The 28 Skincare Products We Rely On Over And Over Again

Stock up on the skincare staples everyone should use, from vitamin C, retinol, and hyaluronic acid.

We all want to get the most out of our skincare routines, that’s a fact. But getting the most mileage out of your skincare cocktail requires targeting your very individual and specific needs. Unfortunately, no single product works for everyone under the sun. But the good news? There are quite a few products that skincare aficionados and experts return to time and time again to give the skin a targeted plumping, retexturizing, toning, and brightening.

Skincare is an oh-so expansive space, so understanding what products you should be trying based on ingredients can seem impossible sometimes. Add in the change of seasons to whether or not your skin is dry, combination, acneic, aging, or somewhere in between and narrowing down your search for the product that works for you can feel tedious, perhaps even defeating.

Amid all the new beauty products and skincare formulas that hit the market, there are certain standbys that are in any skincare fanatics medicine cabinet. From the most potent vitamin C’s and reliable anti-aging serums, to at-home chemical peels and retinol creams, and perhaps even a hydrating face mask, there are certain ingredients and formulations that stand the test of time. Below, with the help of NYC-based dermatologist Dr. Lian A. Mack, we’ve broken down the most effective formulas we can’t (or don’t want to!) live without, from the gentlest exfoliant for texture and fine lines to the internet’s favorite hyaluronic acids. Scroll down for the best skincare products (new and classic) that money can buy.

The internet’s favorite exfoliating toner, and for good reason. Aloe vera and glycolic acid gently, symbiotically soothe and exfoliate, revealing brighter, glowing skin. Bonus: it’s good for all skin types.

Best Cleanser
Tata Harper

Purifying Cleanser

Contains salicylic acid
Clears away impurities

An all-natural cleanser featuring 17 high-performance ingredients like pomegranate and papaya enzymes to sweep away surface impurities, dirt, and debris without dehydrating the skin. When you rinse, skin will feel cool and refreshed and the scent is divine.

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Best All-in-One Moisturizer
Drunk Elephant

Protini Polypeptide Cream

  • Suitable for all skin types
  • Boosts skin’s glow

Drunk Elephant’s Protini is like a protein shake for you skin. The blend of actives and peptides work together to improve firmness and elasticity, leaving you with a complexion that is moisturized and strengthened, with signs of sun-damage, lines, and wrinkles diminished.

Best Product With Niacinamide
Naturium

Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%

  • Vegan formula
  • Feels nourishing on skin
Not only is Naturium’s Niacinamide serum formulated with a 12% concentration of the texture minimizing ingredient, but it also boasts 2% zinc to help reduce oil production and congestion. But this isn’t just a serum that purifies the skin, it also has hyaluronic acid as well as vitamin E, to keep the skin barrier moist and youthful-looking and help fade pigmentation. The all-rounder is also made with botanical ingredients, fragrance-free, and pH balanced.
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Best Multi-Tasking Face Mist
Josh Rosebrook

Hydrating Accelerator

  • Addresses several skin concerns
  • Deeply nourishes skin
A moisturizer, toner, and hydrator in a handy spritz format. Aloe and herbal anti-inflammatories calm and relieve redness, while helping the skin reset its ability to heal itself. Use as a booster for other hydrating creams, balms, and serums and you’ll see a major difference.
Best Face Mask
Sisley Paris

Black Rose Cream Mask

  • Boosts skin’s glow
  • Soothing formula
There’s a reason why Hollywood’s biggest beauty pros reach for this when prepping their clients for A-List events. It’s perfect for when you need to look fresh and youthful in a jiffy: swipe on a thick layer and watch all evidence of fatigue vanish in just 15 minutes.
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Best Sunscreen
Supergoop!

Glowscreen Sunscreen SPF 40

  • SPF 40 with nourishing ingredients
  • Absorbs quickly
A good skincare routine isn’t complete without a SPF that protects from UVA/UVB damage—but Supergoop outdid themselves with a formulation that doesn’t just protect your face, it also treats it with hyaluronic acid and B5 (for hydration), sea lavender (anti-oxidant protection) and cocoa peptides (to protect against blue light damage). And the glow it gives? Major.

More: The 20 Best Face Sunscreens to Wear Every Day

Best Clay Mask
Aztec Secret

Indian Healing Clay

  • Minimizes the appearance of pores
  • Noticeable results
A budget-friendly cult favorite, this bentonite clay powder (which can be mixed with water or apple cider vinegar to create a mask) sucks up dirt and oil from your skin, reducing impurities and leaving your face feeling clean and smooth.

