10 Leading Skin Care Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 3

Sundrug in Tokyo

Asian countries have innovative and advanced skincare. Without a doubt, I'd be especially excited to browse the aisles of the 2 countries below:

Japan🇯🇵 is known for concentrating on hydration, sun protection, and using gentle, effective ingredients.

5 Top Brands Popular in Japan include:

1) Shiseido is arguably the most famous Japanese skincare beauty line globally. A luxury brand, it sells its makeup under the name Clé de Peau Beauté and its sun protection under the Anessa name. Superior quality, whatever it calls itself.

2) Sk-II is renowned for its signature ingredient, Pitera, a fermented yeast, extracted to improve skin texture, firmness, and a healthy glow.

3) Hada Labo specializes in intense hydration. The brand's famous skin laboratory mixes, not one, but multiple types of hyaluronic acid, which is sold at affordable prices.

4) DHC is an affordable label popular for combining traditional Japanese ingredients with modern science. The brand’s Deep Cleansing Oil is world-famous!

5) Blorè is known for some of the best high-protection, light-weight sunscreens ever sold, like its UV Aqua Rich Water Essence. Sunscreen is the skin's #1 anti-aging tool!

Other key brands are Kose Sekkisel, Tatcha, Melano CC, Curèl, and Cure.

South Korea🇰🇷 is renowned for having the most advanced skincare products on earth. The South Koreans are 20–30 years ahead of the rest of the world due to their innovative research and development, rapid trend cycles, and focus on preventative care. K-Beauty zeros in on a gentle approach, hydration, barrier protection, and prevention through top-notch, natural ingredients such as snail mucin and ginseng, selling at low prices. Its skincare is world-famous for achieving a healthy, glass skin appearance.🎉💥🎆

The Top 5 South Korean Skincare Brands are: 🎉🥳🎊

1) COSRX is known for using snail mucin and clearing imperfections.

2) Beauty of Joseon combines traditional herbal medicine (known as Hanbang) with modern science. The Dynasty Cream is a bestseller!

3) Laneige is known internationally for its advanced hydration in its creams, lotions, and lip sleeping masks.

4) Sulwasoo is a luxury brand known for its ginseng anti-aging serums and holistic skincare.

5) Anua makes soothing, clean formulas like its calming Hearleaf toner.

Other key brands include Medicube, Blodance, and Skin1004.*ੈ✩‧₊˚

If you want to learn more, please return to this space next Monday for part 4 in our 5 part skincare series. Which 2 countries will I feature next? Try to guess ... and stay tuned!

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10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 2

In Germany🇩🇪 skincare brands balance science, botanicals, and luxury. 5 Top Brands found in German pharmacies, favored by the locals include:

1) Augustinus Barder, a beauty luxury label that uses patented stem-cell technology (TFC8) to repair cell tissue.

2) Dr. Barbara Sturm, a beauty line famous for its anti-inflammatory ingredients and "vampire facials.”

3) Babor, a professional brand that pioneered sealed glass capsules of concentrated active ingredients to treat specific skin issues.

4) Weleda, established in 1921, is famous worldwide for its nourishing Skin Food cream.

5) Dr. Hauschka is a pioneer of natural, holistic beauty sourced from plants and herbs.

Other key brands include Balea, No Cosmetics, and Isana. Beiersdorf AG, a Hamburg company, created ♥Nivea cream in the blue tin in 1911♥ and turned it into a centuries-old global brand. If not in a tin, it’s not the original formula.

France🇫🇷  commonly infuses its skincare with thermal spring water, antioxidant-rich grapes, and botanicals to nourish and pamper the skin. The French like to cultivate an elegant image.

5 Top French Skincare Brands widely used in France are:

1) LaRoche-Posay formulates its skincare for sensitive skin using mineral-rich thermal spring water. Its Cicapliast Baume B5 is a cult favorite.

2) Bioderma aims to infuse the skin with micellar water (Sensibio H20).

3) Avène specializes in thermal spring water to soothe hyper-sensitive and dry skin.

4) Caudalie uses grape-seed antioxidants in its anti-aging skincare products. The retailer's Beauty Elixir is popular.

5) Nuxe combines botanicals with luxury. Huile Prodigieuse is its famous nourishing oil for the face, body, and hair.

Other key brands are Embrolisse (its Lait-Crème Concentrate is a cult favorite), Vichy,  and A313.

Part 3 of our 5 part series will be published next Thursday. Can you guess the other countries (10 in total) to be featured?

