When Did Our Beauty Products Stop Working? These Classic Products Are Best Sellers for a Reason
As a beauty journalist of over a decade, I am in a bit of a funk. I have devoted my career to researching the most important beauty trends, the best skincare products, the most effective makeup products and the hardest working hair products out there, but in recent months I've been feeling increasingly confused by the beautyscape. More and more people seem to be feeling disgruntled by their beauty routines—their serums are breaking them out, their moisturisers aren't working, their mascara is smudging and their hair is breaking left, right and centre.
It seems, I am afraid to say, that we have become victims of new beauty product overwhelm. With new "it" products hitting the shelves every day, my theory is that, in our pursuit of finding the next big thing in beauty, we've lost sight of the very thing we all seek—products that make us feel better about ourselves.
In carrying out extensive research over the past few months, I have discovered something that has proved quite revelatory for me: the viral beauty products we're impulse buying like our lives depend on it are consistently leaving us disappointed. But, despite what people might say, these products are not keeping the beautyverse turning. In fact, tried-and-true classic beauty products from heritage brands continue to bolster the industry—and this is giving me faith.
As the most recognised beauty retailer in the UK, Boots has revealed to me that 60% of its sales are still coming via heritage brands. "Clinique is still our number one brand by a long way," says Alice Rafferty, Director of Luxury Beauty and Cosmetics at Boots. "We sell nine Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balms every hour, and searches for Clarins Double Serum increased by 91% between October and January, year over year."
And this makes sense to me. The majority of the complaints I receive centre around trending, viral products that people expect to behave in the same way as some of beauty's greatest classics—but they never will. Here's why...
The Beauty Capsule Wardrobe
Before we get into what makes a classic beauty product the best, I want to be clear: there is still room for new, trending products in your routine. The best way to approach this? Just as you would a capsule wardrobe. Grace Vernon, Head of Global Trends & Cultural Insights at Boots says, "You might have your Chanel Bronzer and an Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation, but a cream blusher, for example, can be your trend product." Via a new internal programme for 2025, Boots is amping up its offering of new-to-market viral beauty products that lend themselves to these trending aspects of our routines, making them more shoppable in the UK than ever before. Think the likes of Biodance sheet masks and Sacheu Lip Elixir.
But while your trending products might chop and change, your core beauty products can remain classic. To really get to the bottom of this concept, I knew there was only one person who could help me truly understand—fellow journalist, classic beauty expert and author of Pretty Iconic, Sali Hughes. "Classic beauty products are like a brilliant tuxedo suit—they are just hanging there ready for you. You know they're going to work," she says.
