Black Friday is coming, and your inbox is about to fill up with 40% off everything. Before you add to basket, learn to read the back of the bottle. It takes two minutes and saves you money.
Ingredients are listed from highest to lowest concentration. The first five or so make up most of the product. Anything after the preservative is usually in very small amounts.
So if a serum is sold on a star ingredient but it sits near the end of the list, you're mostly paying for the name.
What to check: where the active sits, whether it suits your concern, and whether it clashes with something you already use, such as retinol with strong exfoliating acids. If your skin is sensitive, be careful with fragrance and essential oils high up the list.
Also ask: do I actually need this? A sale price on a product that doesn't suit your skin isn't a bargain.
Before you buy, check your product cabinet in Home of Skin. Add what you already own so you don't double up on actives or buy something you have half a bottle of.
Build your cabinet for free at homeofskin.app.
