In all seriousness, as a licensed esthetician, I take skincare and what I put on my face very seriously. I have tried countless cleansers, and the Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser is by far my favorite one. But with a price tag of $36, it can be hard to work it into the budget. Here are some of our favorite dupes that have similar benefits toYouth To The People’s Superfood Cleanser.
Staying with our greens, Truly Beauty offers a similar gel cleanser featuring key ingredients similar to the YTTP one. The dupe uses the same superstars as Youth To The People’s: aloe to soothe, spirulina extract to fight aging, vitamin E to protect, and green tea extract to calm. A bonus ingredient: CBD extract, which fights inflammation and redness.
Derma E’s dupe is loaded with antioxidant duo Chamomilla recutita flower and green tea extract, which, when combined, leave your pores feeling refreshed and revitalized after each wash – aka, the exact same thing Youth To The People’s OG cleanser does. We mention this one specifically for sensitive skin as it is alcohol and fragrance-free while having great soothing ingredients like allantoin and aloe!
This gentle cleanser uses the same calming green tea extract and protective vitamin E, while also adding a tri-ceramide complex that boosts skin moisture levels that balance your complexion. This product is ideal for dry skin because it gently cleanses and exfoliates skin with lactic acid, while still giving nourishment back via those skin-barrier, moisture-lovin’ ceramides. Add in brightening licorice extract, and you’ll be glowing.
Oily and acne-prone skin, rejoice – we’ve found a product with strong astringent agents! Just like Youth To The People’s Superfood, Pacifica’s Cleanser features the same moisturizing Vitamin B5 and collagen-encouraging kale extract to leave the skin feeling refreshed after a foamy wash. Citric acid and lemon peel will dry out oily skin while effectively tightening pores to reveal a clear and even complexion!
Calling all combination skin pals: if you have hyperpigmentation, be sure to check this one out! Selfless by Hyram’s YTTP cleanser dupe uses a gentle foaming formula that goes on the skin bubbly and leaves it smooth. Made using green tea extract for calming and unclogging, it’ll leave your skin feeling fresh and clean when mixed with power plant Centella extract, which aids in regenerating and rejuvenating the skin.
If you love a fragranced product and it doesn’t irritate your skin, this has a fantastic scent that reviewers call “refreshing.” Aside from the fragrance, this cleansing foam from Innisfree ~is free~ from parabens, phthalates, and sulfates! Using a special Jeju green tea, this cleanser foams on the skin, drawing out impurities by unclogging pores and fighting traces of acne. The grand reveal: an even complexion!
If you’re a loyal QUILL reader, you already know how much we love the Peace Out Blemish Balm – Marissa wrote an entire review on it! This creamy Youth To The People dupe will leave your skin spotless and smooth: using our favorite BHA, salicylic acid, feel the exfoliation anhen, rehydrate with hydrating niacinamide, moisture-locking hyaluronic acid, and an 8-amino acid complex. Reminder: those amino acids make up collagen, which helps with elasticity and firmness – major bonuses in a cleanser!
I know, I know, there are Drunk Elephant skincare dupes out there — if there are Bum Bum Cream dupes and Good Genes dupes, then there are dupes for anything, right? — but I’m always hesitant to try them. What if they don’t work as well? My wallet isn’t always the thickest right before my paycheck hits, but price = quality, right?
But you can only spend so much before you wonder, “what else is out there… and for a fraction of the price?”
So, I did a hunt for Drunk Elephant dupes, products to replace the more expensive skincare options on the OG’s site. Here are the options I found that will give you the skin you’re looking for – without breaking the bank on days you just can’t afford to buy the entire shelf at Ulta. (Tempting, but not today, bb.)
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Let’s start with why peptides are such a Big Deal: they’re amino acids that are building blocks for chains like collagen and elastin, keeping your skin from sagging.
Drunk Elephant uses a blend of 11 peptides to firm and add bounce, as well as antioxidant-rich ingredients like snow mushroom extract, sodium PCA, and tocotrienols (which are part of the vitamin E family, known for protecting and repairing skin).
Enter: Peach & Lily’s Glass Skin Refining Serum, which uses a proprietary blend of peptides to encourage collagen production and smooth out those fine lines. It also uses a proprietary blend of hyaluronic acid molecules, supposedly locking in hydration and plumping up skin more than the usual hyaluronic acid molecule does.
Unlike Drunk Elephant, this dupe uses an ingredient derived from mushroom, rather than mushroom itself: madecassoide, which helps bring dull skin back to life.
Finally, for an extra burst of antioxidants and vitamins, Peach & Lily incorporates peach and Asian mountain yam extracts to firm up and fortify your face.
If you’re looking for a moisturizer rather than a serum, Protini Polypeptide Cream may sound like the only option.
Using peptides again, plus pygmy waterlily stem cell extract to calm, soybean folic acid ferment extract for vitamin B – which helps protect from sun damage – and acetyl glutamine for amino acids, it’s pretty good.
But Paula’s Choice goes straight to the source with amino acids and ceramides, giving your skin’s barrier the added protection it needs without requiring extra ingredients. And a bonus for the barrier: omegas 3, 6, and 9 are in the formula, which help retain moisture.
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate mingle with the omegas for ultimate hydration in the Drunk Elephant dupe, too. And at the same time, a variety of oils — including chia seed, olive, passion fruit seed, and flaxseed (filled with vitamin B) — come in to nourish, soften, protect, and smooth skin.
So, yeah, Drunk Elephant’s product does a lot. But why would you settle for less, hm?
Ah, The Ordinary. Stupidly affordable, stupidly effective.
Since they use such scientific language on their site, I’m gonna simplify it here for you. Drunk Elephant’s TLC Sukari Babyfacial Mask is an acid-based facial, with both AHAs and a BHA. This basically renews your skin, which sounds irritating… but Drunk Elephant adds in cactus extract, virgin marula oil, and passionfruit seed oil to fight back against it.
In The Ordinary’s AHA/BHA Exfoliator, acids combine to renew and rejuvenate. The Ordinary, however, uses Tasmanian pepperberry and vitamin B5 for soothing. The result is the same, but you’ll spend $72 less at Ulta – and that’s a total win, in our opinion.
A-Gloei is pretty damn expensive for its one ounce, but the magic it performs? Priceless… kind of. Why spend $72 when you can spend less than $40 for the same magic?
La Roche Posay’s Retinol Face Serum, like Drunk Elephant’s A-Gloei, has retinol in it (pure and gradual release) to exfoliate skin and clear up imperfections like uneven skin tone and texture.
While A-Gloei is filled with ceramides, however, the Retinol Face Serum is bursting with B3 and hyaluronic acid. The result: locked in moisture, total hydration, softening and smoothing, and only $39.99 out of your bank account, not $72.
Smile at that – without worrying about those smile lines.
As fall rolls around, I know many will be missing the glow that summer gave them. But you can have it in fall, I promise!
Drunk Elephant’s Sunshine Drops are special because they have antioxidants galore – including in peptides, which help with signs of aging by encouraging collagen production. Throw in some chronocyclin to mimic that sun, and it’s a bronzing solution that can’t be beaten… lol, yes it can be.
Don’t freak over the lack of peptides – Milk’s Bionic Bronzer uses vegan plant-derived collagen to help with elasticity and anti-aging. And peptides ENCOURAGE collagen production, the ingredient that’s actually PRESENT here, so… do with that what you will.
The Drunk Elephant bronzer dupe has vitamin D – which the OG “mimics” – though both contain a healthy dose of vitamin E to repair and protect.
