel so good. I'm not fussed about hair product at all, like I'll use whatever shampoo I'm given, whatever conditioner, usually a Korean one. But there's something about this K18 that's just so good, that makes it feel like I've had a professional treatment. This makes it feel like I've paid good money to have my hair properly washed."

✓Yay

84%Guru Score

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector

"Olaplex No. 3, which is the one that a lot of people say you should be using because it's the most potent, was never designed as the conditioning treatment that everybody's treating it like. [...] They're assuming that Olaplex is a conditioning treatment that will make hair softer and more manageable, but it's only really meant to change the structure of the hair without any sort of coating. You're not supposed to drench your hair in it, put it in a bun, put it in a hat, then sleep with it. [...] I used to work in a salon and Olaplex was a huge part of our bleaching treatments. Depending on the hair type, we'd be like, we're not going to do your hair unless you allow us to use Olaplex, because it can snap, it can break. It was a system, it was part of a process. When people started using No. 3 on their hair when they didn't even have color in their hair or anything like that, I was confused. Treating it like a leave-in conditioner, I don't think that's really how it goes."

~Mixed

76%Guru Score

Foundation6 reviews

Clarins Double Serum Foundation

"A very expensive mistake right here. I use this product exclusively for a week and my skin got much worse. [...] It has this really interesting dial at the side [...] where you can twist it depending on how much coverage you want, [...] but this makes no difference whatsoever. The same amount comes out every single time. [...] The finish is just the greasiest thing I've ever used. At first it goes on [...] nice but [...] literally less than an hour later, my dry cheeks were oily, looked greasy. [...] After a week straight of using this every single day, [...] I was breaking out like crazy. [...] My skin felt more congested and I was getting those like almost like a rash rashy little spot. [...] I love that idea. Like if they can get the dosage right and actually make that dial work, this could be really, really good. For me, really nice concept, very poor execution, unfortunately."

✕Nay

60%Guru Score

Clio Kill Cover Mesh Glow Cushion Foundation

"She just kind of generally, generally groups all korean cushion foundations in one group together and says, they're crap. They're bullshit."

✕Nay

66%Guru Score

Summer Fridays Sheer Skin Tint

"This is just such a nice sheer tint that just kind of evens out a little bit of rosacea for me. I like that it's very natural. I like how you can still see a bit of redness in my skin."

✓Yay

64%Guru Score

L'Oreal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum

"I've tried better tints, like the Summer Fridays, where this one is really, really nice and really fluidy without that kind of dry powderiness. But maybe that's something you're just going to get because it's makeup. But I like that, for the price and accessibility, I think that's pretty good."

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation

"If it is Il Makiage, allegedly, in my opinion, they kind of pride themselves on matching the perfect shade and having this amazing coverage that of course, everyone's going, oh, it's perfect. But this is just lying. It's lying about the quality of their product, the results of their product. This is false advertising."

✕Nay

56%Guru Score

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation

"I was not impressed with the formulation of this product. It didn't last that long at all. It had zero lasting power and there's no way I can sleep in it and wake up and carry on throughout the day. Basically, it didn't last 24 hours."

✕Nay

71%Guru Score

Balms & Ointments4 reviews

Vaseline Original Healing Jelly

"It's allergy season in the UK, or hay fever, as we call it, and I get it so bad. And one thing I swear by every single year is taking Vaseline. It doesn't have to be a stick, and literally just rubbing it along my eye like that and just leaving it like that. I do that in the evening before bed and in the morning, and it saves my eyes from this."

✓Yay

86%Guru Score

Prequel Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant Cream

"This is the Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant Cream. This is your dermatologist approved and created option. I would say it's not like glamorous, but it's also not sterile and clinical in any way. It's kind of that good in between. [...] It's just incredibly effective, especially if your skin is pissed off, angry, irritated. We have 1% colloidal oatmeal in here. That's [...] a great skin protectant. Helps with itching, irritation, eczema flare-ups. I think this is approved by the eczema society or something. It's great for rosacea, kind of providing this protective barrier and soothing the skin. We have beta glucans and allantoin in here as well to soften the skin, calm irritation, ceramides to help strengthen the skin barrier and support its resilience. And then we have a lipid complex of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, which is basically like the perfect ingredient that is going to mimic your natural barrier. For the price, it's such a bargain."

