The six budget skincare products our experts buy on repeat

Telegraph

19-07-2025

There are some beauty products that warrant a more expensive price tag; certain serums and luxury make-up that have real dressing table appeal. But then again, there are some brilliantly affordable products that perform so well there's no need to pay more than £15. Here are the high street skincare products our beauty and fashion team buy on repeat.
Cicaplast Balm B5 Multi-Purpose Repairing Balm 40ml, £11, La Roche-Posay on Cult Beauty
I was first introduced to this moisturiser around nine years ago, when I had my first son. I was looking for an alternative nappy cream to the default option at the time: Sudocrem, the bright, white paste that came in a hefty grey plastic tub. I found the formula too greasy and gloopy.
Cicaplast Baume B5, I was told by a few friends, was the alternative choice. A popular product in French pharmacies – but pleasingly also available at Boots – it came in an easy-to-dispense tube, was fragrance-free and felt like a luxury moisturiser. I was sold, and have been using it ever since.
It's packed with soothing ingredients like panthenol and vitamin B5 and is one of those all-purpose creams that can be used by the whole family. When my middle child had a little patch of mild eczema on his cheeks as a toddler, this was the only cream that helped. More recently, I've used it on my own face if I've spent a bit too much time in the sun or if I've used too strong a skincare product. I slap a dollop of this on my face and all is well by the morning.
For me, this is the sort of cream that belongs in a first aid kit at home. I'll always have a tube of Cicaplast to hand.
Gentle skin cleanser, £17, Cetaphil from Boots
Moons ago when I first began writing about beauty, New York dermatologists were recommending this humble cleanser to mortals like me looking for inexpensive skincare that doesn't strip the skin. Two decades ago that wasn't as easy as it is now, thanks to brands like The Ordinary that made affordable unsexy skincare cool and credible.
Originally developed in 1947 by a Texan pharmacist for customers with sensitive skin, Cetaphil is a soap-free, non-comedogenic (meaning it won't block your pores) range that works as well on my dry 51-year-old skin as it does on my daughter's blemish-prone complexion. Though these days the brand is available in the UK, I still miss the thrill of bringing bottles back home in my suitcase from the US.
As the name suggests, you can expect a gentle foaming cleanser containing panthenol, niacinamide and glycerine to cleanse and hydrate without the tight skin feeling. A little goes a long way but when I do run out I order their roomy (710ml) refill pouch.
Facial Superfood Oil by Q&A, £8.50, Sephora
If you enjoy using oils as part of your skincare routine, especially massage, you'll know they can get pricy. Mature skins especially, tend to soak up the oils, and the afterglow you can achieve through a combination of gua sha and the right oil becomes addictive.
I try to massage my skin at least once a day, either using a gua sha jade stone (I love Hayou's upgraded gua sha tool with its serrated edge on one edge, which really allows you to get into fine lines, stimulating the skin's own collagen production and a curved edge for sculpting cheekbones) or my hands. With consistent use, the reduction in lines and depuffing (which results in a more 'snatched' look) can be remarkable.
As prep, I like first to apply a serum containing actives. DoSe has hyaluronic acid, squalane and ergothioneine, which protects against oxidative stress and pollution, with antioxidant properties that help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It's a competitive £30 and lasts around six months.
On top comes an oil. Even if you follow a gua sha practice primarily to decongest your skin and treat spots, you should never attempt any massage without using oils or you'll find you're pulling and dragging your skin. You need enough decent glide, but not so much that you can't get a grip on the skin.
Q+As superfood facial oil is an excellent weight for massage – nourishing but not too thick. It contains Vitamins A, C, E and F – lots of lovely fatty acids to plump and feed skin, at an excellent value for money price that means you can use it as liberally as needed. You could pop a moisturiser on top, but it's not mandatory.
Hydrating Moisturiser by CeraVe, £12.37, Boots
When I took the prescription retinoid drug Roaccutane to treat my adult acne, I was delighted with the skin-clearing effects. However, around three years after completing a course, I noticed that my breakouts were creeping back. I was disappointed and considering going back on the medication for a second course – until I started using CeraVe's Facial Moisturising Lotion (along with the brand's Hydrating Cleanser) exclusively about a year ago.
Within a few weeks, my skin cleared up and (touch wood) it's stayed clear since, with just the odd pimple to deal with every now and then. The moisturiser itself feels light and is non-comedogenic, but having niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and ceramides in there seems to be the key, for me, to achieving enough hydration without disrupting the delicate oil balance. I think it's all about finding what works for your skin and given that you can pick this up for as little as £13, it's definitely worth a try.
Water Boost Micellar Facial Gel Wash, £2.47, Superdrug
I've never been one to overcomplicate my skincare, I've stuck to the same routine for 10 years. From a young age I would see my mother, who has enviable skin, use just a bar of Dove soap. I've followed the same simple ideology. As someone with sensitive skin, I have three pillars that make a holy grail skincare product. It must be gentle, perfume-free and very hydrating.
In the mornings I'll use Simple's Water Boost Micellar Facial Gel Wash to prep my face for skincare and make-up. In the evenings, I'll use the brand's Protect 'n' Glow Express Glow Clay Polish to help remove any make-up residue. This is perfect to use after a day of running around the city, and I love how I can buy both products for under a fiver.
Hydrating Cleanser by CeraVe, £12.50, Cult Beauty
I struggled with acne for years and it wasn't until I consulted dermatologist Dr Ophelia Veraitch that I cleared up my skin. My serums are personalised with minimal but active ingredients and I rely on slightly pricier products like Skinceuticals sunscreen and Ilia Base Face Milk which don't clog my pores.
However, for a cleanser, Dr Ophelia recommended CeraVe's Hydrating Facial Cleanser, which comes in at £12.50. I use it twice a day, in the shower in the morning and between my make up remover and night serum in the evening, making sure my skin is damp before I apply.
If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin I highly recommend checking to see if products are non-comedogenic before buying, which has saved me a lot of money and grief over the years. CeraVe's cleanser is gentle, hydrating and works with the other actives in my serums which means I'm not stripping away my skin barrier. It's available in big supermarkets and lasts for at least 6 months, bringing the cost per use to less than 3p – bargain!