The Best Face Tanners For a Natural Glow
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- 12 Best Budget Face Serums
12 Budget Face Serums to Try
By Gabriella Buckner
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1 year ago | Updated
Serums are a wonderful product to have in your skincare arsenal. Their lightweight yet concentrated formulas go deep into the skin, plus provide plenty of benefits without having to layer on a tonne of product. A little goes a long way with serums, meaning that if you're that way inclined, you could definitely splurge a little more on serums than say a body moisturiser.
However, those of us on tighter budgets still deserve to feel and look great, and thanks to all the affordable and science-backed brands out there, it’s totally doable! There are so many serums on the market that will help you achieve your skincare goals—whether that’s clearing blemishes, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, hydrating dry skin—without breaking the bank.
Some notable brands we always trust to give us effective products at a budget price are The Ordinary, Q+A, The INKEY List and even Bondi Sands, who have branched out from sun protection and tanning into the wonderful world of skincare.
If you’re new to the world of serums and aren’t sure about how to use them, check out our Ultimate Guide to Face Oils and Serums. But if you’re ready to jump right in and start saving some serious dough, here are our top picks for affordable serums that work just as well as the pricey ones.
(P.S. We’ve divided up this list into various skin concerns for ease of reading, but a lot of serums fit into multiple categories and will address multiple concerns - for the price of one product. Heck yes!)
Best budget serums for dull skin and dark spots
Q+A Vitamin C Brightening Serum
£9.50 £10.13 (7% off)Top of the list of skin-brightening ingredients? Vitamin C! This serum is loaded with it, encapsulated in a mixture of volcanic soil and hyaluronic acid to combat lacklustre skin and shield you from environmental aggressors.
Bondi Sands Gold'n Hour 10% Vitamin C Serum
£9.72 £11.46 (16% off)Coming with a warning that your skin will be so bright you'll need sunglasses, this serum from Bondi Sands gives you a nourished, radiant glow. The vitamin C works to lighten dark spots and discolouration by impeding melanin production, whilst antioxidant-rich kakadu plum helps protect the skin and fight sagging and liquorice root extract soothes irritation and redness.
The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA Concentrated Serum
£10.50 £11.24 (7% off)Farewell, hyperpigmentation - this gel-like serum is here to reduce melanin production with 2% alpha arbutin to combat scars, dark spots and age spots. Let the lightweight formula sink into your skin and enjoy the additional hydration and plumpness from hyaluronic acid.
Best budget serums for dry skin
Bondi Sands Thirsty Skin Hyaluronic Acid Serum
£9.72 £11.46 (16% off)Dry and sensitive skin will just love the intense hydration you get from this hyaluronic acid serum as it pulls in and retains moisture to boost your dewiness. There's also algae extract, which is high in antioxidants to protect your skin from further irritation and dehydration.
BARBER PRO Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid 2% Face Serum
£7.95 £10.00 (21% off)Once again, hyaluronic acid is the star of the hydration show - holding up to 1000 ties its weight in moisture to keep skin supple and youthful. There's also chamomile in this serum to soothe redness and breakouts and wild rose to tone uneven skin.
Glow Hub Nourish & Hydrate Serum Mist
£10.95 £12.35 (12% off)Spritz on your serum with this hydrating mist from Glow Hub, which, in addition to hyaluronic acid, also has peach extract and coconut water to ramp up the hydration. Skin is left fresh and fruity!
Best budget serums for anti-ageing
The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
£11.00 £11.77 (7% off)Retinol is the gold-standard of anti-ageing skincare, and this creamy serum uses next-gen retinoid technologies to give you smoother, less wrinkled and brighter skin without the irritation that can often come with retinol use. It even helps with uneven skin texture and tone!
Bondi Sands Fountain Of Youth Restoring Bakuchiol Serum
£9.72 £11.46 (16% off)Bakuchiol is a great alternative to retinol if you have super sensitive skin. Try this gentle serum to fade pigmentation and reduce the appearance of fine lines as bakuchiol, sunflower seed and rosella extract get to work.
Bulldog Age Defence Serum
£12.00Guys, this serum is the perfect weapon to fight fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin. With 96% natural origin ingredients like antioxidant-rich marine algae, rosemary, echinacea and vitamin E, this product will leave you with a healthy and younger-looking glow.
Best budget serums for blemishes
Q+A Azelaic Acid Balancing Serum
£9.50 £9.56 (1% off)Azelaic acid works together with pore-minimising zinc PCA and antioxidants to give you clear, calm and healthy skin. Whether your skin is oily, dry, combination or normal, if you've got breakouts or congestion, you'll want to use this morning and/or night to balance your complexion.
The Elements Pore Refining Serum
£10.00Dermatologically tested to be safe for sensitive skin, this multi-tasking serum is great for rebalancing your complexion. It strengthens your skin barrier, offers hydration and reduces redness and excess oil. It'll even make enlarged pores look smaller. You can thank the many powers of niacinamide for this serum's efficacy.
Glow Hub Purify & Brighten Super Serum
£11.95 £13.00 (9% off)If you've got acne, it's a sure thing you know about the magic of salicylic acid. This serum harnesses it to combat oily skin and breakouts through gentle exfoliation. It also contains black tea extract to detoxify your complexion and blueberry to calm and brighten.
Now that you're all stocked up on affordable serums, follow them up with these Top Cheap Moisturisers. We also recommend you check out these Hybrid Makeup/Skincare products to cut down your beauty budget even more.
Written by Gabriella Buckner
Gabriella is a junior content writer with a background in creative writing, content marketing and journalism. She’s passionate about all things makeup and skincare, but especially vegan and cruelty-free beauty that is effective and inexpensive.