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10 Leading Skin Care Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 1

Browsing in international pharmacies is fun! Let’s begin a series of 5 blogs, each blog featuring 2 countries, listing the 5 leading or top brands of skincare that are popular with the locals in that country:

Great Britain🇬🇧 likes to blend botanicals with science in its formulas. The UK beauty industry centers on high-performance and anti-aging ingredients. 

5 Top British Brands are:

1) Elemis is a leader in luxury skincare. The Liberty Beauty Calendar always includes its items. Best sellers are its cleansing balms and anti-aging serums.

2) Medik8 is a science-led skincare line for anti-aging items. It is known for its Vitamin C lotions and sunscreen for day and Vitamin A potions at night.

3) Pai Skincare targets sensitive and acne-prone skin with remedies.

4) Osia is a luxury brand offering formulas that support the cellular health of the skin.

5) BYOMA is an affordable brand containing ceramides to moisturize and protect the skin barrier.

Other key bands include UpCircle, Ren Clean Skincare, and Evolve Beauty.

Canada🇨🇦 is known for its high-quality ingredients and innovations in skincare.

♥The Ordinary, called the disruptor in the beauty industry for its science-based, affordable skincare, was founded in Toronto, Canada, in 2016 by Brandon Truaxe, so I’m placing it before Canada's list as an extra, though I didn’t see it listed in any of my research! Due to its low price point, it’s widely used in the USA, and I bet in Canada too.♥

Five of Canada’s Top Skincare Brands used by Canadians follow:

1) Skinfix is known for its barrier-repairing moisturizers and lotions.

2) Three Ships Beauty offers plant-based skincare with 100% clean ingredients found in nature.

3) Reversa treats anti-aging with ingredients like glycolic acid at prices that won’t empty a wallet.

4) Province Apothecary uses certified organic ingredients in its entire line for a clean beauty routine.

5) Sahajan combines traditional Ayurvedic practices with modern science in its skincare.

Other key brands include Graydon Skincare, Nudestix, and Rocky Mountain Soup.

After you are introduced to 50 new skincare brands found in foreign pharmacies, you'll be familiar with them should they land in the aisles at T.J. Maxx, which, due to its amazing buyers, often happens.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 - 5 of our series on THE SAVVY SHOPPER.

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Face Primer With SPF 30

Today I’m revealing a skincare secret, which frankly I’ve never kept a secret. Often, people tell me I have beautiful skin, which I appreciate before blurting out my secret, so they, too, can have beautiful skin. I've never used foundation because it doesn’t feel clean. To me, wearing foundation feels like I have a film of goop or a mask on my face. Instead, after washing my face in the morning, I apply L’Oreal’s Miracle Blurr with SPF 30. But! For some insane reason (which I’ll discuss below), L’Oreal has discontinued it, forcing me to reluctantly find a replacement UV face primer.

The Miracle Blurr gel with SPF 30, all 1.7 ounces of it, sold for $19.99, and I often scored deals to pay even less. Right now, I have 1/5 of the gel left in my very last tube of Miracle Blurr that I’m using up.

So what makes Miracle Blurr an excellent combination of skincare and cosmetics? It's what I’m looking for in whatever I find next to replace it:

1) The ease of applying the gel saves me time in my morning routine by creating a smooth canvas on my face with a matte finish.

2) The SPF 30 is my anti-aging secret, shielding my face every day of the year from the sun's harmful rays.

3) The matte finish prevents shine and blurs pores and fine lines (which is the makeup part). I could apply it either under or over my under-eye coverstick, blush, and powder. Usually under.

4) The gel extends the endurance of any makeup I might wear. It prevents coverstick, blush, or powder from fading during the day or evening, so I didn’t have to freshen up as often.

Oh, for crying out loud, what replacement face primer with SPF 30 has all of these same benefits? Already I've discovered that many face primers do not come: (1) in a soothing gel that disappears into the skin, (2) with sun protection, (3) in a bigger size, (4) and with the same affordable price point! I must grin and bear the size and price adjustments, but won’t compromise on the SPF 30 or the matte finish! No, no, never, never, un, un, un!

I aim to try the following face primers with SPF 30 until I find the one I like the most, and hopefully, I’ll find it before buying all of them!

I’m not looking to add another face cream to my routine, but if the tubes don’t work out, I’ll move on to these 5-in-1 face primer promises in a jar choices.

