Best Elemis Skincare Buys 2026: The 5 We'd Buy

This is the reason most people buy Elemis. It is a firm balm of sweet almond, elderberry, oat kernel and starflower oils that turns into an oil on dry skin and a milk when you add water. Elemis says it took 45 formulations, calls it the UK’s number one prestige facial cleanser on the strength of named Circana sales data, and says a 2025 trial of 34 people found it removed waterproof make-up. Those are the brand’s claims.

The low-rated UK reviews are few for a product this popular, and mostly about smell: several people found the lavender-led blend of nine essential oils stale or overpowering. A couple of loyal buyers thought a recent tub had changed texture or scent. And the muslin cloth that used to come in the box was dropped in October 2023 while the price stayed put, which still irritates people.

The Superfood range is Elemis’s cheaper way in, and the facial wash is the cheapest of the lot: £7.50 for 30ml or £35 for 200ml. It is a lathering gel with pumpkin seed, chia seed and avocado oils listed among the ingredients, and the page recommends it morning and evening. The claims come from a 2017 user trial of 120 people, and the page prints two different percentages, 98% and 96%, for the same “looking refreshed” claim.

The weakness is consistent in the UK one- and two-star reviews: several found it drying or stinging, more like a foaming hand wash than a treat, and a couple disliked the scent, one comparing it to cheap aftershave. Its main cleansing agent is sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, a foaming surfactant, and fragrance is on the list.

Elemis describes the Midnight Facial as a prebiotic sleeping cream for dry, thirsty skin, with camu camu, cocoa butter and banana flower extract on the front of the page and sweet almond oil and shea butter in the list. Its percentages, such as 92% agreeing it gave an intense boost of hydration, come from a 2020 user trial of 59 people over two weeks: that is what people said, not a measurement.

The recurring UK complaint is not about the cream at all. A run of one-star reviews from 2024 to 2026 describe jars arriving a third to half empty, and one says customer care put it down to transit. Others found the scent sweet, like bubblegum, and too strong. Check the jar as soon as it arrives, because problems must be reported within 14 days.

If you are going to buy the famous Marine Cream, buy this version. It is the same algae-led day cream, with padina pavonica, chlorella and a red microalga named on the page, plus SPF 30 and a PA+++ UVA rating. Elemis says it is clinically proven to reduce the look of fine lines in 14 days, citing a 2021 trial of 37 people. Read the footnotes closely: the third claim, that 93% agreed it firmed the skin, is labelled a clinical trial of 120 people, while the plain Marine Cream page calls the matching survey a user trial.

The UK complaints: the 15ml jar costs £39 and some buyers found it no bigger than a magazine sample, one found it turned lumpy in a hot country, and a handful reported reactions. It contains fragrance and wheat germ oil.

These are dual-sided pads soaked in a lotion that lists lactic acid, papain and other enzymes: you sweep the textured side over the face, then the smooth side. The page says to use one morning and evening and to keep away from the eyes. Elemis cites a 2019 clinical trial of 36 people for its cell-turnover claim and a 2017 user trial for the 100% satisfaction lines.

They are very well rated overall, but the UK low reviews are specific. Several buyers with otherwise calm skin say the pads brought them out in spots or left them red and sore within days, and a few saw no difference at all. One found the pads small and dry. The 14-pack at £16 is the sensible way to find out, since an opened jar cannot be returned. Acid exfoliants do not suit every skin.