“I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m a dermatologist, but nearly all of my skincare comes from the drugstore,” said Neera Nathan, MD, MSHS, a board-certified dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon, in a recent video on TikTok, where she goes by @dermatologysurgeon. To help her followers achieve beautiful, healthy skin without spending a fortune, she took them on a trip to CVS, where she shared the anti-aging products that she uses for her morning and nighttime skincare routine. Ahead, check out her five favorite products.
RELATED: Dermatologists Share the Best Drugstore Skincare Products: “Anything More Is Not Necessary.”
Morning Step 1: Facial Cleanser
Copyright @dermatologysurgeon / TikTok
“This is my OG cleanser, and I use it everyday,” says Nathan of Cetaphil’s popular Daily Facial Cleanser, which is $16.99 at CVS.
In a separate video, she shares that she’s been using the gentle, fragrance-free cleanser since she was 10 years old. She says it’s equally great for dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, or acne-prone skin and can also be used to remove makeup.
Morning Step 2: Vitamin C Serum
Copyright @dermatologysurgeon / TikTok
Nathan previously explained that vitamin C serums help brighten your skin and also protect it from sun and environmental damage. Her top pick in this category is the $20 vitamin C serum from Vanicream, which she says is “perfect for sensitive skin.”
Morning Step 3: Sunscreen
Copyright @dermatologysurgeon / TikTok
Of course, you don’t want to leave the house without sunscreen, and for this, Nathan recommends Neutrogena’s Invisible Daily Defense Face Serum with SPF 60+, which is $20 at CVS. “This one is really elegant with no white cast,” she shares.
However, she adds that if you have hyperpigmentation or melasma, “you want a tinted sunscreen with iron oxides,” like the Eucerin Sun Tinted Age Defense Face Sunscreen Lotion, also $20 at CVS.
RELATED: Dermatologist Reveals Her 7 Favorite Dollar Tree Skincare Products for Anti-Aging.
Evening Step 1: Cleanser
Copyright @dermatologysurgeon / TikTok
At the end of the day, Nathan says you can use the same cleanser you use in the morning. “But I would use micellar water pre-cleanse if you’re wearing a lot of makeup,” she notes.
Valerie Aparovich, a biochemist and certified cosmetologist-esthetician at OnSkin, previously explained to Best Life that micellar water “helps remove dyes and oily residue from makeup products quickly and easily, without the need for rigorous rubbing and without stripping or damaging even the most sensitive epidermal skin.”
In this category, Nathan is a fan of Garnier’s popular micellar water, which is just $5.
Evening Step 2: Night Cream
Copyright @dermatologysurgeon / TikTok
Next, Nathan suggests picking up a combination night cream that includes both retinol and hyaluronic acid, such as the RoC Retinol Correxion Max Daily Hydration Anti-Aging Creme, about $32 at CVS.
She also likes CeraVe’s Skin-Renewing Night Cream, which is even cheaper at $22 but “feels as luxurious as $400 creams,” she says.
In another video, Nathan explains that CeraVe’s night cream is “packed with peptides to stimulate collagen” and also contains hyaluronic acid “to instantly plump up your skin.”