Such a great question, and yet quite a tricky one to answer. I’m going to be honest with you… in my mind, a product can only be expensive for 3 reasons… 1) It is a very good, very active product, full of expensive, high quality active ingredients. Then it is worth the money spent. 2) It is expensive simply because it’s not made in SA, and so the exchange rate comes into play. Still it can be an excellent product, and in this case, still money well spent. OR… 3) You’re paying for a product that may have been extensively marketed and have had a lot of "hype" created, but you’re not necesarily paying for a quality product. In other words, you’ve paid for expensive marketing campaign and packaging and the product’s efficacy may have been "misrepresented".
My advice is, make sure you are always getting your skin care advice from reputable clinics (doctors and therapists), and make sure you have asked for evidence of the product’s results. There are a lot of really fantastic brands out there, but it is always a good idea to go with a product that is being used, sold and reccommended in reputable clinics. Don’t just buy something off an add or the internet if you have no evidence or back-up on that product.