Last updated: December 10, 2024
Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream has taken the beauty world by storm and receives rave reviews from the many happy customers who purchase and use it.
And who doesn’t want plumper, younger looking skin and an even skin tone just from using a moisturizer?
However, this beautifying face cream is by no means cheap.
In fact it is very expensive as moisturizers go, coming in at $100 (or £75 / €90.00) for a relatively small 50ml jar.
Fortunately for the savvy shopper there are some affordable beauty products which are renowned dupes of Charlotte’s Magic Cream.
Scroll down to see the full Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream dupe list and get the same effect on your skin for less.
What is Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream?
Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream is a moisturizer first created by Charlotte herself to use backstage at fashion shows.
Charlotte would apply this to the models’ skin to instantly brighten up dull complexions, and provide the perfect primer for flawless makeup application.
What does Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream do?
With the use of skin-loving ingredients, Magic Cream plumps up fine lines and wrinkles and moisturizes dry skin.
It is also designed to impart a radiant glow almost instantly and provide a smooth, soft canvas for makeup.
It is touted as a fast acting cream which shows visible results on the skin from first use.
Charlotte actually claims you can see the effects in as little as 28 seconds.
What is Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream made of?
CT Magic Cream has a long ingredients list, which contains high concentrations of emollients and humectants.
These work to attract and retain moisture in the skin, which in turn gives it a plumper and smoother appearance.
It also contains lower concentrations of vitamin C and vitamin E along with hyaluronic acid derived sodium hyaluronate, camellia oleifera seed oil, rosehip oil, shea butter, aloe vera, and frangipani flower extract.
Charlotte’s Magic Cream also contains a peptide complex, somewhat interestingly called BioNymph.
Other ingredients include tocopheryl acetate, palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and palmitoyl tripeptide-7.
The full list of ingredients can be found here.
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The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream dupe list
The high price tag of Magic Cream has led many beauty fans to look for affordable alternatives, and fortunately there are some very good ones.
The dupes listed below all contain some combination of the same ingredients as Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream.
These are peptides, emollients, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and aloe vera.
Because of their rich moisturizing properties they are all very hydrating and lock in moisture on the skin, forming a glowy base which is perfect underneath makeup.
Revolution Pro Miracle Cream $14
The release of the Revolution Pro Miracle Cream caused a stampede as this is seen by many to be an almost perfect dupe of Magic Cream.
This caused it to sell out almost instantly but you can often find it in stock now on their website.
The Revolution Miracle Cream has very similar ingredients to the Charlotte Tilbury cream including peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. It also contains brightening niacinamide, and hydrating shea butter and camelina oil.
I have this product and I must say I find it to be a great dupe of Magic Cream. It’s thick, creamy and leaves a gorgeous glow on the skin, plus it’s a mere fraction of the cost of Charlotte Tilbury products.
Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer $33
I don’t usually think of Paula’s Choice products as luxury skincare, as I see them as being more ingredients-based than catering to luxury beauty lovers.
However, since the iconic Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream focusses on certain key ingredients to give a dewy glow, I find this moisturizer from Paula’s Choice to be very similar.
It’s a rich cream that contains glycerin (as does Magic Cream) which is an emollient. It also contains allantoin, sodium hyaluronate and many other ingredients which make it very similar to Magic Cream like tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E) and panthenol.
You get slightly more product (60ml) for about a third of the price of Magic Cream making it a much cheaper alternative.
Pond’s Cold Cream $8.99
Bear with me on this one. Pond’s Cold Cream is actually a cleanser but one of the great things about it is that it can be used as a moisturizer.
Because of its very emollient ingredients which keep moisture in the skin, and its thick and creamy texture, it is often called a Magic Cream dupe.
Cold Cream has been around since 1914 and many women will remember seeing this iconic pot on their grandmother’s vanity. It’s super affordable and great for very dry skin types.
Now I can’t imagine using Magic Cream to take off makeup unless I was in a pinch. It’s too expensive for starters but it’s also not designed for this purpose. Cold Cream, on the other hand, has lots of uses and after it removes makeup it leaves its beeswax and mineral oil layer on the face. This effectively seals in moisture and leaves skin looking plump and smooth.
Astral Cream $10.99
One of the most popular products among British women since its launch in 1952, Astral Cream is a fraction of the price of Magic Cream but really will leave your skin looking pretty much the same.
It’s a thick moisturizer that contains two main ingredients to plump up skin, smooth out fine lines and leave even the driest texture with a glow.
