Arizona dermatologist rates Trader Joe’s skincare products against high-end brands

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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Trader Joe’s has become known for skincare products that are often compared to more expensive brands

Arizona’s Family purchased several of the store’s most popular skincare items and had them reviewed by board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic chemist Dr. Cynthia Price

Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen costs $8.99 and is compared to Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen, which costs $38. Trader Joe’s also sells a mineral sunscreen version for $12.99

“This has amazing texture. Dimethicone is the main ingredient, so it gives you that silicone primer. It really melts into the skin, so great under makeup, really doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything,” Price said. “The one thing I don’t love about this product is the ingredients.”

Price says she would prefer patients use the facial mineral sunscreen instead

“It has zinc oxide. It has 20 percent zinc, and it also has that dimethicone feel, so you can kind of see the differences,” she said. “Goes on a little more white, but it does sink into the skin so you can see the differences.”

Price gave the Daily Facial Sunscreen zero stars. She gave the mineral sunscreen five stars

Trader Joe’s sells a lip mask for $5.99 that is compared to the $24 Laneige lip mask

“This is an incredible product; I’m sort of obsessed with this now. I give this five stars,” Price said. “This has almost exact ingredients as Laneige. I give it five stars; it’s incredible. And you can’t beat the price; five stars on price.”

The next product reviewed was Trader Joe’s retinol night serum with 0.3 percent retinol that is dermatologist-formulated

“This actually is a nice product for an over-the-counter retinol,” she said. “Retin-A, tretinoin, is prescription, and this is over-the-counter.”

Price said the serum is suited for younger patients, not older or more mature skin

“This is good for kind of early aging symptoms, maybe some fine lines and wrinkles, some brown spots, but for older patients, I wouldn’t recommend this product,” she explained. “So, for that, I’d give it three stars.”

Trader Joe’s sells a hyaluronic skin serum and a dewy skin serum, priced between $8.99 and $9.99

“This one [hyaluronic skin serum], very nice formulation, hyaluronic acid. It doesn’t have the complexity of the higher and lower molecular weights, but it’s great for patients who are really acne-prone, dryness. It’s fragrance-free, dermatologist-approved,” Price said. “For stars, I’m going to give that a three stars.”

Price gave the dewy skin serum a higher rating

“What I would give four stars is the dewy skin serum. This has more hyaluronic acid; it has more niacinamide, glycerin, barrier lipids, so it’s more hydrating,” she said. “This is a dupe for Rhode Glazing Milk, and that’s one of my favorite products.”

The Rhode Glazing Milk is twice the price of Trader Joe’s version

Trader Joe’s Marula Facial Oil costs $6.99 and is compared to a Drunk Elephant product that costs $42

“The marula oil is very interesting, it’s a seed from Africa. It’s very hydrating, so it’s the oil from that, and this is great for more mature skin type,” Price explained. “It’s a great oil for hydration that dries matte, and this is a lovely product. I would give it a four star.”

Price reviewed a Brazil nut body butter that is compared to Sol de Janeiro

“I admit I buy a lot of this. This Brazil nut body butter is a dupe for the Sol de Janeiro, and the smell is really similar. The texture is a little bit different,” she said. “It’s a little more waxy in texture, so for that I give it a two star.”

Price is also a cosmetic chemist. She said some products, including the Sol de Janeiro body butter, contain guarana, an ingredient with caffeine that helps tighten the skin

Trader Joe’s version contains the same ingredient but does not make that claim, which Price said is part of the reason the more expensive product costs more

Trader Joe’s Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream costs $4.99 and is compared to a $29 L’Occitane hand cream

“This even has the same packaging as L’Occitane. It’s an incredible moisturizer, 20 percent shea butter, so it’s incredible,” Price said. “Very similar to the original, the packaging, performance. I give it five stars.”

The final product reviewed was a $10 vitamin C serum compared to SkinCeuticals’ C E Ferulic, which costs $185

“It’s a lightener, tightener, brightener; it’s incredible, and this has a really good formulation, but it does have a little bit of a funny smell,” Price said

Price said the stability of the Trader Joe’s product has not been tested

“Stability is so important with vitamin C. If they oxidize, they’re not effective; they turn orange or brown. You don’t want to use them; this is very common,” she said

Price says Trader Joe’s version does not have the smell of the more expensive product and includes an added ingredient that helps with pigmentation and brightening the skin

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