Simply put, it’s our job to find the best beauty products out there for you. From the newest serum to the hottest lipstick color to the dry shampoo that will change your life, we will find it, test it, and let you know what we think. We’re not complaining. It’s a pretty fun gig, and we’ll volunteer to be beauty guinea pigs any day.
But one of the cool things to come out of this is finding out what products you’re loving and buying. It helps us figure out what you want to learn more about and what you’re into so we can bring even more personalized recs to you.
Because we share a lot of our favorites with you every single day, we recognize it might be hard to keep up. So we’ve decided to put together a handy weekly list of what we love and what you love—consider this a CliffsNotes, one-stop shop of what’s really trending and worth adding to your cart at this very moment.
This week, we’re looking at the best-selling skincare products readers bought this year. Do you have a product that we missed? We’d love to know. Send us a DM.
Palmer’s lotion was our top-selling beauty product of the year. The firming lotion is enriched with vitamin E, cocoa and shea butters, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients to improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, and other skin imperfections.
SkinCeuticals’s C E Ferulic is an absolute favorite product with both readers and editors. I can attest to its magic myself—the vitamin C serum always manages to make my skin glowier and smoother.
Made with 12% glycolic alpha-hydroxy acid, this body lotion encourages collagen production and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It will exfoliate dead skin cells so you don’t have to worry about body scrubs.
Our readers were very serious about sun protection, and EltaMD’s UV Clear sunscreen was a favorite. The lightweight formula not only protects the skin from UVA and UVB rays, but it also moisturizes (thanks to sodium hyaluronate) and clears pores and reduces shine (thanks to lactic acid).
This plant-based and organic self-tanner might be the best way to fake a sun-kissed glow. The streak-free lotion doesn’t leave you looking orange and it’s fast-absorbing so you don’t have to worry about it getting on your clothes or bedding.
SkinCeuticals’s eye treatment works to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, plus it boosts elasticity and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Ingredients include antioxidant-rich blueberry extract, flavonoids and synergistic peptides, and optical diffusers.
Sara and Erin Foster’s 89-year-old grandmother turned us onto this sponge—we trust her because she’s got a forever-youthful glow. “I get up in the morning and wash my face with cleanser and a Buf-Puf, which will make most people say, ‘Oh my word!’ Well, [my daughter Rebecca] was dating a doctor, and he told me this was the thing to use, and I just never stopped. I gently exfoliate with it. I use it religiously and have been for over 40 years,” she told us.
This foaming gel cleanser can be used daily to remove dirt, oil, makeup, and impurities. It works to shrink your pores and soften skin.
Chapped lips have met their match with Drunk Elephant’s Lippe Balm. It’s formulated with avocado oil; mongongo oil; and tripeptide-1 to moisturize, plump, and repair the skin’s barrier.
Differin’s Adapalene Gel fights acne like nothing else. It contains a prescription-strength retinoid to regulate skin cell turnover, reduce inflammation, and prevent pimples. And just a little bit of product goes a long way with this one.
If you’re dealing with any redness, you’ve got to try this cream from Dr. Jart+. It neutralizes any redness and evens the skin tone while also provide mineral SPF protection.
Your hands need some love, too—especially with all the handwashing you’re probably doing. This hand mask contains shea butter and prebiotic oat to balance the skin’s natural moisture barrier, soothe, and smooth.
This drugstore daytime moisturizer not only keeps the skin nourished and hydrated thanks to three essential ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, but it also has SPF 30 protection.
Made with retinol and lipids, this firming serum protects the skin from radical damage, hydrates, and targets irritation. It also works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
This is my absolute favorite cleanser, and I’m not alone because readers and my fellow editors seem to agree, too. It contains white willow bark to exfoliate and tighten the pores, plus antioxidants to repair any skin damage and protect against free radicals.
If you don’t want to splurge for a pricey vitamin C serum, take a look at this $20 find. It has over 90,000 ratings and 4.5 out of 5 stars, so it’s a winner. Along with vitamin C, it’s formulated with hyaluronic acid; vitamin E; witch hazel; and jojoba oil to brighten, improve fine lines and wrinkles, and target dark spots.
SkinCeuticals’s sunscreen has a slight tint to it so it enhances your natural skin tone, making it more radiant. The lightweight doesn’t leave an oily or white residue, too.
Made with a combination of glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids, this exfoliating solution Reduces congestion, targets blemishes, and improves skin texture. And at $7, the price really can’t be beat.
For a trusted drugstore eye cream, look no further than this one with RoC. The retinol formula addresses puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles—and it’s gentle enough for that delicate area around your eyes.
The Inkey List’s serum contains 2% hyaluronic acid to hydrate and lock in moisture. It’s also formulated with the peptide, Matrixyl 3000, which works to promote natural collagen production. Your skin will be plumped and seriously hydrated.
I use this micellar water every day and for pretty much everything—cleansing, removing makeup, refreshing my skin, etc. It also does a good job of relieving irritated skin.
Neutrogena’s night cream has amazing anti-aging benefits thanks to its retinol, but it’s also good at hydrating and plumping the skin thanks to hyaluronic acid. It’s a fast-acting formula that you can use on both your face and neck.
This leave-on mask will make chapped lips and dry skin disappear overnight. Trust me, ever since I started using this product once a week, I’ve noticed that I get chapped lips a lot less (or even not at all).
Say goodbye to pimples while you sleep with these patches. The hydrocolloid in these will absorb whatever’s in your pimples to shrink them. It’s best to use these on whitehead pimples.
OleHenriksen’s cult-favorite eye cream is formulated with special pigments to brighten and color-correct. It also contains vitamin C and collagen to target the signs of aging and improve elasticity. Next: I Tried Hundreds of Beauty Products in 2021—Here Are the Best Under-$20 Ones
