The very best beauty products, chosen by our beauty editors
Hundreds of beauty products land on Red’s beauty desk each month. We spend our year swatching, spritzing and swiping, trying to find the crème de la crème, the cream of the beauty crop. At the end of each year, it's our job to bring you the Red Beauty Awards, a curated edit of the very best products that we laid our hands on this year.
And what a year 2024 was. Each product in our edit below is one we fell hard for: from the balm cleanser that leaves only soft, clean skin in its wake to the cult serum that instantly restores bounce, skincare was seriously good this year. And that's not all: makeup also had a brilliant year. Take the concealer category; it took our beauty team at least five meetings to settle on which really was the best. Deciding on the best haircare, body products and fragrance was also a feat, but after much testing and deliberation, our winners were confirmed.
All that's left to do now is present them to you. Here, meet the very best beauty products of the year. We hope you love them as much as we do.
The Red Beauty Award Winners 2025
Vitamin C Daily UV Brightening Fluid Invisible SPF50+
Glowy (not shiny) protection that's a dream to apply and plays nicely with makeup.
UV Expert SPF50+
This sheer milk feels more like a hydrating essence than sun protection.
Daily Doser Serums
Tailored to different skin types, so they’re the closest to bespoke you'll find on any shelf.
Double Serum
The ninth generation of this much loved serum still delivers the goods – brighter, smoother and more resilient skin.
Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin-Renewing Serum
Skin looks fresher in one week, then keeps on getting better.
£51.00 at elizabetharden.co.uk
Azelaic Dark Spot Serum
This gentle serum does more than it promises, tackling redness and fine lines, too.
Smart Clinical Repair™ Overnight Recovery Cream + Mask
Restores lost radiance by soothing, strengthening and hydrating while you sleep.
Restorative Hydro-Hyaluronic Cream
Multiple weights of hyaluronic acid in this cashmere-like cream deliver hydration for all skin types.
Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream™
The Goldilocks of moisturisers: not too rich, not too light and it works for everyone.
Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum
This non-irritating brightener finally hit the UK this year and was worth the wait.
Rejuvenating Night Cream
Outperforms every other night cream we tried for rested-looking skin.
Frankincense Intense™ Age-Defying Eye Cream
Cools and conditions dry, puffy skin and throws a soft focus over fine lines.
£52.00 at nealsyardremedies.com
Skin Therapy
Immediate juice in a serum-oil texture that converted Red’s oil-phobes.
Living Cleansing Balm
Little stands in the way of this buttery balm from a brand that’s one to watch.
Halo
The best device is one you’ll use, and this de-puffing, brightening and toning piece of tech is addictive.
CryoGlow Under-Eye Cooling & LED Anti-Ageing & Blemish Repair Mask
Well priced, easy to use and with deliciously cooling under-eye functionality.
Pro Collagen+
Your return on investment is a bouncier look in under three weeks.
Weightless Skin Foundation SPF 15
This satiny base covers without caking, absorbing oil to stay fresher for longer.
Soft’Lit Naturally Luminous Longwear Foundation
For soft, grown-up coverage that never feels dry and won't mask your skin.
Beauty Balm Serum Boosted Skin Tint
Gorgeously creamy with a gleaming finish and buildability where needed.
£43.00 at anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk
True Match Radiant Serum Concealer
Fluid enough to use under the eyes but with enough grip for blemishes.
The Concealer Pen with TFC8®
A whisper of this corrects shadows and redness, then blends away to nothing.
$64.00 at victoriabeckhambeauty.com
Unreal Liquid Blush
The loveliest, most luminous liquid cheek colour of the year (in a year there were many!).
£38.00 at hourglasscosmetics.co.uk
Blush Is Life Powder Blusher
Blurring, brightening and prettifying, this perks up tired faces in a believable way.
Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder
Powder made creamy, with just enough shimmer to bring skin to life.
Explicit Lipstick
Serious pigments from a bullet that almost glides itself over the lip.
The Tinted Balm
Glossy shades with the hydrating punch of a proper balm.
Blur Liner
Lip plumping done right, for definition with a diffused effect.
Silk to Set Kajal Liner
Smudgy, smokey, creamy colour with a rich look and feel.
Ligne Noire Eyeliner
Silky colour that flows on, dries fast and doesn’t crack.
Exagger-eyes Volume Mascara
A full-fat mascara for a standout lash, no smudging.
£28.00 at charlottetilbury.com
Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade
Tapered bristles catch each hair, cheating soft, full brows in a few strokes.
Invisiveil Setting Spray
Non-drying, keeps makeup looking fresh and is a neroli-scented joy to use.
Forever Glow Maximizer
Dior knows glow. Six skin tints to play with, for a high-gleam, pretty dew.
Liquid Silk Liquid Eyeshadow
Eyes made easy, with cloud-like creams in a clever range of shades.
Pro Artist Range
Elevated essentials under £20, giving brands three times the price a run for their money.
Shampoo & Conditioner
This well-priced range does exactly what it promises and smells glorious doing it.
Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray
Delivers light-as-air volume, beachy movement and un-sticky hold.
£31.00 at bumbleandbumble.co.uk
Bringadi Regenerating Hair Mask
Fixes damage from the inside out, from a brand that’s transformative when hair is in trouble.
No.5 Leave-In
Use after every wash for instantly better-behaved hair and continuing repair.
Supersonic Nural
The never-bettered dryer just got bettered, with temperature-adapting tech that protects scalp and hair.
Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo
A root-nourishing wash from the clinically-backed workhorse of hair loss solutions.
Perfect Hair Day High-Shine Gloss
For a healthy-looking ‘real hair’ lustre that lasts through two to three washes.
Acai Berry Fix Defining Gel
To shape existing curls or coax out curls you didn’t know you had, without any crunch.
G1 Overnight Boosting Peptide Serum
Easy to apply and so lightweight. Use nightly and see baby hairs flourish.
L'Huile Collection
One for frizz, one for shine and one for colour-treated blondes, in a new refillable format.
Eau de Parfums
Deeply delicious and with the best perfume packaging out there.
Comète Les Exclusifs EDP
This come-closer blend of musk and iris knocked us (gently) off our feet.
Organic Eau de Parfum
Every season brings a new small-batch scent from this beautiful British brand.
Sun Body Cream Spray for Sensitive Skin SPF50
Light as air and kind on sensitive skin, from an affordable range that ticks all the boxes.
Active Glow Collection
Care meets tint meets glow; think of them as makeup for nails with instant conditioning.
PHA Exfoliating and Hydrating Body Water Cream
Speeds up cell turnover while pulling hydration into dry skin – in a smarter way to moisturise.
Retinol Reboot Exfoliating Body Treatment
Takes serious skincare below the neck, to reverse roughness and patchy skin tone.
The Body Wash Concentrate
One tiny, fragrant dab from this compact tube lathers on and on and leaves skin soft.
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