How can you know if one product that offers the same benefits at a cheaper price point is as effective as another? When is it OK to save and when should you splurge?

A variety of factors

“Personally, I set out to make the best skincare in the world, and that is an expensive proposition,” she says. “It is inevitably going to be a ‘splurge’ because it is so expensive to make it that way.

“I do think people are beginning to appreciate and understand that process.”

Besides the way a product looks and its ingredients, a factor that may increase the price has to do with the way it feels. Some brands invest a little more to achieve a texture that feels luxurious on skin, which for some consumers may be important.

Concentration and strength

While other factors can alter a product’s price, what really matters is what’s in the formula and how it will perform.

An expensive serum will probably carry a higher concentration of the ingredients that make its formula great. Karen Fernandez, licensed aesthetician and aesthetics manager for US medical spa group SkinSpirit, explains this phenomenon with the “steeping tea” analogy.

“Think of a steeping tea bag, where the first cup is the strongest. If you keep using that same tea bag, it will lose its potency with every cup,” she says. “Less expensive moisturisers have less potent ingredients that can be by-products or leftovers.”

The development process

The development process is an investment that only some brands can afford, which ends up being reflected in the price.

“Clinical trials are very expensive. A product may contain a rare ingredient or even a high concentration of an ingredient,” Hands says, highlighting that it’s all about figuring out what you feel works best for your own skincare regime.

Ingredients

Certain ingredients can produce better results – as long as you are willing to spend the big bucks. These ingredients will either repair or deeply moisturise your skin and are usually more likely to be unstable or cause reactions if they are not properly developed.

Another one on the list is vitamin C, the go-to for those wanting a brighter complexion. However, because of the ingredient’s unstable and easy-to-oxidise nature, companies have to invest in long-lasting formulas that can offer results before the end of their shelf life.

Some ingredients can be found in potent forms at affordable prices, but their efficacy rests on their quality and the ingredients paired with them.

However, as good as it is on its own, its powers can be tremendously boosted when paired with other ingredients such as vitamin C, amino acids and ceramides.

For example, an affordable niacinamide serum like The Ordinary’s 30ml (one ounce) Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Oil Control serum usually retails for US$7.00. While beneficial, some consider it to be better used as a booster for other products such as moisturisers or serums.

On the pricier end of the spectrum, you’ll find formulations like Dr Barbara Sturm’s The Better B Niacinamide serum, which costs US$145 for 30ml – a higher investment for sure, but for a variety of good reasons.

As stated by Sturm, this serum takes advantage of the many benefits that niacinamide offers, with the added boost from ingredients such as ectoin – a powerful amino acid – marine plankton and panthenol, which build the perfect environment for niacinamide to work.

“The goal with skincare is to soothe and reduce inflammation, not cause it – skincare should never cause any discomfort,” says Sturm.

At the end of the day, what’s important is to be aware of your needs and select the active ingredients that will benefit your particular routine.

“We’ve noticed our customers becoming more ‘skintellectual’,” Hands says, “meaning they’re looking for active ingredients that perform a specific job, rather than seeking one item that promises to do it all.”