Where Milk rises to the top: the Bionic Bronzer utilizes tremella and reishi mushroom extracts to hydrate skin with hyaluronic acid, so you’re protecting yourself, bronzing, and glowing from hydration for $30.
Drunk Elephant uses virgin marula oil like it’s a sacred resource that will disappear at any given second (will it? Fact check me pls). And yeah, it’s a great ingredient, helping with fine lines and wrinkles, as well as protecting from environmental stressors.
But it’s $68 for 0.5 oz., which is… kinda ridiculous, tbh.
Glow Recipe’s Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer is — yep, gonna say it — even better, and it doesn’t even use marula oil. Nope, I’m not cheating!
Instead, your skin will enjoy the fountain of youth thanks to a strong peptide (collagen building blocks, once again), a combination of hydrating squalane and jojoba and moringa seed oils, and hyaluronic acid to lock in all of that moisture.
Unique ingredients to Glow Recipe’s moisturizer include plum and ice willowherb, which brighten, hydrate, and balance skin out. Say hello to hydration and anti-aging for less than two-thirds of the price.
Moon Juice comes to the rescue if you’re looking for affordable skincare that actually works.
TLC is filled with ingredients such as AHAs for exfoliation, salicylic acid for unclogging, raspberry fruit extract for its antioxidants, galactoarabinan (a polysaccharide) to help with fine lines, and Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture to help with photodamage. But at $90, it’s a major splurge for only 1 oz.
Moon Juice offers their Acid Potion, a steal at half the cost as the OG. With AHAs paired with salicylic acid for total exfoliation and reduction of fine lines, your skin will be rid of dead skin cells and ready to glow. Niacinamide — a form of anti-radical vitamin B — as well as clary oil and honeysuckle extract come in to soothe skin from the exfoliation; with the balancing properties of reishi, you don’t have to fret about irritation.
Also containing vitamin E and tocotrienols to protect and repair from damage, plus glycerin and allantoin to hydrate, you have a dupe worthy of bragging about.
Is your skin thirsty? Begging for hydration? It’s tempting to spend the $48 on Drunk Elephant’s B-Hydra Serum, I know – it’s not that much! But I’m here to tell you that you can do better than that, bb.
Cocokind uses ceramides to retain any moisture your skin can get, which also protect your skin from toxin-filled bacteria. At the same time, squalane and banana extract moisturize.
It’s basically the same thing as Drunk Elephant’s formula, which includes comparable pineapple ceramide (no plural, notice that?), as well as hydrating sodium hyaluronate and Pro-vitamin B5 for skin barrier protection. But, you know, cheaper.
I’m gonna say it just one more time: peptides are amino acid building blocks for elastin and collagen, stopping sagging in its tracks.
You may think that you’ll only find copper peptides and stem cells in Drunk Elephant’s product – after all, what the hell are those? But Derma E offers copper peptides AND plant stem cells in their eye lifting treatment, too.
There’s also a healthy dose of kakadu plum for texture and elasticity in Derma E’s option, which is comparable to Drunk Elephant’s niacinamide.
The Eye Lifting Treatment has plenty of fruit extracts for healthy nutrient contributions as well, so you’re not missing out on Drunk Elephant’s bioflavonoid derivative, aka Hesperidin Methyl Chalcon.
Wake up, buttercup! It’s time to seize the day and get that glow on. But can you really seize the day when you’ve just paid $78 for less than one ounce of serum? Debatable.
If you can’t stomach that, I recommend Winky Lux’s Orange You Bright Vitamin C Brightening Serum.
The Potent Vitamin Complex, aka l-ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and vitamin E, is what Drunk Elephant relies on in its C-Firma Fresh Day Serum, while its dupe runs with jeju guava extract, which is filled with antioxidants and helps fight aging as well as environmental aggressors.
And where Winky Lux really takes off: the incorporation of peptides, which help aid collagen production and complement skin elasticity.
Sorry, Drunk Elephant – I’ll take a dupe who does more any day.
A retinol cream is important, but you need something soothing, too… like vitamin F, aka linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids, to help with resulting sensitivity and texture.
Winter cherry juice has the most carotenoids out there, protecting you from free radicals; passionfruit, apricot, and jojoba oils are soothing. Tbh, Drunk Elephant is kind of showing off with these ingredients.
But the classic Burt’s Bees does just as awesome a job with its Vitamin C + E + F Serum, featuring, you guessed it: vitamins F, and E, and C.
Who needs winter cherry juice when you have straight vitamin E with an assist from lotus flower extract; passionfruit, jojoba, and apricot oils when you have safflower and sunflower oils; and then — as an added bonus — vitamin C for brightening and erasing fine lines and wrinkles?
On top of that, the dupe has chamomile for soothing and fighting inflammation – so all of that vitamin C is chilled out with the rest of vitamin F. Talk about a skin-loving serum… for less than half the price of the original.
I’ve been pulling plenty of all-nighters for QUILL (I love it, don’t worry!) and my eyes look dead. Drunk Elephant combats this with ceramides, antioxidants, and oils in their C-Tango Eye Cream, but the price is just as cute as my hollow eyes.
Aka, not cute.
Thank god for Paula’s Choice, once again, and her C5 Super Boost Vitamin C Eye Cream is filled with peptides to help with elasticity and sagging, like Drunk Elephant’s 8-peptide blend. There’s also an abundance of vitamin C to add glow and radiance to tired eyes, plus zerumbone to target under eye discoloration.
On top of these ingredients, the Drunk Elephant dupe has hyaluronic acid to fight fine lines while locking in moisture, shea butter to nourish, softening sunflower seed extract, and vitamin E to repair and protect.
Can your Drunk Elephant eye cream do that? Nah, I didn’t think so.
Kopari’s own Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream is ridiculously similar to Drunk Elephant’s Lala Retro Whipped Cream with Ceramides. And the results you receive are so. freakin’. similar.
You can thank ceramide NP in both for the balancing, soothing, moisture-locking properties; Drunk Elephant also uses ceramides EOP and AP, while Kopari uses vegan ceramides like phytosphingosine. The two incorporate hydrating sodium hyaluronate as well (though Kopari also includes squalane for that bump in moisture).
See, Kopari ran with the concept of a ceramide cream and did it, well… better, including ingredients like coconut fruit extract for vitamin B; watermelon seed oil for antioxidants; vitamin E and jojoba seed oil for the assist in protection and repairing damaged skin; and shea butter, aloe, and baobab for nourishing and soothing irritated skin.
If you’re super into vegan formulas and want a multi-faceted product with a pleasing texture for less than $55+, Kopari has you covered — and well.
It sounds weird, yeah – a Fermented Sake Spray? But it’s good for your skin’s microbiome, I swear!
Still, if pouring hemp-based hops extract and kombucha on top of sake just doesn’t sound delicious, then turn to Skinfood’s Drunk Elephant dupe. It’s also filled with good nutrients, starting with sake, but following with more “normal” ingredients for nutrients.
For example: peach fruit extract is filled with organic acids, vitamins A and C, and pectin (which evens out discoloration); licorice root extract helps brighten dark spots; and centella asiatica extract soothes and irons out lumps and bumps.
And just to reiterate: you won’t smell like sake after rubbing Skinfood into your skin. Sake DOES protect your microbiome thanks to its peptides and sebum control, so don’t ditch it simply for the name, okay? Especially when you have peach and licorice root surrounding it.
Do you ever look at a product and go, “wow, I wish I could have that but cheaper?” Yeah, me too… but not with Drunk Elephant, because their dupes are just as good.
