Budget Beauty

If you’re confused about skincare ingredients, this new brand could be just what you’ve been looking for - and with each of its products costing £10 and under, it won’t break the bank either

Premium ingredients without the price tag and the confusion - it's something we all want, but finding the right formula can seem like an overwhelming task. The industry can, at times, seem cluttered and complicated, and it’s a consumer conundrum that new budget brand The Inkey List, is looking to solve.

The brainchild of Colette Newberry and Mark Curry, (who previously held positions in the branding and product development departments at Boots), the 15-product range is built around a tagline of ‘The complex made simple.’ Each product zeroes in on a particular skincare ingredient such as vitamin C, retinol and glycolic acid (to name but a few) and provides an easy-to-digest breakdown of its benefits on the front and side of its packaging covering (*takes deep breath*) what it is, what it does, where it’s from, who it’s for, how to use it and other special features (such as extra ingredients to improve its efficacy) in order to help you decide if it’s for you or not.

Everything from the formulas to the transparent descriptions aims to meet the demand for simpler, more straightforward products that Colette and Mark have seen in recent times. What’s more, you won’t find anything over £10 in the range, the idea being that keeping costs low affords consumers the chance to test out what works for them without the worry of being too out of pocket if a product doesn't quite meet their needs.

The first drop of products features:

Glycolic, £6.99 for 100ml - a 10% strength toner which also features witch hazel to help minimise oil.



Kaolin Clay, £4.99 for 50ml - a clay mask that also features smectite clay for absorbing excess oil.

Serums

Alpha Hydroxy Acid, £8.99 for 30ml - a 10% strength exfoliator that also includes multi-size molecular hyaluronic acid for extra hydration.

Lactic Acid, £7.99 for 30ml - 10% strength exfoliator which features added hyaluronic acid too.

Hyaluronic Acid, £4.99 for 30ml - which contains two different molecular sizes for optimal penetration.

Caffeine, £8.99 for 15ml - which also contains matrixyl 3000 to provide a collagen production boost and plumping effect.

Vitamin C, £7.99 for 30ml - a high-strength (30%) serum containing pure L-ascorbic acid in a stable, waterless formulation.

Q10, £4.99 for 30ml - with squalane and soybean for extra hydration.

Collagen, £8.99 for 30ml - with matrixyl 3000.

Retinol, £9.99 for 30ml - contains 1% retinol and an added concentration of an advanced retinoid (0.5%) called granactive retinoid to help provide skin benefits without the irritation.

Moisturisers

Hemp Oil, £7.99 for 30ml - with green tea extract to calm and smooth.

Turmeric, £7.99 for 30ml - with added vitamin E to soothe and smooth skin.

Squalane, £8.99 for 30ml - made up of 100% pure squalane.

Zinc Oxide, £8.99 for 30ml - a mineral sunscreen of SPF 50 with 1% hyaluronic acid for extra hydration.

Rosehip Oil, £6.99 for 30ml - made up of 100% pure rosehip oil.

The brand also has another key development up its sleeve: the creation of an Inkey List community comprising of skin savvy influencers ranging from beauty editors to experts and those who have a passion for skincare. Acting as ‘real life beauty translators,’ they’ll be enlisted to answer questions, offer advice and help the brand in their mission to decode the complex world of ingredients.

Available to buy now at Feelunique, The Inkey List is set to create quite the buzz in the beauty industry. Helping to cut through the beauty jargon and merge education with communication, it’s likely to appeal to both skincare novices and ‘skintellectuals’ alike thanks to its goal of making smarter, simple skincare accessible for all. It'll be interesting to see what other products the team cooks up in the coming months.

Read more: The best budget supermarket beauty brands.

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