✓Yay

89%Guru Score

CeraVe Healing Ointment

"I'm slugging tonight so I'm going to use the advanced repair ointment from CeraVe. I will just kind of put this everywhere on my skin depending on how my skin feels at the time, usually this is just like on my drier areas or under the eyes, but I'm also going to put this over the lips as well. You really do need such a thin layer of this stuff. I think people go like ham on this stuff and they just end up going to bed sticky and looking wet. Good old Vaseline will do too, but the CeraVe ointment was on sale so I thought I'd just buy it, why not."

✓Yay

92%Guru Score

Prequel Skin Utility Gel Multi-Purpose Skin Protectant

"I really enjoy this product because I don't want to be going to bed with those heavy slugging petrolatum kind of products, especially with warmer weather coming up. I want to wake up not so greasy and oily because it's going to be hot. I kind of also want those extra added benefits that you get from this product, so not just an emollient kind of layer but skin loving ingredients too. I've only been using this for about two weeks but so far I've used it pretty much every night."

✓Yay

80%Guru Score

Eye Makeup4 reviews

Rodan+Fields Lash Boost

"Lash Boost is a serum that claims to give you longer looking lashes in four weeks. [...] The lawsuits are basically based on the accusation that Lash Boost contained an ingredient called isopropyl cloprostinate, which poses potentially really harmful risks, that the brand failed to adequately disclose. [...] The plaintiffs argue that the ingredient functions like a drug, working very similarly to prescription lash growth serums, and therefore needs to meet the appropriate FDA regulations, which they say it currently does not. [...] Rodan+Fields was deceptive in its marketing of the product, saying it was a cosmetic, and that the company failed to adequately warn consumers of the potential side effects such as eye irritation, eyelid drooping, and even potentially changing the colors of your iris."

✕Nay

45%Guru Score

Glossier Boy Brow

"Products like the Milky Jelly Cleanser, Boy Brow, the Cloud Paint became instant hits upon release, cementing Glossier's reputation as the beauty brand for a new generation of beauty enthusiasts."

✓Yay

82%Guru Score

Urban Decay Naked Palette

"The Naked palettes, right, used to be an icon. I don't know if people use them anymore."

✕Nay

73%Guru Score

Milk Makeup Kush Gel Clear Eyebrow Gel

"I'm going to use the Milk Kush Gel Clear, it's a clear eyebrow gel. It doesn't really do too much for my brows but it definitely keeps them in a little bit of shape. They're so thick that they just kind of do what they want, so it's nice to add a little bit of tidiness to them."

~Mixed

76%Guru Score

Blush & Bronzer3 reviews

e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush

"The Camo Liquid Blush"

✓Yay

81%Guru Score

Rhode Pocket Blush

"Very very clearly not real Road products"

✕Nay

63%Guru Score

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

"Rare Beauty has mastered the art of inclusivity, not just in their messaging, but in their product formulations too. [...] The Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is still taking over TikTok to this day."

