Affordability is the main draw, but the former Glamour beauty director’s 20-piece high street skincare range brings so much to your bathroom shelf than savings. With 3 new products and a total restock hitting the shelves on 25 February, here's what you need to know
It’s fair to say that award-winning beauty journalist Alex Steinherr has been a bit busy of late. From coining her own hashtags ( #SundayFacial is now a weekly phenomenon) to partnering with top skincare brands such as Elizabeth Arden and La Mer, she’s particularly known for her skincare expertise and discerning product edits, with a casual 184k Instagram followers alone tapping into her daily dose of skincare wisdom and seeking advice.
The question she’s been asked the most over the course of her 15+ year career in beauty is “what’s the best high street skincare brand?”, and it’s a query to which she wanted to have a solid solution she truly believed in but found that, in reality, budget brands that ticked all of the boxes were slim pickings. Hence, for the past two years, she’s been working in product development with affordable retailer Primark to bring her very own skincare brand to fruition. Alex Steinherr x Primark skincare is now available in selected Primark stores, with a restock of many original sellouts coming next week - The Sleeping Face Mask, £5, sold ten times faster than anticipated. Three new additions – the Oil To Milk Cleanser, Dual Texture Exfoliating Pads and the City Mask – also hit the shelves on 25 February. With no product costing more than a fiver, here's why the range is such a ‘pocket money’ pioneer…
Ingredients rival high end equivalents
Alex is passionate about using effective, proven and innovative skincare actives that actually reaps results and wanted to bring the benefits of formulations and technology more often found in the luxury or clinical market to the masses. Expect moisture-binding hyaluronic acid , skin barrier strengthening niacinamide , hydrating squalane , exfoliating PHAs and BHAS and peptides aplenty, in addition to antioxidant plant extracts in almost every product. It’s the good stuff but it won’t set you back your monthly salary.
There’s something for everyone
The 20 product collection isn’t categorised into skin types but instead products are distinguished by skincare ‘needs’. As such, there’s a range specifically designed for ‘city skin’ that’s likely to be exposed to high levels of pollution, a line targeting acne and breakouts and an intensely moisturising range to address dryness and dehydration. All in all there are five lines to mix and match depending on your skin’s requirements, the seasons and according to how much time you have - there are on the go quick fixes and more luxurious #SundayFacial style masks to dabble in. The products are categorised like so…
Plump & Glow: For that covetable glowy skin thing. This range majors on hyaluronic acid and includes a Facial in a Stick, £5, that both removes makeup and hydrates, a Plump & Glow Moisturiser, £5, that has a lightweight serum texture for instant bounce, a 20 minute Power Mask, £3 to brighten and a Plumping Lip Gloss, £5.
Maximum Moisture: The deeply hydrating range. There’s a gentle Micellar Cleansing Gel, £5, a Moisture-Locking Everyday Moisturiser, £5, a skin-quenching Supreme Sheet Mask, £4 and a Hydration on-the-go skin booster, £4, to soothe dry bits when you’re out and about.
Pore Balance: If blemishes and blackheads are your bugbears, this one’s for you. You’ll find a Low pH Sulfate-Free Cleanser, £4, to wash skin without stripping it, a Super Detox Clay Mousse Mask, £5, for a deep cleanse, an Anti-Blackhead Stick, £5, to draw dirt and bacteria away from skin and Blemish Rescue Stickers, £3, that bring down zits thanks to a combination of salicylic acid and tea tree oil.
Pollution Solution: Does what it says on the tin - designed for urban skin. The new for 2019 Dual Texture Exfoliating Pads, £5, are double-sided, non-irritating lactic acid-based skin smoothers, new City Mask, £3, helps to purify and take down dullness, Oil-Free Gel Hydrator, £5, provides light hydration for sweaty commutes and Daily Skin Starter, £5, is a primer that draws on anti HEV light technology to protect skin from external aggressors.
Sleep Spa: Made for Sundays. You’ve got One Step Night Cleanse, £5, to ease away makeup, Sleeping Face Mask, £5, for overnight repair, Every Night Eye Mask, £4, to smooth the eye area and reduce puffiness and Overnight Lip Mask, £4, that plumps, softens and doubles up as a daytime lip balm too. Mark your diaries for March too, when the Oil-to-Milk Cleanser, £5, will arrive, promising to degrime your face gently and thoroughly so that you can fall into bed all the faster.
It’s fragrance-free
Fragrance in skincare can often provoke irritation and inflammation, yet it’s a surprisingly common ingredient in the skincare industry. Not here - Alex has skipped it to make her products more effective and widely tolerated. That goes for potentially sensitising essential oils too - you won’t find them here.
It’s cruelty-free and suitable for vegans
None of Alex’s products is made with animal byproducts and the range is certified cruelty-free.
It’s thrifty
As you may have calculated by now, products range from £3-£5, and price points are set so that there’s no barrier to entry for healthy skin, as Alex explains:
“It’s an approachable, results-driven skincare range that ensures that everyone can afford their most beautiful skin.
"I have always been obsessed with skincare and have been incredibly lucky over the years to have had a career that allowed me to test thousands of products and have constant access to the most well-respected skincare experts. I am asked every day to recommend a range of products to suit a range of budgets, so when Primark approached me to create a skincare line, I knew we could create something really special together that worked both in terms of price and performance.”
The fact that Alex’s first venture into creating her own skincare is so inclusive is refreshing in a world where a skincare routine can set you back hundreds. This is one product haul you don’t need to wait until payday to purchase, but for the full product restock and 'new for 2019' buys you'll need to hang on until 25 February.
Why hyaluronic acid should be in every sensitive skin routine