10 best skincare products for teens, from soothing and calming to blemish-busting
Shopping for skincare can seem complicated at any life stage, with so many options on the market including cult classic and TikTok-trending buys, across everything from cleanser and moisturiser to serum and face tools. While a multi-step routine was once billed as being the best, minimalist skincare has also been embraced with open arms recently – which we’re frankly relieved about for saving both time and money.
Product preferences are led by age and skin type, whether your focus is addressing dryness, oiliness, or combination concerns. And when it comes to perfecting an efficient routine, today’s teenagers are undoubtedly leading the way.
Simplicity is key for teens, as complicated regimes or rich formulas can be counter-productive when it comes to young, sensitive, blemish-prone skin. Teenage skin needs effective, results-driven products offering a streamlined approach, which ties in perfectly with the trending “skinimalism” (or skincare minimalism) concept.
Starting with a simple cleanser, ideally this will be followed by a lightweight moisturiser and additional skincare extras for soothing and blemish-busting thrown in too. It’s important to incorporate a face wash which won’t strip skin or feel harsh, while helping with balancing any redness or inflammation. Similarly, heavy moisturisers aren’t necessary for youthful skin, with a light, breathable formula a far better bet. Finally, spot patches and targeted products are a handy buy too.
But with all that said, what are the top teen buys serving up reliable skincare solutions in a world full of social media hype? We’ve turned to the next generation of IndyBest testers and uncovered their favourite skincare finds for daily use, spanning across multi-buy sets, cleansers, toners and more.
How we tested
We gathered a group of teenage testers with different skin types to review a skincare selection over several weeks. Our testers looked at ease of use, ingredient efficiency and packaging, across all price points and skin concerns. Read on for our top pick of the best products for teenage skin to suit all budgets.
The best teenage skincare products for 2022 are:
Best overall – Glossier the 3-step skincare routine: oily skin: £42, Glossier.com
Best cleanser for blemish-prone skin - CeraVe blemish control cleanser: £10, Boots.com
Best calming toner - Q+A green tea daily toner: £8, Qandaskin.com
Best lightweight moisturiser - Boots glow peach jelly moisturiser: £4.50, Boots.com
Best for smoothing hydration - It Cosmetics bye bye pores glycolic acid serum: £21, Itcosmetics.co.uk
Best for irritable skin - Oodee halo purifying foaming cleanser: £24, Oodee.com
Best for clever packaging - Starface hydro-stars: £11.99, Boots.com
Best for brightening - The Elements skin balancing cream: £9, The-elements.co.uk
Best for targeted relief – Zitsticka killa clarifying microdart patch kit: £27, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Best multi-tasking skincare - Bliss clarifying toner and serum: £14.95, Beautybay.com
Glossier the 3-step skincare routine: oily skin
With its three-step skincare bundles, Glossier has everyone covered whether you have dry, oily or combination skin. We sampled the oily skin option, which includes a cleanser concentrate clarifying face wash, priming moisturiser balance oil-control gel cream and balm dotcom universal skin salve. A handy way of shopping for skincare essentials and creating a simple routine, this is also a cheaper multi-buy option for snapping up the cleanser, moisturiser, and lip balm in one.
Our teen tester enjoyed each product equally, with the gently exfoliating cleanser helping balance skin daily without feeling drying. The cleanser created a mild frothiness and enveloped skin with a thoroughly cleansed feeling. Meanwhile, the priming moisturiser is a transparent gel-cream consistency that offered a lightweight smoothing layer of hydration. This lingering moisture meant our tester’s make-up had an even base already in place too. Finally, we used the rich balm dotcom to help with chapped lips and for soothing stubborn dry patches of skin.
Buy now £42.00, Glossier.com
CeraVe blemish control cleanser
A recent addition to the CeraVe cleanser line-up, this brand-new skincare buy includes salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid to help clear blemishes and congestion. The alcohol-free ingredients list focuses on avoiding drying out blemish-prone skin, which is why emollients like smoothing ceramides are in there too alongside anti-inflammatory niacinamide. This transparent liquid foams up and feels thoroughly cleansing, and our tester saw blemishes diminish with use.
We found the formula to be effective at improving spots without harshness, although our tester with sensitive skin did alternate use with another cleanser. The pump applicator bottle is a generous 236ml size, which provides brilliant value for money too.
Buy now £10.00, Boots.com
Q+A green tea daily toner
This skin soothing toner costs under a tenner and includes calming components like aloe vera and green tea, while glycerin offers hydration. The lightweight liquid is gentle on easily irritated skin and our tester saw supple, soft skin which felt comforted.
Suitable for all skin types, we found the subtle fresh scent pleasing too. It’s worth knowing that the brand’s packaging includes a skincare checklist and there’s also a quiz on the website, so you can shop by skin type and concerns. Our tester has also been enjoying the oat milk cream cleanser (£7.50, Qandaskin.com) and zinc PCA daily moisturiser (£8.50, Qandaskin.com).
