Balea
Drugstore skincare for everyone — aggressive price, covers every category, dm's mass-market house brand.
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The dm private-label colossus. Some products punch way above their price (Beauty Effect serums, the vitamin C ampoules); the rest is pure drugstore.
Strengths
- + Shockingly cheap
- + Massive range
- + Often repeatedly sold out
Weaknesses
- − Formula variance is huge
- − Fragrance-heavy staples
- − Mass-market gloss
The Balea Story
Balea launched in 1991 as the dm drogerie house skincare brand. Grew from a handful of lotions to a 600+ SKU empire covering every category, regularly beating prestige dupes on blind tests.
Shop Balea by skin type
Curated picks from Balea's lineup, ranked for each skin type.
All Balea Products
8 products reviewed and rated.
Beauty Expert UV-Protection Fluid SPF 50
Balea's Beauty Expert UV-Protection Fluid SPF 50 is the €5.95 German Drogerie sunscreen that went viral — and deserved to. Exclusive to dm (Germany's largest drugstore chain), this fluid uses only modern European UV filters (DHHB, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Tinosorb S, Ensulizole) — no octinoxate, no oxybenzone, no octocrylene — giving it a cleaner filter profile than most K-beauty sunscreens at 5x the price. The skincare backbone is genuinely impressive for a sub-€6 product: sodium hyaluronate for hydration, panthenol for barrier repair, vitamin E for antioxidant protection, and beetroot extract (Beta vulgaris) for additional soothing. The texture is practically water — it absorbs in seconds and sits under makeup without pilling or balling. Fragrance-free. The German skincare community has been comparing it favourably to La Roche-Posay Invisible Fluid and Missha Aqua Sun Gel. At this price, there's no reason not to reapply generously.
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