What do you like about skincare sets? What don't you like?
Tell us what you love and hate about...
Skincare Sets
I like sets that offer smaller sizes with a few coordinating products, so you can have a good trial of a particular brand or line without splashing out for full-sizes, but they have to be large enough to be used for at least a couple of weeks. Sometimes sets seem like they include products that are more niche/user-dependent, so while it adds value, it doesn’t always add value to me.
— Christine
Since I am a Clinique skin care fan, I love when they have a mini skin care gift set promo with purchase. I use them for travel.
Their mini skin care sets are amazing and they are very generous with them on the Clinique website. Last year I kind of attempted to try their make-up products and I’m still going through all the moisturizers and masks I accumulated. 😆 Some I ended up using as hand cream in my purse. Their reward system is quite good, especially for people who also write often product reviews; but it’s cost efficient only if you regularly purchase products from them.
For me Clinique is not the best brand in terms of skincare, but most of the products are good, and I know I won’t have surprises if I take the minis with me when traveling.
My sensitive face doesn’t break out when I use Clinique’s face wash like it does with almost anything else, and it’s very good at washing off my makeup, so I stick with it. Makeup-wise, Clinique does have some great products…most notably, their excellent Cheek Pop blushes.
Because I have sensitive, eczema prone skin, I have very little interest in most skincare sets. Only those from brands that I’ve never had any previous issues with using are ones I may consider purchasing. FAB, Glamglow, Drunk Elephant are in that category of brands I trust because so far so good.
I like the opportunity to try new products without having to lay out a whole lot of money for full sizes. A few years ago, I got a Laneige skincare set with 5 (I think) great skincare products, 2 or 3 of which I really love, and it was also a “value set”. So I discovered some new products I really like and I also had some nice travel sizes of other products (and can use the jars and bottles and refill them from my larger sizes to continue to use them for travel). I guess what I don’t like would be a set that contained items I didn’t like or didn’t want and also, if the set ends up being more expensive than equivalent full sizes (so I like when the information about the actual dollar value is provided).
I love skincare sets from three perspectives:
-> Discovery kits: Small or sample sizes of products that help me try out a new brand without paying full prices or committing to a full size. For example, I liked that Peter Thomas Roth has a set of minis with all their masks (which I purchased and I either gifted or didn’t liked, but that’s another story) and sometimes gets out a sample set of their Water Drench line. The Drunk Elephant sets are quite well curated but still expensive.
-> Travel sizes: Small or sample sizes of products I already like and I want to take with my when traveling. I like when this sets keep it basic and sufficient (a cleanser, a SPF moisturizer, a night time moisturizer, some treatments in individual packets). In this case I don’t mind paying a little more for convenience. Clinique has some nice sets (and sometimes they offer them for free with orders on their websites).
-> Bundles: Full-size or value size of a complete set from a specific line I already like and love. I like the bundles from Paula’s Choice, you get a full routine from a specific line with a little discount; I personally mix and match, but if you’re a die hard fan of a specific line, that works great.
What I don’t like about sets is that brands usually bundle best sellers with duds, just to empty some of their stock. And a set has to be well curated, without duplicates.
I hate it when sizes of product are inappropriate; if you put a cleanser it has to be a bigger size than the face or eye cream; and there needs to be more of the SPF cream than the serums. Especially if the set is targeted for travel.
I have to be real careful and defensive about s/c, and there’s always an ingredient or two in some of the products I can’t use. But, I’d check out one by Purito or Cosrx, because Centella!! with good EWG and Cosdna ratings.
I currently signed up for two skincare beauty boxes: Beauteque – which is Korean skincare, and BeautyFIX by the Dermstore. I like them both for different reasons. I get to sample products I would never try due to price. I also don’t live near a major mall or shopping center so I often cannot try these products in person at a sales counter.
I have tried sets, and I really like the ones from Caudalie and Fresh. I have a tendency to purchase Japanese and Korean skincare set because they are harder to find in my local drugstore.
I’ve never bought a skincare set. I never tend to use just one brand for skin care.
Sets always seem have something I won’t use. Also, I have to be careful about fragrances and irritating my sensitive skin. For a new brand, I’d rather try smaller, free samples first to make sure I won’t have those issues.
