8 Leading Skincare Brands In the USA: A Blog Extra

Photo: Dreamtime

After finishing my 5-blog series on what skincare travelers would find in the pharmacies of 10 countries around the world, I thought my international readers might ask what skincare brands are popular in the USA?

When I wrote the 5 blogs in our series, I listed 5 of the most popular, best-selling skincare brands in each country featured. It's all done for fun. Truthfully, if publishing a book that one gets paid to write, a journalist would have to apply even more scrutiny to verify each entry by contacting a ton of primary sources, which I couldn't do for a personal blog. Perhaps the journalist would also visit the countries to do in-person research with funds provided by her employer, ahh, even more fun! My blogs come from reading a bunch of mostly secondary sources, deciding which are credible, and drawing from the consensus of what I find. It gives us a start and an introduction to the skincare of the 10 countries I featured.

So without further ado, our extra 11th country!🇺🇸

In American skincare, we hear the word efficacy spoken a lot. It means the ingredients are high-performing and in the right amounts to deliver the promised results. Retinol, retinal, retin-A (tretinoin), bakuchiol, peptides, vitamin C, niacinamide, and ceramides are some of the ingredients in top US skincare products with efficacy to moisturize and treat the signs of aging.

For US brands, I have two lists -- 1st I'll focus on knowing ...

5 Leading Skincare Brands Popular in the USA

1) CeraVe was developed by dermatologists containing ceramides to strengthen and protect the skin barrier. Super affordable, some of its formulas also have retinol for night and vitamin C serum with or without sunscreen for day.

2) La Poche-Posey is made in France (so I put it on France's 5 top skincare products since it is manufactured and popular in France).

3) Neutrogena offers science-based anti-aging products that target anti-aging, hydration, and acne issues. Its formulas are developed and tested in a laboratory and sold in drugstores. Its popular Rapid Wrinkle Repair cream contains retinol, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin but is free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, benzoyl peroxide, parabens, and mineral oil. 

4) SkinCeuticals is often recommended by dermatologists as having clinical strength ingredients like vitamins C, E, B5, and Ferulic Acid. The brand is luxury priced to boot.

5) The Ordinary continues to be manufactured in Canada, so I grouped it with Canada’s skincare. I made the assumption that because of its budget-friendly price points, it is popular in Canada, as it is in the United States.

 

I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ↑above list. Why??? France’s La Poche-Posey and Canada's The Ordinary may be widely used in the USA, but we can’t claim them as US Skincare, so I did more reading. ↓Below is a 2nd list to reflect this:

5 Top Skincare Brands Manufactured and Popular in the USA are:

1) SkinCeuticals, as already stated, is science-based, antioxidant-rich skincare (often produced by L'Oréal USA, a fact I didn’t know). A double lister!

2) Estée Lauder, founded in 1946, specializes in luxury skincare. Today, it is the umbrella company of many other skincare brands, not only luxury brands. (See my info re: The Ordinary* to follow.) Estèe Lauder now owns MAC, Revlon, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Clinique, Darphin, Too Face, La Mer, Origins, Deciem* (bought in 2021), and The Ordinary* (bought in 2024) + other brands. The woman who started the company was born Josephine Esther Mentzer in 1908, yet reinvented herself. She was the only woman on TIME magazine’s 1998 list of the 20 most influential entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

 
3) SkinMedica is a medical-grade brand focused on anti-aging formulas. This is a new brand to me! I’ve never used it.

4) CeraVe's formulas contain ceramides to protect the skin barrier, as mentioned in list 1. Often it is cited as America’s #1 bestselling skincare. I love the popular and bestselling CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for the Face and Body! A 2nd double lister!

5) EltaMD is known mostly for its professional-grade and lightweight sunscreen, yet it offers other skincare. A pity its superior sunscreen at $41 for 1.7 ounces is so expensive, the sun protection isn’t accessible for us common folk to use daily! Let them eat cake, eh?

