Is there any difference between cheap and expensive cosmetics? What do you spend more money on? What basic brands are better than anything else?

[LaviniaLee]

Are more expensive cosmetics (e.g. shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, makeup) worth the extra money, do you think?

I often wonder how much of it is about branding, and whether there is not much difference between cheap and expensive stuff. Maybe it's made in the same factories with the same ingredients? Is E45 moisturising cream as good as anything else?

I tend to buy standard brands and I like them. However,I do pay for expensive mascara (because it's the only one I can find that doesn't smudge and washes off easily), and primer.

I have bought a few high-end leave-in conditioners from the hairdresser (thinking it will address all my frizz problems ), but I'm not sure if they make much difference.

If you think expensive brands are better for some things, what are they?

If you think a cheap standard brand is the best thing around, what is it?

I think there used to be a huge difference but not now,the high street has really upped its game. Best on the high street imo is Maybelline and Bourjois.

Higher end stuff , I always buy Estée Lauder DW as nothing compares and I also love Aesop products,the geranium leaf scrub is just fantastic.

I won't buy super high end stuff as I think most of it is just marketing and I don't want to pay for advertising and I can think of better things to spend money on.

I think expensive eyeshadows have more pigmentation and don’t need primer underneath.

Foundation can sometimes be because of the shade range however I believe L’Oreal True Match has an extensive shade collection.

For frizz,L'Oréal extra ordinary hair oil is fab.

The original thick Nivea in the blue tub seems to do exactly the same as Crème de La Mer.

Interesting question. For skin, I don't know the answer. I've been rigidly middle of the road for decades. I've never bought anything more expensive than Clinique but rarely buy anything significantly cheaper than Clinique. Except Nivea. The Crème de La Mer was a present. Although I would say I haven't noticed cheaper stuff being worse than Clinique.

Hair, I think Kerastase does seem to make my hair look nicer.

I use expensive skincare because it’s nice to use and a motivator for me to actually stick to a skincare routine.

I highly doubt it’s materially more effective than inexpensive alternatives.

I think it totally depends on the product and on your skin / hair. For me better hair care is essential as otherwise is a disaster / hard to style / look after. Some skin care I can go cheap - cerave is an excellent brand IMO, as is nip and fab. Makeup I like a mix - high end for base (Ilia, Chanel, Laura m) and eyeliner (VB!) but I’m happy with cheap mascara as my lashes are naturally long and thick.

It depends on ingredients and what your own needs are. Price alone isn't indicative.

I find cetaphil and cerave better than any high end cleansers and moisturisers I’ve tried, primer wise I don’t think there’s much high street out there for older skin- I use Aimee Connolly/clarins/Lancôme.

Same with bb cream, I don’t think it compares and I use clarins or Clinique or Estée Lauder, none of the everyday brands do it for me (I’ve tried most!).

Can’t afford expensive shampoo and conditioner but I think you see the difference between people using more expensive ones.

my go to concealer is Nars, used to live for maybelline and rimmel but find them drying now.
best mascara I find is Roche posay (really sensitive eyes, by the way Bobbi brown, maybelline and mac mascaras and eyeshadows have given me really bad skin irritations!)

any shower gels I’ve ever used that are expensive were better than cheap but again can’t afford so am reliant on getting for presents!!! Am 43 by the way!

I don't think the price reflects how much better a product is.
It's also hard to quantify 'better' with cosmetics. If I've tried more expensive cosmetics I've not been blown away by their ability to do the job. Eg my £££ foundation doesn't make my skin look 3x as good as my £ one, nor does it stay on longer. Cheaper products can be just as cruelty free as the more expensive ones. So there's no gain there necessarily.
I'm very reluctant to try the expensive products these days.

Oh and ELF is a very good budget brand.

It depends on the products. For example, retinol at a particular percentage is the same regardless of the brand, however, Sunday Riley will have a lot more ingredients to compliment the retinol so the overall effect is better than, say, The Ordinary retinol and squalene. I’ve used both products and there was a clear difference for me that was big enough to force me to switch despite the SR price tag.

I don’t believe in spending a ton on products that you wash off such as face wash and cleansing balms or on night creams (anything with ceramides will be good enough) but I do spend a lot on active ingredients.

Whether you need to spend a lot on hair products I think depends on your hair type. Curly hair tends to benefit more from the fancy stuff as it’s more demanding and the ingredients tend to better thought out.

With make-up, I spend a lot on foundation (Mac) and eyeliner (Too Faced), everything else is Rimmel or Maybelline and works perfectly fine!

My list of expensive things that are worth it
Sunday Riley - CEO rich moisturiser (has Vit C), Good Genes, A+, ICE ceramide night cream.
Paula’s Choice - 20% niacinamide, Vit C serum, face wash and BHA
Dermatica - tretinoin (prescription) and 20% Azelaic acid (not prescription)
Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser
The Body Shop - banana shampoo and conditioner
Molton Brown shower gel (lasts 3x as long as standard stuff so not as expensive as you might think in the long run)

For skincare, absolutely not. If you look at the INCI list, the majority of products have the same cheap, plentiful ingredients. Moisturizers will have glycerine, hyaluronic acid etc. Cheap and the main ingredients in the cream that costs £4 as well as the one that comes in a pretty box and jar, smells beautiful and has a model advertising it. People go on (and on) about Advanced Night Repair and how it's "Botox in a bottle". There's nothing in ANR other than nice humectants. It will smooth fine lines, like the Superdrug £4 one will. People will say "I've used it for 20 years and have great skin for my age" and yes, they probably do. So would the person using the £4 one all other things (no smoking, good diet, sunscreen) being equal.

