These are the 20 best skincare buys under £20

Good skin doesn't have to cost the earth...

best 20 skincare under £20
(Image credit: IMAXtree)

Good skin doesn't have to cost the earth...

Everyone knows that a glowy, clear complexion is the basis of everything. When you have that you're able to wear less make-up, it goes with everything and gives you a much needed confidence boost.

But good skin needn't cost you thousands. In fact, there are lots of affordable skincare brands out there to take your daily routine to the next level.

Here's our round-up of the best 20 skincare products under £20. Happy shopping...

BIODERMA Sensibio Micellar Water, £11 | Feelunique

BIODERMA Sensibio Micellar Water, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22773&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FBIODERMA-Sensibio-H2O-Make-up-Removing-Micelle-Solution-250ml" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£11 | Feelunique
This one is a total classic. Hands down one of the <a href="/beauty/skincare/best-cleanser-218142" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-original-url="https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/skincare/best-cleanser-218142">best cleansers on the market. This micellar water is loved by so many people and with good reason. It doesn't irritate skin, it removes all make-up (even water-resistant stuff), refreshes the skin and most importantly: comes in way under twenty pounds.

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser, £16 | Lookfantastic

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fcaudalie-vinopure-purifying-gel-cleanser-150ml%2F13092214.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£16 | Lookfantastic
Caudalie's Vinopure range vastly improved our fashion editor's blemish-prone skin and now she won't use anything else. Their gel cleanser completes the range and really helps to reduce excess oil on the skin and clear out blocked pores.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Starter Pack, £17 | Lookfantastic

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Starter Pack, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fliz-earle-cleanse-and-polish-starter-pack-100ml%2F12540072.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£17 | Lookfantastic
The cleanser that changed a thousand faces. Liz Earle's famed face wash can be found in beauty cupboards up and down the country. Why? Because it's a brilliant cleanser, exfoliator and a beauty bargain.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for Normal to Dry Skin, £9.50 | Boots

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for Normal to Dry Skin, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Fcerave-hydrating-cleanser-236ml-10246701-" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£9.50 | Boots
Developed with dermatologists, this gentle, non-foaming gel formula cleanses the skin to remove excess makeup and dirt. It contains 3 essential ceramides to help protect the skin barrier and Hyaluronic Acid to help retain the skin’s natural moisture. Win win.

PIXI Glow Tonic, £18 | Lookfantastic

PIXI Glow Tonic, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fpixi-glow-tonic-250ml%2F11200055.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£18 | Lookfantastic
How great is it when a worldwide cult beauty product doesn't require you to remortgage your house?! Pixi Glow is your go-to product when skin is looking dull and lacklustre. A few swipes of this on a cotton pad morning and night and you'll be glowing in no time.

Kiehl&#39;s Ultra Facial Toner, £18 | Boots

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Fkiehls-ultra-facial-toner-250ml-10303443" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£18 | Boots
Kiehl’s gentle alcohol-free facial toner tones, comforts and hydrates the skin. Formulated with effective emollients like Squalane, Apricot Kernel Oil, Avocado Oil and Vitamin E, this gentle facial toner is pH-balanced for optimal comfort, and won't over-dry or strip skin of natural oils.

Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Anti-Age Refreshing Mist Spray, £10.50 | Feelunique

Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Anti-Age Refreshing Mist Spray, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22773&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FEucerin-Hyaluron-Filler-Anti-Age-Refreshing-Mist-Spray-150ml" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£10.50 | Feelunique
This facial mist spray is infused with Hyaluronic Acid and Gluco-Glycerol, to support instant and long-lasting hydration for smooth and radiant skin.

BYOMA Balancing Face Mist, £11.99 | Cult Beauty

BYOMA Balancing Face Mist, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=35269&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultbeauty.co.uk%2Fbyoma-balancing-face-mist-100ml%2F13521365.html" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">£11.99 | Cult Beauty
In true BYOMA fashion, this Balancing Face Mist is of course infused with a unique blend of barrier boosting tri-ceramide complexes, and combined with the powerful duo of allantoin and probiotic ferment, your skin is left feeling renewed and all-the-more moisturised.

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £5.99 | Feelunique

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22773&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FThe-INKEY-List-Hyaluronic-Acid-Serum-30ml" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£5.99 | Feelunique
Another cracker of a skincare brand that won't break the bank. Their ethos is to cut through the beauty bullshit and deliver products that focus on single ingredients that will vastly improve your skin's health and appearance. Everyone, no matter the skin type, should have a hyaluronic acid serum in their life as hydration is key to great skin.

YourGoodSkin Balancing Skin Concentrate All In One Facial Serum, £12 | Boots

YourGoodSkin Balancing Skin Concentrate All In One Facial Serum, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Fyour-good-skin-balancing-skin-concentrate-30ml-10233368" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£12 | Boots
YourGoodSkin is a brand that was created by derms, scientists and real women. This is the hero product from the range. It promises to give you visibly healthier skin in 28 days. It even has a little window at the back that shows you how much you've used, which day you're on and how much longer you have to go. So if you find that your skin is a little bit off kilter, swap your normal serum in for this for a month and you'll notice that it improves the texture, tone, radiance, oiliness and moisture of the skin.

Olay Total Effects SPF 30, 7 in 1 Anti-Ageing Moisturiser, £9.99 | Boots

Olay Total Effects SPF 30, 7 in 1 Anti-Ageing Moisturiser, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Folay-total-effects-day-cream-SPF30-50ml-10246680" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£9.99 | Boots
Often you think that to find a good anti-ageing product you need to shell out quite a bit of money, but Olay continues to show us that this is wrong. Their Total Effects range continues to win awards for its ability to keep us looking younger for longer.