Other key US brands are Aveeno and Cetaphil (the latter is another drugstore brand developed by dermatologists). I buy and like both brands for their hand and body moisturizing creams.

I have the benefit of in-person research in the US, and yes, both lists seem correct, or in the words of the late great Executive Editor, Ben Bradley of the respected Washington Post during his tenure (1968 - 1991), of getting at "the best obtainable version of the truth.”:)  

As it happens, Estée Lauder acquired  The Ordinary* by 2024, adding it to its portfolio of brands. This explains why this Canadian brand is on the 1st US skincare list. I love The Ordinary’s many products and am only too happy to add to its American success! I hope Estée Lauder doesn’t change the company (its philosophy, formulas, or price points) for the sake of profits! Critics accuse EL of buying and then running MAC (also Two Face, another of its acquired companies) into the ground by weakening the pigments in MAC lipsticks while simultaneously raising the retail price of the lipsticks. Let’s hold our collective breath for The Ordinary!🙏

The skincare brands I buy repeatedly are CeraVe (my overall favorite moisturizer - clean, thick, and never greasy), The Ordinary (for serum treatments, especially Retinol and Retinal), Neutrogena (Rapid Wrinkle Repair, Sunscreen), and Cetaphil (Moisturizing cream with glycerin, Vitamins B3 and B5).

Here’s a little insight into how the beauty industry works:

Today, Cetaphil products are primarily manufactured in Canada, specifically at a major Galderma plant in Baie-d'Urfé, Québec, which serves as a global supply hub. While the brand was originally developed in the USA in 1947, it is now owned by Galderma, a Swiss company. Making my 11-county skincare lists, at times, I had to split a few hairs. Cetaphil was created in an American lab, is widely available in US drugstores, remains a bestseller, and is widely used by Americans, so I grouped it as a US skincare brand. Moreover, once a skincare brand becomes part of a conglomerate, users should stay alert to notice any changes in formulas over time.

What skincare brands do you use where you live?

You may also enjoy:

10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 1
10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 2
10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 3
10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 4

10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 5

10 Leading Skincare Brands In Foreign Pharmacies - Part 4

Sweden🇸🇪 is known for the high-quality ingredients in its skincare, which is also wrapped in sustainable, minimalist packaging. The formulas are made to calm and protect the skin from cold, harsh climates. 

5 Top Skincare brands popular in Sweden include:

1) Verso, which has a patented Retinol 8 complex, said to be 8 times more effective than standard retinol and with less irritation.

2) L:A Bruket offers organic, sea-based, spa-inspired products for the bath, body, and face.

3) Björk & Berries is a sustainable luxury brand that makes skincare serums, lotions, and creams from birch leaves and the vegetation -- flowers, herbs, shrubs -- that grow in the Nordic forests.

4) Estelle & Thild formulates pure, bio-active, and organic skincare without toxins and pesticides. 

5) Woods Copenhagen - is clean, natural skincare containing Nordic ingredients like birch bark and sea buckthorn, all of it created to nourish and protect the skin.

Other key brands are True Organic of Sweden and Ida Warg.

Denmark’s🇩🇰 skincare is similar to that of its Nordic neighbor, Sweden. It also emphasizes minimalism, sustainability, and all-natural, high-performance ingredients often sourced from its own Nordic region. 

5 Top Danish Skincare Brands are:

1) Ole Henrikson has antioxidant-rich products like its top-selling True Serum to brighten the skin.

2) Nuori strives for freshness by blending small batches of products with natural ingredients every 10 - 12 weeks.

3) Woods Copenhagan mixes clean Nordic ingredients like
plants and berries with modern science.

4) Kjaer Weis, a luxury brand, makes certified organic and sustainable skincare. 