For example, the name brand’s SPF 30 sunscreen comes with ingredients to neutralize free radicals and fight environmental stressors and oxidative damage, like sunflower shoot extract, astaxanthin-rich algae extract, and raspberry seed oil.
Kinship’s Self Reflect Probiotic SPF 32 said “oh, please, that’s nothing.” Non nano zinc oxide is reef-safe, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t fight UV rays like a knight in shining armor. Turmeric also plays a huge role, providing antioxidants to soothe and protect sensitive skin from free radicals.
But it’s Kinship’s Kinbiome that makes it special. The proprietary plant-based probiotic protects the skin’s barrier and helps to keep skin clear. The variety of fruit extracts help provide extra antioxidants, vitamins, and light exfoliation, so free radicals are banished and skin is left radiant — but not red, thanks to soothing aloe.
So, before you pick up another tube of Umbra, take a glance at Kinship, okay? I know the price tag doesn’t seem that different, but when you’re getting all you are from Self Reflect, it’s best to ~self reflect~ you know?
The Ceramighty AF Eye Balm is new from Drunk Elephant, and we have the perfect dupe for it.
But first, the low-down: Ceramighty uses ceramides, vitamin F, and omegas to give your eyes a rejuvenating boost, soothing eyes that have seen too many all-nighters. But at $60 for half an ounce… yikes.
Invest in Paula’s Choice’s Eye Cream instead, which has ceramides and peptides to help with tired, looser skin. Throw in hydrating glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, vitamin C to fight dark circles and brighten under-eyes, a little retinol to clear out the old and bring in the new skin cells, and pomegranate and licorice extracts to counteract redness, and you have eyes that look like they slept for more than eight hours.
Wash off without drying your skin out. Drunk Elephant’s Pekee Cleansing Bar coddles your skin while cleaning and fights aging, using ingredients like honey to soothe and nourish, blueberry extract to stop glycation (the process that causes visible aging), and marula oil (of course).
CeraVe’s Foaming Cleanser Bar is also soap-less, but it’ll still keep you clean and give you benefits that can’t be denied. For example, hyaluronic acid fights fine lines and plumps skin, while niacinamide calms the skin following a sebum-sucking sesh from the kaolin clay.
But CeraVe didn’t come to f*ck around. The bar also includes three ceramides, giving you anti-aging benefits galore, straight from the source — not extracts or oils that mimic what the body needs.
Again, no soap in either, but one is less than a quarter of the price WITH ceramides? Yeah, you choose.
Okay, so a lip balm that’s $18. Not the first time I’ve heard of it. But for less than 0.5 oz.? Nope, there’s better than that.
Drunk Elephant’s Lippe Balm has ingredients like antioxidant-bulldozer mongongo oil, protective cranberry seed oil, moisturizing avocado oil, and hydrating sea fern algae.
But you can get just as much hydration from Mario Badescu’s Moisturizing Lip Balm, which has a variety of oils and butters — think conditioning cocoa and shea butters, as well as nourishing coconut and sweet almond oils.
But Mario Badescu’s lip balm also contains vitamin E, helping to protect and repair any damage. And then there’s the fact that it contains vitamin F, something y0u won’t find in many products — let alone a lip balm.
Oh, and it’s less money for more product, which is just [insert chef’s kiss here].
Which Drunk Elephant dupe do you swear by? Are you going to try any of these? Tell us below!
As someone with a bunch of tattoos (how many times can I say this without sounding like I’m obsessed? Okay, I’m obsessed), I know firsthand the importance of unscented soap, lotion, and body wash. That fragrance shit on open wounds? Yeah, I’ll pass.
But fragrance-free isn’t just for tattoos. Sometimes you just don’t feel like smelling like eucalyptus and lavender, or your skin is sensitive and soap will just irritate it even more.
Unscented soap can be hard to come by, unless we’re talking antibacterial – not always the most ideal, especially with dry skin. So, I’m here with fragrance-free soaps that will get you clean without smelling like a perfume shop.
This is the OG soap that every tattoo artist, dermatologist, and pediatrician recommends, because it’s sensitive to skin with its ingredients and totally unscented. Instead of “Parfum,” the list includes a nourishing moisturizer cream, making it hypoallergenic. Plus, the soap bar is sustainable, as you’re removing a plastic container from the equation. Come on, how can you deny that the universal fav is the best?
Castile, the classic. While the name may make you shudder, conjuring up memories of dry hands after doing the dishes, I promise they’ve got this sh*t on lock. The All-In-One Soap Pouch doesn’t contain drying ingredients; quite the opposite, actually! Just check out the oil-balancing jojoba oil, ultra-nourishing olive oil, and protective vitamin E, which all work together to give you clean – but not squeaky – skin.
We love a good 2-in-1 hair and body wash, because who doesn’t love convenience (cough showers when you forget to buy shampoo)? Totally fragrance free, you’ll find nourishing ingredients for your skin like coconut, which calms inflammation and irritation; shea butter, which conditions; and oat flour, which gently unclogs pores to fight acne. Vegan and cruelty-free, it’s ethical, efficient, unscented ANTI-soap at its finest.
Oh, baby, we love a good unscented soap from Dr. Bronner – aka, this right here. It’s certified fair trade, so ethically, you’re doing a good deed by purchasing this soap specifically. It’s also amazing for the environment, as it’s biodegradable, made with natural and vegan ingredients, and won’t harm the environment or your skin in the process of cleansing.
Two ingredients. Yep, count ‘em: TWO. Read the reviews, and people can’t get enough of Alaffia’s African Black Soap, and it’s for good reason: shea butter is beyond nourishing, and palm kernel oil is an amazing source of protective and reparative vitamin E. Put the two together, and your skin is hydrated, healed, and clean without a single smell.
The basis of this soap… okay, yep, that was cheesy. But seriously: the foundation of this soap is completely scentless. Made for the most sensitive skin, it soothes and moisturizes rather than stripping and drying out skin. It’s all thanks to its star ingredients, the calming chamomile and soothing aloe, which work to stop hydration from rinsing down the drain.
3-in-1. Yeah, use it on your body, as shampoo, or as a bubble bath. It’s filled with organic herbs, but none of them will give this soap-shampoo-bubble-bath a scent. Instead, calendula acts as an antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory, while chamomile and aloe come to soothe even the most irritated skin. Sensitive skin can rejoice, because it really is a Charlie-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-worthy good egg.
Lume’s deodorant has blown up, and we’re equally excited for their fragrance free bar soap. No artificial fragrance, and no essential oils to give it a “natural”-but-fragrant smell. It lathers up, but there are no SLS in there (or parabens, or phthalates, or artificial dyes, or aluminum, or… you get it). It’s like standard bar soap, but without all the bad stuff that makes them standard bar soaps.
Tara raves about Cetaphil to us and how useful it is for her skin, and we trust her wholeheartedly – after all, her reviewshaven’t led us astray yet! Cetaphil’s Cleansing Bar is perfect for dry, sensitive skin that just can’t handle soap, but needs a soap-like cleanse. It’s filled with nourishing ingredients like hydrating glycerin, and even dermatologists can’t recommend it enough.
Mermaid Marissa recommends goat milk soap as a healthy, eco-friendly alternative to your standard bar soap. So… here it is! Made with Fresh Canadian Goat Milk (are Canadian goats better? Idk, someone please let me know though), the nutrients are unmatched: vitamins A and B, potassium, zinc, and selenium come together in an unscented fashion to give you a cleanse that doesn’t smell like a thing OR affect the moisture barrier. Hydration = locked in.
