Find even the most introverted Allure reader at a party—their social battery drained, eyes fixed on the exit—and ask whether they have any thoughts on serums. It’s like watching Mario collect a 1-Up mushroom, as their enthusiastic opinion suddenly races to the surface to be spoken aloud. This is why we so look forward to the Readers’ Choice Awards every year—because we know you’re voting with the passion that comes from tried-and-true experience.
Allure has been the beauty expert for 35 years, but we don’t consider ourselves omniscient. We love hearing personal testimonials from other people who are curious and discriminating beauty consumers. What you’re buying and buying again speaks volumes about what works, what’s considered a classic, and where the industry is—or should be—going.
This year’s 72 winners—including 71 products and one content creator—are a mix of repeat champions, unignorable new discoveries, and familiar favorites that are finally getting their flowers. Some brands like Rare Beauty and Olaplex even scooped up multiple awards this year. So check out the products your peers have been choosing—and adjust your shopping list accordingly.
Scroll down to see if your favorite skin, hair, makeup, and body products were voted most-loved in the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards.
Read the Winner Reviews
- Readers' Choice Awards: Skin-Care Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Hair-Care Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Makeup Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Body-Care Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Clean Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Breakthrough Winners
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite Beauty Creator Winner
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite New Brand Winner
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite Indie Brand Winner
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite Viral Product Winner
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite K-Beauty Product Winner
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite Beauty Product Splurge
- Readers' Choice Awards: Favorite Beauty Product Steal
- How Readers' Choice Award Winners Are Selected
- Why Trust Allure?
Skin-Care Winners
We didn’t think your skin-care standards could get any higher, but here we are. The results of this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards tell us that you’re not just looking for pretty packaging and buzzy ingredients; you’re demanding formulas that deliver, fit conveniently into your routine, and reveal your skin’s full potential.
You prioritize a balance of gentleness and efficacy (hello, CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser), and if it doesn’t majorly moisturize, you’re not interested. This year’s top picks reflect an appetite for simplicity over bells and whistles (results are results no matter how little you spend to get them, right?). And yes, there are several familiar names among the standouts, because when you find what works, you stick with it year after year.
Here are the winners of the crowdsourced crown—the skin-care products that are breaking down barriers by protecting your skin’s. And if you don’t see your favorite here, try to keep an open mind and consider what your fellow readers are raving about.
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When you suspect your hands need an assist in the cleansing department, the Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear steps in to step it up. This sonic-cleansing brush delivers a satisfying just-got-a-facial feeling, deftly sweeping away makeup and sunscreen with vibrating bristles, making any cleanser you’re using that much more effective.
There are cleansers you trust for getting basic results, and then there are cleansers, like CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, that you’d trust with your social security number. It may seem no-frills, but the creamlike texture lightly lathers up to remove everything you don’t want following you to bed and improves your skin’s barrier with a comforting blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Whether your complexion is dry or sensitized by an actives-packed regimen, this formula will handle it with care.
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant works its way into pores to dissolve breakout-inducing buildup. Fans of this salicylic acid formula have found that, with daily use, it’s wildly effective in the pursuit of a clearer complexion, smoother texture, and more even tone. The leave-on liquid is surprisingly gentle considering its power, but what else would you expect from a formula that’s designed to have a dramatic but tender impact and offers green-tea-backed barrier support?
The lightweight La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer absorbs in an instant to deliver the best ’mides. You know, ceramides and niacinamide. This glycerin-based blend is super-soothing and ready to stand guard against anything that menaces your skin’s moisture barrier, making it the kind of cream you reach for when everything else feels excessive.
Fans of Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50 would like a word with anyone who still claims they can’t find a sunscreen they like using. This clear gel glides on and behaves like a blurring primer, and there’s no need to top it off with makeup to hide a white cast. Unseen Sunscreen is, in fact, invisible, and has earned praise across the skin-tone and skin-type spectrums for both its undetectability and its nonirritating, breakout-free delivery of broad-spectrum sun protection.
We love that The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides) puts “with Ceramides” in parentheses as if they’re not a hero ingredient in this beloved serum. Those ceramides help hold in all the hydration that the five types of hyaluronic acid draw to the skin’s surface. And the single-digit price tag for this product is proof that a high-quality hyaluronic acid serum doesn’t have to cost you hundreds—or even tens.
The Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask comes in especially clutch after glow-sucking travel, but this ultra-moisturizing formula has gained an impressive following for being more versatile than its name suggests. Sure, the niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid make it an awesome 10-minute hydration hit when skin is desperately dry, but you can also use it as a daily moisturizer to leave skin supple—not glopped with greasiness.
Brightening is a big promise for any eye cream, but Origins GinZing Brightening Eye Cream’s opalescent formula—available in two different tone options—makes it an easy vow to keep. Formulated with dark-circle-diminishing vitamin C and niacinamide, it delivers that elusive well-rested look with the help of firming caffeine and antioxidant-packed ginseng. Skin looks and feels less puffy and more plump—a small but important distinction.