5) Ecooking uses simple, pure, organic, and locally sourced ingredients that are easy to recognize and pronounce. Founder Tina Søgaard, who worked in the beauty industry for years, began mixing her own skincare in her kitchen using raw, unpolluted, effective ingredients. Called food for the skin, each of her products, from scrubs and lotions to creams and her special Multi Oil™, is designed to target a specific skin issue. So clean, her formulas are perfectly safe to eat!

Other key brands are Rudolph Care, Beautè Pacifique, and Tromborg.

Return to this space next Thursday for part 5, the finale of our skincare in foreign pharmacies series. Guess the last 2 countries I'll feature. Hint, hint: Trish of The Red Cardinal lives in one country.

You may also enjoy:

POP Beauty

The Rose Diamond Bandeau

Keeping Up With The Joneses In Denmark

Swedish Cardamom Cake With Caramel Topping

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. Note: The Nivea cream sold in the USA is not the same cream that is sold in German pharmacies.

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?

You may also enjoy:

Aveda Wellness Beauty

Skincare For French Girl Beauty

Weleda Offers A Century of Skincare

The Skinny On Face Serum ... And Skincare

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.

You may also enjoy:

Damask Rose Body Wash

Pearls The Queen of Gems

The Beauty Products I Use Right Now

Let’s Talk Diamonds, White Sapphires And Moissanites

The Ordinary GF 15% Solution: An Anti-ager

The Ordinary was the first company to change the game of anti-aging skincare by making it affordable for most everyone. Once upon a time it cost a mint to buy products containing anti-aging ingredients that were based on science! 

Nowadays when buying effective skincare, you are the one who cho0ses to go broke, or not. Education is a must to know which ingredients based upon science to look for in targeting your skin issues.

The Ordinary keeps evolving because skincare keeps evolving as science evolves. I try to keep up with the science of skincare and enjoy trying new products. 

Here’s a new one from The Ordinary I’m curious to try. It's called GF 15% Solution, an age support serum to help minimize and repair the visible signs of aging, including skin damage. The key ingredients are IGF, EGF, and TGE, which are growth hormones and peptites to regenerate the skin, firming it up and restoring elasticity. GF 15% Solution softens fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead, around the eyes and mouth, and smooths rough skin along with brighting dull skin. Sounds desirable to me!

You apply a few drops after washing your face in the morning and at bedtime. GF 15% Solution doesn’t play nice when used with direct acids, direct vitamin C, or salicylic acid. On the other hand, it pairs well with hyaluronic acid, retinol, and heavier moisturizers. If you use retinol (at night) or bakuchiol (day or night), apply the GF 15% Solution 1st, then retinol or bakuchiol and followed by sunscreen or moisturizers.

I’m writing about GF 15% Solution without testing it first because the Ordinary has proven to be extraordinary skincare. Trying this new product will let me know if its right for my complexion.

At such an affordable price ($15.50, alas like everything else The Ordinary has increased its prices), I’m gung-ho to see if it makes my skin more radiate. I want glowing skin! How about you?

You may also enjoy:

What Does Argireline Do?

10 Face Moisturizers For Fall

Bakuckiol The Retinol Alternative

Should We Line Our Waterline?

Kind Science By Ellen DeGeneres

Kind Science By Ellen DeGeneres is a skincare line we often see advertised on television. Two questions come to mind: (1) Are the products effective, and (2) Are they good value for the money? Here are my thoughts ...

It depends on how much you know about anti-aging skincare. If you know nothing or very little about skincare ingredients the $49 introductory kit is worth buying. The products are effective, based on science, and are paired to be used together so you won't cancel out the benefits of one elixir with another. The price isn't outlandish for the kit of 4 products. Yes, I know 6 products are offered, but I wouldn't buy a kit to get a free brush or skin oil. It's nice for the company to include them, however, consumers should focus on the 4 essential potions to determine the value of the kit. Those are the ones you'll need to keep buying as they do the anti-aging heavy lifting.

Also keep in mind that when buying the kit, you won't get full sized products, but are paying less then you will to rebuy them in bigger sizes.