More: The Best Clay Face Masks

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Best Acne Treatment

Differin Gel Acne Treatment

  • Noticeable results
  • Addresses multiple concerns
Found in many prescription acne medications, the adapalene in Differin’s gel treatment targets clogged pores and inflammation, and can be used daily without irritation.
Best Mask for Acne-Prone Skin
Renée Rouleau

Rapid Response Detox Masque

  • Cooling feel on skin
  • Soothes and brightens skin

Rouleau’s mask is liquid gold. Smooth it on to remedy anything from pre-menstrual acne to post-party puffiness. The blend of soothing allantoin, hydrating hyaluronic acid, exfoliating BHA, and microbe- and bacteria-busting manuka and tea tree oils makes this one of the most versatile treatments in any beauty lover’s arsenal.

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Best Brightening Mask
May Lindstrom

The Problem Solver

  • Plumps the skin
  • Suitable for sensitive skin
May Lindstrom’s small-batch skincare has a cult-following for a reason, and The Problem Solver is proof of why. Mix with water to form a mousse made of antioxidant rich cacao, activated bamboo charcoal, salts, and spices that brighten, heal inflammation and irritation, fade hyper-pigmentation, stimulate collagen production and prevent breakouts. See? That’s why they call it the “problem solver.”
Best Moisturizer With Hyaluronic Acid
Minéral 89

Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer

  • Lightweight formula that absorbs quickly
  • Plumps skin
A simple formulation of mineralizing thermal water and hyaluronic acid delivers hydration, but also gently fortifies the skin barrier. Sure, it’s fabulous for the most sensitive of skins, but great if you need a little moisture too.
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Best CBD Face Oil
Prima

Night Magic Intensive CBD Face Oil for Moisture & Radiance

  • Deeply nourishes skin without clogging pores
  • Evens skintone
This blend of 300 mg of broad-spectrum hemp CBD, moringa oil, and prickly pear, isn’t just soothing and coddling to dry skin that needs some love. Vitamin K, fatty and amino acids work to brighten the skin, while vitamins A and C boost glow considerably. A couple of drops go a long way to add some luxury to your day.
Best At-Home Chemical Peel
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare

Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel, 60 pack

  • Gentle enough for daily use
  • Quick and noticeable results

Pre-packed so that you can boost your complexion on the go, Dr. Dennis Gross’ Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel tackles everything from fine lines, large pores, dark spots, and breakouts thanks to a blend of willow bark extract, CoQ10, AHAs, and vitamin A.

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Best Overnight Face Oil
Kiehl’s

Midnight Recovery Concentrate Face Oil

Now 64% off
  • Boosts skin’s radiance
  • Lightweight texture that absorbs easily
The calming and nourishing properties of lavender oil, plus the acne-fighting and inflammation-reducing properties of primrose oil make Kiehls’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate so effective. Even when used once every week, the face oil restores dry, tired, acne-prone skin quickly and delicately.

More: 20+ Essential Oils to Promote Healthy, Glowing Skin

Best Vitamin C Serum
SkinCeuticals

C E Ferulic with 15% L-ascorbic Acid

  • Lightweight formula
  • Protects against environmental aggressors and fades discoloration
For those who find classic vitamin C serums slightly irritating or drying, behold SkinCeuticals GOAT (Greatest of All Time) serum that has a blend of 15 percent pure vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid to enhance protection against environmental damage and atmospheric aging.

More: The Very T&C Beauty Classics 2022

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Best Hydrating Face Mist
Pause Well-Aging

Hot Flash Cooling Mist

  • Hydrating formula
  • Cools and calms skin
Who doesn’t love a hydrating mist? Pause Well-Aging has upped the ante on the mist game with a formulation meant to provide instant relief from hot flashes that peri-menopausal and menopausal women get, reducing the skin’s temperature and calming redness. But beyond that, the proprietary pause complex blend and false daisy extract, holy basil leaf and menthol, all work together to help boost collagen production and minimize fine lines.
Best Body Peel
Stacked Skincare

TCA Lactic & Glycolic Body Peel

  • Smooths skin
  • Suitable for all skin types
Bodies can have breakouts too, and when that happens, look no further than this self-neutralizing blend of five exfoliating acids (lactic and salicylic included) strong enough to treat dark spots and body acne, but gentle enough for sensitive skin and eczema.
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Best Eye Cream
Biossance

Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

  • Quickly firms and lifts under-eyes
  • Rich, non-greasy formula
Typically speaking, some of the first signs of aging crop up around the eyes. This hydrating formulation plumps up and decreases the appearance of fine lines within a week. What could be better than that?
Best Overnight Serum
Estée Lauder

Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II

  • Anti-aging benefits
  • Nourishing formula
Sure, the name says “night,” but you can use this anytime of the day to improve moisture and radiance, and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It all comes down to patented ChronoluxCB technology, which harnesses the skin’s ability to naturally renew itself, ensuring skin always looks luminous and youthful.
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Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin
Avène

Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream

  • Deeply nourishes
  • Protects against environmental agressors
If you have had a procedure, have overly sensitized skin, or maybe just are super dry, chances are you need Cicalfate. A French—and backstage insider—beauty secret for years, the restorative cream has a postbiotic restorative complex, as well as a copper-zinc-sulfate complex to boost skin recovery.
Best Retinol Serum
Shani Darden

Retinol Reform Serum

  • Visibly reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles
  • Gentle formula
The perfect gentle retinol for wetting one’s feet in the retinoid game. Because it’s a mild formulation it works to refuse sunspots and redness while softening fine lines, but without the dryness one might get from other vitamin A products.

More: The Best Retinol and Retinoid Products to Refresh Your Skin

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Best Hydrating Face Cream
Skinfix

Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream

  • Visibly brightens, firms, and plumps
  • Nourishing ingredients
By now you’re surely aware that protecting your skin barrier is crucial to a healthy glow. And to do that, there’s no better pick than a triple lipid and peptide cream to firm, protect and reinforce a skin barrier that functions at it’s best.
Best Anti-Aging Serum
True Botanicals

Chebula Active Serum

  • Contains a blend of anti-aging ingredients
  • Refines fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, and skin unevenness
If fine lines and wrinkles are the concern, Chebula Active Serum (which has been clinically tested) harnesses the power of an ayurvedic fruit to minimize fine lines and wrinkles, even tone, smooth roughness for a brighter and more vibrant visage. The results are dramatic and we’d venture to guess you’ll get hooked in a week.
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Best Hydrating Serum
VINTNER’S DAUGHTER

Active Botanical Serum

  • All-natural formula
  • Deeply nourishes skin
There’s a reason why this product has been on best of beauty lists for years. With a formulation of 22 botanical oils you can rest assured your skin won’t just get a double dose of moisture, but also active treatment benefits for revitalized radiance. Oh and the scent? It’s beyond.
Best Exfoliator
KAT BURKI

Dual Exfoliating Clay

  • Sloughs away impurities without drying skin
  • Contains physical and chemical exfoliators, as well as nourishing ingredients
If you need to get the grime out, your skin will thank you for this double-duty exfoliator by Kat Burki which has both phyical and chemical exfoliants.
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The Ordinary

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

  • Lightweight formula that absorbs quickly
  • Budget buy
It’s easy to forget that standard moisturizers don’t do much to actually hydrate the skin (they’re mostly designed to lock in what’s already there), so incorporating a hyaluronic acid is key to a supple complexion. Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by your body, but most can use the extra boost from a well-formulated serum. The Ordinary’s is a cult favorite.
Best Night Cream
sisley

Supremÿa La Lotion

  • Rejuvenates and restores skin overnight
  • Fights fine lines andwrinkles
Up-level your nighttime routine with a supercharged lotion courtesy of Sisley. The potent blend of biosaccharides and pro-vitamin B5 give a serious boost of hydration, prepping the skin for the rest of your routine, while soy peptides and padina pavonica promotes the appearance of bouncy, plump skin.
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What are the 3 most important skincare products?

Good skin begins with a good skincare routine. Just as important: the types of products you use based on your skin type. As a rule of thumb, when mapping out an effective skincare routine, Dr. Mack recommends incorporating three products into the mix:

  • Sunscreen. “No skincare regimen is complete without sunscreen,” explains Dr. Mack. “The UV radiation is not only responsible for skin cancer, but may also cause aging by breaking down collagen and other structural proteins in the skin like elastin.”
  • Retinol. Vitamin A-derived products like retinol and retinoids are essential since they help “improve texture, tone, and reduce the appearance of fine lines by driving collagen production,” says Dr. Mack.
  • Vitamin C. Dr. Mack says to incorporate Vitamin C into your regimen because it “protects the skin from environmental free radicals and slows the breakdown of collagen—and ultimately ageing.”

To get the most out of your products, Dr. Mack recommends washing your face in the morning and then using an antioxidant serum containing Vitamin C, followed by an SPF 30 or higher. For those with dryer skin, sandwiching a moisturizer between the vitamin C serum and sunscreen is helpful. Just be sure to reapply sunscreen if you plan to be out in the sun for an extended period of time. At night, Dr. Mack advises cleansing your face and applying a topical retinoid with a moisturizer or hyaluronic acid over it.

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