We love Native’s deodorant, and their fragrance-free soap is just as good. Nothing is more annoying than leftover residue that makes your skin feel a lil ick, so Native said “nah” and chose ingredients that wouldn’t do that. Examples: coconut oil, water, and glycerin, which all hydrate without leaving suds post-shower. Shea butter is also included to nourish your skin, giving an all-around positive cleansing experience.
While technically advertised as a face bar, you can use this unscented soap on your entire body. You have two options here: lather up and rinse, or lather up and wait, letting it sit on your body and form a mask. Either way, you’ll end up clean as hell without feeling dried out. The secret: ingredients like castor, coconut, and olive oils, plus shea butter and bentonite clay.
Under eye primers are the best, and I’m here to tell you why.
Maybe you’ve just gone through a breakup and your eyes are irritated and red from continuously wiping tears away (lol, same, and let’s not talk about all that black mascara pooling in the creases).
Or perhaps it’s allergy season, and your eyes are itchy, and suddenly your under eye skin is sensitive to the touch and looking puffy af.
Or maybe you didn’t sleep (lol, also me) and those dark circles are a little unsightly (sorry)… and you have a huge presentation in a few hours that requires you to look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Whatever the case may be, you need under eye primers to help soothe, de-puff, and maybe cover the skin that is rarely taken care of (unless you have a dedicated eye cream in your skincare routine).
New to this game? Don’t worry – we’ve put together a list of the 10 best under eye primers that will best prep you for the days ahead – breakups, allergies, and all-nighters be damned.
Milk Makeup is one of my fav brands, and their eye primer doesn’t just help with eyeshadow – it also helps battle under eye problems, like concealer that keeps migrating down your face. In fact, 94% said it helped concealer grip beneath the eyes. A huge shout out to the aloe water and niacinamide for the soothing hydration, blue agave extract for helping to lock in makeup, hyaluronic acid to keep moisture in, and hemp-derived cannabis seed extract for keeping the under eye area happy. We truly couldn’t look like this without you.
Bobbi Brown is always worth buying. The formula includes hyaluronic acid and shea butter to moisturize, vitamins B3 and C to brighten dark circles immediately and over time, vitamin A to smooth, and caffeine to tame puffiness. Yeah, it’s one of the pricier options, but there’s a reason everyone and their mother owns products by Bobbi Brown: you’ll never regret the luxury of them.
Rihanna extends her foundation range into her under eye range, offering 16 different shades for any under eyes that need a lil help. It’s crease-, humidity-, and sweat-resistant, so no matter what you do, your under eyes will grasp onto any makeup you’ve applied beneath your lash line. Thank jojoba oil and sodium hyaluronate for giving you that moisture and conditioning your sensitive skin desperately needs.
It’s not 16, but nine shades for an under eye primer is still pretty damn nice – and more than most offer. Olive-derived squalane and plant-derived glycerin work together to give you the hydration component, soothing that puffiness and delicate skin. Next, cucumber extract’s AHAs are gentle enough to provide light exfoliation and antioxidants. And finally, tomato extract gives that extra oomph by plumping and brightening, so you look wide awake on no sleep.
Do you ever see Ariana Grande looking tired? I thought not – she always has that doe-eyed, I-got-12-hours-of-sleep look instead. Bless her heart, she took that magic and put it in a balm, so you, too, can look revitalized after morning application. Just drench those under eyes in this formula, which consists of plumping mushrooms, hydrating glycerin, and de-puffing caffeine.
We love Smashbox at QUILL (did you read Marissa’s review of their Always On liquid lipstick? She smashed it), and people love the BECCA under eye brightening corrector. Rather than just cover them, the apricot and peach tints neutralize the blue in dark circles, while backlight technology (which includes light-reflecting illuminators) brings attention away from the darkness. Add in vitamin E to protect, and your dark circles are gone without pounds of concealer.
It’s not exactly shocking that Milk’s Sunshine ALSO made this list, what with its 4.4-star average rating and delightful ingredients, giving you coverage without caking. It does this with vitamin C, to help brighten; plant-derived squalane and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, then lock in moisture; and light-reflecting brightening powders (aka magic) that illuminate the under eyes, so those dark circles go into hiding.
Concealers should never be obvious – they’re supposed to conceal, right? Yet, somehow, so many concealers are… obvious. Not the case with Winky Lux, which offers full-coverage while blending in seamlessly with nine shade options. Ingredients include the elasticity-encouraging collagen, moisture-maintaining hyaluronic acid, and protective vitamin E – giving that sensitive skin a base it can enjoy.
Pixi’s primer relies on vitamin C to brighten those under eyes – and it works, so we’re not about to complain. This formula contains brightening licorice extract and plenty of extra citric acids, giving you bright eyes that CAN be bought. But don’t worry about dryness – hydrating glycerin and sea buckthorn oil totally nourish the under eye, so you won’t be scratching and rubbing your eyes from discomfort.
Like Bobbi’s, this under eye primer is a bit of a splurge – but it’s well worth it. On top of being a primer, this under eye product also acts as a serum, providing 3-in-1 properties. Not only does this de-puff; it also smooths over lines and brightens any darkness hanging around. Plant-powered retinol prides vitamin A and exfoliation without irritation, with an assist from the ultra hydrating hyaluronic acid. Vitamin C helps brighten and firm as well, so you’re protected on all fronts after a night of tossing and turning.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and over here at QUILL, we are strong supporters of the notion that all of your skin should be pampered. Of course most of y’all know stuff like taking care of your face or hands by now. What has only been recently entering the conversation is skincare for your vagina, so here’s how you can take care of the skin down there.
Getting To Know Your Vulva
“But wait… didn’t you say vagina earlier?” you might be thinking as you read the section header. “Or was it virgina…? clean virgin? Virginia.” Okay, I’m being an ass and teasing you a bit, I promise nothing but love here. But yes, we did say vagina earlier, and the header does say vulva. To be clear, there is, in fact, a difference between vaginas and vulvas.
In short, vulva refers to the genitals that are on the outside of your body, and the vagina is just one part of the vulva. For the sake of this article, we’ll use vagina and vulva pretty interchangeably — as most accidentally do — but we’ll mostly use the proper terminology in the correct context.
What Is Skinare For The Vagina/Vulva?
Skincare for your vagina is exactly what it sounds like: taking care of the skin around your vulva to ensure it is as healthy as possible. Taking care of your vagina skin does not have to require ridiculously elaborate steps in the routine; the process is relatively simple and something that you shouldn’t have to worry about.
The skin around your vulva is very delicate and could be susceptible to irritation, discomfort, rawness, and some other conditions that you probably don’t want to be dealing with. Not only will your vulva thank you for keeping it refreshed, but you’ll also feel so much better — because who doesn’t love a fresh and clean vagina?
A Self-Cleaning Vagina
You may have heard before that the vagina is self-cleaning and that you don’t really need to do anything too much to it. And that’s true. The body is well-equipped in keeping things balanced and healthy, usually through vaginal discharge and healthy bacteria that live in the vagina.
Yes, the vagina is self-cleaning, but as long as you are comfortable with it and are using products that aren’t damaging or irritating, there shouldn’t be any harm in giving the skin around your vagina some extra hygienic attention. And, generally speaking, it’s the skin around it that you’d want to keep clean — in other words, washing your vulva.
Basically, you don’t have to wash inside your vagina, but you should wash your vulva to ensure it’s nice and clean. But I digress.
How Can You Naturally Clean Your Vagina?
Before we get into the products you can use on and around your vulva, let’s look at the simplest and most natural way to get them clean down there.
