There’s nothing quite as satisfying as finding a skincare product that you love. As your skin begins looking plumper, clearer, and all around more vibrant, you start to feel glowier on the inside, too. With thousands of trending options out there, it can be tough to decide which products are worth a try. That’s why our BAZAAR editors have smeared, swiped, and tested thousands from brands across the globe—and the 30-plus ahead are the very best. Check out the MVPs of the skincare world and the products you should try first from each brand.
Versed is proof that when it comes to skincare, better-for-you doesn’t have to be expensive. Their cruelty-free, vegan, and clean ingredients have become beauty-editor favorites—namely the Hydration Station Booster with Hyaluronic Acid.
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L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives is L’Oreal’s collection of products formulated with derm-recommended ingredients such as glycolic acid, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid at optimal concentrations. For potent at-home treatment when skin is extra dry, try the Pure Hyaluronic Acid Ampoules—this small but powerful format has the brand’s highest concentration of pure hyaluronic acid to intensely hydrate and help plump skin.
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One of the leaders in antioxidant-based skincare, the brand’s science-first philosophy makes it one of the most trusted brands by dermatologists. Their serums are potent (and pricey), but ultra-effective.
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With their jewel-box color palette, shelfie-ready packaging, and—most importantly—arsenal of natural ingredients like anti-inflammatory Blue Tansy and nourishing cannabis seed oil, Herbivore has become a staple for those transitioning to a cleaner beauty routine.
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Nobody does glowy, bright skin quite like Ole Henriksen. The hero products—like Truth Serum rely on active ingredients like vitamin c and collagen to lift dark spots and plump skin. Results are often instant and only get better over time.
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The name of this brand makes a whole lot more sense once you learn that every product is centered around marula oil. (You see, Elephants eat the marula fruit and get tipsy in the wild). But Drunk Elephant is so much more than a cute name—it’s a skincare wunderkind that combines proven natural ingredients with products that truly work miracles. The Sukari Babyfacial chemical peel is a must-have for anyone with acne-prone skin, dark spots, or fine lines.
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Olay‘s efficacy crosses generations and country lines—it’s one of the most recognizable and accessible names in the global skincare game. In fact, industry testing has suggested that their cult-favorite Regenerist Face Cream moisturizes better than some luxury competitors twelve times the price. The line relies on proven active ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to make skin look visibly younger at drugstore prices.
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The entire SK-II line centers around a unique ingredient called Pitera. Legend has it that employees in a Japanese brewery who were exposed to a fermented liquid had shockingly ageless and spotless hands. The secret sauce was bottled up and delivered in a slew of anti-aging creams, serums, masks, and most famously—a skin-brightening facial treatment essence.
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Perhaps the only moisturizer ubiquitous enough to be recognized by it’s shorthand nickname DDML, Clinique‘s pale yellow cream is touted as one of the best skincare products of all time. The brand prides itself in not just creating effective and accessible products for all skin types, but also in making sure those products are easy to use as part of an entire skin-perfecting routine.
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Dermalogica was founded back in 1986 by an aesthetician who couldn’t find effective products made without common irritants that could clog pores and dull skin. These days it’s one of the most recommended lines by skin professionals and dermatologists. There are products for every skin type or problem, like this Special Cleansing Gel, which gently cleanses without compromising the skin’s barrier.
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When she couldn’t find skincare products she loved made with truly natural ingredients, Tata Harper decided to make her own—and a cult brand was born. Her masks and oils are standouts, with many of the ingredients sourced from her very own Vermont farm. Even cooler: You can use the “follow your bottle” tool on her site to see when each product was packaged.
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Sunday Riley destroys the notion that natural products are less effective than their more chemical-y counterparts. With catchy product names like Luna, Juno, and UFO—it’s no wonder the brand is a staple on the bathroom shelves of It-girls everywhere.
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This under-the-radar skincare brand is one of the best kept secrets in beauty. Created by chemists and dermatologists, the line merges clinical science with luxury beauty to deliver results as eye-popping as their prices (everything is worth the splurge).
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Estēe Lauder solidified itself as a skincare juggernaut when it released the Advanced Night Repair formula (then just called Night Repair) way back in 1982—and has since become a staple in our makeup bags. In fact, it’s credited as the first-ever serum, the first product to use skin-plumping hyaluronic acid, and the first product to recognize and repair the link between DNA-damaged skin and aging skin.
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Arguably the brand most synonymous with cream in the world, we’d actually argue that the best product from the marine-inspired line La Mer is the Regenerating Serum. Centered around the line’s nutrient-rich Miracle Broth, the serum delivers a quicker and more potent dose of the cream’s skin-renewing effects.
Chanel introduced its anti-aging hero called Sublimage back in 2006. Like all of Chanel’s skincare products, it’s centered around an ingredient the R&D scientists discovered and use exclusively: vanilla planifolia PFA. Die-hard fans can attest to the fact that the claims of smoother, brighter, and more supple skin are undoubtedly true.
