Last year I bought a few items from the Inkey List to test and review. I heard about this brand being affordable and ingredient-focused much like The Ordinary and I thought, hey why not give them a try. I ordered items from the line that I knew I would use and based on the description would (hopefully) work for my skin. After testing them out for many months, I think I have a pretty good idea of whether I like them or not.
First things first, I have to point out some things I really love about the packaging and labelling. I like that it’s black and white and simple. I like that there are sun and moon symbols so you know whether it’s a day product or to be used overnight. I also like that they categorize the items into clean, hydrate, treat, moisturize, and SPF. That way you know what order to use each item and if you wanted to get a full treatment set you could get one item from each category. If you’re someone who is just starting to get into skincare this is can be really helpful. Even I found this really helpful and I use skincare all the time. Also, I do have to note that the cost is more affordable compared to so many brands out there, even ones I find at the drug store.
The brand is information and ingredient-focused and they strive to make skincare accessible to all without compromising quality. Overall, there is a lot that I like about the brand. Also, if you are new to skincare you can complete their online questionnaire and they’ll build a skincare routine geared towards your skin type and what you want to achieve. I love that! They also have an ingredient index on their website that really breaks down ingredients, what they do and what they are meant for. It really does show that they care about empowering your decision-making with knowledge!
Now onto each item!
Oat Cleansing Balm
When I first purchased this product I somehow thought I would be using this as an everyday cleanser. However, because it is a balm and has more of an ointment-like consistency I decided I would use it strictly for removing makeup. I enjoy this because it doesn’t dehydrate my skin. I would warm the balm up in my hands then spread it over my face to help lift up makeup, then I’d rinse it and use another everyday cleanser to remove any of the remaining residues. It was great for that. It’s super gentle on the skin. The one downside is that it does feel very thick so it does take time to massage over my face, but otherwise I liked it. I give it extra points because this is in a tube and NOT a jar!
Glycolic Acid Toner
I loved this in the evening. It’s a liquid serum that I would apply either with my fingers or with a reusable pad. This is great for reducing the appearance of blackheads, fine lines, and pores and after using it for some time I did feel like my skin was looking clear. I do get a lot of build-up around my nose so I’m constantly looking for products that help to clear that up and it did! This is definitely a staple product for me.
1% Retinol Serum
I’ve been using retinol ever since I heard about this ingredient a few years back. It’s so easy now to see so many products with this ingredient in them. This retinol is derived from vitamin A. It’s great for anti-aging and evening out the skin. Based on what I’ve seen online 1% is a high percentage of retinol so I use this pretty sparingly, maybe once every few days because I don’t want it to cause irritation. It’s a great liquid serum so you only need a little bit to spread over the skin. The only downside I find with this is the packaging. Since this is very liquidity it does tend to spill a bit outside the tube, making this a bit messier. Maybe this would have been better with an eye-dropper or even with a tube with a slightly smaller hole?
Q10 Serum
This is made to keep your skin hydrated and target signs of aging. I love that I can use this during the day or at night. My morning routine would be very simple, I’d wash my face, apply this serum, then add sunscreen. It is a nice light, milky serum so I can apply it over my skin easily. Really great product!
Peptide Moisturizer
I had been hearing a lot about peptides and wasn’t really sure where to start so I was happy that Inkey List had a moisturizer with peptides that wasn’t very expensive. I thought it would be a great way to test out how peptides work on my skin. These help to reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles and balance the skin’s natural oil levels. As a daily moisturizer, this is great! I love the pump packaging of this, it has a great consistency which makes it easy to apply. It’s a great last step before I add my SPF.

My Thoughts
Overall, these are some really awesome products. I’m only missing an everyday cleanser, SPF and hyaluronic acid from Inkey List but otherwise, it’s a great set of products that I can use as part of my everyday routine. I definitely want to try out the questionnaire next and see what else will work for me!
Have you tried Inkey List? What are some of your favourite products from this brand?
Lots of Love,
Dal
Everything I’ve tried from them was great. I love that they are such great quality but still budget friendly
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Yes! I love that you don’t have to break the bank to get good skincare!
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I love the sun and moon idea so you know when to use a product, I think that can sometimes be confusing with skincare, not knowing when to use products and what the purpose is! Glad you’re enjoying everything so far 🙂
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Totally! I wish more brands would do something like this because it makes it easy to ensure you use their products correctly.
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I’m loving a lot of their products too! Something interesting I learned about their 1% retinol is that because of the type they used and how it’s stabilizes it actually works out to 0.1% which is quite gentle! I thought I was using a much higher strength this whole time, but now I’m moving up to an 0.3% concentration. It’s kind of misleading that they call this one 1%, but it’s a great introduction to retinol with how gentle it is!
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Oh so good to know! The labelling is a little confusing but it’s great that I can use this a little more frequently. Thanks for the info ❤️
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