The best and most natural way to clean yourself is to simply use warm water during your regular shower or bath. You can also use a mild soap that won’t irritate your skin, but it’s not necessary.
Warm water ready, you’ll want to spread your labia/lips apart and gently clean thoroughly around the folds; do your best to not get water or soap (if you use any) inside your vagina. And that’s all she wrote.
Vulva Skincare
Something you’ll absolutely want to avoid when finding the right products for your vagina are those that are heavy in fragrances or perfumes, dyes, douches, or anything that will likely irritate you. Remember, your vagina/vulva is incredibly sensitive, so you’re not going to want to get too fancy with the products — keep it gentle.
If any of these products cause irritation or maybe things don’t smell right down there, stop using it and find another product (or just use soap and water).
Here are some of the best products that you can use for your vulva: including things like gentle foaming cleanser, or as one of my best friends likes to call it, ‘pussy soap,’ and even an exfoliator for your pubic area.
No matter how many times I wash my face, drink water, and use clean face-friendly-products (like non-comedogenic sunscreen – I live on a boat, after all!), it seems like I am still prone to zits. So, I’ve done plenty of research and read tons of reviews on products that not only cover the problem spots, but also heal them – which is when I came across this little gold mine of a product: Hero Cosmetics’ Mighty Patch.
To be honest, I was skeptical of this highly-reviewed product: how could something so simple be so good? Hero’s Mighty Patch was relatively inexpensive, so I loaded a pack into my cart to give them a try and, at the very least, write a review for QUILL.
There is nothing “wow” about this packaging; it is very straightforward. But as always, it is what is on the inside that counts. So, I ripped open the package and peeled off a patch to place on one of my problem spots and let it do its magic.
The patch was well-hidden against my very pale complexion (like one scoop away from being vanilla-ice-cream white) and was quick to start absorbing all the “yuck” in my skin. The Mighty Patch uses medical-grade hydrocolloid to gently absorb pimple gunk throughout the day or night.
It was kind of satisfying to peel away the sticker and see the white spot where all the “ick” went!
My problem spot was a problem no more, and there was no popping necessary. I was really impressed by the product’s ability to deliver what it had promised and bought a new pack as well as their larger patches for the bigger problem areas. However, the acid in the patches do make the areas I put them on dry (hello, that’s the whole point), so I make sure to use a very heavy moisturizer after the fact.
Additionally, I will note that the patches blended well into my skin for a great low-key-camouflaged-blemish moment, but I was severely disappointed to see that there are no shades to accommodate for darker skin tones. There are clear options, but even those are obvious and fail to blend in.
Shaving your pubic hair with the wrong razor can make for an itchy, uncomfortable, overall-shitty experience. And when you decide to tackle the time-consuming, tedious task, it’s worth getting a razor that doesn’t tear out your pubes and give you gnarly razor burn.
So, if you shave your pubic hair and are sick of coming away with painful, burning skin and an uneven, splotchy bikini line, I’ve got 7 razors that will make your life better — and less bumpy.
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I wrote all about my experience with the Twig razor, but I’ll summarize here: it’s the f*cking best. While you do need actual shaving cream in order for it to work – no shortcuts – it’s worth that extra $4 at CVS for shaving gel. Featuring a single-edge, single-blade design, your pubic hair stands no chance against this reusable safety razor. A bonus: any safety razor blade fits the razor head, so you don’t need to buy specialty blades, unlike with other razors. It is truly the best shave of my life, and it’s absolutely worth the $59 price tag.
Schick gives you lather and a smooth shave all in one, even if you have sensitive skin. The shave cream is included within the razor, so as you run the four blades along your bikini line, you’ll get a solid amount of softness straight from the source. On top of that, its defense bar is infused with protective and reparative vitamin E, as well as soothing aloe. So, really, it’s a three-in-one, delivering every part of a shave without any accessories. Does it get any better?
If you have sensitive skin, I wholeheartedly recommend the Venus Pubic Hair and Skin Razor (and the rest of its products, too). It doesn’t grate your skin – there is a patented irritation defense bar that keeps the razor from scratching and irritating your pubic area, while also kissing hair goodbye. Just keep in mind that when I say gentle, I mean gentle – if you have coarse hair or don’t shave very often, it might not be enough to get you bare.
Is it weird that a razor has to declare itself as unisex? Yes, not gonna lie about that one. But we’ll take that odd detail, because “Us” from BIC Razors is great for shaving everywhere – including the pubic area. Five blades work together to give you a close shave, but if that’s not enough, its precision trimming edge will get those ridiculously-hard-to-reach areas, too. With an irritation strip that’s infused with calming vitamin E and aloe, this razor is solid to “Me,” and “You” will love it, too.
I have run out of my specific pubic-area shaving gel more times than I’d like to admit, and conditioner and soap just don’t do it for me. However, hanni’s Shave Pillow – featuring moisturizing cactus water and glycerin, as well as soothing adaptogenic mushrooms (including reishi mushroom, which we love!) – coats skin beautifully. But the assist comes from hanni’s razor, which is weighted, reusable, double-edged, and stops razor bumps and burns in its tracks. Also, the razor’s packaging is adorable; even if you hate shaving in general (me), hanni will turn that frown upside down. I even wrote a full review on my experience with hanni — check it out!
Don’t want to travel with your expensive razor, just in case you lose it? Understandable, and a great reason to pick up the basic Dollar Shave Club kit. For less than $15, you’ll receive a razor body, shave cream with soothing aloe vera and coconut oil, and four four-blade cartridges (which are apparently meant for longer hair, so if you don’t shave often, this is great news!). The handle is ergonomic and made from metal, so you never have to throw it out – always ideal when you find something that works for you.
You’ll find “The Trimmer” – pretty straightforward name – will give you the pubic hair shave you need. It’s perfect for every body part, and they promote it for both men and women (hard to find, sadly). Not only is it waterproof, but its ceramic blades and low vibrations help to give you a bump-, razor-burn-free shave everywhere. The battery lasts for 90 minutes, so even those with… extra hair can finish their shave in one go.
Sunday Riley is an amazing brand, but we wouldn’t be QUILL if we weren’t giving you the good stuff – aka, affordable dupes for expensive AF products.
We’ve already written about Good Genes… but we missed all the other bestsellers. So, I’m taking care of the mess on aisle five and showing you what you could have – for a fraction of the price, and the exact same effects as Sunday Riley’s products.
Read on for our fav replacements, because look, no one needs to know you look damn good on a budget. You know? (We know, but we won’t tell anyone.)
We wrote an entire article on dupes for the product, but our favorite Good Genes doppleganger is from Summer Fridays (apparently brands with “day” in them are great?).
Good Genes and Summer Fridays’ Soft Reset both use lactic acid – a fantastic AHA that helps to exfoliate skin and give you a radiant complexion.
The assist for brightening comes in the form of glycolic acid in Soft Reset, while Good Genes relies on licorice and lemongrass.
And the hydration and soothing, plus pore minimization? You can thank Good Genes’ prickly pear, sure… or you can bless Soft Reset’s niacinamide, glycerin, chamomile, and aloe, all of which help calm down irritation.
We also love the addition of turmeric and sugarcane extracts in Soft Reset, which come together to add glow and protect, respectively. Who needs extra products for glow when you can get it in one product that costs $20 less than the alternative?
There are three products in Sunday Riley’s C.E.O. line, but we’re QUILL, so obvs we’re going to find dupes for all of them.
