I recently had the opportunity to try Coats, which is a vegan and cruelty-free skincare brand that focuses on uncomplicated, breakout-preventing, and barrier-repairing formulas that are kind to the skin. All products are free from fragrance, and the packaging is made from recycled materials. It sounded like a skincare brand that I’d love, so I couldn’t wait to try the products.
Over the years, I’ve tried tonnes of different skincare products and discovered some incredible formulas. Is Coats a good skincare brand or does it fade into the background? I share everything you need to know about the brand in this honest review.
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Which Coats skincare products are in this review?
I’ve tried the full Coats skincare line for several weeks, which is the following 7 products:
- Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
- Triple Moisture Water Cream
- Gentle Dual Exfoliant Cream
- Triple Protect SPF 30 Hydrating Cream
- Glow Intensifying Cream Serum
- Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk
- Hydration Intensifying Gel Serum
Below, I’m going to share my honest thoughts on each product before moving on to an overall Coats brand review.
1. Coats Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
£15 for 150ml
The Coats Gentle Hydrating Cleanser is a non-foaming, hydrating cleanser that is designed to gently remove makeup, dirt, oil, and SPF without stripping the skin. It features hydrating glycerin, the emollient cetearyl alcohol, the powerhouse niacinamide, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and more.
I like this cleanser. It’s thick, creamy, and nourishing. My skin feels fresh, clean, and soft after, without that horrible tight or dry feeling.
Although this is marketed towards combination and dry skin, this is perfect for my oily sensitive skin. It doesn’t make my skin feel greasy, it doesn’t leave an oily residue after usage, and it’s gentle enough for my rosacea.
Rating: 4 stars
I still prefer cleansers that work into a creamy lather, as this one doesn’t foam or lather up. But it does a great job of cleansing my skin.
2. Coats Triple Moisture Water Cream
£20 for 75ml
The Coats Triple Moisture Water Cream is designed to protect the skin barrier, deliver long-lasting hydration, and make skin look dewy. It’s enriched with the emollients dicaprylyl ether and caprylic/capric triglyceride, alongside dewy propanediol, hydrating squalane, and more.
I like this moisturiser. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly, and keeps my skin hydrated all day. The consistency is fairly thick, but it melts into the skin easily, without any pilling. This works well for my oily skin, as it doesn’t feel greasy but still delivers nourishment. It provides subtle and natural-looking radiance. My skin feels protected and healthy after using this moisturiser.
I’ve experienced some slight pilling with this moisturiser when I apply too much product. However, this has only happened once or twice, and when I apply a small amount – about the size of a 2p coin – there’s no issue.
Rating: 4 stars
It’s not my all-time fave moisturiser, but it meets all of its claims.
3. Coats Gentle Dual Exfoliant Cream
£15 for 75ml
The Coats Gentle Dual Exfoliant Cream is a gentle exfoliating cleanser that claims to dissolve dead skin cells, buff uneven texture, boost skin radiance, and help prevent future breakouts for glowing, smoother-looking skin. It’s formulated with dewy propanediol, the emollient dicaprylyl ether, the AHAs lactic acid and mandelic acid, alongside other ingredients.
I like this exfoliating cleanser. It doesn’t feature big particles, which means it’s not abrasive on the skin. Instead, the consistency is smooth and creamy.
I like using exfoliators in cleanser form, as the exfoliating ingredients don’t stay on your skin for as long because they get washed off. This means they’re more tolerable, so I can use them more frequently knowing they won’t aggravate my rosacea. After using this exfoliating cleanser, my skin looks radiant and feels soft, smooth, and hydrated. It also feels clean, non-irritated, and fresh.
Rating: 4.5 stars
This product is great.
4. Coats Triple Protect SPF 30 Hydrating Cream
£24 for 75ml
The Coats Triple Protect SPF 30 Hydrating Cream offers broad-spectrum protection against UV rays and is supposed to be hydrating, non-greasy, and glowy, with no white cast. It’s enriched with UVB filters octocrylene, ethylhexyl salicylate, and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, alongside UVA filter butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and other ingredients.
This sunscreen is a bit of a mixed bag for me.
