There are plenty of reasons why a jar of Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream is sold every two minutes. Although a mega-popular beauty product, we recognize that not everyone will be able to pay its splurge-y price. That’s why we scoured the web to find nine alternatives that offer plenty of skin-enhancing benefits — without the same hefty price tag.
Why Is Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream So Popular?
Top makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury created her famous moisturizer to help reduce the appearance of tired, dehydrated skin on the models and actresses she worked with on red carpets and backstage at fashion shows. It not only moisturizes, but it imparts a glowy, plump finish, and, unsurprisingly, considering Tilbury’s profession, it works like a charm prepping and priming skin for makeup.
Magic Cream was the first product in Tilbury’s eponymous brand, and it’s now a best-seller and cult favorite. Magic Cream is made with all sorts of effective ingredients, like Vitamin C and E, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, shea butter, oat extract and a peptide complex. Plus, it boasts a nice floral scent.
As noted above, a jar sells every two minutes somewhere in the world, and many users swear by it, even though the product does not come cheap.
Charlotte’s Magic Cream
Price: $100 for 1.7 ounces at Sephora
The Best Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Dupes
You won’t get the exact same formulation in these dupes, but there are wonderful moisturizers that offer hydration, glow and skin-healing benefits. Plus, they make for an excellent base under makeup. Here are nine of the best Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream dupes:
Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré
Lait-Crème Concentré has made faces around the world look glowy and hydrated since 1950. Ingredients in this affordable French pharmacy staple include shea butter, aloe vera, beeswax and soy proteins. This versatile cream can also be used as a mask, cleaning lotion and soothing after-shave balm. Fun factoid: Lily Collins’ makeup artist uses it on the star on the set of Emily in Paris.
Price: $16.15 at Amazon
M.A.C. Cosmetics Hyper Real SkinCanvas Balm
Iconic makeup brand M.A.C. has their own dreamy moisturizer-under-makeup offering — it’s part of their Hyper Real line that launched in 2023. This lightweight moisturizer is made with nourishing oils, including sunflower, jojoba, avocado and coconut. It also contains squalane, aloe, gentle hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides and Japanese peony extract. It really perks up your skin, and feels wonderful upon application.
Price: $58 at Macy’s
COSRX Snail Mucin 92% Repair Cream
Yes, COSRX’s gel-cream moisturizer is made from snail secretions (sourced without harming them, don’t worry) as well as the humectant betaine and hyaluronic acid. It does a fantastic job of giving your skin a dewy finish.
This product works well under makeup, but you may need to give it a few minutes to absorb before you move onto the next step of your beauty routine.
Price: $19.99 at Amazon
belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb
For people with drier skin, this creamy (but not at all greasy) Korean moisturizer soothes and hydrates the skin, providing much-needed moisture all day long. Thanks to the gentle formulation of oat extract, peptides, ceramides and squalane, the True Cream Moisturizing Bomb nourishes without causing irritation.
Use it mornings and at night — it’s thick enough to be a night cream, but will absorb quickly so it can be worn under makeup, too.
Price: $38 at Sephora
OLE HENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ Instant Glow Moisturizer
When it comes to ingredients that impart glow, Vitamin C is hard to beat, but OLE HENRIKSEN takes it a step further by infusing their Banana Bright+ Instant Glow Moisturizer with a gold complexioned Vitamin C to boost your brightness and impart a bit of shimmer.
This cream also contains skin-healing vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide), hyaluronic acid and Scandinavian Cloudberry Seed Oil.
Price: $52 at Ulta
Bliss Bright Idea Vitamin C + Tri-Peptide
Bliss’ Bright Idea Vitamin C + Tri-Peptide moisturizer is another excellent Vitamin C face cream. Not only does vitamin C help brighten skin, reduce dark spots and minor skin imperfections, but it may also help protect your skin from the sun, which is why it’s often in products you wear during the day
This citrus-scented moisturizer also contains shea butter, aloe vera, tri-peptides and oils like meadowfoam seed, mango and jojoba.
Price: $23.97 at Amazon
Rhode Barrier Restore Cream
Model and entrepreneur Hailey Bieber is known for her gorgeous, “glazed” skin, so naturally her skincare line Rhode features a moisturizer that offers that benefit to users. Made with a blend of shea butter, squalane, acai, niacinamide and peptides (she calls the Barrier Restore Cream her “peptide powerhouse”), apply just a dab of this for a healthy, dewy finish.
Price: $32 at Rhode
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Cream
This extremely affordable drugstore buy from Neutrogena is such a great addition to your skincare routine. Hylaronic acid-infused Hydro Boost sinks in instantly and makes you appear fresh-from-the-shower. It’s lightweight, wears well under makeup and is fragrance-free.
Price: $11.79 at Target
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Last but certainly not least, another makeup artist cream we love: Face Base, Bobbi Brown’s two-in-one moisturizer/primer. Ideal to wear under makeup, the product is made with hyaluronic acid, squalane, shea butter as well as Vitamin B, C and E. It helps to blur pores, even out fine lines and imperfections and has a yummy citrus scent.
Price: $69 at Sephora
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