We know popping a pimple can be satisfying, but you know what’s even better? Seeing that a hydrocolloid patch has done its duty and saved you from the hard-to-undo damage of squeezing and picking. Hero’s Mighty Patch Original draws out the ick, clinging steadfastly to skin so you can trust it to stay on overnight—and stay in your routine for as long as you’re battling breakouts.
Do you need glossy lips at bedtime? No, but the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask’s intensely moisturizing formula just can’t help it. Those who swear by it (and keep it easily accessible on their nightstand) will tell you it’s no exaggeration to say it works magic overnight, enabling you to wake up to soft, comfortable lips. Laneige says to “gently wipe off excess in the morning as needed,” but between the moisture from shea and murumuru butters and the different yummy flavors, it’s definitely okay to skip that step.
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Hair-Care Winners
Wow, guys! You have absolutely zero patience for hair products that overpromise and underdeliver. You want shine without grease, volume without crunch, and repair that begins in minutes, not months. And honestly, we all deserve it, which is why we’re so excited to share the products that hit those marks and earned 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Dealing with damage, whether it’s prevention or rehabilitation, takes center stage with this year’s hair-care class. We’ve all been disappointed by hair products before, whether our curls were weighed down or our conditioner couldn’t replenish the moisture an overzealous shampoo formula stripped from our strands. (Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo would never!) Thankfully, formulas like Ouai Leave In Conditioner and tools like the Wet Brush Original Detangler effectively multitask without cutting corners—and without prompting you to consider cutting off all your hair.
These winners prove that efficacy and effortlessness aren’t mutually exclusive; in fact, they’re essential. Because the real evidence that a product deserves praise isn’t that it has a spot on your shelf, it’s that you frequently grab it off the shelf.
When a product just keeps winning, you can trust the hype isn’t just hype. The original Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer was created to give you better control over the styling process and to reduce heat damage—and it has been delivering for a decade. Oh, you wanna get really fancy? Dig into the multiple attachment options, including a diffuser and a smoothing nozzle to avoid frizz, enabling you to actually achieve the look you’re going for instead of settling for whatever it is that other dryers deliver.
The average brush wakes up and chooses violence, but the flexible bristles on the Wet Brush Original Detangler gently glide through knots, so this task feels less like punishment and more like the simple step brushing your hair should be. It’s not an especially glamorous tool, but it is very satisfying to watch it handle hair chaos and know you’re reducing breakage and unnecessary ouches.
Olaplex is practically synonymous with bond repair (which means fixing the damage done by harsh chemical treatments like coloring), and as impressed as we’ve always been with its original salon formula, fans really believe in the brand’s at-home offerings—especially the No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and the No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. The shampoo cleans without stripping, and the conditioner seems to give hair a good talking-to, persuading it to be smoother and shinier. Plus, it only gets better with time, thanks to those increasingly strengthened bonds, so you might as well sign up for auto-replenish.
Fans of the K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask love it not only because it’s made to sit for just four short minutes before styling, but because it actually works in those four minutes. Thanks to the brand’s famous peptide technology, damaged hair looks and feels like it doesn’t need products with the word “repair” in the name. You might even be convinced that bleach and heat aren’t really that bad for your hair. (Reality check: They are. But at least you have this mask to offset the havoc they wreak.)
If you’ve ever used a leave-in conditioner so disappointing that you wanted to just rinse it out instead, you’ll be ecstatic when you see and feel what Ouai Leave In Conditioner can do for your hair. This sprayable lotion detangles, hydrates, smooths, and protects during heat styling, preventing breakage with a floral-meets-musk scent so good you’ll want to use it as a body lotion (but please don’t). Fans who have thicker or more textured hair will tell you that you can also spritz it on dry hair for a quick moisture boost.
Hair oils can be a gamble—everyone has experienced the immediate regret of a greasy finish—but Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil comes with all pros, no cons. It provides instant shine and softness, not to mention a shield against hot-tool damage. It works magic behind the scenes, too, with a potion that includes vitamin E and sunflower seed oil to halt breakage before it starts, whether you use it on wet or dry hair.
With Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo, you don’t pay for oil absorption with dusty, dulling residue. Made with sea buckthorn berry and rice starch, it refreshes sweaty roots, lifts hair no matter how long since it’s seen suds, and extends your style without making your scalp feel coated in chalk dust. And we’d be lying if we said its sweet, citrusy vanilla scent didn’t influence voters to give it this win.
Just like you, your curls have boundaries and standards, and Ouai Curl Crème respects them. You get the definition you dream of without the dreaded crunch as this crème imparts lightweight moisture using three polishing, powerhouse oils: coconut, linseed, and babassu. No hot tool can deliver what the combination of your natural curl pattern and this frizz-reducing formula can.
Living Proof Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray is zhuzh in a can. It adds grit without going overboard, serves up volume without rigidity, and provides a slightly undone finish that gives hair that cool-girl je ne sais quoi. Whether you need to revive limp, second-day strands or add dimension to a freshly styled look, this spray easily earns its place on your bathroom counter.