Avene Tolerance Extreme Cream Moisturiser for Intolerant Skin, £15 | Lookfantastic

Avene Tolerance Extreme Cream Moisturiser for Intolerant Skin, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Favene-tolerance-extreme-cream-moisturiser-for-intolerant-skin-50ml%2F11571258.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£15 | Lookfantastic
We love Avène products are they are super gentle and won't cause irritation. This rich, creamy formula is enriched with the brand’s unique thermal spring water to soothe, soften and help to maintain the natural balance of the skin’s microbiome.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Fluid Pump Bottle, £16 | Cult Beauty

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Fluid Pump Bottle, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=35269&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultbeauty.co.uk%2Fembryolisse-lait-creme-fluid-pump-bottle-75ml%2F11719392.html" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">£16 | Cult Beauty
A brand loved by makeup artists all over the world, Lait-Crème Fluide is the featherweight sibling to the universally adored Concentré – designed for people who prefer a lighter touch in their skin care. An excellent multi-tasker, this lotion can be used for both face and body, as a moisturiser, make up remover, after-sun, after-shave and baby care cream.

Weleda Skin Food, from £8.25 | Cult Beauty

Weleda Skin Food, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=35269&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultbeauty.co.uk%2Fweleda-skin-food-30ml%2F10540679.html" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">from £8.25 | Cult Beauty
Weleda's bestselling Skin Food is a deeply replenishing, SOS treatment for dry, scaly, compromised skin that’s in need of nutrition. Every formula celebrates nature’s incredible larder to treat skin holistically; balancing, soothing and strengthening thanks to the finest, responsibly harvested natural actives.

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask, £18 | Feelunique

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22773&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FCharlotte-Tilbury-Instant-Magic-Facial-Dry-Sheet-Mask-Single-Sachet" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£18 | Feelunique
Whilst £18 is quite steep for one sheet mask, you can actually use this one more than once (up to three times) and it's definitely one of the <a href="/beauty/skincare/best-sheet-masks-241953" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-original-url="https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/skincare/best-sheet-masks-241953">best sheet masks in our opinion. It's the perfect pick-me-up before a night out or a nourishing boost on a Sunday evening. It will also suit those who hate how drippy the wet ones are.

L&#39;Oréal Paris Pure Clay Detox Mask, £7.99 | Feelunique

L'Oréal Paris Pure Clay Detox Mask, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22773&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FLOreal-Paris-Pure-Clay-Detox-Mask-50ml" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£7.99 | Feelunique
If you've ever had a really busy week, followed by an even messier weekend, then come Sunday your skin needs some serious TLC. This charcoal clay face mask will be your skin's best friend on occasions like this - it draws out any impurities from your pores and restores things back to normal for Monday morning. If only you could apply it to your insides as well.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I. Breakout Corrector, £12.50 | Lookfantastic

La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I. Breakout Corrector, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fla-roche-posay-effaclar-a.i.-breakout-corrector-15ml%2F11091819.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£12.50 | Lookfantastic
This is one of the <a href="/beauty/skincare/best-spot-treatments-254492" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" data-original-url="https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/skincare/best-spot-treatments-254492">best spot treatments out there. If you wake up to find a whopper on your chin, then pop this on straight away under your make-up. It's clear so won't be obvious that you're wearing anything and then as you go about your day it will purify your pores, exfoliate and remove any excess oil.

The Ordinary Retinol Serum 1% In Squalane, £6.90 | Cult Beauty

The Ordinary Retinol Serum 1% In Squalane, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=35269&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultbeauty.co.uk%2Fthe-ordinary-retinol-serum-1-in-squalane-30ml%2F11638503.html" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">£6.90 | Cult Beauty
Ask any beauty editor, 'which budget skincare brand would you recommend?' every single one of them will say The Ordinary. It was created for the sole purpose of giving good skin to the masses and proving that you don't have to fork out half your pay cheque on effective skincare. This serum is excellent at targeting fine lines and wrinkles, but if you're new to vitamin A, then go for their lower doses of 0.2% or 0.5%.

Lanolips The Original 101 Ointment, £10.99 | Lookfantastic

Lanolips The Original 101 Ointment, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Flanolips-the-original-101-ointment%2F11121832.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£10.99 | Lookfantastic
Lanolin is a wonder ingredient - it's a natural wax found on sheep's wool and is used to soothe dry, cracked and chapped skin, because it's so similar to the lipids found in our own skin. Lanolips can obviously be used on dry lips, but also on cuticles, small burns, wounds, nipples, pretty much anywhere. This is one of those products that you should keep on you at all times. In fact, keep one in every handbag.

Face Halo The Modern Makeup Remover Original, £18 | Lookfantastic

Face Halo The Modern Makeup Remover Original, <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fface-halo-the-modern-makeup-remover-original-3-pack%2F12528588.html" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"">£18 | Lookfantastic
Ok, so it's not technically skincare, but you need this product in your skincare routine. The pads remove makeup with ease, capturing even stubborn formulas to help leave complexions clean and fresh. Crafted with sustainability in mind, the reusable makeup remover pads feature HaloTech fibres that draw lingering product from the pores while eliminating the need to scrub.

See? We told you that you didn't need to part with too many of your precious pound coins.

Bargain beauty at its best.

Katie Thomas

Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market. She started her career on fashion desks across the industry - from The Telegraph to Brides - but found her calling in the Tatler beauty department. From there she moved to Instyle, before joining the Marie Claire digital team in 2018. She’s made it her own personal mission to find the best concealer in the world to cover her tenacious dark circles. She’s obsessed with skincare that makes her skin bouncy and glowy, low-maintenance hair that doesn’t require brushing and a cracking good manicure. Oh and she wears more jewellery than the Queen.