This Brand Makes Some Of The Best, Most Affordable Products We’ve Tried

Ever since The Inkey List launched in 2018, we’ve been avid fans of the brand. They launched with a small collection of simple formulas made with skincare’s most in-demand ingredients, from hyaluronic acid to retinol and vitamin C. Over the years, the brand has extended its collection to include more cult-worthy products and more best-in-class ingredients. Now, The Inkey List has everything you need to create a full – affordable and effective – skincare routine, plus they’ve got some pretty game-changing new haircare products too.

We tried some of their newest products plus some cult classics to give you guys the DL. And as an added bonus, The Inkey List is Cult Beauty’s brand of the month for January, which means free worldwide shipping on all The Inkey List products when you shop via Cult Beauty!

Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment, $9.50

One thing we love about the Inkey List is they always use the best and most up-and-coming ingredients… In comes the new star ingredient in this formula: succinic acid, a bio-based chemical derived from corn, which helps physically reduce the size of your pimple. This formula also boasts an old classic, 1% salicylic acid, which helps to unclog pores, exfoliate and calm the skin. The fast-acting blemish treatment is carefully balanced with hyaluronic acid to ensure the acids avoid stripping the skin of moisture. You might even be able to smell the sulfur – another brilliant pimple-fighter – that’s been added, which helps to absorb excess oil and dry out pimples.

We also love the unique skincare-meets-makeup color correcting effect of the formula, which is green and helps to counterbalance the red, thereby immediately softening the appearance of your blemish. The green pigment is cleverly obtained from a natural chlorophyll-derived plant.

The result: This worked quickly to soothe and speed-up the recovery of basic blemishes – remember no picking, just a thin layer of this treatment two to three times a day and you’ll see a difference in days. We even applied it to a breakout on our chest and the redness and swelling were significantly reduced the next morning. On more stubborn cysts, the formula worked well to keep it under control with its anti-inflammatory properties.

PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment, $18

If your hair is in desperate need of some major TLC then this treatment is here for you – this innovative formula has been designed to rebuild, protect and strengthen hair that’s been damaged by chemicals and heat. As well as rebuilding the hair shaft from the inside out, it helps to reduce frizz, prevent split ends and turn up the shine.

The formula boasts 10% Granrepair Powerbond, a next-generation bond technology that’s been clinically proven to strengthen from within the hair shaft, repairing hydrogen and ionic bonds while also protecting existing disulphide bonds from damage. The addition of 0.2% Aquarich – black oat extract rich in amino acids – helps to improve hair structure to boost glossiness and prevent split ends. Finally, 2% crodasone protects hair from thermal damage and cuticle cracking, 0.2% heliogenol protects against free radical damage and UV rays, and 2% betaine conditions and softens your strands for immediate results. Pretty impressive, huh?

The result: We love the super fine lightweight mist – just spray through damp hair post-wash (avoiding your scalp) – that evenly distributes the formula. Unlike some other treatments, this leaves no sticky or tacky feeling on the hair (when wet or dry) and it definitely helps to give an immediate smoothing effect. As for the long-term effects, we’re yet to have used the product long enough to tell, but with an inkey list (pun intended) like the one we’ve just shared, we feel certain good things are coming our way!

Niacinamide, $9.60

An oldie but a goodie, this uber-popular natural vitamin (B3) is part of the A-list of the skincare world thanks to the fact it does everything you’d want an ingredient to do to your skin. We’re talking brightening, pore-minimizing, redness-reducing, oil-controlling, protecting, and blemish-soothing – we told you it was red-carpet worthy! Not only is this serum formulated with a hefty dose of said ingredient, but it also boasts hydrating squalane and hyaluronic acid to plump your skin. We love the goopy gel texture that spreads well and absorbs quickly.

The Result: Skin is hydrated, balanced and soothed. While this makes a great addition to literally anyone’s routine, we love it for those with oily or blemish-prone skin, and it’s also great if you’re prone to redness or rosacea. Use it after your toner and before your moisturizer in the am and pm.

Salicylic Acid Cleanser, $15

You’ve heard us wang on about the importance of a good cleanser enough times to know finding one is key! Well, here’s a great one for you: This Salicylic Acid Cleanser is beautifully balanced and absolute goals for anyone with oily, combo or blemish-prone skin. The low-foaming gel cleanser is made with 2% salicylic acid, which helps to unclog pores and gently exfoliate, and zinc to help balance oil production. The formula also contains soothing and protecting allantoin to ensure skin remains calm and hydrated.

The result: We love that it makes our skin feel so soft and clean but not squeaky clean! So many cleansers targeted toward oily skin have the tendency to foam heavily, which results in dry skin and an increase in sebum production to compensate for moisture loss – but not with this one.

Tip: Start using it as part of your evening routine only and increase to morning and evening if necessary. We recommend cleansing first with an oil-based cleanser in the evening.

These are just four of their new and cult-fave products that we love – there are so many more – that are definitely worth trying! We’re also huge fans of The Inkey List’s Retinol Serum, which is effective but not overpowering, and their Polyglutamic Acid (it holds four times more water than hyaluronic acid!), which is a potent hydrator that works well for all skin types. Seriously though, if you’re on a budget and want skincare – and now haircare, too – that works, then The Inkey List is there to provide products for every skin concern with great-quality ingredients. Check out their full collection on Cult Beauty here, and grab the free-shipping while you can!

Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. We never take payment to review products, however, some brands allow affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.