If you’re not quite ready to lean into quiet silver but you get extremely impatient between root touch-ups, Color Wow Root Cover Up keeps grays an easily hidden secret. The buildable powder formula, available in eight super-realistic shades, adheres to hair—not your scalp—concealing regrowth with a natural-looking finish that doesn’t scream “I’m trying very hard.” It comes in a compact for easy portability, but considering how long-lasting it is, you probably won’t even need to throw it in your bag.
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Makeup Winners
If the winners of the Readers’ Choice Awards say anything about your makeup wardrobe, it’s that price is an afterthought. That’s not to say you’re willing to blow your entire budget on a mascara, but rather, you’re going to buy what works, whether it comes with a designer label or drugstore lore.
Names like YSL Beauty and Dior owned the lip picks, while affordable finds from brands like Maybelline New York and Nyx Professional Makeup dominated the eye winners. And as for what you’re sweeping on your cheeks—well, sweep is the right word: Rare Beauty snagged both the blush and highlighter honors. These products look so gorgeous IRL that you’ve turned off the automatic TikTok “beauty filter.”
Below is the makeup bag of the people, and this is a virtual girlhood moment where a total stranger recommends her favorite foundation to you. Warms your heart, no?
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When we say Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation has got you covered, we don’t just mean literally with a full-coverage finish. It also boasts enough skin-care ingredients—like arnica, licorice root, and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid—to function like a high-performance serum. Its 51 blurring shades conceal without flattening, and the formula is as long-wearing as it is lightweight.
Few concealers have earned—and maintained—icon status quite like Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer, which delivers medium-to-full coverage. Fans love its versatility, using it to brighten up dark circles, cover blemishes, and add dimension while contouring, all without creasing. The finish is smooth, even, and long-lasting, letting you skip touchups throughout the day.
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Benefit Hoola Powder Bronzer's famously matte finish is lauded for its ability to add warmth without veering into orange territory. Ideal for the shimmer-averse, the super-fine formula blends and builds with beginner-friendly ease. And with five shades to choose from, Hoola is truly a foolproof bronzing experience.
A little Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush goes a very long way, and that’s both a pleasing promise and a warning to the heavy-handed. Intensely pigmented, it blends out into a soft (or vivid) flush that lasts and lasts, giving you ample opportunity to collect a lot of compliments. But perhaps the best part of this 16-shade range is how it cooperates with other makeup, whether it's liquid or powder.
Subtle sheen? Visible from Artemis II? No matter your highlighting goals, Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer will oblige. A dot of this liquid formula melts into skin with a few taps, delivering a stunning glow in 10 shades that enhance every skin tone. Fans love how it layers beautifully over makeup or bare skin without emphasizing texture.
YSL Beauty Loveshine Lip Oil Stick glides on with the ease and comfort of a balm, leaving behind a glossy, creamy color that looks like it’s actively nourishing. (Spoiler alert: It is. The formula is 60% oil, including moisturizing maracuja and a softening macadamia derivative.) The sheer-to-medium finish is like that one piece in your closet that you can easily dress up or down, and with nearly two dozen shades to choose from, you could arguably make Loveshine Lip Oil Stick your entire lip wardrobe.
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil simultaneously enhances your natural lip color with its pH-reactive formula while adding an extra-glossy tint. And those 16 tints come in different types of shine: “juicy,” “sparkly,” and “glaze.” (The three branches of government.) Regardless of how you want your lips to gleam, the formula delivers hydration that actually lasts beyond the initial doe-foot dousing.
If you need any proof that drugstore mascara can outperform its expensive counterparts, look no further than Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara. The flexible brush grabs even the teensiest of lashes, seemingly stretching them upward for a fanned-out effect. Length is the lede here, but Sky High also manages to muster clump-free volume, too. The non-flaking formula holds a curl until you’re ready for removal (which isn’t a scrubby nightmare).
Available in 10 shades, Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ deposits tiny, tinted fibers to subtly fill those frustratingly sparse eyebrow areas. The itty-bitty brush allows for precision placement of the gel, which is great for making your brows look more like twins than distant cousins. The result is a fuller look that would never come across as brow blindness.
Liquid liner can feel like a high-stakes situation, but the 15 shades of Nyx Professional Makeup Epic Ink Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner take down the stress with a flexible yet easily controllable brush tip. The pigment is bold, the finish is smooth, and once it sets, it stays put—no smudging, no slow fade into the sad memory of what was once a wing.
We can’t remember the last time a palette fast-tracked to classic status the way The Neutrals edition of the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette did. It offers a dozen sculpting neutral tones (we’re talking soft cream, grayish-brown, muted taupe—you name it) that blend like a creamy dream, even though they’re powders. Pigmented without being muddy, it’s almost impossible to mess up with this universally loved must-have.
