We have all seen the big red ribbon sticker on photos of beauty products touting the “Allure Winner” phrase. This may have influenced you in the past to purchase some of your fave skincare and beauty, but it can also lean you in the wrong direction too. So, I went through all 41 of their Best Skincare 2020 article and chose my top 10 worst from that list.
Thayers Rose Petal Facial Toner, $11
Here we meet again witch hazel. I don’t honestly believe witch hazel is the devil. I know you may not believe me if you saw my Fenty Skin review. Although it is one of those ingredients that give immediate, mattifying results, it can be too harsh for sensitive skin. It is widely known as a more beginner skincare product and we need to level up together!
Instead, try using the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner, for extra hydration and soothing qualities. If you are wanting a more cleansing option, choose the Herbal Dynamics Clean & Calm Cucumber and Blue Lotus Micellar Water.
Neutrogena Soothing Clear Turmeric Mist, $7
I love a good facial mist, but so many of them have such poor ingredients. With this one, you would do better misting water on your face instead! It lists turmeric as one of the last ingredients meaning you most likely won‘t show any benefits from turmeric. With the added fragrance and dyes, I would definitely skip this.
Instead, try one of my favorites: the Florence by mills Zero Chill Face Mist. I love the fruit and plant extracts in this one!
Skinbetter Science Alto Defense Serum, $150
Being a frequent winner of the Allure best of beauty, this serum peaked my curiosity. It is definitely a pricey serum, so what makes it worth $150? I dove into the ingredients and definitely was pleased with the inclusion of plant extracts, ceramides and peptides as well as other hydrating ingredients. But, if you’re like me, it can be hard to dish out over $100 on just a serum. This isn’t a bad product, but I believe it can be duped to save some money for other skincare products in your routine.
A cheaper alternative would be the Paula’s Choice Super Antioxidant Serum. It is chocked full of antioxidants and similar ingredients. This serum is definitely comparable to the Skinbetter one, for over $100 less.
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 10% Pure Glycolic Acid, $30
Being a “pure” glycolic acid serum, it does have a nice, short ingredient list. However, that list includes denatured alcohol. There are good and bad alcohols in skincare, and denatured alcohol is one of those that I recommend avoiding. If a product has 30 ingredients and one is alcohol, you may not notice negative effects right away. However, with less than 15 ingredients I would be concerned about it causing sensitivity, dryness, and irritation.
An even cheaper option would be The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner. This contains 7% AHA to exfoliate and reveal brighter skin. It is also a potent, straightforward formula but doesn’t have drying alcohols that can make incorporating an acid into your routine even more difficult.
Roc Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $25
This is one of those anti-aging imposter products that I discussed in a blog post before. For the price, this won’t work much better than a $5 eye cream would. In fact, it may be less hydrating! Retinol is one the last ingredients and is listed after the preservatives (which are parabens in this case), meaning there is barely any retinol in this product. Being that it uses retinol in the name, they are most likely using it as a reason to justify the price. Definitely not worth it!
For a better anti-aging eye cream option, go with the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask. It is a bit pricier, but has waaaay better ingredients to fight anti-aging and hydrate even the most sensitive skin.
L’Oréal Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Manuka Honey Eye Gel, $20
Manuka honey has so many skin benefits from hydrating to anti-inflammatory, so I was excited to check this product out. Unfortunately, this also has dentured alcohol as its 4th ingredient! There are a few other good ingredients, but at less than 1% volume in the product. I would be worried this could be drying and irritating for many people. I did confirm that issue in the reviews of this product…
A better, also affordable alternative would be The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream. This will also help de-puff and combat dark circles with the use of caffeine and peptides.
Tula Exfoliating Sugar Scrub, $32
I recently talked about this product in my skincare anti-haul. Two words: Sugar Scrub. I know we all enjoy the feeling of scrubbing our face, but it is time to move on and be less harsh. I always talk about using chemical exfoliants like AHAs and BHAs, but there are still some physical exfoliants that work great!
My recent favorite is the Good Molecules Pineapple Exfoliating Powder. This uses rice powder and fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate. It also has calamine to effectively soothe and protect the skin’s barrier.
Mary Kay TimeWise Repair Lifting Bio-Cellulose Mask, $70 (4 pk)
I was super surprised to see this on the Allure winner’s list. Do people still use Mary Kay? I am not hatin’…just askin. This is a very pricey sheet mask set. I think that masks are one of those products that are okay to splurge on because they last awhile, which is why I typically recommend rinse off masks instead of disposable sheet versions. Mary Kay also doesn’t disclose the ingredient list!! They do say the spotlight ingredients are oat kernel, sodium hyaluronate, and orchid extract which definitely don’t justify the price.
Good sheet masks are sometimes hard to come by, but I recently came across the Loops Beauty Sheet Masks. These have phenomenal reviews, good ingredients and adorable packaging.
No. 7 CICA rescue skin paste, $12
I was intrigued by the name of this product originally. What does paste mean? You apply the paste and let sit, then rub into the skin to soothe overnight. The ingredient that is the highlight of this product is Centella Asiatica. This is a century old ingredient highly touted to calm and soothe! However, this is one of the last ingredients in this product! If a product is highlighting an ingredient and its abilities, it shouldn’t be at less than 1% in the formula. I also was not impressed by the rest of the formula, honestly.
If you are interested in the star ingredient, choose the Dr. Jart Cica line. They currently have a Cica Rescue Kit, that includes two creams, a mist and serum.
Philosophy Microdelivery Dream Peel Overnight Face Mask, $60
I almost didn’t include this in the list because I was entranced by the 6% AHA and BHA blend. Upon further inspection, though, it contains witch hazel AND alcohol. I think that this formula could definitely be irritating and drying to many skin types due to the potency of the chemical exfoliants. You always want to be careful with peel products like this to make sure it doesn’t cause unnecessary sensitivity or irritation.
A better overnight option would be the Derma E Overnight Peel. It has similar potency, a 5% AHA blend. There are also plenty of soothing ingredients to calm while it exfoliates dead skin. Added plus- it’s a vegan formula!
Overall, I was pretty happy with most of the Allure Best of Skincare winners this year. If you are more convinced to buy a product because of the little red ribbon, then I say go for it. Maybe skip on a few of them, though…
Comment below your thoughts on these products! Have you purchased any Allure Best of Beauty before?
*disclaimer: this blog is all in good fun and published with the intent of educational purposes. In no way am I sending any hate to Allure, or Allure best of beauty articles. My opinions are being expressed on the specific products and not the brands as a whole.*
Really enjoyed how you set this up with an alternative!
Glad you enjoyed the blog set up! Thanks for reading 🙂