Finally, I’ve discovered that L’Oreal’s parent company continues to sell face primer gel with sun protection in its pricer sister Lancome line at $45 for 1 ounce. I can’t help wondering if Miracle Blurr SPF 30 at $19.99 for 1.7 ounces was discontinued because the retailer wants to make more profit!?! Was $20 too puny a sum, huh? Ironically, a formula of Lancome was the face matte gel I started with years ago, before switching to the cheaper and excellent drugstore brand L’Oreal Miracle Blurr.

If you use a face primer with SPF 30 to recommend, please do! The first brand I’m testing is the👆 top image from Neutrogena.

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A Retinol, Retinal, Retin-A Primer

The Ordinary offers highly affordable (approx. $9–$15) vitamin A serums, primarily in squalane, that are designed to target anti-aging by treating fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin texture. For years, I’ve used these serums in strengths of 0.2% and 0.5%, as well as other name brands, which also claim to improve collagen production and cell turnover. 

Certain dermatologists, such as YouTube’s Dr. Dray, question the efficacy of The Ordinary’s higher strengths as being more effective. When adhering strictly to results based on the known scientific studies, Dr. Dray recommends we use the following over-the-counter serums: (1) Differin Gel, (2) La Roche Posay Adapalene, (3) Avene Retinial 0.1 Intensive, (4) CeraVe Resurfacing Reinol or (5) Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair.  

A few days ago, I started using The Ordinary Retinal 2% Emulsion, a high-strength retinaldehyde (a/k/a retinal) formula, which I like as it has the well-studied retinaldehyde ingredient, and it doesn't irritate my skin. 

So let's have a quick review of Vitamin A serums: The medical or generic name for Retin-A is tretinoin (= prescription strength). Differein Gel is an FDA-approved non-prescription retinoid called adapalene 1% that was developed to treat acne. When 1st on the market, it was obtained by prescription, then it became non-prescription. Adapalene works by regulating skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation to clear, treat, and prevent blemishes, but this same remedy also eases the signs of aging.

Usually, tretinoin, a/k/a Retin-A, is too harsh on virgin skin, which must build up a tolerance for it to avoid the painful side effects of dry, flaky, raw skin. It’s best to start with non-prescription strengths of retinol or retinal. The good news is that all 3 forms (strengths) of Vitamin A serums have efficacy as anti-aging serums. We don’t get better results with higher-strength Vitamin A serums; rather, the benefits come from regular, consistent use.

Here’s how the different forms of Vitamin A serums work: retinol -> retinal -> retinoic acid. Retinol is converted into retinoic acid in 2 steps, whereas retinal requires 1 step. Retinoic acid is the active, oxidized metabolite of Vitamin A (from either retinol or retinal) that regulates cell growth, differentiation, and gene expression in the body. It’s potient skin renewing (or cell turnover) power is what erases the visible signs of aging.

And there you have it in a nutshell!

The Ordinary was the original game changer in making affordable anti-aging products, but other skincare companies followed. CereVe, Olay, L’Oreal, Neutrogena, Differein, Roche Posay, ROC, No. 7, and Avene (to name several) are fantastic drugstore options backed by science! 

Choice galore lets consumers who take the time to learn about skincare ingredients find the best deals for less moola, so we can afford to use them daily without breaking the bank!

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How Do You Use Glycerin?

I ordered 4 ounces of anise oil to make springerle for Christmas next year. Instead, a pharmacy sent me 6 ounces of glycerin. I hate to waste it. Although I know it is often an ingredient in soap and moisturizers, I don’t know how to use it. So I looked it up.

Glycerin (C3H8O3 - glycerol) is a compound derived from plants (from the triglycerides of such oils as soybean, coconut, or palm), animal fats (from beef or mutton tallow), or synthetic petroleum products (like propylene). It’s produced as a byproduct of making soap or splitting animal fats. Glycerin is also a natural ingredient found in fermented foods like beer, honey, and vinegar. If you are a science geek, go here for the in-depth details.

Suffice it to say, glycerin is a humectant (a substance that retains moisture, meaning it stops the loss of moisture), so it's often added to skincare as a moisturizer.

As a powerful moisturizer, glycerin needs to be diluted with water, rosewater, or mixed into lotions to prevent irritation and stickiness on the skin.

Photo: musimmas

According to several sources, you mix 1 part glycerin to 2 - 5 parts water or rosewater and can put it in a spray bottle to use as a mist. Or you can add 1 - 2 drops of glycerin to one application of your regular face or body toners and lotions. You can also add 1 - 2 drops on a cotton pad along with a cleanser or toner to remove dirt on your skin, or you can add 1 - 2 drops to hand lotions, lip balms, or overnight face masks to boost their moisturizing properties.