Each one of Hourglass Curator Eyeshadow Palette’s six variants feels like a highly specific eye shadow wish being granted. Smooth, blendable, and plush, every velvety foursome—featuring shades like matte Neutral Beige, satin Dusty Rose, shimmery Pearlescent Pink, and metallic Taupe Brown—achieves an array of refined looks that feel comfortable and stay stunning all day. And yes, as beautifully as the shades in each respective palette speak to each other, you can absolutely mix and match if you want to collect more than one.
The dupes keep coming—and yet! The original Beautyblender is still what Allure readers continue turning to for their ideal complexion-product application, allowing it to rack up eight Readers’ Choice Award wins. It unfailingly bounces foundation and concealer into place, diffusing in a way brushes wish they could. You truly can’t fully appreciate it until you go without it and realize everything looks kinda…off.
OPI Nail Lacquer is exactly why traditional nail polish is still thriving in a world of gel manicures and press-ons. The formula is reliably smooth, the color range is outrageously extensive, and the shade names never fail to surprise and delight (like Machu Peach-u and Teal the Cows Come Home). Sometimes you just want a pretty manicure without committing to crazy removal logistics, and this always delivers.
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Body-Care Winners
There was a time when many of us shrugged off body care. It was either something you robotically did, like applying deodorant, or something you skipped altogether, like body scrub. But the pendulum has swung the other way in recent years, and your Readers’ Choice Award votes show that what was once an afterthought is now something you can’t stop thinking about.
From the moment you step into the shower until the finishing touches before heading out the door, you’re enjoying indulgent body treats and turning even the most practical moments, like shaving and toothbrushing, into intentional acts that would fall short of satisfying with the wrong products. It’s not just maintenance. These winners truly elevate your everyday routine.
More than simply offhand recommendations, the picks below, some of which you’ll recognize from previous winners’ circles, let you embrace low-effort luxury with a certain “I have my life together” energy. (Not to worry if you don’t actually have your life together. A spritz of Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist will make you forget all that.)
It’s not every day that people become so obsessed with the scent of a body cream that the brand turns it into an actual fragrance, but that’s really the lore of Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. Its blend of salted caramel, pistachio, and vanilla notes is surprisingly summery. And speaking of summer, this lightweight mist format makes it perfect for hot, sticky days when you don’t want to be doused in an eau de intensity.
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There’s a reason this Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash has remained an unpretentious bathroom staple while trendier, pricier formulas come and go. The under-$10 bottle gives exactly what your skin needs: It gently cleanses without drying you out. In fact, it deposits lotion-level moisture with glycerin while you wash. It’s the kind of product you don’t pay too much mind to until you use something else—and immediately regret it.
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub is gritty enough to exfoliate, but that grit is cushioned in oils to ensure an even softer outcome than just a pure abrasive scrub. After rinsing, you’ll find your skin is noticeably smoother, not to mention enveloped in whichever of Tree Hut’s many indulgent scrub scents you select.
Yep, the Cheirosa 62 scent is making another appearance in these awards, this time in its original vessel: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. The super-plush formula quickly melts into skin like it knows you have somewhere to be, leaving your skin noticeably hydrated with moisturizing superstars like guaraná extract, cupuaçu butter, and plant squalane. It may be more decadent than your average no-frills body lotion, but we don’t see a problem with that, and neither do Allure readers.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 lives up to its name, seemingly disappearing into skin (trust us, it’s still there, protecting it) with its lightweight, easily blendable formula. The chemical combo of sun filters (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene) doesn’t leave a white cast, but does provide broad-spectrum SPF 60 protection that, sure, you could save for the beach, but it’s definitely got everyday appeal. You can even share it with your face.
For those who aren’t willing to commit to a full-blown self-tanning saga, Jergens Natural Glow Brighten Daily Moisturizer has long been the way to gradually, non-dramatically, get a hint of color without tools, contortion, or calling in assistance. The lotion itself is genuinely moisturizing, so it earns points before the tan kicks in. And when it does kick in, it’s so natural-looking that you might be accused of failing to wear sunscreen.
Dove Advanced Care Cool Essentials Antiperspirant Deodorant Stick means business with its consistent sweat protection and the ability to stop stink before it starts. And it delivers on those demands in the gentlest way, with a truly comfortable, moisturizing formula (shout-out to sunflower seed oil) that glides on to leave nothing behind but a pleasant scent that won’t compete with your chosen fragrance.
While toothpaste may not be the most glamorous member of your beauty lineup, it’s easily one of the most essential—up there with sunscreen and soap. Colgate Total Active Prevention Whitening ticks every box on the toothpaste checklist: cavity protection, plaque control, fresh breath, and working magic on surface stains. Your smile looks brighter without the oral theatrics of a full whitening system.
Touchland’s Power Mist Hydrating Hand Sanitizer—also known as “that one really cute hand sanitizer”—turns a purely functional step into something you kind of want to be seen doing. The sleek packaging, ultrafine spray, and nonsticky feel add elegance to eliminating germs, and the many scents (like Lily of the Valley and Blue Sandalwood) lean more body mist than doctor’s office waiting room.
