Why Go High-End With Skincare?
In a world filled with so many skincare options, it’s hard to know what you’re getting for your money when it comes to drugstore vs high end skincare. The media doesn’t help either! One minute beauty gurus will rave about luxurious skincare products, the next they’ll be bragging about their latest drugstore haul, claiming it’s better (and cheaper), than its high-end counterpart. Many would argue however, that just because a skincare product is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s better, and rightly so. However, when it comes to the question: “Is high-end skincare better?”, more often than not, you indeed get what you pay for. We take a closer look at why this is the case below.
Drugstore Vs High-End Skincare
Aside from having well-designed packaging and looking aesthetically pleasing on our vanities, what are you actually getting for your money when you buy high-end vs drugstore skincare? Are you really getting quality ingredients that are better for your skin? Are the formulations really more sophisticated and effective in tackling your skin concerns?
The Real Deal
In reality, much of what makes a quality product comes down to how it is developed and how the ingredients are sourced. With this in mind, it is safe to say that high-end skincare brands tend to have the upper hand when it comes to sourcing pure and sustainably sourced ingredients. While an active ingredient might remain the same no matter how affordable or expensive the product, the way these ingredients are sourced will be quite different. For example, most drugstore brands will have access to tea tree extract since it is a very common ingredient that you will likely see anywhere, however, how this ingredient is sourced for a drugstore product will likely be very different from a more high-end skincare brand. This in turn, could impact the quality of the end product greatly.
Another great example is the use of tomatoes in skincare. Lately, tomatoes have grown in popularity due to their anti-ageing benefits and as a natural source of vitamin C that can make your skin glow. They are now being added to skincare products left, right and centre and are becoming well-loved by a lot of skincare users. While tomatoes are very common and can literally be found at pretty much any grocer, luxury brands are investing significantly in producing tomatoes that are of higher nutritional value and with less environmental impact.
Are Luxury Skincare Products Better Than Drugstore?
Luxury brands also have the capacity to undertake extensive research when it comes to their formulations. Not all drugstore brands will make the same kind of investments to test which ingredients are best combined for the most multifunctional and effective formulation possible. Factors like the stability of the formulation and the efficacy of an ingredient also often rely on the raw materials that are developed and formulated using specialised equipment, in which, drugstore brands don’t always prioritise in the development process.
So, is high-end skincare better than drugstore skincare? Not all the time, but in most cases, yes. High-end skincare brands truly take into consideration their product’s efficacy in different ways and take care to produce and source quality ingredients. They often put their products under rigorous clinical testing and constantly invest in innovation that enables them to produce the high-quality skincare we enjoy today. Despite often requiring a higher investment, you are bound to get what you pay for.
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