In the UK alone we spend over a billion pounds on skincare every single year and that figure is only set to rise.

But after all the pomp and ceremony has died down on even the most elaborate marketing campaign, what really constitutes a bestselling skincare formula?

Some are time worn and tested over decades, first mixed up with a pestle and mortar in an oak-paneled apothecary by a mustachioed pharmacist or well-meaning housewife. They are as popular now as the day they launched, intrinsically woven into the fabric of our childhoods and by default, onto our bedside tables too.

Others are more cutting edge. They're the ones that borrow tech from NASA or pivot on pioneering DNA research. They sell bottles every 30 seconds (or thereabouts) and rack up headline-making waiting lists as far as the eye can see. 

Don't get us wrong, while we love the thrill of the new and niche, it's sometimes good to remember the beauty stalwarts and give kudos to the bestsellers that keep us coming back to the counter, or chemist, again and again.

Click through the gallery above to journey through 50 bestselling skincare formulas that have dominated sales, and our bathroom cabinets, over the last decade. We're pretty sure you'll recognise a few.