While Target is a great place to find delightful impulse buys—nothing beats strolling its aisles with a fun coffee drink, searching for cute candles, decor items, or greeting cards—it’s also a reliable retailer for essentials. And one of the key brands we look for is the in-house up&up line. Target launched the brand 15 years ago, but recently, it made some changes.
“We’ve reformulated 40% of existing products to meet new, higher quality standards and added hundreds of new products like pet items and food storage,” the company said in a recent announcement about up&up. “Even the look of the packaging has changed.”
Since the updated line recently hit shelves, we asked retail experts to share the best items to buy from Target's up & up brand. Read on for their personal favorites.
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1 | Paper plates
TargetIf you're hosting a party, head to Target for the up&up paper plates.
"Not only do they offer great patterns and colors, but they’re super strong and sturdy," says Marie Clark, editor of the shopping and retail site CostContessa. "They are my go-to disposable party plate—they look much more expensive than they are!"
Two of Clark's recommendations are the spring bird-themed 8.5” plates that cost $3.99 for 44 paper plates and the cheerful kids sunshine 8.5” plates that cost $3.69 for 40.
2 | Pre-moistened lens wipes
TargetUp&up's Pre-Moistened Lens Wipes are a real steal.
"If you wear glasses or prefer to use these kinds of wipes for electronic screens, this is a great item to add to your shopping cart—a box of 60 individually wrapped wipes is just $2.99, which works out to about 5 cents per wipe," says Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com.
"While you can buy some of these in bulk from warehouse stores, I can also attest that those aren't the best quality; these, however, are highly rated and great for keeping on hand," she adds. Because they're individually wrapped, you can toss them in a purse or suitcase.
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3 | Cushioned eye mask
TargetThe Cushioned Sleep Mask from up&up is of impeccable quality.
"It's $6.99 and has a contoured design, so you don't have to worry about your lashes brushing against the mask and serving as an irritation. The mask is also cushioned, so it won't be uncomfortable even if you sleep on your side, and the adjustable straps ensure you can get the best fit," says Ramhold.
"For the price, this is a super affordable way to potentially solve any sleep issues you may have due to needing to block out bright lights," she shares. You could buy a second one for travel—and your total order will still cost less than lunch.
4 | Cotton rounds
TargetYou get serious bang for your buck with up&up's Basic Cotton Rounds Nail Polish and Makeup Remover Pads, which cost $2.59 for a sleeve of 100 or $6.99 for 300.
"You can occasionally find Target Circle deals on them like Spend $40, get $10 back in a Target Card (that shakes out to 25% off)," says Clark.
"They are a super value, and I use these for all sorts of things from nail polish to jamming one under a pedestal leg of our dining table when it gets a little wobbly or cleaning the dog's facial wrinkles," she shares.
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5 | Toilet paper, tissues, and trash bags
TargetJeanel Alvarado, the retail expert at RETAILBOSS, considers the up&up line a go-to for essentials like freezer bags, toilet paper, tissue boxes, disinfecting wipes, and trash bags.
"The new line fills a gap in the market, where household essentials typically are only accessible at lower prices in bulk quantities, such as what you will find at Costco as 8 or 12 packs," she says. "Target's new up&up provides a middle ground with most of the items being 'jumbo size,' or quantity packs of four or less."
That way, you don't need a huge pantry or storage space to save.
6 | Moisturizing cream
TargetThe packing of this Moisturizing Cream from up&up says it compares to the same product from CeraVe, which retails for $15.49 for a 16-oz container, compared to $12.99 for the same size product from the Target brand. The latter can be even cheaper when Target runs promotions.
But in addition to its lower price, the up&up version may be a superior product. In a TikTok video, two skincare chemists (@chemistconfessions) compared the two items and said they have very similar makeups, though one ingredient is present in only up&up: dimethicone.
According to the chemists, this gives the up&up lotion "a much fresher texture" with a "barely there finish," compared to the CeraVe that tends to "leave a bit of a film afterwards."
However, they do note that if you have very dry skin, CeraVe may be the better bet.