The C.E.O. Vitamin C Serum is a bit complex, but in the best way: vitamin C brightens, while AHA glycolic acid smoothes out skin texture AND balances pH. At the same time, a phytosterols complex reduces redness, and saccharide isomerate extract helps minimize pores and give you that fountain-of-youth look you’re craving.
So, what could possibly work the same for less than $85? bliss’ Bright Idea (which also works as a Bum Bum Cream dupe!), coming in at $28.
It’s a good dupe for the Sunday Riley serum with a ridiculous amount of vitamin C to plump and brighten, as well as citric acid (as opposed to C.E.O.’s glycolic acid) for ultimate glow. The dupe also has licorice for brightening and soothing effects, as well as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to pump and lock in the hydration and calm dry, AHA-bombarded skin.
Bright Idea has a tri-peptide complex to help with skin elasticity, and it pairs with bisabolol, which helps fight signs of aging. Glow and lose those fine lines at the same time!
Within the C.E.O. Afterglow Cream, you’ll find a high amount of vitamin C in there for its rejuvenating, antioxidant-filled, and brightening properties. It also has an ingredient called ergothioneine, which is an amino acid with antioxidant properties, to stabilize the vitamin C. Hydration is locked in with sodium hyaluronate.
A worthy alternative to this $65 cream? Derma E’s night cream, filled with vitamin C and antioxidants. Derma E uses a vitamin C that’s already stabilized, stopping any degrading of your skin.
At the same time, rooibos acts as an anti-aging agent thanks to its fill of antioxidants, while hyaluronic pulls in moisture and locks it into skin, giving you a youthful complexion.
The coolest part? Derma E’s option also has a combination of probiotics, helping to guard against environmental stressors and balance the skin’s biome.
C.E.O. Glow Oil has a ton of ingredients working for it – how could there possibly be a dupe that does as much as Sunday Riley’s option? QUILL is here with good news: you’ll get the same results from the oils and C in Origins’ GinZing Into the Glow Brightening Serum.
Oils in C.E.O. Glow Oil include cranberry seed omegas and vitamins, pomegranate for its protective antioxidant, and jojoba to form a protective barrier against environmental stressors. GinZing has oils, too, including citrus oils combined to brighten (aiding the AHAs in the formula), and spearmint oil to help with elasticity.
But it’s the extracts in GinZing that really make this dupe work. These include coffee seed to awaken, ginseng root and papaya to fight wrinkles, oat kernel to cleanse the skin (like its fellow ingredient, the also-included salicylic acid), and algae to give your skin an overall makeover with its anti-acne and anti-aging properties.
GinZing also includes a ton of hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate to lock in moisture, glycerin and squalane for hydration, and that algae extract for both hydrating and retaining extra moisture, too.
Autocorrect is a bitch sometimes, but not in the case of Sunday Riley’s product. Instead, this Auto Correct will give you a filter-worthy appearance, minus the Instagram effect. But you’ll look #Flawless with Tula’s Rose Glow & Get It eye balm, which offers damn-near identical effects at half the price.
Caffeine is the top ingredient in Auto Correct thanks to its fight against dark under eye circles, mixing with Brazilian ginseng root extract to reduce puffiness. To counteract under eye circles and puffiness, the Sunday Riley dupe uses caffeine as well; instead of Brazilian ginseng root extract for the puffiness, Rose Glow & Get It is formulated with rosehip oil and rosewater to soothe.
Both products have watermelon to deliver intense hydration, but Rose Glow & Get It also includes hyaluronic acid to lock in that moisture.
Horse chestnut and acmella oleracea extracts also help the eye area in Sunday Riley’s product by fighting aging, while Rose Glow & Get It uses apple to accomplish the same.
Lutein gives a lil extra support to the eye area in Auto Correct through protection against more intense oxidative damage to the skin – think blue light. While Tula doesn’t have this, it includes extra protection and repairing from environmental damage via Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, a postbiotic ingredient.
Okay, so a liiiiitle ironic that 5 Stars only has 3.5 stars on Ulta’s site, but we won’t point it out… 😉
In all seriousness, reviewers say 5 Stars fights aging around the eye area; it does this by encouraging collagen production and soothing and nurturing the sensitive skin there.
… But reviewers say the same of Avène’s Physiolift Eyes, which claims to do the exact same thing at a fraction of the price.
Both have hydrators: Sunday Riley uses niacinamide, while Avène’s dupe uses hyaluronic acid AND sodium hyaluronate to lock in moisture. They also feature retinol derivatives; while 5 Stars chooses retinoids to fight fine lines and wrinkles and exfoliate, Physiolift Eyes retinaldehyde, aka retinal (more effective than retinOl), to exfoliate and iron out wrinkles.
Now, in Sunday Riley’s 5 Stars, red poppy seed extract fights dark circles. In Avène’s Physiolift Eyes, Dextran Sulfate does the heavy lifting and reduces puffiness. Another difference: the use of fucans from brown algae to support collagen production in Avéne’s option, compared to the use of a trio of ingredients from centella asiatica in Sunday Riley’s serum.
Either one will give you eyes you’re proud of. The real question is what you want to spend for those eyes.
A+ gives you retinol – but in an even higher dose! Instead of a slew of good ingredients, the ingredients list gets to the good stuff: a retinoid ester blend to fight wrinkles and clear up skin; COQ10 to fight UV-exposed skin and give you a healthy complexion, and Hawaiian white honey to draw in water. Throw in ginger, bisabolol, and cactus extract to hydrate and calm, and you’ve got a dream-boat-serum.
But we love the dupe of this Sunday Riley classic, too: Volition’s Skin Rhythm Balancing and Clearing Serum.
There’s COQ10 in Volition’s option, but it doesn’t use retinol at all – instead, it uses AHAs like mandelic and azelaic acids to exfoliate and rid your skin of dead skin cells, giving your skin total rejuvenation. Meanwhile, BHA salicylic acid works with the AHAs, and willowbark plays a key role in finishing the back-from-the-dead job.
But it’s the soothers that differ most. Instead of ginger and cactus extract, or white honey and bisabolol, Skin Rhythm relies on glycerin to pull in moisture, and calming ingredients like anti-inflammation turmeric and basil extracts. Niacinamide kisses the formula with its oil control and evening of texture. Voila – the perfect dupe for almost half the price.
Sunday Riley’s Luna Night Oil is filled with retinol to help eradicate the ick and fight aging, as well as avocado seed oil for its plumping effects and slew of vitamins. Its dupe, however, does this all with ease, too!
Pacifica’s Wake Up Beautiful Retinoid Serum comes with Granactive retinoid to do all that retinol does, just with less intensity (but the same results!). We discussed the benefits of reishi mushroom, and you’ll find it here working to fight aging with firming and toning quinoa extract, and melatonin (yep, the stuff that helps you sleep!) to block free radicals.
When it comes to soothing redness, blue tansy, German chamomile, and cape chamomile essential oils do the job in Sunday Riley’s oil. In the dupe, chamomile and rice bran extracts help to soothe irritated skin, while jojoba esters hydrate and sunflower extract protects the skin barrier — all while softening your skin.
So, both of them do damn good at fighting aging without giving you totally red, totally irritated skin. Which should you go with? Well, either will work, but the $18 vs. $105 price tags may sway you…
Okay, right off the bat, ICE has ceramides. This would scare us off, because, oooo, ahhhh, ceramides… but it doesn’t, because Sunday Riley’s rival – aka Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream from Kopari Beauty – does too.