Buy now £8.00, Qandaskin.com
Boots glow peach jelly moisturiser
This 50ml tub has a twist-off lid and the recyclable packaging is both compact and lightweight. A transparent gel texture, our tester noted the vegan-friendly formula feels hydrating and refreshing on skin. Soothing ingredient aloe vera joins balancing niacinamide, and we saw gently moisturised and calmed skin. Meanwhile, peach extract adds an appealing fresh, fruity fragrance reminding us of summer.
This is an ideal moisturiser for teen skin as it delivers hydration without being heavy or cloying. Plus, the under £5 price point suits shopping on a budget. Our tester has also been pairing it with Boots’ tea tree and witch hazel spot wand (£5, Boots.com) for an affordable skincare duo.
Buy now £4.50, Boots.com
It Cosmetics bye bye pores glycolic acid serum
This refreshing serum has a vegan-friendly formula, and glides easily over the skin’s surface before soaking in rapidly. We saw softened skin and an added hydration boost thanks to the inclusion of ingredients like hyaluronic acid, and aloe leaf juice. Meanwhile, chemical exfoliator glycolic acid helped improve the appearance of visible pores by adding a smoothing effect to our skin texture.
The liquid-like formula is also fragrance-free if you prefer to avoid scented skincare. Plus, being non-comedogenic it won’t block pores either, should you be prone to breakouts. As with all products containing alpha hydroxy acids, we’d recommend following up with sunscreen too.
Buy now £21.00, Itcosmetics.co.uk
Oodee halo purifying foaming cleanser
This allergen neutral cleanser is a lightweight formula including ingredients such as rice protein and prickly pear that won’t trigger skin reactions. The 150ml pump release bottle is a chic silver shade with minimalist branding and one pump delivers a generous dollop of cleanser creating a satisfying foam. Because of that, a little bit of product goes a long way.
A super gentle face wash, our tester saw a refreshed glow after use thanks to active ingredient phytic acid. We also noted softer feeling skin that felt suitably prepped for moisturiser.
Buy now £24.00, Oodee.com
Starface hydro-stars
Presented in a cute yellow compact complete with a useful internal application mirror, these star-shaped patches are the perfect size to cover both small and big blemishes. The side of the sticker touching the skin is made from hydrocolloid, which is commonly used as a dressing to heal blisters and wounds. Because of that, our tester found wearing them overnight dramatically improved the appearance of redness and inflammation. We turned to the patches as a quick fix for stubborn spots and saw they looked less angry after wearing one of these fun stars.
The stickers also keep an irritated area clean, they don’t slide about, and there’s no tackiness during removal either. There are a generous 32 stickers included on separate sheets, providing value for money too.
Buy now £11.99, Boots.com
The Elements skin balancing cream
A cream suitable for sensitive skin, ingredients include azelaic acid and zinc to help clear pores and balance skin tone, alongside vitamin E-infused sunflower seed oil. The thick, shiny formula feels cooling and a bit tingly, and our tester found it absorbs quickly. This is a lightweight cream which smooths over skin and helps improve blemishes and redness, while being refreshing too.
We used it after cleanser, and saw a brightened, softened complexion. You only need a tiny amount to cover the whole face area, and slathering the rich, whipped cream texture onto skin is therapeutic too.
Buy now £9.00, The-elements.co.uk
Zitsticka killa clarifying microdart patch kit
This box contains eight patches to pop on spots as they’re appearing and eight soaked cleaning swabs to wipe across the area first. Very easy to use, the fact each item is packaged in a separate hygiene-friendly sachet makes them transportable too. The cleaning swabs contain skin-clearing ingredients including salicylic acid, tea tree oil and alcohol, as well as healing vitamin E. Our tester noticed the strongly scented wipes ensure skin feels deeply cleansed and fresh.
The microdart patch is named as such because miniscule spikes dissolve and deliver active ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide, alongside hyaluronic acid. This takes place over a couple of hours and our tester tended to wear them while sleeping. When taking the patches off, we saw a clear improvement to blemishes, with inflammation and redness noticeably reduced.
Buy now £27.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Bliss clarifying toner and serum
This clever push-down pump release bottle contains a gel formula which is a toner and serum hybrid. Packed with skincare superhero ingredients, we spotted balancing niacinamide, clearing salicylic acid and anti-inflammatory witch hazel water. Our tester applied the fresh-feeling fluid to a makeup removal pad and wiped it across skin. Instantly, we felt a cooling, soothing effect and the alcohol-free formula didn’t sting or tingle.
We noticed subtly hydrated skin that looked clearer and found application after popping it in a beauty fridge to be even more enjoyable. It’s non-comedogenic and prevents pore-clogging too.
Buy now £14.95, Beautybay.com
The verdict: Teenage Skincare
Our overall best buy is Glossier’s 3-step skincare routine for providing a simplified approach and efficient results. Meanwhile, It Cosmetics’ bye bye pores glycolic acid serum offers lightweight hydration and skin smoothing ingredients. Finally, if you’d like a calming tonic suitable for regular use, Q+A’s green tea daily toner has a subtle fresh scent and felt comforting on our tester’s teen skin.
Looking for more skincare inspiration? Read our review of Dr Jart+’s color correcting treatment