Shaving is a delicate dance, and the Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Sensitive Razor choreographs the experience confidently. Designed with sensitive skin in mind (but insensitive skin is welcome, too), it has five blades topped off with an irritation-avoiding lubricating strip (made with soothing aloe) and an ergonomic handle that’s so easy to maneuver it feels like an extension of your hand.
You usually don’t want drama from your body products, but Lush Bath Bombs are the exception. Drop one into your bathwater, and suddenly your tub is a swirling, fragrant spectacle. But it’s not just for show: They can leave skin softly scented and conditioned (thanks to ingredients like cocoa butter and eucalyptus oil, depending on what you choose), which makes the colorful cleanup totally worth it.
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Clean Winners
Between backlash and ambiguous standards, the concept of clean beauty has evolved quite a bit over the years. It’s not just about what’s put inside the products—it’s how you feel inside when using them. You get to decide for yourself what clean beauty is, and you decided exactly which products deserve to be recognized as the best in that category. And we vetted each and every ingredient in those products to ensure they meet our clean standards—and pass with flying colors.
Whether you insist on mineral sunscreen or won’t stand for sulfates in your body wash, the options have never been more abundant, which makes this year’s winners all the more impressive. The makeup, skin care, body, and hair products taking home seals prioritize ingredients, and a commitment to not compromising on principles or performance.
These clean winners show that you can have elegant textures and beautiful finishes while still being true to the category. They might even convince a few clean-beauty cynics to give them a try.
Products that meet our standard are formulated without parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate, cyclic silicones, aluminum salts, hydroquinone, triclosan, talc, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde, toluene, polyethylene and polypropylene (microbeads), and chemical sunscreen filters (oxybenzone, avobenzone, and octinoxate).
Can a cleanser feel…nutritious? Packed with kale, spinach, and green tea, like something straight outta Erewhon, Youth to the People’s Superfood Cleanser really leans into the whole “green juice for your face” thing. The gel formula lathers lightly, removing makeup and excess oil to leave your face feeling clean and balanced—not punished.
The hydration supplied by Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream is anything but subtle—it goes all in with the moisture. The rich-yet-airy formula relies on ceramides to target water loss and antioxidant-packed oils (think: marula, baobab, and more—but never irritating essential oils) to protect against environmental aggressors from the bummer that is discernibly dry skin. Expect noticeable suppleness that can last all day (or all night, should you choose to use it then).
Supergoop Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30 offers broad-spectrum protection that laughs in the face of sweat and water for at least 80 minutes. Impressively blendable for a zinc oxide formula, it relies on tucuma butter and vitamin E for the visibly moisturized, comfortable finish that works well for both face and body.
Native Moisturizing Body Wash smells so genuinely good—no surprise to anyone who already loves the brand’s deodorants—but it’s the total cleansing experience that makes it a favorite with the clean crowd. It lathers sans sulfates to give skin a lastingly fresh feeling that doesn’t come with a tightness trade-off. Whether you’re a Vanilla & Cashmere type or prefer something more like Peach & Orange Blossom, your shower feels a little more customized with this body wash.
Don’t let Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream Body Cream’s whimsical name fool you. This lightweight, fast-absorbing wonder is packed with thoughtful ingredients that might rival your sophisticated face care: smoothing alpha-hydroxy acid from hibiscus, soothing watermelon extract, multiple kinds of hyaluronic acid, just to name a few. It may smell like watermelon, but the sweetest benefit is definitely how luminous it leaves skin.
Switching to aluminum-free deodorant is quite the adjustment, but Dove makes the transition less traumatic. This spray is fully focused on odor control, but not at the expense of moisturizing your underarm skin. It holds up to often stench-inducing everyday stressors, all without irritation from alcohol or a desperate longing for antiperspirant.
For hair that’s been put through it—heat, color, all of the above—this duo makes breakage prevention as easy as washing and conditioning. SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo strikes a rare balance between clarifying and moisturizing; the conditioner counterpart detangles and strengthens damaged strands. Make them your washday go-to and watch your hair rediscover resilience.
Humidity can be relentless, but Briogeo Farewell Frizz Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Crème puts up a truly respectable fight, especially considering that’s not even its only mission. Made with argan and coconut oils, it helps add shine, guards against styling heat, and smooths hair so your blowouts look more polished for more time. The rich texture won’t weigh hair down, but it sure will show frizz the door.
It blew our minds when it first launched, and years later, the Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick is still picking up new fans, thanks to the seamless just-where-you-need coverage and impressive range of 30 shades. Merit made this creamy formula to blend into skin, helping even things out in seconds, and serving as an all-in-one concealer and foundation. It’s ideal for on-the-go application—under the eyes, around the nose, wherever you need a little help.