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If glowy, dewy skin is what you’re after—let us introduce you to the Japanese-and-American brand Tatcha. Inspired by the beauty secrets of geishas, Tatcha’s line of cleansers, creams, and serums is centered around three ingredients: green tea, rice, and algae. The line is gentle enough for sensitive skin, natural, and wildly effective. We’re in love with the dewy skin products in particular, both the mist and the night concentrate.
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Caudalie is a French skincare brand that relies on all-natural grape extracts from the regions of Bordeaux, Champagne, and Burgundy. Red wine drinkers already know this to be true: grapes are high in antioxidants and compounds resveratrol and polyphenols, which give the entire line its unique and effective anti-aging philosophy.
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La Prairie‘s roots go back to 1931, when Professor Paul Niehans began treating patients using cellular therapy in the Swiss countryside. Today, the brand expands on his groundbreaking scientific work to create anti-aging products that straddle the line between cosmeceutical and luxury skincare—just look at the line-plumping cream dubbed Absolute Filler.
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It’s no surprise that one of our favorite fashion, makeup, and perfume companies also makes some of our favorite skincare products. This primer-serum hybrid is the best-selling skin product from the entire brand. Layered under foundation as the last step in your skin routine, Dream Skin blurs fine lines, mattifies, and Facetunes skin right away and then continues to work harder over time.
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There is no Japanese skincare brand more well-known and trusted than Shiseido. With over 140 years creating skincare, there are hundreds of products that have become hits with beauty gurus all over the world. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but if you’re going to splurge on just one product from the brand, try the Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Masks.
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It says it right there on every bottle: Kiehl’s has been around since 1851. So it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about making products that stand the test of time. This top-selling (and deliciously scented) serum combines lavender oil, squalane, and evening primrose oil to repair your skin’s moisture barrier while you sleep. You’ll wake up looking shockingly well-rested (even if you’re not).
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Fresh focuses on familiar food ingredients—like soy, sugar, black tea—to brand their line of cleansers, serums, creams, lip balms, and masks. The Black Tea line is rich in antioxidants and ideal for adding to an anti-aging routine. This top-rated eye cream combines tea with noni extract to noticeably lighten dark circles and flatten eye bags.
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The French brand Clarins has creams, serums, self-tanners, and makeup for every age, skin type, and texture. Their most famous anti-aging product is the Double Serum, which houses two anti-aging plant extracts separately in one tube. This makes the active ingredients more effective in theory and practice—bottles of the skin-firming formula have been flying off the shelves for years.
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Though Lancôme‘s messaging suggests an effortless approach to Parisian beauty, we all know that looking naturally ageless takes some serious commitment to a skincare routine. Though their anti-aging serums are some of the best-selling in the world, we also love this two-phase nightly peel that helps skin get desensitized to the otherwise irritating exfoliators.
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More often than not, natural skincare brands feel better on your conscience but the results don’t live up to the products you left behind. That’s not the case with True Botanicals. The brand has garnered a rabid following in a few short years for it’s unique positioning as a luxury brand that happens to also be as ultra-natural. Their independent clinical trials prove what their fan base already knows: their products scientifically outperform some of the other, more famous ones on this list.
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One of the pillars of luxury French skincare, Sisley Paris blends botanical extracts with anti-aging formulas that feel uniquely lush and decadent. This black rose dry oil is a savior for ultra-dry or sensitive skin. Just tap two or three drops over your favorite moisturizer to lock-in moisture all day long (the price feels a little less shocking when you realize just how long a single bottle lasts).
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Celebrity facialist turned skincare guru, Kate Somerville‘s products are the next best thing to having her actually work on your skin every morning. We’re fans of all the skin-softening exfoliating products, particularly the Exfolikate Cleanser—it combines two necessary skincare steps without sacrificing results.
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What do Oprah Winfrey, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Ashley Judd, Heidi Klum, Kylie Jenner, and Brad Pitt all have in common? They’re fans of Mario Badescu skincare, which has been around for over 50 years but continues to find new loyal and fervent fans. The facial sprays are a cult-favorite, but anyone who has ever suffered from pimples should try the Drying Lotion. A single dot (applied with a cotton swab) will make an angry spot shrink dramatically overnight.
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The brand we’ve always trusted for acne-fighters and sunscreen launched the Hydro Boost skin line a few years ago to rave reviews. The lightweight moisturizers plump skin as well as luxury hyaluronic acid products without deflating your bank account.
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There are few brands that cover a wide range of skincare concerns as successfully as Peter Thomas Roth. From acne to anti-aging, you’d be hard-pressed to find a product that won’t work for your skin. And for anyone looking to quench dry skin, look no further than the aptly named “Water Drench” hyaluronic acid line.
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This article originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR US.
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