Welcome to Drugstore Heroes, a monthly series in which we spotlight the often-overlooked and under-hyped drugstore beauty products that industry experts count on. From editors to content creators and even celebs, we’re asking tastemakers to share their top recommendations for affordable yet effective products. Get ready to see the best of drugstore beauty, period.
Dermatologists are skin experts—everyone knows that. They spend years studying, researching, and working hands-on with patients. However, their expertise goes beyond that. They have a scientific understanding and practical grasp of cosmetics as a whole. They know what products and ingredients are well worth the time, effort, and money and, conversely, which ones should be left alone, lest they lead to irritation, allergic reactions, or other unsavory effects. Take the scalp and hair, for example. People tend to forget that dermatologists are also the go-to medical experts in this area. (The scalp is skin, after all.) That's why patients can turn to them when experiencing all kinds of issues, whether that's something as simple as dryness and irritation or something as potentially serious as hair loss.
All that's to say when a derm offers me a product recommendation, I take it, especially when it's Caroline Robinson, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Tone Dermatology. I've been following her IG for years. (I highly suggest scrolling through it if you, like me, love getting in-depth, expert info on the fly.) So I knew she had some stellar advice and product recommendations to offer. Still, I wasn't prepared for all 12 of her favorite drugstore beauty products. Let's just say I have a new shopping list to work from.
How often do you use and recommend drugstore hair products?
I reach for drugstore hair products all the time and recommend them to patients. If a formula is cosmetically elegant, evidence-based, and plays nicely with the scalp and hair, I don’t care whether it came from a prestige counter or the drugstore. It is very important to me that a brand leads with science and studies their formulas, not just trendy ingredients. There are definitely drugstore staples I rely on repeatedly for things like scalp health, gentle cleansing, and basic conditioning. I love the Royal Oils line by Head Shoulders, for example, because of its evidence-based, gentle formulas. And I have no problem pairing drugstore products with higher-end treatments when it makes sense in a patient’s routine.
What would you say to someone who thinks only expensive products are effective?
Price does not guarantee a skin or hair outcome. You’re often paying for packaging, marketing, and sensorial experience, not necessarily better ingredients or data. There are beautiful, innovative formulas at a higher price point, but there are also excellent, well-formulated options at the drugstore. I don’t think there is any problem with paying more for something if it really speaks to you; the sensorial experience is also important. But always make sure the basic needs of your skin and hair are taken care of first. I care far more about the final formula and how it performs in the real world than the price tag. I’m constantly getting feedback from my patients and curating my recommendations.
Any tips or tricks for finding effective products at the drugstore?
There are so many options at drugstores now that it can be very confusing. My simple advice is to go in with a plan and shop by your skin or hair concern, not by look and feel. It’s good to do some research first and look at ingredients, consumer reviews, and expert reviews and create a list of products that make sense to try. Basically, don’t shop vibes, shop your skin and hair condition. Buy small quantities first and give products a few months before you decide if they are working, unless they are causing irritation. It can be tricky to know the difference between a product breaking you out and a normal purging reaction common with retinols, for example. Overall, if your skin is not getting better after a few rounds of drugstore and over-the-counter products, it is more than worth the investment to see a board-certified dermatologist to guide you the rest of the way. Dermatologists deeply understand skin and can teach you how to better understand yours.
Here are a few drugstore rules I live by:
- For scalp issues (flakes, dandruff, and itch): I recommend looking for ingredients like salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, or selenium sulfide.
- For dry or damaged hair: Look for conditioning agents like ceramides, amino acids, or light proteins.
- For clogged pores: I like AHAs and BHAs. I’m partial to a cleanser form so that you avoid overdrying the skin. I also like to pair benzoyl peroxide in the morning with retinoids in the evening for breakouts.
Robinson's All-Time Favorite Drugstore Products
"Think of this as a liquid body serum for KP and rough patches. The Olay Super Serum Body Wash has niacinamide, AHA/BHA, vitamin C, vitamin E, and collagen peptide all in one formula, so when you step out of the shower, your skin is already exfoliated, looks brighter, and feels smoother before you even reach for your body moisturizer."
"This is my winter pedicure hack: You slide on the Aquaphor foot mask, answer a few emails, and when you take them off your feet feel like you just left the spa. It’s perfect for dry, cracked heels."
"For my sensitive-skin, 'I need foam' type of people, this is the cleanser I always recommend. It gives you that satisfying, sudsy lather, but the hyaluronic acid and micellar technology mean your skin rinses clean without that stripped, dry, tight feeling after."
"If you want one mineral sunscreen the whole family can share, this is that. It’s hydrating, gentle enough for rosacea-prone skin, and once you blend it in there’s no heavy white cast, just calm, protected skin that feels like you have nothing on."
"This is the tube my kids and I pass around all winter. It’s fragrance-free, rich without being greasy, and it’s one of the few eczema creams that truly calms the itch while actually moisturizing face and body."
"This is the workhorse eczema cream in our house. The 1% colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, and licorice root extract soothe dry, itchy, skin and help keep eczema-prone areas comfortable all day."
"If you hate greasy ointments but your skin is cracking from the cold, this is the ointment I recommend. The triple oat plus shea butter base feels surprisingly luxe and you can use it on hands, lips, and rough spots without leaving oily fingerprints on everything."
"This is my ‘between washdays’ rescue for braids, twists, and protective styles. The no-rinse elixir feels cool and soothing on the scalp and helps calm itch with its pyrithione zinc formula."
"Minoxidil foam is still one of the few over-the-counter ingredients with real data for regrowing thicker, fuller hair, and the foam makes it easy to target thinning spots. It’s officially for the scalp, but I use it as a hack for thicker, fuller brows."
"I didn’t believe a setting powder could be hydrating until I tried this one. It’s a weightless translucent powder with hyaluronic acid, so it sets and blurs without that dry, chalky cast, and your makeup locks in place but your skin still looks like skin."
"This is my everyday brow pencil because it just behaves. The microfine tip lets you draw little hairlike strokes, the shades are realistic, and once you brush through with the spoolie, you’re left with soft, natural brows that actually last all day."
"This is the viral mascara that actually earns the hype. The flexible ‘tower’ brush grabs even the tiniest lashes, and the bamboo-fiber formula builds length and volume so your lashes look lifted and almost falsie-level without clumps or smudging."
All in all, Robinson's 12 favorite drugstore beauty products clock in at a mere $189.