Both products incorporate ceramides as their main ingredients, helping to replenish and protect the skin’s natural moisture barrier, allowing water in but not out. They also use coconut (coconut extract in Sunday Riley’s formula, whipped coconut milk AND coconut extract in Kopari’s) to hydrate and fight back against free radicals.
ICE and the Moisture Whipped Ceramide Cream also contain vitamin F, something not many products contain. Vitamin F acts as an extra force behind the skin’s moisture barrier and protects from UV rays and over environmental stressors.
While ICE uses beet root extract and red algae for extra locking of hydration, the Whipped Ceramide Cream uses hyaluronic acid, which pairs nicely with ceramides.
And then there’s the pomegranate sterols, which help with aging in Sunday Riley’s option. While the dupe doesn’t have any sterols, it does have vegan desert milk – derived from the baobab tree and kalahari melon – to calm inflammation and smooth skin out. Goodbye, uneven texture.
When it comes to choosing which is best for you, we do acknowledge that ICE has anti-aging benefits. But consider the other benefits from the Sunday Riley dupe before you snag the OG, because the results are preeeeetty similar in the end.
We hope this helped you find your next favorite skincare products! Which Sunday Riley dupes do you love? Tell us below!
Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops are nice, but I’m gonna dupe that shit because I can.
Look, it’s not because I don’t believe the Dew Drops work – it’s because you get 1.35 ounces for $32. Yes, I know Tara said that Glow Recipe was worth the hype, and I def believe her… but I’m the queen of dupes, okay? It’s literally my job title. (It’s not.)
So, without further ado, I’ve collected 12 dupes for Glow Recipe’s famous Watermelon & Niacinamide Dew Drops, because you deserve to save money, and I like doing this. Win-win, no?
Are you down to tone? So is Down to Tone, an acid toner developed by iNN Beauty Project. The toner uses a blend of six AHAs & a BHA to exfoliate dead skin and illuminate that epidermis. Extracts such as bilberry, turmeric root, and sugar maple provide antioxidants, fight aging, and repair damage from free radicals, banishing blemishes from forming. The dupe also contains niacinamide, like Glow Recipe’s Dew Drops; however, we can’t promise Glow Recipe will actually give you the glow like iNN Beauty can.
We are big fans of ceramides in this house, so how could we not include BYOMA’s ceramide-filled Brightening Serum? Just like Glow Recipe’s Dew Drops, this dupe comes with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to draw in the moisture and keep it in your skin, so you feel totally hydrated. But it’s the Tri-Ceramide complex that truly makes this serum stand out, thanks to its protection and healing of your skin barrier. Basically, it works from the inside out, something Glow Recipe can’t compete with.
When your skin gets dry, it’s important to have a face mist on hand to replenish any moisture – especially as it gets cooler and the air gets cold and crisp. Acure’s face mist has eyebright and chamomile in it to calm and soothe any irritation; to follow up, watermelon and rosewater fill in moisture gaps and provide a healthy dose of antioxidants for protection from environmental stressors.
If watermelon just isn’t in the cards, you can still find plenty of formulas that give you vitamin C AND hydration all in one. Just look at Timeless Skin Care’s option, a perfect dupe for Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Dew Drops! Their serum is filled with vitamin C to help brighten, as well as vitamin E to repair and protect from unnecessary damage (no moringa seed oil here, folks). Ferulic acid also comes into play, providing anti-aging benefits, while sodium hyaluronate locks in moisture to keep you from drying out.
Even more vitamin C, baby, in Versed’s Stroke of Brilliance Brightening Serum! Yes, vitamin C is well-known and loved for its brightening powers, but don’t ignore the licorice root extract – it provides a brightening assist that must be acknowledged. Add in hyaluronic acid to keep moisture from escaping, and you’ve got an ultra-hydrating, brilliantly-brightening (see what I did there?) dupe that rivals Glow Recipe’s Dew Drops.
Sometimes things that cost less… are just as good as things that cost three times their price. For example: e.l.f.’s Superrefine 10% Niacinamide Serum, which has an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 150+ reviews. No surprise: it has niacinamide, so those pores will be blurred. However, it ALSO has sodium hyaluronate and squalane to hydrate; sandalwood oil to fight future wrinkles; vitamin E to fight sun damage; and willowbark extract to help exfoliate and even out skin texture, as well as prevent acne flare-ups. Can your Dew Drops do all of that? (Maybe, but not at this price!)
Pacifica uses different ingredients than Glow Recipe’s Dew Drops – no watermelon or niacinamide here – but that doesn’t mean the dupe can’t do the same thing! Instead, vitamin C and glycolic acid come together to exfoliate and rejuvenate skin, giving you radiance that’s been buried under dead skin cells when paired with the brightening kakadu plum extract. Glycerin is the hydration agent here, pulling water from the air to keep you moisturized.
We love the Inkey List for its products and its cool, gender-neutral branding – the complete opposite of Glow Recipe, which is bright colors and fun shapes. Their Alpha Arbutin Brightening Serum uses Alpha Arbutin 2%, obvs, which is all about brightening skin tone. Add in its squalane 0.5% for natural hydration, and you might as well have watermelon and niacinamide in the Glow Recipe dupe – that’s how equally effective the formula is.
If you have melanin-rich skin, MELÉ created this dark spot control just for you! The 3-in-1 bi-phase serum, which fights aging, exfoliates, and fades, was created with dermatologists of color to get the formula juuust right. You’ll discover vitamin C and retinol exfoliate and brighten, while glycerin and niacinamide come together to keep you fresh and moisturized.
Hero Cosmetics is renowned for the Mighty Patch (which Marissa tried and fell in love with, and occasionally wears during our Zoom calls as proof), but they also offer their Lightning Wand, which helps to brighten up those darker zones. The rollerball dupe does this with an army: Tranexamic acid, licorice root, Acetyl Glucosamine, and vitamin C to brighten those dark spots; gardenia florida fruit extract to smooth; and niacinamide (which you’ll recognize from Glow Recipe’s formula!) to hydrate.
Oh shiiiii, we’ve got more Dew Drops – and I’m not talking the Glow Recipe Watermelon & Niacinamide Dew Drops, but a dupe! Mario Badescu got in on the dew drops trend with his own product, which uses hyaluronic acid to moisturize instead. It also has sodium hyaluronate, as if the hyaluronic acid wasn’t hydrating enough; aloe for soothing; thyme extract to encourage blood flow; and a few AHAs to help exfoliate and brighten.
Last, but certainly not least, a Superfruit cleanser that’s gentle on your skin. It’s our first cleanser on this list – the others have been serums and toners – but it’s worthy of being a dupe to Glow Recipe’s Dew Drops, especially when paired with the other dupes! Experience the Jamaican SuperFruit Blend with Sugarcane Extract, which helps to brighten skin and protect with antioxidants; pro-vitamin B5 for supporting the skin biome; and hyaluronic acid to keep your skin hydrated. Despite being mini-size, it still has more product than Glow Recipe’s option.
Megan Behnke, the founder of genderless, clean skincare brand Ralphie and Alice, Zooms in from her workshop in Southern California, about a six-hour drive south from QUILL’s headquarters.
I cannot help but immediately tell her that her skin is glowing, and she can’t help but tell me that she’s always down for a last-minute chat with another founder fighting for genderless beauty.
Our conversation lasts 30 minutes, in which we share laughs and rolled eyes and running over the other’s sentences. But my favorite part? When I ask who Ralphie and Alice are. It’s a unique name, after all, for a company.
Behnke smiles gently, divulging that the names are those of her grandfather and grandmother.
