Top Ten Discontinued Products I Miss

The retirees that I wish would return to work!

RIP

There have been so many beautiful products on the market. But unfortunately they often find themselves being retired. This can be due to a myriad of reasons. The product might not be super popular. There might be an ingredient essential to the formula that is no longer able to be provided at the same cost, or at all. Or there might be a regulatory change which means the product cannot be provided in its current form. Often brands will replace products with a similar style of product in order to maintain that family style within their line. Sometimes they may cut the line in totality, other times the brand itself might be in trouble and folds.

Avene Rehydrating Serum

This was my ultimate fave soothing serum of all time. It was the most perfect creamy serum on the market. It soothed, it hydrated, it made such a huge difference to my skin that has never been replicated. The closest is the Bioderma Sensibio Serum or the Pyunkang Yul Moisture Serum, but both of those still just miss that certain something. Did I purchase about 30 when I found out it was being discontinued? Yes. Did I also hit up the pr for their entire in-office store of it? Also yes.

Pixi Double Cleanse

A truly brilliant product that I’ve not seen the likes of since. This was a collaboration with Caroline Hirons and once she created Skinrocks, this was pulled from the Pixi line. I’m sure they probably could’ve kept both going but alas, it has gone. It was a genius dual tub that was a cleansing balm on one side and a cleansing cream on the other. Utterly brilliant for travel, and both sides were beautifully formulated. Neither has since made a reappearance in the Pixi line so I’m wondering if Caroline had a non-replicate clause in her contract or if she owned the formula. Either way I’m sad to see it go. It was a true delight of a product. Particularly the cream cleanser side which was an actual gem of a product to use.

Genus Skincare

Genus was an Australian skincare brand that only ran for a short amount of time but managed to craft some utterly beautiful products. They had a milk cleanser that was utterly incredible, it smelt nutty and glorious, had the perfect blend of oil within the emulsion, was nourishing and just provided such an enjoyable cleansing experience. I believe the brand folded due to lack of money, which is a true shame. Unfortunately, many great small Aussie brands do go along the same route. It’s a tough gig.

Sunday Riley Artemis

One of the original Sunday Riley oils, Artemis was a brilliant oil for congested skins. Super light yet nourishing. Smelt incredible and was just such a pleasure to use. I believe this ended up getting replaced with the UFO oil and between that and Juno there wasn’t really a need for it in the lineup, but I would love for them to bring it back!

Nars Sin Blush

Possibly the best plummed burgundy blush on the market. The Nars formula is one of the all time greats, but unfortunately when they recently revamped the line they didn’t include a lot of their previous offerings. Sin included. It’s a shame, this was a popular shade that was exquisite on literally every skin tone, and far superior to Orgasm in my humble opinion. With Nars there’s always a chance that it can come back, particularly as their blush offering tends to expand and contract over time. Fingers crossed!

Mac Just a Wisp Blush

Mac is another culprit of the constantly discontinue pendulum. So rude, but honestly fair. Their products are absolutely brilliant and they rarely have misses. Unfortunately things need to go for newies to come in. When they launched their mineralised blush line like 10ish? Years ago, one colourway that really captured my attention was Just a Wisp. This was the most beautiful pale-skin friendly blush/highlighter hybrid. It was the palest of cool-toned pinks, with a silvery reflect that was just utterly stunning on pale skin. That brilliance was probably its downfall as it really wouldn’t be able to work on any other skin tone. Dainty took over as the pale offering but it’s just not the same.

Becca Highlighter Pearl and Beach Tint Blush

Becca is one of the brands I feel the worst about, because I don’t think the discontinuation was warranted. Honestly I think they were a bit ahead of their time, but they put all their effort into the immediate sales and once that declined the door was shut for them. They championed and relied upon the highlighter trend with Champagne Pop, and so they put all their eggs in that basket. Whilst the highlighter formula was unparalleled in its brilliance, and Pearl is a loss I mourn (absolutely treasuring the one in my stash), I also think their blushes and complexion products were brilliantly formulated and if they were around in today’s market I think they’d be successful. Key amongst this is the Beach Tint Blush. This was one of the best cream tint blushes I’ve ever used. The formula was gorgeous and the colour range brilliant. Again, raspberry was the one I mourn the most, with its stunning burgundy tone. Utterly gorgeous on the skin, blended into a sheer flush. Would have slapped nowadays. They also had beautiful cream pots marbled with liquid highlighter which were beautiful for no makeup days.

OGX Bamboo Shampoo

I am unashamedly a fan of OGX. I think they do a brilliant array of haircare products, though again, I wish they’d consult me before discontinuing! This could easily be replaced by the kukui shampoo, which was a tiare-scented delight. But the bamboo is the one I went for most often due to my thinning hair. It was a delightful volumizing shampoo with a fresh green scent that was so enjoyable in the morning. The texture was almost gelatinous, but it was beautiful on the hair. A shame!

The Body Shop Vibrant Bergamot

Body shop is another one that culls frequently from its exorbitant array of skus. The vibrant bergamot line was one of my faves amongst the fragrance sector. It was such a pretty floral citrus that sat beautifully on the skin. The EDT was my fave, but the shower gel was also heavenly and I still have a few of the body mists knocking about. It was a middling seller, but probably not as popular as their other citrus scents which is why they culled it I assume. Truly unique, I’ve not found something similar to this.

Clarins Alpine Herbs Cleansing Milk

One of the absolute classics in the Clarins line for decades was the alpine herbs cleansing milk. The green one (IYKYK). It was a delightful cleansing milk that was wonderful on the skin, super soothing and really enjoyable as a morning or second cleanse. Great for any occasion. A shame it’s gone but there are other options on the market that I enjoy just as much thankfully.

Honorary Mentions

Aurelia

I’m not quite sure what’s happening with Aurelia. They’ve gone quiet on socials and they’ve pulled from their retailers. This usually happens when a brand is packing it in, or if they’re consolidating their finances for a relaunch. I’m hoping it’s the latter, but until we have formal announcement I’ll hold off on surmising. But it was a brilliant line and much underrated tbh.

Laneige Cream Skin Toner

Ok so cream skin is not discontinued. But I miss the old version of it. The new one they haven’t changed much, added extra peptides and hyaluronic acid, which really shouldn’t have impacted the formula this much tbh. It’s still good, just not AS good. I can’t even explain it tbh. Also the new packaging is fucking shit. I hate it. So bulky and uggo, not like the beautiful chic glass of the past. Alas.

What discontinued products do you miss? Let me know in the comments!