Every day, women are subjected to hundreds of must-have new skincare products on their social media feeds.
And while many are happy to stick with their favourite budget moisturisers, others fork out hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars to ensure their skin is at its absolute best.
But, as a new trial has found, a higher price tag doesn’t always guarantee the best result.
While many women are happy to stick with their favourite budget moisturisers, others fork out hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars to ensure their skin is at its absolute best
Australian consumer watchdog, CHOICE, recently put 13 popular moisturiser brands to the test ranging from $11 to $242 to prove that ‘high-end’ products aren’t always so different from pharmacy versions
Popular brand Estee Lauder came out on top, with their Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Creme ranking first with a score of 66 per cent
Australian consumer watchdog, CHOICE, recently put 13 popular moisturiser brands to the test, ranging from $11 to $242, to prove that ‘high-end’ products aren’t always better than pharmacy brands.
The products were tested on women with normal/healthy skin, smokers and non-smokers, aged between 25 and 66 years with skin type ‘normal to dry’.
Popular brand Estee Lauder came out on top, with their Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Creme ranking first with a score of 66 per cent.
On the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive moisturiser, the $242 La Mer The Moisturizing Gel Cream, came in last with a 53 per cent score
The $70 Clarins Hydraquench Cream Gel and the $58 Biotherm Aquasource Gel followed
The $75 pot moisturiser scored 70 per cent for hydration, 60 per cent for ‘moisturising feeling’ and 66 per cent for smoothness.
Following closely behind, also with 66 per cent was the $42 Avene Hydrance Optimale Legre – the tube moisturiser scoring the same in hydration, more in moisturising feeling and slightly less in the smoothness category.
The $70 Clarins Hydraquench Cream Gel and the $58 Biotherm Aquasource Gel followed, before the affordable $30 Olay Aquaction Long Lasting Hydration Gel swooped in at 5th place.
Surprisingly, the $28 Bodyshop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet and the $24 L’Oreal Hydrafresh Genius Multi-Active Genius Cream also made the top 10 with 63 and 62 per cent respectively.
The cheapest moisturiser tested, the $11 Nivea Aqua Sensation Invigorating Day Cream, came in at 8th place with an impressive 62 per cent score – it had the highest smoothness score by a mile
The cheapest moisturiser tested, the $11 Nivea Aqua Sensation Invigorating Day Cream, came in at 8th place with an impressive 62 per cent score and a staggering 82 per cent smoothness score – the highest of the bunch.
On the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive moisturiser, the $242 La Mer The Moisturizing Gel Cream, came in last with a 53 per cent score.
Despite this, the cream is one of the best selling moisturisers on the market, with many women finding it great for oily skin types and reporting a ‘light weight’ feel.
The 13 brands chosen were the ones CHOICE deemed the most popular/common in Australia
The 13 brands chosen were the ones CHOICE deemed the most popular/common in Australia.
‘How do we know what’s in retailers? We check current market figures to see what’s selling well – typically this means all the big brands in Australian retailers and online. We’ll also include models that you’ve requested – if a lot of members want it, we’ll test it,’ CHOICE explained.
‘When we know what you want, our buyers go out and use your member fees to buy the moisturisers from a variety of retailers, then bring them in as is – this means we get what you get so we can be sure the results are what you’ll find rather than potentially “tweaked”.’
Surprisingly, the $28 Bodyshop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet and the $24 L’Oreal Hydrafresh Genius Multi-Active Genius Cream also made the top 10 with 63 and 62 per cent respectively
After the findings were announced, many women took to Facebook to share their own favourite products – many finding the ‘simpler the better’.
‘I use Sorbolene cream with vitamin E I have done so ever since and I’m looking pretty good,’ one woman wrote.
‘A plastic surgeon/skin specialist told me sorbolene is the only thing skin will actually “drink”. Nothing else goes through the layers quite like it and all these exxy ones are a complete waste of money,’ another wrote.
Another added: ‘I love Clinique and wouldn’t use anything else. I buy a 125ml bottle which is $49.’
Other brands mentioned were Avene, QV face calming moisturisers, Nivea, Redkin and plain old argan oil.