Now, body care sets — say with a body butter, body lotion, and smaller hand lotion — are an easier call for me. I like those, because they can be cheaper than buying individually and the scents all match up.
I pretty much dont like any skincare sets. I’m super picky. No jars, ingredients cant have irritants which is like a mile long list, no fragrance, etc. My skin is combo/oily and acne prone but now I live in the desert so it doesnt feel dry but makeup doesnt go on the same and makes me looks cakey and old and scaly but breaks out sometimes even with medium/light products. So yeah, try to accomodate that in a set ?♀️ LOL
Sets always seem to contain a product that I have no use for so I don’t generally find them to be good value for me. About four years ago I bought one of those Sephora favorites boxes and even now I still have a tube of Glamglow mask that I haven’t used. Occasionally there will be a full size of a product I use that comes packaged with a few deluxe samples for only a little more money and I will buy those.
In the perfect little world that I carry around in my head, a skin care set would answer all my prayers. I mean being able to buy all your skin care from one brand and have them all work well for you would be the ideal, wouldn’t it? I use so many products from so many different brands that simplifying would be the goal. However, usually skin care sets do not give you enough product to actually get a feel for how they work past scent and feel. For that reason, unless the curated samples are large enough and have products to address all my concerns, I usually pass on sets. The last time I actually found products that cover my personal needs in when I bought “The Littles” set from Drunk Elephant and I enjoyed most of those products but there were several that just didn’t work for me and they sit in a box in my closet. The amount in the set seemed very small but DE recommended putting one pump from each product in your hand and then apply all at once which meant the samples lasted about a month for me which surprised me. The exceptions to that instruction were the sunscreen and the eye products, both of which I didn’t care for so wasn’t a problem. Long answer to get to the point I made in the first sentence and that is I don’t really care for them at all.
I agree with others, skin care sets are a great way to try out a new brand without investing too much. The smaller “deluxe sample” type sizes are perfect for travel and I like having smaller packaging to refill from full size of my “go to” skin care items. Sometimes value sets that contain full-size products like First Aid Beauty does are really well curated.
I’m pretty happy with the last Sephora Favorites. It only had one or two dupes and they were goodies ? . I have so much skin care right now as I went on buying bender on that stuff a few months back. $120 worth for $40, I’m not complaining.
Generally I am a fan of skincare sets for the reason you have given Christine. They are often of good value too, being less expensive than buying the individual components.
The sets are often very handy when travelling, especially if they contain all that you need: cleanser, moisturisers, serums and hand cream.
However, when the skincare sets contain toners, which I dislike and never use, it is a no-no for me.
When brands include lipsticks, for example, they are often the shades that I don’t use (pinks usually). Sometimes brands include products that they have surplus stock of, for a good reason because they are duds.
Clinique often has excellent skin care sets, so does Olay and Clarins.
They generally don’t attract my attention. Sets often seem to include one thing that I use or am interested in and several others that I’m not interested in or don’t need. And unless it’s something that I use and can add to my stash, those sets either end up hanging around until I finish whatever I’m currently using or I have to cut into my current regimen and stash half used products somewhere until I decide which I prefer. Either way it creates clutter I’d rather not deal with. Plus if I only use (on average) one product in a set, the money I spent there could go to getting the product I’m actually interested in instead.
I agree with you Christine I need enough to give them a good test. I always use these for travel as well, they are the perfect size.
Well said, Christine. Often the samples are little single use packets which are of no real help except for patch testing.
I guess I’m showing my age because I can recall when skincare samples were free. Now you have to pay to sample a brand? Why not just shop at a store with a good return policy?
The last time I bought a skincare sample set was 2010 at Saks from Sisley, it was $150. The sample sizes were minuscule and I was not impressed with Sisley’s overly fragranced, mineral oil heavy products.
Full-size skin care sets I can get on board with if they are good value. Unfortunately, they aren’t always geeared towards a particular skin type and usually contain at least one dud product.
They’re quite expensive and almost always include a full-sized cleanser to “justify” the price when it’s generally the least expensive product in a range and the item I care the least about as well.