Discover the best pharmacies to buy beauty products in the United States in this post. Tips on where to buy cheap makeup and hair products, and how to save even more through coupons and apps!
Every woman already knows that the United States is a beauty shopping paradise. Our favorite brands are much cheaper in foreign countries, and it is also possible to find several products that have not yet reached the Brazilian market.
However, did you know that it's not just in stores like Sephora and Ulta that you can buy beauty items? On the contrary, the great entertainment in the USA in this category are pharmacies, the famous drugstores. In addition to medicines, they sell makeup, skin products, hair products, and the largest ones even sell food, magazines, drinks and so on.
Some of these pharmacies are so big that they have more than one floor, and you can spend hours walking through their aisles.
In this post, I will explain which are the best pharmacies to buy beauty products in the USA, give you tips on which products to buy, and explain how the drugs work. apps and coupons so you can save even more on your purchases!
Best pharmacies to buy beauty products in the United States
First of all, you need to understand that unlike Brazil, The United States has two types of pharmacies, pharmacies and drug stores. Pharmacies only sell medicines and basic hygiene products, while drugstores There are huge stores with all types of cosmetics, makeup and body creams.
Below are some of the most famous drug stores, which are worth including in your itinerary:
Walgreens
One of the largest pharmacy chains in the USA, it is easy to find a Walgreens in Brazilians' favorite destinations, with over 100 options in the Orlando area and even more in New York.
There you can find a little bit of everything, from makeup, skin and hair products and medicines, to decoration, pet products, food and much more.. Some brands available are L'Oreal, NYX, elf, Monday, Maybelline, La Roche-Posay and Neutrogena.
The store also provides photography services, so if you have lost your passport or need an official photo, just go to the nearest unit to your accommodation. In addition, you can also schedule vaccinations and even be seen at the medical clinic if you are not feeling well during the trip. You can download the app “Find Care” from the network itself to find the pharmacy closest to you that provides these services.
To save on your purchases, you can either use the coupons available on the website or participate in the myWalgreens program, where you can accumulate points and exchange them for rewards, in addition to having access to other coupons and special prices.
I still remember the day I visited Walgreens for the first time. It was in Orlando, close to the condominium where I was living at the time. I worked at Disney. Having seen many of those brands and products only through YouTube, I was completely obsessed. It was days and days of going back to that pharmacy, browsing the aisles and finally buying some super popular items in 2013 (like CoverGirl masks).
CVS
Another extremely popular pharmacy is CVS, which like Walgreens offers everything you can imagine. From the main makeup brands to vaccination and medical care clinics, as well as food, vitamins and even optical services. There you will find elf, L'Oreal, hismile, OGX, CeraVe, Revlon, CoverGirl, Garnier and much more.
CVS has two membership programs to help you save, extracre and extracare+. The first is a no-cost loyalty program that allows you to earn points with every purchase, 20% off CVS Health brand products, and access to exclusive coupons and discounts. Extracare+ is a paid program, where in addition to all the benefits mentioned you also get free delivery on the same day and a US$10 bonus. For those who are just traveling, the free program is more than enough and can help you save on your purchases.
As one of the best pharmacies to buy beauty products in the US, it's easy to find a CVS anywhere you visit. One of my favorites is the one on Times Square and Broadway (1440 Broadway), with more than two floors and open 24 hours!
Duane reade
And speaking of New York, there's no way to mention the city without mentioning Duane Reade. This pharmacy chain is present in Manhattan and surrounding areas, and since 2010 has been part of the Walgreens chain.
Don't be fooled by appearances, despite appearing small on the outside, these pharmacies are huge, with products in every corner possible. There you can find all the famous brands, and it's a super practical solution if you only have time to visit a single pharmacy during your trip to the Big Apple. Units further away from Times Square tend to have more stock, as they are not visited as much by tourists looking for the best prices.
Being part of Walgreens, the loyalty program and app from the brand also serve to save at Duane Reade.
