The Good Shelf: Skincare That Actually Earned Its Place
Five skincare winners from the Glow archive — who each one is truly for, and the small print nobody puts on the front of the bottle.
We test a frankly indecent amount of skincare at Glow Lab — drawers of it, some of it dreadful — so when something sails past an 8.0, believe me, the applause is earned. These five are the ones I'd repurchase with my own money, press into a mate's hands, and quietly rebuy when nobody's looking. None of them is flawless, because nothing is, so for each I'll tell you exactly who it suits and the one catch to know before you commit. Consider it the gossip before the relationship gets serious.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
Our highest scorer of the bunch at 9.0, and deservedly so. If your skin is dry, raw, sensitised or simply having a moment, this thick balm wraps it up like a hot water bottle. The catch: oily types should admire it from a distance — it's rich, occlusive, and absolutely not built for you.
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Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
For anyone at war with texture and clogged pores, this BHA quietly gets on with the job — visibly smoother in weeks, not in promises. Two catches: buy it from somewhere reputable because the fakes are everywhere, and resist the urge to go nightly. More is not kinder.
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The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
For hydration on a budget, this is the plumping serum people genuinely adore — it costs less than lunch and behaves like it costs more. The catch is pure technique: apply to damp skin or it will pill, flake, and leave you drier than before. Damp face first, moisturiser on top, thank me later.
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Anti Aging
Not a product — a confession. The best anti-aging routine scored 8.4 because it's true: sunscreen every morning, retinol at night, and sleep you don't skimp on. The catch is that no brand makes money from telling you this, so you'll rarely hear it from anyone selling a jar.
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CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream
For the rough, bumpy arms-and-legs crowd, this salicylic acid cream genuinely smooths things out over a few faithful weeks. The catch: it's formulated for the body, yet the internet has spent years rowing about whether it belongs on faces. Body first; face only with caution.
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