The 13 Beauty Products With Very Ugly Packaging…That We Can’t Live Without
We saved the best for last, really.
by The Candidly Team
Well, we’ll just say it:
We are huge packaging snobs.
Give us a custom font, a wide kerning, and a 2-color palette, and we’re probably buying it. Whatever it is.
But as we gaze at our beauty product shelves, many of our most beloved products are, well, the most hideous. And so today, we wanted to give them their day in the sun.
We give you—the 13 most effective products we use every single day that are BETTER than anything in a cute bottle.
1. A313 Vitamin A Pommade
The viral, pharmaceutical-grade French Pharmacy retinoid with a cult following reminds us of a topical ointment for our cat’s ear infection. And yet, we cannot be without it. It stimulates cell turnover, smooths lines, lessens pores, and works on sensitive skin.
Price: $16
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Detangling Deep Conditioner
You remember this brand, yes? Of course you do. We all scrunched our hair to the heavens with Aussie Sprunch Spray! But this detangling deep conditioner is one of our top favorites during the frosty weather. Leave it in for, you guessed it, 3 minutes, and our hair has never felt softer.
Price: $23 for a 3-pack
3. Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer
Yes, there are others. Yes, those others are much fancier looking. But if your goal is shiny, bouncy, sleek hair that takes about 10 minutes to achieve, she’s your girl.
Price: $41
4. PFB Vanish™
Simply put— the greatest product of all time to prevent ingrown hairs.
Price: $33
5. A Bonné Spa Milk Salt Shower Cream
This unbelievably softening body scrub is made up mostly of salt, so twice a week is all our skin can take. But the results are unreal. And the bottle is so hideous we might actually decant it because our eyes hurt.
Price: $35
6. Amlactin Daily Nourish Lotion with 12% Lactic Acid
The name, bad. The bottle, worse. And yet, these geniuses decided to put lactic acid in their body lotion thus resulting in a product that both exfoliates AND hydrates at the same time and gives you the softest skin you’ll have in your natural life.
Price: $23
7. Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
Not only is this the deal of the century, this face cream is formulated specifically for people with profoundly dry AND sensitive skin. So if you turn into a husk come wintertime, but most everything gives you a rash or a hive, try this hideous behemoth. You’ll love it.
P.S. We are also hooked on their super smoothing shave cream, also expressly made for sensi skin.
Price: $13
8. CeraVe SA Body Wash For Rough & Bumpy Skin
You know those pesky bumps on your arms? KP? You don’t need some fancy, chicly packaged bottle. You just need this powerhouse. Use it daily with THIS sponge and you’ll see a difference in a week.
Price: $14
9. Differin Daily Deep Cleanser
The name itself is so sterile and dry we need to gulp down some water. And yet? For anyone struggling with dry skin WITH random, hormonal breakouts (we don’t want to exacerbate the acne but we also need major moisture in our old age), this is the cleanser for you. They also have a daily oil-free cleanser that’s perfect if you’re just a non-acne husk.
Price: $11
10. Head & Shoulders Supreme Soothe & Strengthen Shampoo
Possibly the ugliest on the list (and that’s really saying something), we have yet to find a shampoo that actually gets rid of flakes, and nourishes our angry, winter scalp. We try fancier things and always come back to this.
Price: $24
11. NOW Whole Psyllium Husks
We don’t expect our supps to be pretty, but this one is especially unpleasant. And yet, nothing is more important than these magic capsules which help us have gorgeous, daily poops—it’s remarkable how your skin glows when your digestion is working at max capacity.
Price: $16
12. SmartMouth 2-Bottle Activated Mouthwash System
If you’re someone who still tastes that Indian meal the morning after, you will go NUTS for this mouthwash. The separate rinses get “activated” together in a cup and then swished around in the mouth, and how lucky for us that we get to use not one, but TWO hideous bottles every day. But we would literally never use anything else and will buy it for $100 on eBay if it ever gets discontinued.
Price: $31
13. Schwarzkopf Got2Be Glued 2in1 Gel
We saved the ugliest for last! Just an 80s nightmare through and through. And? The most miraculous brow gel of all time. Holds the hairs in place all day, keeps them fluffy, and doesn’t feel crispy. Stock up. We always do.
Price: $8
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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