✓Yay

76%Guru Score

Tech3 reviews

Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask

"The cost model is really the biggest issue with this mask. You're looking at going from an initial cost of $35 to $200 over one year, which is essentially the cost of an LED mask nowadays. But if you wanted to use this for the rest of your life, that's £200 a year. So many customers were put off by this model. Whether they had had it for a month and had now had to repurchase a new activation device, or just at first glance they were like, no, I'm not going to do that. People seeing it really as an unnecessary expense and outright greed, honestly, from Neutrogena. And to be clear, the activators aren't a necessary part of the design for the technology to actually work. It's not like something in the mask was wearing out or being used up. The LEDs weren't dimming and you needed that device to revamp it. It was just Neutrogena's way of forcing the customers into what was essentially a subscription model so they could continue to squeeze more and more money out of their customers. Neutrogena could have just made a good product and sold it at a one-off price, but they chose not to. And a lot of customers were rightfully not really happy with this. Looking back at it now, the device was definitely worth about $30. It wasn't that nice to look at. It was flimsy. I don't think all the LED lights were really there. It didn't have the power that LED masks have nowadays. I do think they were clever because I don't think people would have paid over $100 for something like this, which was relatively new at the time. But it was a bit scammy. Some people were so unhappy about this that people were working out how to hack their face masks so that they could use them without having to continuously buy the new activation devices."

✕Nay

68%Guru Score

CurrentBody Skin LED Hair Growth Helmet

"I love LED therapy, and just look at the proof: these are all before and afters showing consistent use of the CurrentBody Skin LED Hair Growth Helmet. What you're seeing here is thicker looking hair, less visible thinning, and fuller coverage, which is exactly what this device is designed to target. [...] A lot of hair growth products we see nowadays, serums, oils, shampoos, [...] mostly work on the surface of the scalp. [...] They can do some nice things, condition the hair, improve shine, sometimes support scalp health, but they don't actually reach the place where the hair growth starts, which is inside the follicle. That's where devices like this come in. The CurrentBody Skin LED Hair Growth Helmet uses red light wavelengths between 620 and 660 nanometers, which are the ranges most commonly studied for hair growth support. That light penetrates deeper into the scalp and stimulates the cells."

✓Yay

83%Guru Score

Qure Micro Infusion System

"Qure's Micro Infusion System is everything I thought dermarolling was but isn't. It's safer, it's smarter, and so much more effective because it actually works the way it's supposed to. I've been using it for over a year now, and I've seen measurable improvements, smoother texture, plumper skin, and just a nicer tone to my skin as well. I know what products are going to plump my skin, what's going to add hydration and even out my skin tone, but using this once every two weeks, you can just see the difference that this system can make. I know the word needles might scare some people, but it's really not scary, it doesn't hurt, it feels more like tiny static on the skin. You take the device, fill it up with your serum, use one of the sanitary disposable heads, and follow a very precise routine of stamping the product over your skin. It takes about five minutes to do, it's really easy, and your face gets pretty red, but that disappears really quickly and the next day you're left glowing. It's not just product sat on the skin. It basically uses twenty four karat gold plated microneedles to deliver the serum you pour in directly into the skin for better absorption."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Concealer2 reviews

Kosas Revealer Concealer

"Kosas best selling Revealer Concealer [...] came under fire for growing mold and smelling like crusty feet, according to some. In response to the allegations, the brand directed customers and members of the press to a product FAQ section of its website, saying on social media, 'We use safe effective preservatives and antimicrobial stabilizers which prevent against mold, yeast and percentage and pathogens.' This is a very good example of an expensive product that went moldy very quickly because of its chosen preservative system."

✕Nay

74%Guru Score

Tirtir Glide & Hide Blurring Concealer

"TirTir sent me their new Glide and Hide concealer. One side is a creamy concealer I like to use on my drier cheeks, and it does a really good job, and the other side is a liquid concealer for under the eyes. It conceals my redness and dark circles a fair bit, and because my skin is drier from using tret right now, I'm impressed it doesn't cling to every bit of texture. It does oxidize a little, so I go slightly more pale. I like it a lot, I think that's my color."

✓Yay

Notverified

Powder & Setting2 reviews

e.l.f. Power Grip Primer

"The Power Grip Primer is considered a dupe of Milk's Primer."

✓Yay

67%Guru Score

e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer

"The Poreless Putty Primer is considered a dupe of Tatcha's Silk Canvas."

✓Yay

79%Guru Score

Fragrance1 review

Glossier You Eau de Parfum

"Their perfumes are nice. I quite like them. [...] I really like this purple one. I love this one. It's really, really nice."

✓Yay

85%Guru Score

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