These are glycerin and lanolin which together attract and hold water in the skin.
If you just want something basic that gives you the same smooth canvas as Magic Cream this is a great choice. It’s a thick, comforting cream like Magic Cream which forms a moisture barrier on the skin which helps makeup look good all day.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Firming Collagen Cream $44
There are some excellent ingredients in this moisturizer from First Aid Beauty, and it rivals Magic Cream for a good reason.
It contains ceramide NP to repair the skin barrier, squalane for a healthy glow and soluble collagen to help maintain youthful-looking skin.
First Aid Beauty’s Cream also has allantoin, glycerin, shea butter, licorice root extract, green tea extract, niacinamide, panthenol, peptides and colloidal oatmeal.
To sum that up, it’s a powerful cocktail of ingredients that deliver a younger and more luminous complexion like Magic Cream but at under half the price for the same amount of product.
Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich $35
This Glossier moisturizer soothes and nourishes the skin to leave it glowing, even in tone and smooth-looking.
It has some lovely ingredients including two ceramides (ceramide NP and AP, also known as ceramide 3 and ceramide 6).
Glossier’s cream also contains glycerin, squalane, hyaluronic acid and babassu oil which delivers essential fatty acids to the skin keeping it plump and glowy.
Glossier have recently removed the lavender fragrance from this product which is good news if you’re sensitive to fragrance.
IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream $59
This is another good dupe for Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. It’s still fairly expensive but does come in at significantly cheaper than Magic Cream.
Like Magic Cream, you can use this during the day under makeup as a plumping and hydrating primer, and also as a night cream to wake up to glowing skin.
Ingredients-wise, there are some very similar ingredients found in Confidence in a Cream such as niacinamide, squalane, and a peptide-lipid complex.
It also has glycerin, shea butter, Vitamin E, hydrolyzed rice protein (rich in amino acids), sodium hyaluronate and colloidal oatmeal.
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More good dupes and alternatives to Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream without the hefty price tag are:
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base $67 (shop at Ulta >>)
Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer $48 (shop at Sephora >>)
I’m From Honey Glow Cream $32 (shop at YesStyle >>)
Neogen Probiotics Relief Cream $28 (shop at YesStyle >>)
Nivea Creme Universal Moisturizer $7.99 (shop at Ulta >>)
Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream (shop at Walmart >>)
Pure Super Hydrate Day Cream (shop at Marks & Spencer >>)
Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream $54 (shop at Sephora >>)
If the increased cost of living has you looking for affordable dupes of your cult staple Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream then you can’t go far wrong with any of these.
Some of the drugstore dupe alternatives may not have the luxurious edge you’ll find with Magic Cream but you can get the same amazing results from these much less pricey products.
In particular, if you can get your hands on the much cheaper Revolution Pro Miracle Cream then you’ve struck gold as this is almost an exact dupe and the price is so reasonable.
But any of the other Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream dupes listed above will hydrate and plump the skin while providing a great base for any makeup look.
DON’T MISS THIS:
You may also like to know about all the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk dupes and every dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter, as well as the dupes for Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand.
If you love affordable dupes of expensive brands check out this Tatcha Water Cream dupe list, the Glow Recipe Niacinamide Dew Drops dupe list and the FOREO dupes.
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Frequently asked questions
Miracle Cream from Revolution Beauty is an almost exact dupe of the iconic Magic Cream from Charlotte Tilbury. They have very similar ingredients and both leave the skin looking plumped, hydrated and glowing. The main difference between them is the price tag as Revolution’s product is so much cheaper.
Both Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream and Glossier’s Moisturizing Primer Rich contain skin-friendly ingredients which nourish and hydrate. However there are some small differences between the ingredients; Glossier contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, and squalane whereas Magic Cream contains hyaluronic acid, vitamins C and E, and peptides. The price tags also differ with Magic Cream being far more expensive.
Magic Cream is Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic base and moisturizer in one that contains some excellent ingredients. Most people in the beauty community agree that it is very effective at making your skin look amazing alone and under makeup. At the same time it improves the look and hydration of your skin over time.
The whole of Charlotte Tilbury’s range of products is aimed at women of any age. However I would suggest that Magic Cream is ideal for women to include in their skincare routine in their twenties and upwards. It’s fantastic for all ages and especially mature women who want to boost their skin’s natural glow.
The original version of Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream does not contain any retinol so is safe to use during the day. The brand’s Magic Night Cream does contain time-released retinol, however, so should only be used at night.
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