I’ll start with what I like about this formula. The SPF30 isn’t greasy, doesn’t leave a white cast, and makes my skin hydrated and radiant. My skin feels very comfortable in this formula, and it doesn’t cause any breakouts for my oily skin.
Moving onto what I’m not a fan of… This sunscreen doesn’t smell nice at all. It has quite a potent chemical scent. I guess because it doesn’t contain fragrance, it’s simply the smell of the UV filters. However, I’ve used other SPFs in the past that are free from fragrance but don’t have a strong smell.
This SPF isn’t absorbent, which is my main gripe. It takes a while for it to work into the skin. Even then, if you want to top your skin up with more sunscreen, this doesn’t layer properly, because it pills. It pilled even when I applied the recommended amount of sunscreen. To avoid a lot of pilling, I had to apply this in thin layers for it to sink into my skin, which is pretty inconvenient compared to other sunscreens I’ve tried.
Maybe someone with drier skin would find this sunscreen works into their skin better than my oily skin? The texture is fairly thick and nourishing, so it could be a case of not being the best match for my skin type.
Rating: 3 stars
Once this SPF has worked into my skin, I like the look and feel of it. However, I find the formula to be quite fussy, as it’s not particularly absorbent and pills easily, so I’m not a huge fan.
5. Coats Glow Intensifying Cream Serum
£20 for 30ml
The Coats Glow Intensifying Cream Serum claims to be a lightweight radiance-boosting cream serum that protects the skin’s barrier and prevents free radical damage. It’s formulated with the emollient coco caprylate/caprate, vitamin C derivative 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, smoothing undecane, the emollient and cleansing agent sucrose distearate, and more ingredients.
I like this creamy serum. It’s lightweight, absorbent, moisturising, and non-irritating. The consistency is similar to a moisturiser, as it’s richer and less watery than a typical serum.
I wish it provided extra glow, as the radiance is quite subtle and not what I’d describe as “intensifying”, but it certainly makes my skin look healthy.
Rating: 4 stars
This is a solid serum.
6. Coats Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk
£20 for 125ml
The Coats Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk is a unique toner-meets-moisturiser that is supposed to hydrate and protect as it exfoliates to help prevent breakouts. It features the humectant butylene glycol, the AHAs mandelic acid and citric acid, moisturising glyceryl stearate, and other ingredients.
I love this toner! It’s so good.
This moisturising toner makes my skin look radiant, feel nourished and protected, and appear plump and healthy. A little bit of product goes a long way, and it feels lightweight once it’s had time to sink into my skin.
The toner doesn’t absorb immediately, as the consistency is quite thick and milky. It takes around 1 minute for the toner to fully absorb. However, it’s like a moisturising drink for the skin once it’s absorbed, as it delivers lasting hydration.
This features a few exfoliating ingredients, but the formula isn’t sensitising. I usually only exfoliate once a week, but this toner is gentle enough that I feel I could use this multiple times a week without irritation. My skin feels so smooth after using this.
Rating: 5 stars
I’m so happy I discovered this toner. It’s amazing.
7. Coats Hydration Intensifying Gel Serum
£20 for 30ml
The Coats Hydration Intensifying Gel Serum claims to be a lightweight, fast-absorbing gel serum that provides all-day hydration and protects the skin barrier for plump, dewy-looking skin that never feels sticky. It’s enriched with dewy propanediol, hydrating hyaluronic acid and glycerin, vitamin E, and other ingredients.
I like this serum. It’s hydrating, lightweight, absorbent, and delivers a subtle glow. The serum feels non-sticky and refreshing on application.
As this is a gel formula, it’s very easy to work into the skin. My skin feels like it can breathe in this formula. As it’s so lightweight, I think this would be a great summer serum.
Rating: 4 stars
It’s a solid product.
Overall Coats brand review
I think Coats is a good skincare brand.
The prices sit at a mid-range price point, which I think is reasonable for these skin-friendly and barrier-repairing formulas. The products are uncomplicated, gentle, and overall easy to work with.
I’d highly recommend the toning milk and exfoliant cream, as they’re my 2 fave products from the line. But I overall believe this a great brand for people wanting to protect their skin barrier, have healthy skin, and those seeking a vegan, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly brand.
Fave product?
Coats Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk.
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 6 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.