So what are we getting for our $49? Reduced sizes of:

1) Gentle Cleanser - 1.5 fl oz/44 ml - Enriched with skin-brightening vitamin C from Kakadu plum, soothing chamomile and green tea (green tea is one source of antioxidants).

2) Micro Exfoliant+ - 0.75 fl oz/22 ml - A face mask that contains volcanic sand and bamboo silk to polish and soften the skin. Its alpha-hydroxy acids brighten the skin and remove dead skin cells.

3) Firming Serum - 0.34 fl oz/10 ml - The main ingredients are bakuchiol (a retinol alternative) and peptides (short chains of amino acids) to smooth the skin.

4) Hydration Cream - 0.5 fl oz014 ml - Has snow mushroom to hydrate, omega-rich sea buckthorn (a source of antioxidants; doesn't grow in the sea) and our retinol alternative bakuchiol.

5) Free Gift: FacialCleansing Brush

6) Free Gift: Radiance Oil 05 fl oz/14 ml - It's mainly sunflower, apricot and jojoba oils with bakuchiol as one of its very last ingredients.

So now I'll find you alternative full sized skincare for less which may source cheaper ingredients that still give you the same anti-aging benefits as the more expensive components. Budget friendly skincare that is based on science can be just as effective as their costly cousins with fancy rarer ingredients that do essentially the same things. 

My skincare picks are:

For Gentle Cleanser:

1) Vanicream Sensitive Skin Cleanser; or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser; or CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser; or Equate Gentle Skin Cleanser.

To Micro Exfoliate:

3) Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub; Alaparte Green Tangerine Vitamin C Face Scrub; Trilogy Vitamin C Microdermabrasion with AHAs (aka Alpha-hydroxy acids).

For Firming Cream:

3) IMAGINE Dermatology Beyond Retinol which is bakuchiol. Since the main ingredient in the Kind Science Firming Serum is bakuchiol, you could buy either a bakuchiol serum or cream. I recommend the IMAGINE brand’s full range of products! (See my review here.) Its Anti Wrinkle Renewal Cream is a close match for the Kind Science Firming Cream for a lot less moola! 

For Hydrating Cream:

4) Neutrogena Hydro Boost; Olay Age Defying Renewal Cream is only one formula choice of many in the Olay line of moisturizers. e.l.f. Holy Hydration Face Cream;  Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer; Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Cream. There are so many excellent hydrating/anti-aging creams at the drugstore they are too numerous to list. You can't go wrong with CereVe, L'Oreal, No7, Curology, Get-Dreamy, or ROC either! Choice galore at wayyyy under $20 a jar! The first ingredient of most if not all hydrating creams is hyaluronic acid (HA). It’s a naturally occurring substance in the body, found in the skin, eyes and joints. It’s main job is to bind with water, holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water. As we age, HA production lessens leading to dryer less elastic skin and joint issues. A good moisturizing cream will have HA as one of its 1st ingredients. Moisturize your face to look 5 years younger! Instantly, boom!

For a Cleansing Brush

5) Washcloths are never abrasive and easier to sanitize than cleansing brushes because they can be machine washed and dried after each use! Scrubbing the skin with a brush is totally unnecessary, often even damaging to the skin.

For Radiant Oil:

6) Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Rosehip Scented Therapy Oil for Face (Rosehip is a source of vitamin C which is an antioxidant). Good Molecules Niacinamide Face Serum (Niacinamide is vitamin B3. It calms the skin and increases hydration). Sky Organics Jojoba Oil to Balance and Hydrate Face and Body.

Conclusion: Kind Science is effective skincare backed by science. It's pricey if used daily, but if you need more budget-friendly skincare you'll find equally effective skincare sold in drugstores. These brands employ scientists and dermatologists to formulate their skincare and can go toe to toe with designer and celebrity higher priced skincare.