Skin care-meets-makeup is a crowded category, but Kosas can proudly take up space in it with its Revealer Concealer. As hydrating as it is brightening (this is a hyaluronic acid-meets-caffeine situation), this concealer won’t settle into fine lines, which we don’t have to tell you is key for dealing with dark circles in that crepey undereye area. Expect the creamy, medium-coverage finish to look radiant hours after you apply it.
Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara lengthens, defines, and separates without clumping, creating a fluttery, effortless look that still feels polished. You know, just living the lash dream. And once you master the different types of bristles on the dual-sided brush, it’s over for them (them being anyone who hasn’t discovered this must-have mascara for themselves). When you find yourself easily removing it with warm water at the end of the day, nary a flake in sight, you’ll already be looking forward to your next application.
Tower 28 successfully rebranded gloss for people who hate gloss. ShineOn Lip Oil Jelly delivers serious shine without seriously annoying stickiness, coating lips in sheer, super-comfy color in 12 shades. We especially love the semi-sheer Almond shade for a perfect ’90s brown. It’s one of those no-brainer, unfussy finds that you reach for both with intention and when you can’t decide what you want to do because you know you can rely on it to look and feel great.
If your blush/lip routine needs to be fast and flexible, Ilia’s Multi-Stick answers the call. It works on cheeks and lips, adding a natural-looking flush with truly minimal effort in an assortment of 12 gorgeous shades. (Lazy girls, are you listening?) The understated color melts into skin for a lived-in, effortless look—because it is effortless.
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Breakthrough Winners
Every year, a handful of beauty products rewrite the rules. What may initially seem like gimmicks turn out to be the differences that send their categories soaring in a new direction. The 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards Breakthrough winners have already started reshaping skin care, hair care, makeup, and body, and you’ve definitely taken notice. And this year, we’ve added a device winner, too, because it’s infeasible to ignore big beauty tech advances.
There’s an impossibly lightweight volumizing mist that lifts as impressively as it helps repair; a plush serum that serves up benefits similar to one of the trendiest K-beauty ingredients without employing any slimy little critters; an LED mask that feels like a quick trip to the future every time you let it treat your skin; a brilliant balm that both customizes and sustains your chosen fragrance; and a setting spray that goes beyond locking in makeup to blur shine and undetectably deliver sun protection.
These products have cemented their place in beauty history as disrupters and overachievers, so be prepared to see a lot of copycats. In the meantime, here’s why our readers think nothing will ever really compare with these innovations that launched last year.
When you need a styling product that does the heavy lifting—literally—you’re turning to K18 Biomimetic Hairscience AstroLift Reparative Volume Spray. It promises up to two pillow-proof days of flexible volume sans stickiness, which sounds like a fantasy, but both fans and beauty pros say it delivers.
Cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam says the formula’s maltodextrin/VP copolymer, amino acids, and red algae extract are the ingredients increasing hair’s lasting oomph and strength, which you achieve by simply spraying on your roots and length, whether damp or dry. Meanwhile, K18 Biomimetic Hairscience’s signature peptide makes an appearance to help fight a brittle look and feel.
“It’s become one of my favorite volumizers to achieve body and lift at the root,” says Los Angeles-based hairstylist Nicolas Flores, who says it works well on both fine and thick hair. “It’s a very buildable, lightweight formula that doesn’t get too sticky.” Lam agrees, noting it doesn’t feel crunchy or heavy, which we think would completely defeat its bounce-improving purpose.
Allure content director Sophia Panych is completely on board as well. “My hair soaks up a lot of product, so the cruel paradox is that I need a product to make my hair look bigger and better, but most products make it look worse,” she says. “I love that it's a wet spray, but it doesn't leave my hair feeling crispy.”
Vegans, rejoice! The snail mucin your friends have been slathering all over their faces because of its believed moisturizing and smoothing benefits has finally met its match in Glow Recipe Prickly Pear Peptide Mucin. Despite the name, it’s merely mimicking the impact of some types of gastropod goo with hydrating cactus extract, elasticity-improving peptides, and ectoin, delivering that tacky-but-not-sticky texture of mucin without the often frowned-upon process of retrieving it.
Glow Recipe loves a botanical hero ingredient that they load up into a product—perhaps you’re familiar with the brand’s Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream or Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops—and in this case, the formula contains 81% prickly pear cactus extract. “This formula also has a bunch of brightening and hydrating active ingredients,” Lam says, such as vitamin C and sodium hyaluronate.
“Earlier this year, I met with the cofounders to learn more about this serum, and I'm sure by the end of our meeting, they were sick of me—the only word I could muster throughout was ‘Wow,’” says Allure beauty director Sarah Kinonen. “I was so impressed by the serum's super-tacky texture, no added fragrance (a natural cactus scent comes from the prickly pear), and the fact that they created an alternative to such a popular K-beauty product—and nailed it.” She also loves how easy it is to layer (under moisturizer and sunscreen) despite the gooeyness, and, most importantly, that it takes zero snails to create it. (Google how snail mucin is collected—it'll make you sad.)
