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What Readers Are Buying: Electric Toothbrushes, Baby Toys, and SPF

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

Welcome to Your Shopping Cart, wherein we break out the top-ten products that you, devoted Strategist UK readers, bought in droves. Think of this as the TL;DR of the Strategist UK: If your like-minded brethren are buying these items, maybe you’d like to as well.

As usual, this month sees a few changes to our most-bought list. The usual suspects continue to be must-haves for Strategist readers, such as an inexpensive plant mister and an ever-popular gel moisturiser, but there are some new entries, like an expert-recommended SPF, and a stackable, chewable gift for 1-year-olds.

The Flairosol spray bottle is the best-selling product in May, having gone up two places since last month, and is now spending its 13th month in our roundup. Lisa Muñoz, interior plant designer and founder of Leaf and June, said this bottle is “typically something you’d see in salons,” but it’s her favourite mister for plants. “It’s small and lightweight, even when full of water, and it creates a gentle, steady mist.” You can find more plant misters (all recommended by experts) in our comprehensive guide. (And if you want plants to mist, read our beginner guide here).

Another familiar sight is Neutrogena’s light and cooling gel moisturiser, now in its 14th month in our top ten. It’s come recommended by experts for dry-skin types, the rosacea-prone, and even pregnant women. It contains glycerin and hyaluronic acid, meaning it can hydrate skin without the need for emollients, which can make skin feel heavy. It’s free of both alcohol and oil, too. It converted staff writer Chris Mandle, who orders a jar every month and has been known to keep it in the fridge when it’s hot outside.

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CeraVe’s foaming cleanser is one of our best-selling cleanser on the Strategist. Though it briefly disappeared from our most-bought in January, it has now spent a total of 11 months on the list, and it’s gone up two places since April (this month is also its highest entry). It was first featured in our roundup of the best face washes for oily skin, where it was called a gentle product, suitable for all skin types. Dr. Michelle Park of Washington Square Dermatology told us that because foaming washes get deeper into your pores than creamier solutions, they can leave the skin feeling dry. “It’s important to remember to continue to moisturise the face,” she said.

This charming wooden piano first appeared in our most-bought in March 2020, and made a reappearance last month. Since then, it’s gone up four places to No. 4. Natasha Crookes, director of public affairs and communications at the British Toy & Hobby Association, said it “is great for little fingers with the innovative feature of magic-touch technology — no buttons or keys needed.” Thankfully, it does come with one button, for controlling the volume.

Photo: retailer

The Renpho massager has seen a surge in popularity over the last three months (in fact, in March it was our best-selling product). We first featured it in our look at the best massagers on Amazon, where it took the top spot, thanks to over 26,000 reviews. One customer likened it to a “magic wand” after it alleviated 20 years of back pain. Another reviewer, who said their chiropractor used the same model, described feeling as light as a feather after using this on their muscles.

6. Olaplex Hair Perfector
£18
£18

Olapex’s hair-repairing mask is now spending its ninth month in our most-bought, and has gone up three places since April. Stylist Ash Fritzler said she has seen the transformation this formula can bring to her clients with once-a-week use. “It’s so versatile. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who feels like their hair is compromised in any way,” she said. If you have yet to make an appointment with your hairdresser, this could be worth investing in.

We haven’t seen La Roche-Posay’s mat moisturiser in our most-bought since October, but after a prolonged absence, it’s returned to your shopping carts. It was first brought to our attention by Hadley King, a clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. King says it uses “sebulyse technology” to target excess oil, “the brand’s proprietary new anti-sebum ingredient” (sebum being the substance secreted by your body’s oil-producing glands). It features in our look at expert-approved moisturisers for oily skin, along with a couple of other Strategist favourites.

Our first new entry this month is a set of soft, squidgy, and chewable building blocks, which we first featured in our guide to the best gifts for 1-year-olds. Natasha Crookes, director of public affairs and communications at the British Toy and Hobby Association, recommended interlinking tactile cubes for little ones at this age, but also said that soft toys are an important consideration, since 1-year-olds are still very much in the teething zone.

Appropriately, as we inch closer to summer, an SPF debuted on our most-bought list this month. This sensitive, aerosol-style SPF by Garnier is a good all-rounder – it’s featured in both our guides to the best facial sunscreens and the best sun creams for the body. Conservation expert Katie Fidzcuk-Sterry, who spends the majority of her working week outside from spring to autumn, told us this offers “broad-spectrum protection, is totally sweat resistant and doesn’t irritate my skin.” She also likes that the spray applicator makes it quick and easy to reapply, and that it’s nongreasy, no matter how many times she reapplies.

We have featured electric toothbrushes in our most-bought before, but this is the debut appearance by Oral-B’s inexpensive cross action model.
Mayur N. Pandya, clinical director at Together Dental Group, called it “a great piece of kit for the price. It has pressure control, and it gently whitens your teeth by removing surface stains. It also comes with Bluetooth connectivity, and connects to the Oral-B app, so it can alert you to any problem areas you might be missing.” Pandya says this would be a good option to start with before investing in a more expensive model. “Versus a manual toothbrush, this model, with its round head, will improve the health of your gums in 30 days.”

The Strategist UK is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Read about who we are and what we do here. Our editors update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

What Readers Are Buying: Toothbrushes, Baby Toys, and SPF