Lastly, Korean Beauty is also great quality and quantity for the money. Nowadays drugstores, Walmart and Target carry it. (Next week, I’ll highlight an anti-aging Korean Beauty serum to put on your radar ... for its stellar ingredients, quantity and price! Watch for it to be published!)

Great skincare need not break the bank, but can be found at every price point! I’ll leave you some links below to learn more about what ingredients to look for in effective skincare.

You may also enjoy:

IMGN By IMAGINE Dermatology

Jaclyn Smith’s Anti-aging Skincare

Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum

The Barebones Anti-aging Skincare Products You Need

Faces Love Ultra Violette Sunscreen

Photo: SkinRocks

Ultra Violette Sunscreen is a cult favorite manufactured in Australia, where wearing sunscreen daily is a must due to the continent's close proximity to the sun. Not only does sunscreen shield faces from developing cancer, it shields them from premature aging.

Ultra Violette Sunscreen formulas are hailed for their dewy, hydrating, and luminous finishes. They contain some skin benefits like vitamin C and panthenol, ingredients that smooth and brighten the skin. An application leaves no white cast and works well under makeup as a primer to smooth out skin texture.

Queen Screen is lightweight and serum-like, while Supreme Screen has a creamy texture with a satin finish.

Ultra Violette Sunscreens are on the pricey side. Recently a similar product I use, L'Oreal Miracle Blurr, has been discontinued. So I'll need a replacement.

It's great knowing about popular cult sun protection like Ultra Violette Sunscreen both to stay up-to-date on skincare and to grab one should we see the product at a good price at T.J. Maxxx.

Here are 2 face primers below with SPF 30 from NYX and Neutrogena ... I'll have to try when my tube of Miracle Blur is empty.

Do you have a favorite face primer with SPF 30 or higher?

You may also enjoy:

Protecting Your Skin

Planet Eden Organic Skin Care

Vichy Skincare Is Available At CVS

Cosmeceutical Skin Care ... Say What?

Commence By Brooke Shields

Commence, the brand developed by actress and Princeton graduate Brooke Shields, is top-notch haircare. The products target hair concerns for women over 40. The 3 most popular products in the line -- a 2-in-1 instant shampoo, a 3-in-1 leave-in conditioner, and a root serum -- are formulated to promote healthier, thicker, and more voluminous hair.

Let's take a closer look at each one:

The 2-in-1 Instant Shampoo - Cleans and balances dry hair, adds volume and leaves the hair more squeaky clean, lifted, and full. Cost: $21 for .75oz/21 g.

The 3-in-1 Leave-in Conditioner - Hydrates, tames frizz, adds shine, and contains ingredients like alfalfa extract and quinoa peptics to protect hair from the heat of blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons. It is a lightweight formula that supports hair growth and thickens hair strands. Cost: 26 for 5  Fl oz/150 ml

The Root Serum - Is designed to nourish and support the scalp microbiome. It calms, hydrates, and strengthens hair from its roots to its ends. The result is softer, smoother, and stronger hair. Cost: $30 4 fl oz/ 120 ml.

While testers are pleased with how the products improve the texture of their hair, the products are costly! You could probably splurge to try them, but you must decide how much you can afford to continue using them. Ask what sum you are comfortable spending on your hair over the course of a year. The Commence haircare line adds up to a pretty penny!

I won't lie, I'll spend more on skin products than hair products. Over time, I've found budget-friendly drugstore brands to match expensive luxury brands, and T.J. Maxx stocks amazing shampoos and conditioners containing botanicals. Enter T.J. Maxx in the blog's search box to read about some of those.

On Commence's website, look for coupon codes and the kits to lower costs. If using the whole line isn't in your budget, I'd zero in on the hair serum. The brand really delivers!

You may also enjoy:

Trendy Rapunzel Hair

Difeel Shampoos And Conditioners

Garnier Hair Honey Repairing Serum

The Beauty Products I Use Right Now