We Found Luxury Skincare and Affordable Dupes for Every Holiday Budget

Real beauty lovers know that a price tag has nothing to do with how well a product performs. That being said, sometimes we want to splurge on luxury products while other times, we’re looking to save and opt for something more affordable instead.

Luxury Skincare vs. Affordable Dupes: What’s the Difference?

These days, you can find a dupe for just about any pricey skincare product you can think of, even though there’s nothing wrong with investing in the high-end stuff (whether it’s a gift or for yourself).

Luxury skincare is fun to splurge on, but a higher price doesn’t always mean better results. Plenty of affordable skincare dupes use the same hardworking ingredients—like niacinamide, ceramides, and exfoliating acids—as their luxury counterparts. The real difference often comes down to texture, scent, and packaging, not performance.

Since it never hurts to have options, I found cult-favorite luxury skincare and their drugstore alternatives, based on thousands of Amazon reviews.

If you want to be bougie, stick with La Mer, Tatcha, Sunday Riley, and Therabody. But if you want to save, go for products from e.l.f., Nivea, the Ordinary, and Medicube, which are equally as good and will deliver similar results.

Whether you’re looking to gift the beauty-obsessed person in your life some luxe skincare or want to explore budget-friendly dupes for yourself, read on to shop top-rated skincare for every holiday budget.

Ditch redness, dryness, and dullness when you add the viral Rhode Glazing Milk to your routine. It’s a lightweight, skin calming essence “that boosts barrier function and provides immediate, luminous hydration,” the brand claims. 

This fluid moisturizer has a similar feel to Rhode’s glazing milk, only it contains more product at a lower price point. The formula contains ceramides, amino acids, and peptides that boosts barrier function and results in plump, radiant skin.

These peel pads are a holy grail for so many people. The potent, two-step exfoliating treatment helps to restore radiance and rejuvenate skin thanks to ingredients like lactic acid, in addition to other BHAs and AHAs.

These TikTok-loved pore pads are also made with BHAs and AHAs (they even contain lactic acid), but come with way more treatments and are just under $20 rather $100.

Thanks to moringa seed oil, watermelon, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, this hybrid skincare and makeup serum can be used pre or post-moisturizer to hydrate, even skin tone, brighten and treat fine lines.

If you love how Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Dew Drops make your skin feel, then you’ll adore e.l.f.’s more affordable version. It’s also made with hydrating niacinamide and can be used as part of your skincare routine or as a primer before makeup.

This lightweight moisturizer refreshes your skin and refines pores for a flawless, glowing finish that’s ideal for those with oily or combination skin.

The whipped texture of this moisturizer delivers a similar lightweight feel as Tatcha’s without skimping on hydration. This cream is also made with ingredients that brighten, moisturize, and nourish skin.

This celebrity-loved cream is known not just for resulting in firmer, bouncier, revitalized skin, but also for its hefty price tag. Ingredients including sea kelp, rich lipids, and antioxidants.

This old school moisturizer (which can be used on your entire body), contains many of the same ingredients as La Mer’s cult-favorite cream. The thick emollient nature of this cream feels so soothing and moisturizing on rough, dry skin.

Good Genes is the kind of glow serum that makes people ask what you’re using—in the best way. Lactic acid smooths, licorice brightens, and aloe keeps skin calm while fine lines and dullness slowly pack their bags.

This high-strength exfoliator also contains lactic acid to smooth texture, combats dullness, and evens out skin tone. Hyaluronic acid ensures your skin won’t get dried out.

TheraFace Mask Glo is a dermatologist-approved, FDA-cleared LED mask that combines red, red + infrared and blue light with a relaxing scalp massage for glowing, healthier-looking skin.

This red light mask also helps boost collagen production, fade acne scars, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles— and this one comes with a red light neck mask, too. Similar to Therabody’s, it’s wireless, so you can go about your day while your skin enjoys red light therapy.

The E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.