Rite aid
With just over 1700 stores in the country, Rite Aid is not as large or popular a chain as those mentioned above. This detail, however, means that it is not as well known among tourists, which means that its stores often have products that are difficult to find in stock.
The selection of brands is not the most varied, and for makeup you will find the most traditional names such as L'Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, Covergirl, elf and wet'n'wild. For hair, Rite-Aid sells Aussie, Cantu, Monday, Shea Moisture, OGX, Conair and several other brands.
It's not my favorite pharmacy, but it's a great option if you're looking for a product that's hard to find. It is worth remembering that there are no units in Florida, so if you are going to visit Miami or visit Disney, this is not an option.
To save at Rite Aid, you can participate in the rewards program, where you earn points for every purchase and can exchange the points for discounts on future purchases. You can also use the digital coupons available on the pharmacy's official website.
Target e Walmart
Okay, neither Target nor Walmart are pharmacies per se, but if you're interested in cheap beauty shopping, you can't miss these two places.
Walmart is proud to be the store with the lowest prices in the country, and there you can find everything from garden furniture, home utensils, electronics, a variety of foods, souvenirs, school supplies and, of course, beauty, body and hair products.
In addition to traditional brands, at Walmart you can also find those that are not available anywhere, such as Flower Beauty, Nº7, Make Up Revolution and Airspun. It’s also a great place to buy hair products, skin products like deodorants and moisturizers, vitamins, nail polish… The prices are excellent and tend to be better than in pharmacies.
Unfortunately, there is no Walmart in Manhattan, but if you are in New York you can go to New Jersey, where there are stores nearby. In other destinations such as Orlando, Los Angeles and Miami, you will find several Walmarts.
Target is known for having more private label products. premium than the competitor. School supplies, home accessories and decoration are some of the red giant's strong points. However, the beauty part is not left behind, and you can find aisles and aisles of makeup, creams and vitamins.
Some different brands to shop at Target are: Sonia Kashuk, Morphe, Colourpop, LA Girl, ecotools, and essence. Some of the larger stores also have Ulta Beauty sections where you can find more expensive beauty products like Fenty, tarte, Urban Decay, Clinique, and even Korean brands like COSRX!
What is worth buying in American pharmacies
Although everything seems very cheap, you need to do the math to find out what is really worth buying in the best American pharmacies. Products from brands that sell in Brazil, for example, like Maybelline and L'Oreal, do not usually pay off, as the price is very similar taking into account the current dollar (R$5,00 for every US$1), and in Brazil even There is an option to pay in installments, not available in the USA.
The same goes for skincare brands like La Roche Posey and haircare brands like Aussie and Garnier. Some products are even cheaper on Amazon Brazil than in American pharmacies.
Therefore, my suggestion is to focus on brands that do not sell nationally, such as:
- elf
- Wet'n'wild
- Colorpop
- Milani
- Pixi
- Monday Haircare
- Shea Moisture
- As i am
- Yes To
Among these, my favorite products are elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter., an illuminating primer, the Make it Last by Milani, fixative spray, the Coconut Cowash by As I Am and all products from Monday Haircare – the pink packaging is really cute.
If you want more tips, here on the blog there are posts about:
- Best makeup to buy in the USA
- Best hair products to buy in the US
- Best skincare products to buy in the US
In these posts I recommend different products, from different categories, for all skin and hair types.
Be careful if you are traveling with just your hand luggage! In this case, only products with 100ml or less can go in the suitcase!
Conclusion
It's easy to find the best pharmacies to buy beauty products in the USA, and in the destinations most loved by Brazilians, you'll find one on practically every corner.
Before going shopping, however, it is interesting to research the products sold and understand which ones are worth buying abroad. In my opinion, only those brands that are not sold in Brazil are worth it.
And you, have you ever visited one of these giant pharmacies in the United States? What did you buy? Tell me in the comments! 🙂