r/EliteSkincare

Is there a brand where you fell in love with a product but each subsequent try from their line fell flat for you? A few come to mind for me:

Le Prunier - the plum oil is truly fantastic, but everything I've tried after - with the exception of the body cream, which I like but wouldn't repurchase at full price; it's often on GMA Deals so I can get it there if I want in the future - has been kind of a dud. The Plumtox mask irritated my face and didn't do anything of value, the Plumscreen spf pilled horribly (but the texture and scent were divine), and the new Plumcleanse has one of the worst smells I've ever encountered, like they put their plum oil in a blender with a ton of alfalfa. It's also weirdly harsh despite being formulated to be the opposite?

Holifrog - I was really into the Tashmoo Milky Cleanser for a while but the other cleansers and the glycolic were big no's for me. Turned me off from trying anything else from the line and eventually I stopped replacing the cleanser.

MARA - It took me a minute to adjust to the texture but I really love their universal face oil (it's a bit thick/syrupy but does absorb well once massaged in). Very nourishing, particularly on a morning when I wake up with dry skin. I'd repurchase it. Everything else has been a big meh for me. The cult favorite exfoliating cleanser was a miss for me, the retinol oil strangely caused me irritation no matter how much or little I used, and the vitamin C sea serum oil - allegedly mega soothing and effective - made my rosacea pop out almost every time I used it.

I'm always curious about holy grail items people have - but especially looking at the cheapest and most expensive items. Cheapest - bc I can't believe something else hasn't knocked it off a HG status. Most expensive - bc I know it takes a lot for someone to continue to purchase something that price. Both are real signals IMHO that these products are special.

• Cheapest - CeraVe Acne Foaming cleanser w/ 4% benzoyl peroxide (about $13 on amazon). Nothing has controlled my inflammatory acne better than this wash. I let it sit for 60-90 seconds and then rinse. At first, I was using it every other morning. Then every morning. Now I'm using it every AM and most PMs as well. As my skin has acclimated to more usage, it's stayed clearer and even addressed some redness from low-level acne. I've probably purchased hundreds of tubes of this. PRO TIP! If you use this under your arms, it will reduce or even eliminate your need to use any deoderant!
• Most Expensive - SkinMedica TNS (I've used the buy 2 get 1 free from Dermavenue, which brings it a hair under $200/bottle). I started using it last year, and was holding my breath that it wouldn't break me out bc of the microalgae it contains. But it didn't, and relatively quickly (4 weeks-ish) I started seeing a subtle firming to the skin. I wasn't expecting that tbh. I've alreadly eliminated fine lines/wrinkles w/ the rest of my routine, so firming/plumping is about all that's left. I was so shocked I started looking for what clinical evidence it has. It's got a 12-week vehicle-controlled study, showing statistically significant improvements vs. placebo in fine/coarse wrinkles and sagging. Not tretinoin level evidence (nothing is), but the strongest evidence I've seen in the growth factor category. I took advantage of a sale in April and purchased enough to get me through the summer heat (I'm paranoid about shipping sensitive products during hot weather).

I'm curious if there are any random brands that show up on social media that pique your interest?

For example, I'm always juuuuust about to hit purchase on the Circa 1970 oil (it's a touch too expensive given that I get all of its ingredients in other products I use).

I've also been inundated recently with Sweetwater Labs, which seems to be a "clean, organic" brand with very affordable oils (their rose face oil has been celebrated in O Magazine a few times). I have a fantasy of finding nonluxury (read: cheap) products that my skin adores so I did find myself looking through their website for a touch too long...

Curious if anyone regularly uses a lesser known brand and wants to shout it out? From drugstore to ultra luxe, tell me your unsung hero products, what they do, and why you love them?

I’d love to hear your favorite skincare products and if there is an ingredient combo you wish existed but doesn’t. I’m still searching for a great morning calming pad to prep my skin for vitamin C.