Popsugar Beauty Skin Care The Best Drugstore Beauty Launches in the UK in 2021 These Are the Best Drugstore Beauty Launches of 2021, So Far 30 March 2021 by Tori Crowther As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work. It's no secret that beauty shopping has become a little more difficult these past few months (well, actually, 10+ months to be exact), and that's all down to coronavirus restrictions. Whether you've been affected by a nationwide lockdown or local tier restrictions, getting to your favourite stores has been made all that little bit more difficult. That's where good old drugstores come in. Alongside your toothpaste and shower gel, you can get some pretty epic beauty buys from the likes of Superdrug, Boots, and even unexpected places like LloydsPharmacy. This year, you can look forward to L'Oréal Paris's Wonder Water (which features a science-y new ingredient called "lamellar water", CeraVe's Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which finally arrived to the UK in March 2021, and e.l.f.'s new £15 CC Cream, which is about to earn a place in your everyday makeup bag — it's that good. Ahead, get a look at all the best affordable drugstore hair, makeup, and skin-care products launching in the UK in 2021. CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Serum Image Source: superdrug.com The CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Serum (£17) has finally made its way across the pond to the UK and is exactly what you'd expect from the brand — gentle, effective, fragrance free, easy-to-use, and recommended by derms. What else could you ask for? A glowing complexion you might add . . . well, use it regularly and you'll get that, too. Click here to read our full review of the serum. CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Serum £17 from superdrug.com Buy Now L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum Image Source: boots.com Potent enough to target deep-set wrinkles, the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum (£25) contains 0.2 percent retinol, but it's not really the amount that's important here. The brand created something it calls the Retinol Stabilisation Technology, which helps protect the retinol and keep it stable in the formula. Because of this new proprietary technology, the brand did not need to add anything to the retinol to protect it or use another derivative of vitamin A, meaning it's a pure form of retinol and not an ester like retinyl palmitate and retinyl propionate, for example. Additionally, the brand also added in hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and three different types of oils to further help stabilise the formula and keep skin happy and hydrated whilst the retinol gets to work. L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Night Serum £25 from boots.com Buy Now Olay Glow Regenerist Serum Image Source: superdrug.com They newest additions to the Olay Regenerist line, the Glow Collection, come in pretty pink and iridescent packageing. But these products are more than just nice to look at. The Olay Glow Regenerist Serum (£15), in particular, is a superconcentrated formula that contains niacinamide, peptides, and hyaluronic acid that, together, will do wonders on evening out skin tone and texture and reducing pigmentation. If you don't like fragranced skin-care products, than you'll likely want to sit this one out; but if you do, the scent — which smells fresh and clean, like a fancy hand soap — is quite lovely. Olay Glow Regenerist Serum £15 from superdrug.com Buy Now Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Day Cream Image Source: boots.com In January, Olay introduced its Collagen Peptide 24 collection, which includes a serum, and eye cream, and the Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Day Cream (£18), which is a great option to add to your regime if your skin is feeling a little dull and dry recently (so, everyone, right?). The hydrator combines palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (also known as collagen peptide) as well as vitamin B3+, which together not only help improve the tone and texture of your skin — think less redness, smaller-looking pores, a touch more radiance — but also make your skin stronger and more resilient. Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Day Cream £18 from boots.com Buy Now Soap & Glory In the Glow How 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Tonic Image Source: boots.com Toners are a great way to incorporate some light chemical exfoliation into your skin-care routine. The Soap & Glory In the Glow How 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Tonic (£8) contains glycolic acid to decongest pores and brighten your skin, combined with chamomile extract to soothe skin. Soap & Glory In the Glow How 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Tonic £8 from boots.com Buy Now e.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer Image Source: elfcosmetics.co.uk We are seriously impressed by the e.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer (£5), which costs just £5 but is as creamy and blendable as some formulas with price tags nearly triple that. It's not a full-coverage concealer (it's not promising to be), but rather meant for brightening under and around the eye area, which is why the lightweight liquid formula has a healthy dose of shimmer-free luminosity to it and a second-skin effect when it sets. Available in 12 shades, the clickable concealer pen features a brush tip that makes it easy and fast to apply under your eyes and along the sides of your nose. e.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer £5 from elfcosmetics.co.uk Buy Now E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream Image Source: boots.com With ingredients like collagen, peptides, and niacinamide in the formula, the E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream (£14) sounds more like skin care than makeup, but we're not complaining. As if that wasn't enough, it delivers natural-looking full coverage and SPF 30 protection and is available in 20 shades. E.