Safety tips for using pure glycerin include: (1) Always dilute, (2) apply to damp skin, and (3) avoid excess. Too much of a good thing is rarely a good thing!

Frankly, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to buy pure glycerin, but now I know more about it, and sometimes we do have lotions or moisturizers that work well in warm seasons, but need an extra boost to work better in drier, colder seasons. In such cases, it sounds like a few drops of glycerin could enrich an already sitting-at-home moisturizer, turning it into the ultra winter moisturizer!

Aren’t we all the wiser? If you have experience using glycerin, feel free to share.

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Top 6 Budget Anti-aging Skin Care Brands For Mature Skin

Although it's never too early or too late to take care of your skin, you probably think more about doing so as you mature, let’s say after you hit 40. But as I always say, what good is skincare with efficacy if it's too expensive to use every day? Luckily there are several budget brands dermatologists recommend based on science with effective ingredients that are also affordable and widely available at drugstores, Walmart and Target. Some affordable drugstore brands have more effective ingredients such as retinoids, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants like vitamin C, and optimal delivery systems than higher priced products because they were developed by dermatologists!

6 Top Dermatologists Recommended Budget Brands are:

CeraVe

Its Daily Moisturizing Lotion was a top pick in testing for instantly smoothing dry skin and fast absorption. Moisturizing your skin makes you look years younger instantly! CeraVe’s many formulas contain ceramides and hyaluronic acid to repair the skin barrier and lock in moisture, which is vital for aging skin. Its cleansers for sensitive skin rank high with skin doctors.

La Roche-Posay

Known for its testing and evidence-based results on sensitive, dry and acne-prone skin, this brand tops leading dermatologists' lists. Its Lipikar Balm AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream is a top choice for sensitive skin. Its Redermic R Retinol Cream forcefully targets aging.

Neutrogena

A top affordable brand hailed by dermatologists for its retinol creams and serums at lower costs, Neutrogena's wide range of products target all skin types and have a long history of clinical efficacy.

Gold Bond

Gold Bond Retinol Overnight Body & Face Lotion is a top-rated drugstore brand for both -- you guessed it -- the body and face. It contains retinol to help tighten and lift skin for a more youthful appearance by treating fine lines and wrinkles. Shea butter and coconut butter reportedly hydrate the skin for 24 hours.

No7

The Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Face Cream is cited as an effective anti-aging moisturizer that includes hyaluronic acid and collagen peptide technology to help erase fine lines and wrinkles.

Cetaphil

Very effective on dry and sensitive skin, the moisturizer contains niacinamide (vitamin B3), panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), vitamin E, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. Some formulas have added almond oil and ceramides.

If you know which drugstore brands are favored by dermatologists because they really work, you’ll have the knowledge and flexibility to save big bucks when a brand goes on sale. Pounce, buy 1 + 1!

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T.J. Maxx Is the Best Retailer For Beauty Products

Korean beauty, Azure, is a top-notch retinol cream. 

T.J. Maxx’s beauty department rocks! It’s buyers find top-notch makeup, skincare and hair care from all over the world. In its aisles, the Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Australian, organic, niche and luxury markets are well represented with beauty products for less than their full retail prices.

Because of the redutions T.J. Maxx must be discreet about the brand names that end up on its shelves. You cannot find brand names online via T.J Maxx’s search box. But I think it’s a great opportunity for brands to pick up new customers who are  first enticed to try them for less.

The quality, quantity and cost of a variety of personal care products are unbeatable. I haven’t bought cosmetics, skincare, or hair products at major department stores in years because I haven’t had to with such a wide array of awesome international beauty and luxury brands at T.J. Maxx. It's fun browsing the myriad of offerings and discovering new beauty products you wouldn’t otherwise try or even know about.   

At bargain prices customers can afford to up their beauty routines, as well as, take a few risks trying new products along with tried-and-true essentials. Think of it as an education without breaking the bank! You never know what stellar beauty surprises you’ll see on a trip to the retailer.  I’ll add links below of some of the T. J. Maxx beauty finds I highly recommend!

