From gentle cleansers to glowy serums, meet your new affordable skincare staples. We’ve got the exclusive on the Expert Skincare Q10 Anti-Age range, and here’s what your skin’s in for…
What would you do with £4? Buy an extra hot coconut frappe dappa latte? A glossy mag on your way to work? (actually please do - print press needs all the readers it can get right now #savemagazines ). As well as a swanky coffee and reading material, £4 is also the price of every product in the Boots newly-launched Anti-Age Expert Skincare range.
It's the third category within the Expert Skincare range, which starts from £2.50 for the Sensitive and Normal ranges (...whatever “normal” is). These went in-store last month. Now there's the Q10 Anti-Age range, which launched this week in-store and is about to go online.
While we’re not totally on board with the labelling (both ‘normal’ and ‘anti-ageing’ have negative connotations, in that you’re either ‘normal’ or you’re not, or that to age is inadequate and we should fight it), marketing terms and industry jargon aside, this stuff makes everything from gentle cleansers to night serums accessible to all, and that can never be a bad thing. Plus it's cruelty-free.
There are 25 products across the range in total and we’ve got the scoop on the newest, the Q10 Anti-Age line, which includes four products costing £4 each. Skincare pricing doesn’t get shrewder than that. Here’s what to add to your Boots basket…
Anti-Ageing Day Cream SPF 15, £4
Great for: Rich, softening daily moisture for dry skin.
Water-based and easily absorbed, this moisturiser contains a small amount lactic acid to gently smooth the skin’s surface, glycerin to hydrate and antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (the cornerstone of the range- it's in everything), to soothe and protect skin against the damaging free-radicals we face on a daily basis. There is SPF here, and while it will probably suffice for a winter’s day nipping in and out of the house/ office, you’ll need to layer on stronger sun protection for the summer months (the Boots team are at pains to highlight that this moisturiser is not designed for “sunbathing”).
Anti-Ageing Night Cream, £4
Great for: Basic yet intensive hydration.
Mineral oil is the principal emollient here, so if you’re avoiding it on potentially pore blocking grounds, perhaps give this moisturiser a wide berth. Otherwise, this lipid-rich cream can help skin to retain moisture and appear plumper by morning. One for very dry skins.
Anti-Ageing Replenishing Serum, £4
Great for: A lighter textured antioxidant hit.
A kind of cream/ serum hybrid (it contains shea butter so it feels more like a lotion than a thin, watery serum), this bargain skin protector boasts a good few antioxidants and skin barrier strengthening amino acids. It contains a lot of hydrating glycerin, so may even suffice when worn alone, depending on your degree of dryness.
Anti-Ageing Eye Serum, £4
Great for: Reducing the appearance of fine lines.
Much of the crepiness that tends to creep in around our eye area is dehydration induced, so smoothing things over with a light-textured moisturiser can pay off almost instantly in that regard. This nourishing serum helps to plump skin without causing puffiness and restores moisture to thin, delicate under eye skin.
Keep an eye out for the new Boots Expert Skincare range launching here