Q+A Skincare Review: Natural, Budget-friendly Products That Really Work

Budget-friendly beauty brands will always have my heart. So when I saw Q+A Skincare come onto the scene I knew I had to jump straight in and get trying.

Since their range is quite extensive, I’m starting out with the five that appealed to me most (based on my current skin concerns). If you’re wondering which products would suit you best, you can take their skin type quiz here.

About Q+A Skincare

Q+A describes itself as ‘a natural, clean and ingredient focused skincare brand on a mission to demystify skincare’. All their products are cruelty-free and silicone-free. They also pride themselves on their skincare line being completely free from artificial fragrances and mineral oil.

Q+A Grapefruit Cleansing Balm £9.00

Suits which skin type? All

Scent: Citrusy but doesn’t necessarily smell like grapefruit. If anything I’d say it’s more on the lemony side.

MY EXPERIENCE

Cleansing balms are my latest skincare addiction and I can’t help but buy every one I set my eyes on. This one immediately appealed to me as – like The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm (review here) – it’s in a squeezable tube, which means no mess (yayyy!!).

I’ve been using it as my first cleanse and I can’t get over how silky it is on the skin. It melts so easily and doesn’t require much rubbing to get it to the desired consistency.

It removes almost all makeup, although it did have a little trouble with waterproof mascara. I hate having to tug at my skin so I prefer to have a product that does all the hard work (i.e. loosening your makeup) for you. This did pretty well but I did find myself rubbing at my skin a bit more than I usually would.

I’m not too put off by this though as I can just use it when I’m having a light makeup day (or even when I’m not wearing makeup at all!). This is the perfect product for removing sunscreen before you go in for your second cleanse.

Q+A Ginger Root Daily Moisturiser £8.50

Suits which skin type? All

Scent: It definitely smells like fresh ginger and this might be a little off-putting at first. However, the scent tends to dissipate after a few minutes so you won’t be conscious of it on your face.

MY EXPERIENCE

The Ginger Root Moisturiser is probably my least favourite product out of the bunch. Not because it’s bad, but just because I have other moisturisers that I would probably choose to use over this.

It has a nice consistency and it doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin. Because of this I would say it’s perfect for oily/combination skin types. However, I’m not sure it’s the best for dry skin.

I did notice that my face would tingle slightly if I had any dry patches, and my skin did feel tighter than usual. That’s not to say this wouldn’t work for others, it just didn’t work for me!

Q+A Chamomile Night Cream £12.00

Suits which skin type? Stressed, dry, sensitive, normal, combination

Scent: I expected this to smell really intense – like The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter (review here). But this doesn’t have much of a scent at all. It’s really really subtle.

MY EXPERIENCE

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this cream but I actually really like it!

I find that sometimes products that are labelled as ‘night creams’ can be super heavy and just sit on top of the skin. This one, on the other hand, sinks in overnight, meaning that when you wake up your face feels pleasantly moisturised.

It’s not at all greasy and has such a smooth texture. This has quickly become a staple in my nighttime skincare routine.

Q+A Squalane Facial Oil £10.00

Suits which skin type? All

Scent: Again, this product is unscented so I can’t really smell anything when I put it on my face.

MY EXPERIENCE

I’m a big fan of squalane so this product was calling my name. And it definitely lived up to my expectations!!

I think this is the perfect gateway oil for beginners since it’s colourless and light. Tbh it doesn’t really feel like an oil at all, it’s almost like a slightly more unctuous serum or essence.

I use this at night but I think, if you went in with a light hand, you could totally get away with wearing this during the day (especially if your skin is super dry).

My face always looks bright and rejuvenated after using this. I literally have nothing bad to say about it!

Q+A Super Food Facial Oil £8.00

Suits which skin type? Dry, sensitive, normal, combination

Scent: Not fragranced, but it does have a slight natural oil smell like most products of this type.

MY EXPERIENCE

Like the squalane, this oil has won me over. I really love the way it sinks into the skin and the fact that – despite containing 22 different ingredients – it doesn’t feel at all heavy.

I tend to use this overnight and my skin looks so glowy and fresh when I wake up. I can’t say I’ve noticed any long-term benefits just yet, like the claimed reduction in redness and hyperpigmentation. But I feel like if it’s helping with the condition of my skin, this is going to encourage it to heal and repair itself anyway.

For now I plan to keep using it and I’ll report back if I notice any changes!

Overall thoughts

This is such a great, affordable skincare range and I’m really impressed by the quality of the products. I’m usually a little skeptical when it comes to ‘clean beauty’ because not all chemicals found in skincare are bad. But I do understand that Q+A is trying to cut out unnecessary ingredients, like perfuming agents, that don’t really add to the products.

With the exception of the Ginger Root moisturiser I’d buy all of these again and I can’t wait to see what else Q+A Skincare comes out with!

Where can you buy Q+A Skincare?

If you’re based in the UK, you can buy these products from the Q+A website, Sephora, Naturisimo and Holland & Barrett.

Have you tried any Q+A Skincare products yet? If so, let me know what you think!

And check out this article to see how you can incorporate the Q+A Squalane and Super Food oils into your gua sha routine.