In addition to being a breakthrough for vegans, it’s also a gentle option for those with sensitive skin (vegan or otherwise). This serum is designed to “support the skin barrier without triggering sensitivity,” says Delray Beach, Florida-based, board-certified dermatologist Francesca Lewis, MD, who highlights that it carries the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance (a rare, albeit growing symbol in the world of skin care). “That makes it stand out in a saturated category of skin care for those with reactive or compromised skin.”
You’ve seen it all over TikTok, and now enough of you have donned the Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask to realize it’s worth the hype—and the $350 price tag. Programmed with various settings, its combination of red, infrared, and blue LED therapy can address a multitude of concerns, including fine lines, acne, redness, and elasticity. (Quick refresher: LED, or light-emitting diodes, provide light to different layers of the skin, triggering biochemical reactions that may result in less inflammation, more collagen, clearer skin, etc.)
“Based on the triwick system” (basically, the bulbs provide three different types of light), “this mask can deliver multiple wavelengths at once,” says Calgary-based double board-certified dermatologist Danny Guo, MD, who adds that [an LED mask] can help boost your everyday skin-care routine, acting as a supplement to active ingredients like retinoids and vitamin C applied after using the mask. It’s a stand-out among the plethora of LED masks on the market today; just don’t expect it to be as effective as an in-office LED treatment.
In addition to treating your skin and confusing your cat within mere minutes—talk about a multitasker—it has a special feature that makes it a true leap forward among LED masks. “What really sets this device apart is the undereye cooling feature,” says Dr. Lewis, who adds that it can help reduce puffiness, support lymphatic drainage, and improve the appearance of undereye bags. “I also appreciate that it offers full-face LED coverage, which is important for achieving consistent, even results.”
“I’ve tried my fair share of LED masks over the last few years, but the only one I use at all, let alone consistently, is the Shark CryoGlow,” says Allure commerce editor Sarah Han. “I appreciate how easy the different modes are to navigate via the remote, though I mostly stick to the Better Aging Treatment mode. It’s all about prevention, baby!” Her favorite part is the cooling undereye pads because, in addition to helping depuff, they add a certain spa-like quality to each six-minute session. “It’s also just a nice breather in the midst of my day—even if I do still scroll on my phone.”
Who among us hasn’t bewailed how short-lived our favorite fragrances are once sprayed? Rare Beauty clearly understands the frustration and created a simple extra step that can offer up to 12 hours of noticeable scent: the Fragrance Layering Balm.
Essentially a perfume primer, this nongreasy ointment is actually quite simple, says Lam. “Silicone gel makes up the bulk of the formula to provide a smooth, nonsticky balm that creates a silky base so fragrance has a longer time to evaporate,” she explains. The result: more quality time with your favorite scent.
Packaged in a squeezable tube, it goes on your wrist or neck (or anywhere you personally prefer to spritz your perfume) a lot like an Aquaphor-esque formula, except less unctuous and more elegant, just like you’d expect from the scents it subtly imparts. “The texture is really interesting and different. It's an almost-clear gel that melts onto my skin in seconds and rubs in quickly,” says Allure senior commerce editor Sarah Felbin.
“I'll definitely keep it at my desk. It's perfect to throw on on days when I forget to spritz some perfume before leaving the house,” Felbin continues, noting that it’s absolutely wearable alone. In addition to keeping your scent going, Fragrance Layering Balm has an enhancing effect as well, coming in four different varieties that add a layer of interest and let you play with different note combinations. We especially love the Amber Vanilla version, which adds a certain sweet warmth to your chosen fragrance.
It’s not just readers who are fawning over One/Size On ’Til Dawn Mattifying Sunscreen Makeup Setting Spray SPF 28. Allure editors are really impressed with how it delivers on a unique combination of benefits, and that’s no easy feat. “There are very few setting sprays that truly deliver, and only one that does it exceptionally well,” says Allure social media manager Bianca Richards. “This has become a staple in my routine for its ability to keep my makeup locked, whether I'm going for a full beat or my go-to minimal look for everyday.” And when she says locked, she means it: The aerosol formula keeps your glam in place for up to 16 hours.
What makes it truly stand out from other long-lasting setting sprays, however, is its SPF and the fact that it can keep skin matte despite the inclusion of sunscreen filters (in this case, avobenzone, homosalate, and octisalate), which usually translate to shine-inducing formulations. “There are not many sunscreen setting sprays on the market—especially ones that claim mattifying properties,” says Lam. “Usually sunscreens have high shine and appear dewy on the skin.” Green tea and witch hazel are also on hand to keep any oiliness under control.
Just remember: Even though this may be the last step in your makeup routine, you’ll still need to make a traditional sunscreen the last step in your skin-care routine to achieve full sun protection.
Favorite Beauty Content Creator: Rose Siard
Informative, aspirational, relatable—more than a million of you stop scrolling for Rose Siard. The long-time beauty creator has built a devoted audience by making professional-level makeup artistry feel actually doable by decoding color theory, testing every texture of complexion product, and sharing practical yet mind-blowing techniques that instantly change how you approach makeup application. (No wonder she launched her own line of brushes.) There’s an undeniable warmth to her content, too—it’s giving cool aunt—grounded in the kind of straightforwardness and easy-to-understand demystification that keeps followers coming back for the inspiration to be more adventurous.