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream £14 from boots.com Buy Now L'Oréal Paris Bambi Eye Oversized False Lash Mascara Image Source: superdrug.com L'Oréal Paris Bambi Eye Oversized False Lash Mascara (£11) only launched this month but it has quickly become our new favourite high-street mascara. As you comb through your lashes, it's almost like the triangle-shaped wand is stretching out each and every hair — that's how much length you end up getting with this formula. We also like how it fans out your lashes, giving you that doe-eyed, Twiggy effect. L'Oréal Paris Bambi Eye Oversized False Lash Mascara £11 from superdrug.com Buy Now Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Image Source: superdrug.com The "sky high" claim of Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara (£10) isn't an overstatement. If length is what you're after in a mascara, extreme length is what you'll get with this one. The Sensational Sky High Mascara formula contains bamboo extract, which is said to encourage hair growth and help create a weightless feeling. Combine these properties with the Flex Tower wand (which is tapered and flexible), and you'll have comfortable, lightweight, and impressive mascara. Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara £10 from superdrug.com Buy Now Faith in Nature Hair Mask Image Source: faithinnature.co.uk Known for its high-performance, sustainable hair care, body wash, and hand wash, Faith in Nature is at the forefront of eco-friendly beauty. Adding to its existing successful hair-care line — which consists of shampoo and conditioner in both bottles and bars — are four hair masks: coconut and shea, dragon fruit, shea and argan, and rose and chamomile. Each of the Faith in Nature Hair Masks (£7) is suitable for all hair types and contains an ultramoisturising base of shea butter. As with all of the brand's products, the new hair masks are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and sulphate-free. Plus, they're housed in 100 percent recycled and recyclable packaging. Faith in Nature Hair Mask £7 from faithinnature.co.uk Buy Now Dove 1 Minute Super Conditioner Image Source: smpartnersd.superdrug.com Dove offers up another fast-acting hair softener courtesy with the launch of the Dove 1 Minute Super Conditioner (£5). The thick, creamy formula contains serum capsules that contain ingredients that work to repair, hydrate, and strengthen strands in just one minute, after which you rinse it out. The brand claims it can treat even the most severely damaged hair, whether that's due to over-styling, chemical relaxers, or bleach. Dove 1 Minute Super Conditioner £5 from smpartnersd.superdrug.com Buy Now Bondi Sands Pure Range Image Source: boots.com In January, Bondi Sands introduced its "Pure" self tanning range, so called because the packaging is all ethically sourced and 100 percent recyclable. The formulas themselves are dye and sulphate free and suitable for sensitive skin. While the collection includes a self-tanning face mist, sleep mask, and foaming water (in two shades), we are most excited for the Bondi Sands Pure Self Tanning Drops (£15), which you can just add into your moisturiser and be golden and glowing in six-eight hours. Bondi Sands Pure Self Tanning Drops £15 from boots.com Buy Now L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water According to the brand, one bottle of the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water (£10) sells every minute in the US, and in January 2021, the miraculous formula makes its way to the UK. Suitable for all hair types (even though it says for long, damaged hair on the bottle), the Wonder Water is a very thin liquid conditioner (no, really, it has the consistency of some high-quality H2O) that helps soften, hydrate, and detangle strands in just eight seconds using a patent-pending proprietary technology called "lamellar technology". Lamellar water works similarly to micellar water — which uses micelles to trap dirt and remove it from the surface of the skin — but in the opposite way. Instead, lamellar technology delivers active ingredients called lamelles throughout your hair, however, the lamelles only target the areas along the hair cuticle that need to be repaired. They do this not through magic, but through chemistry: the positive charges of the lamelles attract to the negative charges of damaged areas of hair, delivering the hair-coddling active ingredients to repair the hair fibre exactly where it's needed. Undone by George Northwood Image Source: boots.com When it comes to relaxed, effortless hair, London-based hairstylist George Northwood knows a thing or two. His clients include the likes of Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and the Duchess of Sussex, all of whom have hair that always looks luxe, healthy, and perfectly imperfect. Seven years after opening up his own salon in Fitzrovia, Northwood is bringing his expertise to the masses courtesy of his own hair product range called Undone by George Northwood, which is available both at Boots and on Northwood's website. The collection is comprised of three shampoo and conditioner duos (Undirty, Unparched, and Undamaged), a weekly detox shampoo (Unpolluted), and three styling products. We can't wait to try the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18) and the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18), two star performers in the range. Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo £18 from boots.com Buy Now Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Shampoo & Conditioner Image Source: boots.com Also launching at Boots in February is Aveeno's new hair-care range, which includes six different shampoos and conditioners all formulated around the brand's singiature soothing ingredient: colloidal oats. And while some formulas are better for drier hair and others curly or fine, what the shampoos and conditioners all have is common is that they're gentle and focussed on treating and taking care of your scalp as well as your hair. They're also all safe for sensitive skin types. "The new formulas are sulphate free and pH balanced, respecting the scalp and hair's natural pH levels by gently cleansing hair without stripping it of its natural oils and helping to maintain a healthy moisture balance for the scalp," trichologist Stephanie Sey, who partnered with the brand for the launch, said about the range. We're looking forward to trying the Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Shampoo (£9) and Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Conditioner (£9), but if you have thick and curly hair, the Frizz Calming+ Almond Oil Shampoo and Conditioner is worth checking out. Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Shampoo £9 from boots.com Buy Now Aveeno Gentle Moisture+ Rose Water & Chamomile Blend Conditioner £9 from boots.com Buy Now John Frieda Blue Crush Shampoo Image Source: boots.com You've probably heard of purple shampoo for blondes but now John Frieda is making a blue-toned colour-correcting shampoo called John Frieda Blue Crush Shampoo (£7) for brunettes. It's meant to get rid of out stubborn orange tones in brown hair that's been colour processed in the past. John Frieda Blue Crush Shampoo £7 from boots.com Buy Now Head & Shoulders Deep Cleanse Shampoos Image Source: superdrug.com Head & Shoulders has always been the go-to brand if you've dealt with dandruff or a sensitive scalp. This month, it's gone and launched an entire range dedicated towards keeping your scalp happy and healthy, whether it's oily, itchy, or in need of a deep clean. All three formulas — including the Head & Shoulders Deep Cleanse Itch Relief Anti Dandruff Shampoo (£6), shown here — contain the brand's hero ingredient, piroctone olamine, which helps reduce the flaking associated with dandruff for up to 72 hours, as well as a new proprietary "deep pore cleansing technology" that, according to the brand, helps decongest the scalp. Head & Shoulders Deep Cleanse Itch Relief Anti Dandruff Shampoo £6 from superdrug.com Buy Now Herbal Essences Essences of Life Argan Oil Repair & Renew Intensive Mask Image Source: superdrug.com Herbal Essences new "Essences of Life" range promises great-looking hair, and some good news for the environment. The entire collection (which includes three different formulas: Repair & Renew, Hydrate & Smooth, and Nourish & Sooth) is vegan and cruelty-free and uses responsibly-harvested aloe extracts. Additionally, as part of the launch, Herbal Essences has partnered with Kew Garden's Millennium Seed Bank, to help save 20 endangered plant species in the UK in an effort to promote plant biodiversity. Each treatment formula includes a hair mask, an oil mist, and a hydrating concentrate. We have our eyes set on the Herbal Essences Essences of Life Argan Oil Repair & Renew Intensive Mask (£5) to help bring some life back to our very dead, dry ends. Herbal Essences Essences of Life Argan Oil Repair & Renew Intensive Mask £5 from superdrug.com Buy Now Undone by George Northwood When it comes to relaxed, effortless hair, London-based hairstylist George Northwood knows a thing or two. His clients include the likes of Alexa Chung, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and the Duchess of Sussex, all of whom have hair that always looks luxe, healthy, and perfectly imperfect. Seven years after opening up his own salon in Fitzrovia, Northwood is bringing his expertise to the masses courtesy of his own hair product range called Undone by George Northwood, which is available both at Boots and on Northwood's website. The collection is comprised of three shampoo and conditioner duos (Undirty, Unparched, and Undamaged), a weekly detox shampoo (Unpolluted), and three styling products. We can't wait to try the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18) and the Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo (£18), two star performers in the range. Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted Shampoo £18 from boots.com Buy Now NYX Professional Makeup Marshmallow Primer Image Source: superdrug.com Receiving the NYX Professional Makeup Marshmallow Primer (£15) is like receiving 10 products in one. It soothes, hydrates, and tones the skin, leaving your makeup looking flawless. NYX Professional Makeup Marshmallow Primer £15 from superdrug.com Buy Now Ciaté Plant Pots Nail Polish On 11 Feb., Ciaté is dropping a whole new formula: the Plant Pots Nail Polish (£10). It's made from 80 percent naturally-derived ingredients, is cruelty-free and vegan, and contains ingredients such as bakuchiol, biotin, and bamboo extract. It's also the most sustainable range yet according to the brand. The glass bottles are made with recycled glass, they have a fully recyclable cap, and are made from sustainably-sourced ingredients. Colgate RecyClean Toothbrush Image Source: ocado.com Every bit of the Colgate RecyClean Toothbrush (£4) was created with sustainability in mind. The packageing is plastic free, meaning it can be easily recycled. The bristles are BPA free and made from renewable plant-based materials, whilst the handle is made from 100 percent recycled plastic. The new eco-friendly brush is one small part of Colgate's 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy, which aims to cut the amount of toothbrush plastic waste in half by 2025, and to eliminate one third of new plastics used in the manufacturing process to eventually be able to rely on 100 percent recyclable, reusable, or compostable packageing. Colgate RecyClean Toothbrush £4 from ocado.com Buy Now Skin CareHairMakeupDrugstore BeautyBeauty ShoppingBeauty ProductsBeauty NewsBest Of 2021