The 20 Best Drugstore Skincare Products For $20 Or Less

Choosing products to recommend, of course, started with their prices, and the quality you get for that price. Even the drugstore carries $30 skincare products now, but not all of them are of good quality. We wanted to stay within the $20-and-under range and dig up some star products that will give you that glowing, healthy skin on a budget. We also poured through customer reviews, additional beauty articles, and science-backed information on different active ingredients in order to give you a comprehensive routine that fits your wallet. 

All the products are listed in order of application — from thinnest to thickest consistency — but you can mix and match your skincare products however you see fit. For example, some people prefer to apply retinol after their moisturizer to reduce any dryness or irritation, some prefer face oils that are thicker than others, and most people don't wear sunscreen at night. Don't get too hung up on the "right way" to skincare, just be excited that there are this many inexpensive options still lurking around Target, Amazon, Ulta Beauty, and more.

The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm is a thick makeup-removing cleanser that breaks down dirt, oils, sunscreen, and makeup. An Allure Magazine Best of Beauty winner in 2020, this oat kernel oil and colloidal oatmeal product is a comforting first step in your skincare routine (via The Inkey List). It features a host of natural actives to help benefit your skin, especially if your skin concerns include irritation and redness.

Purchase The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm from the brand's website for $10.99.

The Ordinary's Salicylic Acid 2% Solution is a great affordable chemical exfoliant option. It's a staple ingredient for anyone with oily and/or acne-prone skin. Salicylic acid is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) that goes deep into the skin, penetrating the pores, oil glands, and hair follicles to help break down any unwanted build-up, dissolve dead skin cells, melt away excess oils, and help to prevent the development of acne in the future (via AcneSupport). 

The Ordinary's affordable option averages 4.3 stars on Ulta.com and has received some pretty positive reviews from customers seeking relief from hormonal acne and rough, textured skin. One buyer wrote, "It just takes a tiny little dab to dramatically decrease a breakout's size and redness overnight. I never have luck with pimple patches or most other spot treatments, but this never lets me down."

Purchase The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution from Ulta Beauty for only $5.90.

Good Molecules' Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a simple, basic hydrating serum for less than $10. Why pay a high price for such a common ingredient? You shouldn't. This affordable option does the trick with its thin, water-comparable consistency, sinking into the skin and working to draw outside moisture into those upper layers (via Good Molecules). It isn't fancy, but for anyone seeking some much-needed hydration during the drier fall and winter seasons, the Good Molecules' Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a great affordable antidote for any parched face. 

Purchase Good Molecules' Hyaluronic Acid Serum from the Good Molecules website for only $6.

The Inkey List Retinol Anti-Aging Serum is a great beginner-friendly retinol that will hopefully reduce your chances of anti-aging product-related dryness and irritation. The Allure Best of Beauty winner comes formulated with RetiStar Stabilised Retinol at a 1% concentration and Granactive Retinoid at a 0.5% concentration (via Sephora). It also features squalane, a moisturizing oil that occurs naturally in our skin (via INCI Decoder).

Retinol comes from vitamin A and is the pinnacle of skin cell turnover and anti-aging, according to Sephora. This 'hero' ingredient helps to target and reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and even blemishes. The brand itself is proudly cruelty-free and promises that this cream-textured product smooths without irritating as much as other heavy-duty treatments.

Purchase The Inkey List Retinol Anti-Aging Serum from Sephora for $10.99.

CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream is a total drugstore staple. Available at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, and more, CeraVe is one of the most accessible dermatologist-approved brands on the market. The brand's claim to fame is its use of three essential ceramides in each product. "Ceramides prevent transepidermal water loss, moisturizing the skin and maintaining its barrier — and a strengthened barrier helps to protect the skin from microorganisms, pollution, and other external aggressors," aesthetician Kemi Fabusiwa tells Harper's Bazaar.

The texture of this particular product is quite thick, which could be a positive for some, and a deal breaker for others. For board-certified dermatologist Claire Chang, this occlusive property is definitely a selling point. "During the dry winter months when I need extra hydration, I switch to a thicker cream that contains ceramides like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream," she said (via Harper's Bazaar).

Purchase CeraVe Moisturizing Cream from Amazon for $16.89.

Good Molecules' Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil is a vegan and cruelty-free option for anyone looking for high-quality facial oil. It's formulated with 100% Chilean Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil and is meant to brighten and moisturize for plumper, happier skin — especially as the weather changes (via Ulta Beauty). The brand is committed to offering affordable prices for products that actually work, so even though this isn't technically an available-at-the-drugstore item, Good Molecules' accessible science-backed philosophy is perfectly in line with a skincare-on-a-budget journey. The brand also uses sustainable packaging.

Purchase the Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil from Ulta Beauty for $10.

Even in the fall and winter, we need sunscreen. Yes, you should still be wearing it when it's cloudy. Just because you can't see the sun, doesn't mean it isn't there. The Pipette Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 is an affordable and moisturizing skin protector that will prevent skin damage all through the winter.

Ulta Beauty's comments section is full of shoppers happy to report that this vegan, kid-friendly, and cruelty-free option doesn't sting the eyes and leaves the skin feeling nourished. One happy reviewer wrote, "The best sunscreen I've used so far. It blends in so easily and doesn't pill like other ones I've tried. Leave my skin glowy and primed."

Purchase Pipette's Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 from Ulta Beauty for $12.

Another Allure Best of Beauty 2020 Award-winner is the Hero Cosmetics Mighty Acne Pimple Patch. A hydrocolloid sticker made to lure the gunk out of pesky breakouts, these helpful little patches reduce picking and speed up the blemish-healing process (via Hero Cosmetics). 

The patches themselves are also quite small, and their translucent quality helps them blend into the surrounding skin so even you might forget you have a breakout.

Purchase the Mighty Acne Pimple Patches from Hero Cosmetics for $12.99.

Dove's Deep Moisture Foam Body Wash is a much more affordable body care option that promises a lightweight lather and lasting moisture (via Target). It's free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, fluorides, and aluminum, and is cruelty-free, so you can be sure that this fluffy body wash won't strip your skin in the shower. Connecticut dermatologist Deanne Robinson recommends the drugstore cleanser, telling Today, "This lightweight foam is a gentle but effective cleanser for the body." 

Dove has also recently committed itself to plastic reduction as part of a previous 2025 commitment statement and is now working to eliminate 20,500 metric tons of virgin plastic every year by creating recyclable bottles and permanently altering some it's packaging to eliminate plastic entirely (via Dove).

Purchase Dove's Deep Moisture Foam Body Wash from Target for $8.89.

Not every skincare product has to be used for its actual intended purpose. The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toning Solution, for example, might not be right for your face (glycolic acid can be harsh), but it could be perfect for your body. Have breakouts on your back, chest, or butt? This 8oz chemical exfoliant could be your solution.

Exfoliators like this can also be used as a deodorant. And while board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick tells Today that it won't actually reduce sweating, it can help to keep BO to a minimum and reduce ingrown hairs and hyperpigmentation. By sloughing off layers of dead skin cells, and also decreasing PH under the arms, this formidable AHA sugarcane derivative creates a less hospitable environment for odor-causing bacteria.

Purchase The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toning Solution from Ulta Beauty for $10.