Favorite New Brand: Sincerely Yours
Talk about bursting onto the beauty scene! A dad and his teen daughter launched Sincerely Yours, and now millions of fans feel like part of their skin-care family. One of social media’s most endearing beauty success stories, Jordan and Salish Matter combine behind-the-scenes authenticity with fun yet sensible products suitable across all ages. (You can’t tell us Sunny Side Up Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 is just for teens, and if you do, we’ll just keep using it anyway. So there.) The line feels thoughtfully considered rather than rushed to chase the next viral moment, and that gives this new brand the potential to grow up alongside its 16-year-old cofounder.
Favorite Indie Brand: Mob Beauty
You can say you knew about Mob Beauty before the clean makeup brand became a household name. Beloved by makeup artists and eco-conscious beauty enthusiasts alike, the vegan indie line has earned appreciation by proving high-performance pigments and “Earth-first” packaging innovations aren’t mutually exclusive. Every detail—from refillable, post-consumer recycled palettes to show-stopping colors—feels intentionally designed for people who truly love makeup and the planet they wear it on.
You couldn’t escape hearing about e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF 50, and now you’re talking about it too. The viral complexion product earned its seemingly endless TikTok cameos by actually delivering on its titular glow with buildable, breathable, blurring coverage, and now it’s what you reach for off-camera for an everyday foundation alternative. The SPF 50 is a serious perk, as are hydrating ingredients like allantoin, giving the tint a serum-like feel that makes it a perfect multitasker for an in-a-rush morning. Gosh, isn’t it nice when all the hype is actually warranted?
Favorite K-Beauty Product: TirTir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation
You’d fly thousands of miles for the TirTir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation—but you don’t have to. You declared it your top Korean beauty product after it reliably delivered semi-matte, skin-mimicking coverage that wears comfortably for hours on end. One of those rare complexion products that appeals as much to minimalists as it does to full-glam fans, it has turned even the most devoted liquid foundation folks into cushion lovers for life.
Favorite Beauty Product Splurge: Dyson Airwrap ID Multi-Styler and Dryer
When thousands of people say Dyson’s high-tech hot tool is worth it, you listen. The Airwrap ID Multi-Styler and Dryer offers a truly tailored hairstyling experience, all with less heat damage than traditional tools. It marches right in and replaces multiple devices by functioning as a blow-dryer, curling iron, smoothing brush, and round brush in one sleek system that becomes surprisingly intuitive after just a few uses. And those upgraded Bluetooth features with personalized styling sequences? Yeah—we get why it’s so pricey. But that hasn’t stopped you from singing its praises and recommending it as if they’re paying you.
Favorite Beauty Product Steal: Vaseline Original Healing Jelly
Vaseline Original Healing Jelly has so many uses, you find a routine hack every time you use it. One day, it’s reviving dry cuticles and taming flyaways with the help of a spoolie, and the next, it’s adding a glossy editorial sheen to your cheekbones and soothing cracked heels overnight—all for less than the price of a mediocre matcha. It doesn’t purport to be some complicated, highfalutin beauty product, and yet countless makeup artists keep it in their kits, dermatologists swear by it for first-aid cut care, and you keep voting for it. (Maybe because a single tub can outlast most of the products cluttering up your bathroom?) In the era of $100 creams and umpteen-step routines, Vaseline remains the rare beauty steal that actually earns the word “essential.”
How the Allure Readers' Choice Award Winners Are Selected
The Allure Readers' Choice Awards are entirely reader-voted. Each year, we invite our audience to vote for their favorite beauty products, brands, and creators across multiple categories. Voting remains open for a limited time, after which results are tallied and winners are announced on Allure.com. Learn more about how the Allure Readers’ Choice Awards work.
Why Trust Allure?
No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, we want to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
Credits
Photographed by Chelsea Kyle
Prop Stylist: Erica Lutz
Beauty Director: Sarah Kinonen
Creative Director: Amber Venerable
Visuals Director: Kathryne Hall
Senior Art Director: Ingrid Fowler
Acting Senior Art Director: Mark Baker-Sanchez
Associate Visuals Editor: Giancarlos Kunhardt
Designer: Briana Rengifo
Allure Shopping: Shanna Shipin, Sarah Hoffmann
Contributing Editor: Marci Robin
Siard Portrait: Ben Siard
Matter Portrait: Alex Kenealy
Fashion Credits
SKIN: Khiry earrings; HAIR: Jennifer Fisher earrings; MAKEUP: Alexis Bittar bangle, Jenny Bird earrings, Jimmy Choo shoe, Stylist’s own bag; BREAKTHROUGHS: Jennifer Fisher bangle; CLEAN: Stylist’s own bag
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