Medik8’s Black Friday sale is here - and yes, my basket is already full to the brim. If you’re Medik8 obsessed (like me), you’ll know that Black Friday is the perfect time to stock up on those coveted serums, cleansers and moisturisers. Or try out something new from the brand whilst it’s on sale (a pretty rare occasion).
While the discount might mirror last year’s (25% off site-wide), this time they’ve thrown in some free gifts when you spend over a certain amount which won’t be difficult to do, seeing as everything is so good. Spend £120, and you’ll get a free Hydr8 B5 serum (worth £45), or if your basket reaches £150, you’ll receive the Hydr8 serum plus a four-piece gift set, complete with travel-sized Medik8 bestsellers. Girl math tells me that's a worthy investment.
To help you make an informed and buyer-remorse-free choice, I've put together a carefully curated list of all the best buys that we've personally tried and tested. This includes a wide range of nourishing facial serums, exfoliating cleansers, lipid-balance cleansing oils, as well as night creams and day creams. All you have to do is have a scroll, fill those baskets and thank us later for your glowing skin.
Looking for more beauty deals? Shop our Black Friday beauty deals here. If beauty's not for you, there's also plenty of other deals to shop, from fashion and mattresses to sex toys.
Featured in this article:
How we test & why you can trust me:
Here at Glamour, it’s basically in our job description to test and review beauty products - and no, that doesn’t mean slapping something on once and calling it a day. It means speaking to dermatologists, aestheticians and doctors to get expert insight, deep-diving into ingredient lists, figuring out which skin types each product suits best, and testing formulas across the Glamour team for weeks (sometimes months) to see how they really perform - on acne-prone, sensitive, combination and everything in between.
When it comes to Medik8, I, Glamour’s Beauty Commerce Writer, Shani Cohen, know the brand inside out. My skincare shelf is basically a Medik8 line-up – from the cult-favourite Crystal Retinal to the new Pro-Collagen+ Peptide Cream – and the glow-boosting, hydrating formulas are perfect for her dry, dehydrated skin.
I’ve pretty much tested every Medik8 product there is. Even my family is hooked – my brother’s dermatologist actually commented on how good his skin looked after he started using the Crystal Retinal, Advanced Night Cream and Day Cream. I love that everything is packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid – ideal for my dry skin. The products have never made me break out, though I did learn the hard way with retinal… I went in too strong at first and completely fried my skin barrier. So trust me - start low and build up slowly.
Glamour’s top Medik8 products - at a glance:
- Best Day Moisturiser: Medik8 Advanced Day Ultimate Protect SPF50+, WAS £59, NOW £44.25.
- Best Vitamin C Serum: C-Tetra Vitamin C Serum, WAS £42, NOW £31.50.
- Best Toner: Press & Clear, WAS £35, NOW £26.25.
- Best Retinol Serum: Crystal Retinal, WAS £49, NOW £36.75.
So, why is Medik8 so good?
Medik8's strategy is based around the CSA Philosophy – coined by its founder Elliot Isaacs – which suggests that to create the perfect daily regimen, you only need three skincare staples: a vitamin C serum, a face sunscreen by day, followed by a retinol or retinal product at night.
While they've certainly branched out to cover a wide range of concerns and actives over the years, this ethos of simplicity remains. Cosmeceutical bottles house medical-grade skincare, packed with active ingredients that have been heavily researched, invested in and clinically proven.
And the brand even has its own panel of dermatologists, where skincare experts from around the world (think derms, scientists and researchers) ensure Medik8 provides the best skincare products, education and advice.
And if that wasn't enough, Medik8 is also B Corp certified, meaning that they meet high standards of social and environmental performance.
Ahead, shop our Medik8 Black Friday picks:
Medik8 Retinals
Medik8 Crystal Retinal is a wishlist-worthy retinol serum; one that's worth every ounce of hype it receives. It features an innovative formula that contains retinaldehyde, a powerful vitamin A derivative that's 11 times more effective than retinol.
And it gets better - the brand uses a carefully designed stability system with crystal encapsulation technology and airless packaging. To you and me, that means that the retinaldehyde is gradually released to offer minimal irritation, but simultaneously delivers unparalleled potency and effectiveness. Yep, it's gentle, but also powerful.
Crystal Retinal is scientifically-proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and you can also see results, including a brighter, firmer, clearer complexion, with even texture and tone.
Said to be the UK’s No.1 dermatological face serum, it also comes in several different forms that vary in potency to suit all skin types: Crystal Retinal 1, Crystal Retinal 3, Crystal Retinal 6, Crystal Retinal 10 and Crystal Retinal 20, so you can choose the correct strength for you.
And if you're dealing with crow's feet, dark circles and puffiness, we recommend the Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye Cream, which stars retinaldehyde, nourishing ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and calming chamomile in strengths of 3, 6 and 10 to rejuvenate the eye area.
Medik8's Day & Night Creams
If you've never used retinoid products before, we'd definitely recommend starting off with a lower strength formula and working your way up. Alternatively, you can also take a look at the Medik8 R-Retinoate Day & Night Cream, which is suitable for those of us with sensitive skin. With encapsulated retinal, stabilised Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, this 3-in-1 wonder delivers bright, hydrated skin with aplomb.
Just like the rest of your body, your skin deserves a full night's kip – and that's where the Advanced Night Restore cream comes in. Formulated to hydrate, smoothen, firm and brighten your complexion as you sleep, this night cream is proven to smooth the look of stubborn lines and wrinkles in just one week. It feels silky on application, absorbs really quickly, and leaves skin feeling plump and pillow-soft come morning. As for the active ingredients? That'd be ceramides, that support your skin's natural barrier, an antioxidant complex (which helps to neutralise free radicals) and N-Acetyl Glucosamine (or NAG), which encourages the production of hyaluronic acid.
