Beauty & Personal Care for Expats in the UK

Boots is the most practical first stop — it functions as both a pharmacy and a full beauty retailer, so you can collect NHS prescriptions, buy over-the-counter medication, and pick up skincare, haircare and toiletries in one visit. The free Boots Advantage Card gives you points on every purchase, which accumulate quickly. Superdrug is a strong budget alternative, while larger Tesco and Sainsbury's supermarkets carry a reasonable range of everyday personal care products.

Most major international brands are available in the UK, either through Boots, LOOKFANTASTIC, department stores like John Lewis and Selfridges, or the brand's own UK website. Kiehl's, La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, The Ordinary and many other global favourites have strong UK retail presences. Some US drugstore brands may be harder to find in physical stores but are available via online retailers like iHerb. It's also worth checking whether formulations differ slightly from those you're used to, as EU and UK cosmetics regulations are stricter than those in some other markets.

Once registered with a GP, you can access NHS prescriptions for medications that might be purchased over the counter elsewhere. The standard prescription charge in England is a flat fee per item (currently £9.90 per item as of 2026), which makes some treatments cheaper than buying privately. Prescription prepayment certificates are available if you need multiple medications regularly. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, NHS prescriptions are free. Boots and other high street pharmacies dispense NHS prescriptions alongside their retail operations.

Animal testing for cosmetics sold in the UK has been banned since 1998, and the sale of cosmetics tested on animals anywhere in the world was banned in 2013. This means all cosmetics legally sold in the UK cannot have been tested on animals, regardless of where they are manufactured. However, brands that also sell in China (where animal testing has historically been required for imported cosmetics) have been a grey area — this is worth researching if cruelty-free status is important to you.

Yes — the Boots Advantage Card is one of the better retail loyalty schemes in the UK. You earn 4 points per £1 spent in store (each point is worth 1p), and Boots regularly runs bonus point promotions that significantly accelerate accumulation. Points can be redeemed on anything in store including pharmacy products. The card is free to obtain and takes only a few minutes to register in store or online. Given how frequently new arrivals shop at Boots in their first few months, signing up immediately is worth doing.