For makeup it's more subjective. Pigments as above can be different. What's interesting to look out for though is when gamechanging products made under one name filter down to the high street.

I'd spend money on:

Foundation
Toothpaste
Hair treatments
Face moisturiser

I've found no difference between expensive and cheap:

Shower gel/cream
Lip products(balm, lipstick)
Body lotion
Shave gel

Also, watched an interesting interview with a dermatologist a while back- it's just not possible for any cleanser to do anything other than take your make up and daily dirt off. No matter the ingredients. If you left it on your face for 5 hours, possibly. But otherwise,nope. She uses the Superdrug vitamin E one. She also said that as a rule of thumb, when looking at ingredients, you don't need to look beyond the first 5 as they're the only ones (and as some of them will be the "holding base" of the product , not even necessarily all 5) that can really be marketed as having any kind of effect.

I don't think there's much difference once you get to mid range stuff to be honest. There is a lot of marketing.

The most expensive thing I buy is a MAC foundation because I have tried a lot and find this one actually does last all day and suits my skin.

I buy Simple moisturiser which you can get at a supermarket and have tried clinique etc and not found anything significantly better.

Unless you want specific fancy ingredients for a specific reason, I don't think it's necessary. If you have problematic skin then see a dermatologist - no point pumping loads of money into products where the average person doesn't even understand the ingredients.

I think more expensive foundation and concealer are worth it. Other makeup items can be bought at more affordable prices. I have more high end products but I almost always get mascara from the high street.

I have quite sensitive skin and find many cheaper brands aggravate it, but then so do expensive brands with lots of actives. I tend to use Dr Jart Ceramidin which is mid priced (should probably sell my Augustinus Bader stuff).

I think when it comes to makeup you seem to get better pigment with the more expensive ones than with high street brand which stay put for longer.

With skincare I would spend money on higher quality serums but moisturizer and cleanser I use cheaper brands.

That's interesting.

I use a Roche Posay cleanser - I've had some cheaper ones which have irritated my skin and given me spots/ a rash etc.

I suppose I don't expect a cleanser to do anything good, but just don't want it to be actually irritating, which some of them seem to be if you have sensitive skin. Even the Simple/ Nivea etc cleansers irritate my face, although the moisturiser is fine.

I guess we each just experiment and find what works for us.

When i was young i used whatever Boots stocked for hair and skin, and never their fancier stuff either, I loved the long lasting scent of herbal essences and being harassed by bees mistaking me for a flower. As I got older my skin and hair needed something else. I was lost and wasn't thinking there were other levels, more expensive options, i just figured it was just ageing. Then one friend gave me an expensive balm cleanser, another took me to aveda, etc., and that started me off on a journey trying more expensive things. They are actual luxuries, and i treasure them. I still use Nivea blue tub on my face, Nivea for my body, carmex on my lips and some The Ordinary, but otherwise it's Eve Lom, Estee Lauder, Aveda. There are much, much higher levels of skin care but this was a big leap for me. I wasn't seeking to spend more or throw away money, i was just looking for happier skin and hair.

I agree that expensive make up usually has better pigmentation. I used a cheap no7 eye shadow and it was crap compared to Lancome or EL etc.

Moisturisers I find Olay and Body Shop as good if not better than expensive face creams. Other than EL Advanced Night Repair which is one of a kind imo.

I think there are some skin care products that's just FEEL nicer on your skin that cheap ones.
I have in recent months tried to minimise the cost of my skin care, (Elemis/Rodial/Augustinus Bader/Dr Sturm to La Roche Posay and the inkey list) and I actually don't think it's hurt the overall appearance of my skin.
Doing my skincare doesn't feel as luxurious though.
Hair wise, I'm Kerastase or nothing when it comes to shampoo and conditioner, not so fussed about heat protectants.

I do find myself looking more and more at TikTok's showing dupes of certain products and then looking at the cheaper options

One thing I definitely thing is better is shampoo and conditioner.

I use redken yes it's expensive but I seem to only have to wash my hair twice a week now and you only need a tiny bit of product! My hair seems so much healthier compared to every other highstreet product I have tried. Also when you have coloured hair it's expensive to have it done so I feel like then using cheap products isn't as effective

I was unwell recently and my skin broke out, It’s oily and prone to spots despite my advanced age. I resolved to use products I have already but with strict regularity. I never used to do a proper cleanse in the morning, just at night, for instance.

The difference is really remarkable. Double cleanse morning and night, face mask every night in the bath, 10 mins. Serum and night cream after. None of my products are high end. Most expensive is £30 night cream, on sale for £20.

I hope I’m right, and that a regular routine can make a difference regardless of products?

I think there's definitely less of a gap these days. Some of it depends in your specific needs tough. I don't heave sensitive skin or hair that needs anything in particular (other than a bloody good cut!).

For skincare, I tend to go for high st mid-range high brands (mostly no 7). For make-up, I use a real mismatch. I used to be a die-hard high-end devotee, but I've noticed a real decline in quality over the years (mascara in particular and WTF happened to touch eclait? ) and tend to go for Clinique and Kiko these days.