Elsewhere, I had to give a shout-out to the Daily Radiance Vitamin C Two-in-One Moisturiser, a moisturiser with SPF that I've been using for over half a year now. It keep your skin nourished throughout the day, smells divine, and shields it from sun damage with SPF 30 protection. For that, you can give thanks to hydrating hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E (which provides antioxidant protection from damaging free radicals) and advanced UV filters that defend skin from damaging UV rays. But perhaps the star ingredient is 7% Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, a stable form of Vitamin C that brightens, plumps and evens skin tone.
Medik8 Peptides
Consider the niacinamide-infused Clarity Peptides serum if you're after a hydrating serum for night and day use. Not only is it fast-absorbing and super lightweight, but it's specially formulated to give your skin that coveted glass-like glow using 10% niacinamide to hydrate and calm the complexion. It also helps to minimise oil production and balance skin bacteria, which, in turn, reduces blemishes.
Another peptide-rich product is the Liquid Peptides serum, which uses not one, not two, not three, but 10 peptides in a 30% blend, which works to slow down and prevent fine lines and wrinkles from forming. The result? Improved firmness, hydration and plumpness, as well as a smoother, softer complexion with reduced expression lines.
READ MORE: What are peptides? and the best peptide serums according to our team.
Medik8 Serums & Moisturisers
On the topic of hydration, if you're someone with dry skin, you might want to check out a hyaluronic acid serum. Namely, the Hydr8 B5 Intense Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which features multi-weight hyaluronic acid and Vitamin B5 to deliver utmost hydration to a parched complexion. And it doesn't stop there - a blend of natural moisturising factors (including glycerin, 15 different amino acids, and lactic acid) holds the moisture within the skin for a smooth, supple appearance. Those days when you're pushing against the wind, rain is flying into your eyes, and your nose has gone numb with the cold? Use this.
And if you pair it with the Advanced Day Ultimate Protection SPF 50 cream, we'd go as far as saying you'll never have to worry about keeping dryness at bay again. Yep, you know you need to use SPF all year round, and it doesn't get much better than this offering. It contains multi-weight hyaluronic acid, a DNA Repair Enzyme (which supports the skin's natural DNA repair mechanisms), and protects from blue light, pollution, and free radicals. We mean, wow.
Next up are a couple of other serums that, really, deserve their own dedicated articles: the C-Tetra Vitamin C Serum and the C-Tetra Luxe. The best vitamin C serum according to GLAMOUR testing, the former is suitable for beginners and those with sensitive skin, while the latter features twice the amount of vitamin C for an extra boost to its brightening powers.
Both serums come infused with squalane and vitamin E, as well as a range of other active ingredients that act as a conditioner for your skin by deeply moisturising and strengthening your natural skin barrier. While they're a little greasy upon application, the glow induced makes the consistency worthwhile. And, your skin will appear as if you've just had an expensive facial - plump, hydrated, supple and firm - surely leading to gasps of awe from your housemates.
Medik8 Toners
Last but not least are a pair of incredibly under-rated and misunderstood products: the Press & Glow PHA toner and the Press & Clear BHA toner. In the past, old-fashioned facial toners tended to be very abrasive and drying on the skin, but thankfully that's no longer the case. These two toners are kind to the skin, using glycolic acid and salicylic acid respectively to chemically exfoliate and peel your skin, ridding you of pigmentation and resulting in a much smoother and brighter complexion. Seriously, don't sleep on the magic of toners.
Choose the Press & Glow to smooth uneven skin texture, even skin tone and boost radiance, while the Press & Clear is a great option for those who want to reduce the appearance of blemishes and decongest for a clarified complexion.
Medik8 Peel
If you want to wake up looking like you've had a blissful 8 hours and your skin is baby soft to boot, look no further than the Sleep Glycolic Peel. Its star ingredient is 10% glycolic acid, which swiftly sweeps away dead skin cells to make way for fresh, renewed skin that's smoother and brighter. Korean clover extract works in tandem to support the skin's overnight repair process, while glycerin leaves your skin soft and hydrated. Plus, 94% felt that their skin was visibly glowing after use, and we'll take that any day of the week.
FAQ's
When is Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday takes place on Friday 28 November 2025, with Cyber Monday following on 1 December. But in true beauty-world fashion, the deals have already started dropping - most retailers now kick things off in early November.
What is Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday is the biggest shopping event that takes place every last Friday of November, with exclusive discounts all across beauty, tech, fashion and interiors. That said, while Black Friday is largely known as a day-long affair, the deals actually kickstart a few weeks before the big day, all the way until Cyber Monday (2nd December).
It sees many of our favourite beauty brands introduce discounts both online and in store to move their stock and help both returning and new customers get their Christmas shopping done early.
Does Medik8 take part in Black Friday?
Luckily for us, it does! Medik8 currently has 25% off site-wide right through to Cyber Monday. We've spotted Glamour favourites like the Crystal Retinal, R-Retinoate Cream, Hydr8 B5 and Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream all included in the sale, as well as newer products like the Advanced Pro-Collagen+ Peptide Cream and Liquid Peptides Advanced MP. Not only is there 25% everything, but Medik8 has stepped up its offer this year by giving out some free gifts.
Spend £120 and you’ll get a free Hydr8 B5 serum (worth £45), or if your basket reaches £150, you’ll receive the Hydr8 serum plus a four-piece gift set, complete with travel-sized Medik8 bestsellers. If you didn't already have an excuse to shop or restock, this it is.