“I was raised by a single mother who was an artist. She worked all the time just to make sure that me and my siblings were taken care of,” she tells me. “And on weekends and during the summer, we would always get schlepped off to my grandma and grandpa’s house.”
Clearly, this had an effect on you, I say.
Behnke nods eagerly. “Being with them was like my happy place. It was just the best thing ever.” She starts to tear up. “Even just talking about them, I’m feeling really emotional. They’re literally my best friends!”
Having lost my remaining grandparent at 20, I often wonder what it would have been like to be close to a grandparent for this long. (Megan and I are near the same age.) How would it shape me? Would we be best friends? Would I name my company after them? If I were to go off of Megan’s experience, the answer would most likely be yes.
But there’s more to starting a brand than being lucky enough to be best friends with your grandparents, so here’s Megan Behnke’s full story. Aka, why one badass gal is revolutionizing the skincare industry by cleaning it up and demolishing gender stereotypes in the process.
Megan Behnke can only wear clean beauty products. (More on that later.)
So, like the rest of us, she loves browsing skincare aisles to see what’s out there; after all, it’s easier to “go and buy some face wash instead of having to figure out how to make it myself, but with clean ingredients.”
But the stark difference between gender identities – and only two gender identities, of course – bewilders her each time she looks at skincare products. “I can’t believe that there’s still separation by gender,” she exclaims, eyes wide. Sure, AESOP is there, but AESOP isn’t affordable to all; Jergens says they’re unisex, but women-only marketing implies otherwise. “Even the scents – the girls have the rosy, soft, flowery scents and pink packaging. Then the guys have the burly scents and aggressive names.”
She had been running Ralphie and Alice for a few years when she had the epiphany while strolling through the cosmetics aisles: “to offer a clean, gender-fluid product, one that can allow the focus to be on oneself rather than an outdated marketing tactic.”
Much of this came from her own personal experience. Previously, Behnke worked at a clothing company that primarily targets Gen Z. She was responsible for product research and design, and she fell in love with the freedom and fluidity Gen Z was exhibiting in their self expression.
“I wholeheartedly believe that they’re the people who are gonna push us through the future,” she says, naming them as her target market. Her smile grows as she glimpses away from the camera. “I just think they’re so badass. And really inspiring!”
On top of this, Behnke grew up with brothers, and she enjoyed the convenience of 2-in-1 and 3-in-1 products (again, like me. Efficiency for the win, right?). “The only thing is, they are all very, very outdated. I’ve yet to see a clean 2-in-1 or ‘multi-tasking’ product.” And again, they are mainly marketed toward men – women are still marketed an arsenal of seven different products for the same purpose.
Clean, clean, clean. I’ve dropped it so many times. But it’s not because I’m teasing you – it’s because Behnke is only just starting to talk about this herself, and she’s given me the honor of being one of the first publications to mention it in-depth.
With your promise of gentle eyes, I’ll dive in.
Megan Behnke has a one-two-punch of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and lupus.
“When I was younger, I didn’t know what it was,” she confesses.
“I thought I was someone who was unlucky and always caught the flu. When it started affecting my skin, I thought I had severe acne or even eczema.” On top of that, “I was constantly getting very sick and going through a bunch of different immune system related issues.”
So she cut everything toxic out of her diet, and then she began cutting everything toxic out of her skincare. The problem: “clean” is an unofficial declaration, with no actual meaning behind it. There’s Clean at Target and Clean At Sephora, and they share similarities in terms of ingredients they exclude, but “clean” itself? You won’t find one definition online or in the Beauty Encyclopedia.
For Behnke, “clean” required being a totally vegan formula filled with healthy ingredients that benefit the skin, and absolutely zero fragrance.
Unsurprisingly, this left few options for Behnke. So, “I started cooking up products in my kitchen, one by one.” And when she made a batch that was a bit too big? “I would share it with family and friends, they’d beg for more, and that’s kind of how the ball started rolling.”
That was seven years ago. Then the epiphany in the skincare aisle happened, and Behnke was left all the more determined to start a clean, genderless skincare brand. She continues to perfect her craft, but so far, her products have multiple five-star reviews raving about the benefits of the products. Behnke credits her personal experience for the inclusion of the ingredients.
For example, her Pop Stix – a tinted lip and cheek balm – has nourishing shea butter and avocado oil, moisturizing and healing rose damask oil, and dry hibiscus for itchy and irritated skin. The Lip Stix, another popular product, has only five ingredients, which include shea butter, candelilla wax for its glide, avocado oil, rosehip seed oil for healing, and jojoba oil for moisture. The vast majority of the ingredients are organic, too.
Behnke is still learning how to talk about her illnesses. “I feel I’m at a place where I am accepting of – and strong enough – to talk about the pain and trauma that comes along with having an auto-immune disease,” she says.
“I was misdiagnosed for a long long time. And because of that, I was mentally left in limbo and physically started getting really severe pancreas issues that I continue to still deal with daily… like, every single time I eat food.” She shrugs in a way many chronically-ill people do, myself included.
On top of talking about her diseases, Behnke is taking action, too: Ralphie and Alice is currently in the process of being certified by the National Eczema Association. “We have a ton of customers who have eczema and who absolutely love the performance of our products,” she explains.
But, let’s be real: as if that’s the only way Behnke is giving back with her platform.
Meghan Behnke describes herself as an empath.
“That’s another thing that I’m extremely passionate about: just, helping people. I don’t like seeing people struggle or even hearing of people struggling.”
So, not only is she providing clean products to the world, talking openly about a diagnosis that has impacted her life significantly, and still fitting in time to spend with her family and friends (this entire time, Behnke has been radiating adorable joy in a Betty Boop T-shirt, post-niece play-session; “it’s anti-fashion,” she jokes) – she’s also a philanthropic fiend.
Behnke rallies her community to make change every month. “Our community picks a theme or the issue that they want to raise awareness and money for, and we work with customers who are graphic designers to come up with a nice design.” They then sell the apparel exclusively for 10 days, though Behnke notes they’re hoping to sell all designs on a regular basis.
“At Ralphie and Alice, we’re not just making a post online because it’s Pride Month or Black History Month. We work towards being year-round allies, doing our part in educating, connecting, and raising money,” she says. As someone who has worked for places both performative and genuine in their activism, I can tell Behnke means what she says. It’s yet another reason why our meeting feels kismet.
“Kismet,” I repeat silently to myself: a perfect word to fit in the article title.
My emails with Behnke the day before official feature month begins changes the title significantly. Here’s why.
THE PRELUDE:
We are nearing feature week, and I have excitedly sent an email to Megan Behnke about it.
The response I get breaks my heart: they lost dear Ralphie less than a week before.
But, she says, she’ll rush to get Ralphie and Alice assets to me by EOD.
I tell her to take a week. Celebrate his life and grieve, and QUILL will be right here when she’s ready to have the feature go live. She thanks me, and we agree to talk in a week.
In this past week, I considered starting the article multiple times, but I put it off the second I sat down at my computer. I was distracted by anything and everything else. It wasn’t quite avoidance, so what was it?
And then, thinking about the way she talked about Ralphie, it hit me; her relationship with him reminds me of the one I have with my mom. And even though the OG Siri, as I like to call her (her name is literally Siri), is alive and kickin’, it’s crossed my mind once or twice that my hero won’t live forever.
So, as I sit down to write this article the night before, I want to dedicate this piece to everyone’s Ralphie, whoever they may be. A Ralphie that believed in you, took care of you, and loved you unconditionally, right until the very end.
And I want you, dear reader, to know that you are their Megan, who was lucky enough to have loved them right back.
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