Cheap skincare: how to save money on beauty

Cosmetics can be expensive at the best of times, but you don't have to settle for poor quality when you're on a budget. Whether you’re on the hunt for cheap skincare, makeup or fragrances, this guide is packed with money-saving tips that really make a difference.

Discover everything you need to know about finding bargain beauty products, from loyalty schemes to product testing sites and packaging recycling programmes.

Beauty loyalty schemes

Beauty loyalty programmes offer an easy way to earn discounts. Earn rewards when you shop and unlock exclusive offers like free delivery and bonus savings.

Boots Advantage Card

Members also enjoy Advantage Card prices, £10 Tuesday deals, and personalised offers. Check out our full guide to understanding the Boots Advantage scheme.

LOOKFANTASTIC (LF Beauty Plus+)

The LOOKFANTASTIC LF Beauty Plus+ scheme gives shoppers five points for every £1 they spend online. There are four tiers of LF Beauty Plus+ membership. The more you spend, the more points you’ll earn and the quicker you’ll move up the membership levels.

Superdrug Health & Beautycard

 Every 100 points is equal to £1 to spend at Superdrug, and you have to spend them in multiples of 100. Members also get extra perks, including free UK delivery on all orders over £20, exclusive offers, discounted member prices and bonus points events.

Debenhams Beauty Club

Debenhams shoppers can earn at least three points for every £1 they spend on beauty products at Debenhams. The higher tier you progress to, the more points per £1 you'll earn.

How to get free samples

There are two key ways to get your hands on free beauty samples. The easiest way is to check with retailers you're already shopping with to see if they have samples available online or in store.

Clarins lets shoppers choose three free samples with online orders, and MyPure customers can claim up to five sample sachets per order (ranging from shampoo and skincare to foundation samples).

With product testing schemes like the Marie Claire Beauty Drawer, Super Savvy Me and Boots Volunteers, you have less chance of wasting money on products you don’t like. You may even be sent discounts to use on future purchases. Some beauty brands offer product testing via their own review panels too.

Get discounts when you recycle cosmetics packaging

Because most beauty packaging is made up of multiple different materials, you can't usually recycle it at home. However, there are beauty brands offering you money off your next beauty purchase when you recycle your empties.

What you can recycle varies between schemes, so check the retailer's website beforehand.

Recycle at Boots

With the Recycle at Boots scheme, you can earn 500 Boots Advantage Card points when you recycle five empties from any brand and spend £10 in store. That's £5 worth of points back on a £10 spend.

Kiehl’s

Get five Kiehl's points for every empty Kiehl’s full-size container you return. Once you have 150 points (that’s 30 empties' worth), you’ll unlock a £10 voucher to use against one full-price Kiehl’s item online.

L’Occitane

Drop off any empty beauty container and receive a 10% off voucher to spend on a new full-priced product. You need to spend your reward on the same day you drop off your item(s).

More ways to save money on beauty

Here are a few more ways to save on beauty products.

Earn cashback when you shop online

Shop with big beauty brands like LOOKFANTASTIC, Charlotte Tilbury and Cult Beauty through us and we'll give you a portion of your spend back. All you have to do is click through to the retailer from their page on the TopCashback website or app, and we'll track your purchase.

You can also earn cashback on gift card purchases with TopGiftCards. For more info about how cashback works, check out our How to Use TopCashback guide.

Not yet a member? Get a £15 cashback bonus when you join TopCashback using the button below and spend £15 with any of our retailers.

Look for dupes online

There are places offering dupes of high-end luxury beauty products online, which can be a smart way to get products that feel premium at budget prices.

Dupeshop show comparisons of luxury products and more affordable alternatives. Some of their comparisons include how many ingredients they have in common, which is important to check. Don’t be fooled by products that just have similar packaging or a similar name.

Check freebie sites

Sites like Magic Freebies UK, Latest Free Stuff and Latest Deals are great for finding freebies and special offers to help you save money on beauty. We've seen skincare, makeup and perfume samples from big names like Marc Jacobs, Estée Lauder and Charlotte Tilbury. Sign up for their email newsletters to receive exclusive freebies in your inbox.

Keep an eye out for sales and other discounts

Shopping during seasonal sales like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas is a fantastic way to find beauty savings.

Add the products you want to buy to your wish list ahead of time, and make sure you check a range of retailers to get the best price. Sign up to the mailing list for each of your favourite brands so you can keep track of when their sales events are.

If you qualify for a Blue Light Card or student discount, you may be able to get an extra discount on your purchase, depending on the brand.

On-site price reductions can be stacked with our cashback offering, but using discount codes we haven't listed on our site will stop your cashback from tracking. Double-check TopCashback for promo codes that can be used on top of our cashback deals.

Savings never looked this good

Now you're clued up on everything you need to know about how to treat yourself to makeup, skincare, hair care and more, all while sticking to a budget.

From loyalty schemes to recycling programmes, there are plenty of ways to save on luxury and high street brands.

Don’t forget you can get money back on your purchases when you buy your beauty products via TopCashback. It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and our average member saves £300 in cashback each year, so why not give us a try?