As a kit, $16 bucks for both, full-sizes

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Savvy Shoppers Know That Size Matters

It takes a surprising amount of commodities to maintain ourselves! Doesn’t it?! Even a minimalist has to agree. From household germicides to skincare to haircare to personal care, we certainly need to buy a slew of solutions, soaps, lotions, and potions to clean, groom, and perfume our homes and physiques until the day we die!😳 Today and everyday, I mean, stop and what’s next? Germs? Bad smells? Dishevelment? Surely people in their right minds would never just let themselves go!

A reason I love T.J Maxx is the many botanical and organic finds including liquid soaps, moisturizing lotions, shampoos and hair conditioners that are also sold in huge 1 liter or 33 oz sizes for less. My practice is to buy one, plus one to keep on deck for when the first bottle turns into an empty.

I do the exact same thing when buying household cleaners like gallon sizes of distilled white vinegar, a 4 lb box of baking soda, Pinalen (pine oil), ammonia, and bleach from Walmart, Target, Key Food, or C-Town. (I’ve decided not to replace the ammonia because the others do the same jobs. I hardly reach for it anymore. Before switching to white vinegar to clean my floors and counters, I used ammonia to keep from ruining colored rugs with splatters while cleaning.)

Neither overbuying nor underbuying saves you money. Learn which products keep and which lose potency with the passage of time. Then the trick is to figure out what you need and will continue using. We might make a few mistakes before we figure it out, but eventually we do figure it out. 

After we figure it out, buying staples in big ole sizes not only saves time and money, but simplifies our lives. You make fewer trips to the store to restock and instead can do other tasks or pleasures.

Buying huge sizes of non-perishable household and personal care products is always the Savvy Shopper way to go. It’s well worth creating space for them!

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Korean Beauty: Meditherapy

I’m a big fan of Korean Beauty. Its skincare contains good clean ingredients based on science that works, and it's great value for the money. Generous sizes for less!

Meditherapy is a skincare brand to put on your radar. It’s potent anti-aging serums and creams are formulated to be moisturizing, quick absorbing, non-greasy, non-sticky, suitable for sensitive skin and most importantly, affordable. I mean what more do we want? 

If you only try one product, the top image Retinal Skin Booster Serum is it! (Before tariffs, it sold for $11!) So what makes it so good? The serum contains non-irritating retinaldehyde, which is a nonprescription derivative of retin-A. (Retin-A is the prescription strength.) Retinal is another name for Retinaldhyde. Another non-perscription strength of retinol-A is the more familiar retinol. All 3 strengths are highly effective, but the non-presciption strengths require conversions after their application on the skin to become retinoic acid (i.e. retin-A), often called the holy grail in anti-aging serums. 

2 Conversions: Retinol --> Retinaldehyde --> Retinoic Acid 

As you can see the Meditherapy Retinal Skin Booster only needs one conversion to become retinoic acid, not retinol’s two. But remember all 3 strengths are excellent anti-aging ingredients as all 3 work. Think of it like eating carrots to get your vitamin A. Carrots contain beta carotene which you body converts to vitamin A.

If you have the budget to try more products in the Meditheraphy line, below are a few others worth considering:

Collagen Peptide Boosting Serum - Fights wrinkles and fine lines by boosting collagen production. It hydrates the skin and helps with elasticity and firming the skin.

Yuja Vitamin C 20 Glow Serum - Contains 20% pure vitamin C and yuca oil to soften and hydrate the skin. Vitamin C also brightens the skin. Vitamin B5 and E are added to calm the skin.

Cactus Mucin Hyaluronic Serum - Hyaluronic acid is the main ingredient. It's used to deeply moisturize the face. Like the excellent drugstore brand CeraVe, it has ceramides (a family of waxy lipids found in cells in high concentrations) to strengthen the skin barrier.

Wild Rose Capsule Plumping Serum - This one is a splurge because you don’t need it if using the others. The Wild Rose Serum moisturizes and softens the skin to make your face feel nice! It has oasis rose oil (a hydrator) enriched with vitamin C to promote elasticity, smooth wrinkles and restore a youthful glow. Like all the serums in the line, it’s non-greasy and non-sticky and absorbs right into the skin.

There’s no way around the tariffs imposed on South Korea by you know who.🙂 Tariffs are taxes on foreign goods paid when the goods enter the USA and then get passed onto consumers. So now we are paying $2 - $4 more on each beauty item. Amazon scrapped its plan to list the additional cost for consumers created by the tariffs. Despite this tax, Korean Beauty remains good quality and quantity for the money, and when the tariffs are removed, Korean Beauty will return to costing even less.

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