Despite having been in the beauty industry for over a decade, switching up my routine can feel like a mammoth research task, whether it’s because I feel a hair refresh coming on, I’m itching to experiment with make-up or find that my skin needs something different when the seasons change. 

Between 15-step instructions, far-fetched promises and PhD-level jargon (there is a difference between retinol and retinal), it can be hard to cut through the noise surrounding new beauty products to figure out what’s worth your hard-earned cash. Which is where Team Stylist and our 2025 Best of Beauty Awards step in.

Each year, our beauty team sets themselves one clear mission: to seek out the latest launches worthy of a coveted award, be it Best Blush or Best Hair Treatment. Over the past several months we’ve been sourcing and rigorously testing all the products we can get our hands on – covering viral hits, unsung heroes, the world’s biggest brands and indie start-ups alike.

We’ve blended, buffed, swatched and slathered on thousands of serums, lipsticks, hair masks and concealers (praise be for cleansing balms), assessing what lives up to the hype. Everything has been judged against our extremely high standards for criteria including wearability, vibrancy, longevity and efficacy. And to cover all bases, we’ve considered the packaging, clever technology and groundbreaking advancements that brands are using, too.

Now, after hours of meetings that saw passionate discussion about body scrubs, a few healthy debates on the benefits of hair oil and countless bags of Mini Eggs, we’re pleased to reveal our 60 winners. Split across six categories – make-up, hair, skincare, body care, tools and our noteworthy innovators – this list represents not only the products that the Stylist beauty team has tried, tested and truly loved, but the ones that have earned a spot in our own beauty routines, too. 

Keep scrolling to discover the full list – I hope you love them as much as we do.

– Hanna Ibraheem, beauty director

All images shot for Stylist by Dennis Pedersen