If you’ve ever wanted to know how beauty people get their skin glowing, you’ll want to keep reading. Skincare is one of my personal beauty obsessions, so I always take the chance to ask aestheticians, editors, and beauty insiders about the products they can’t get enough of. Right now, I’m interested not just interested in the products they use, but rather, the holy-grail skincare products they love so much, they would hoard every last bottle if they ever heard it would be discontinued.
Ahead, beauty people are weighing in about their can’t-live-without-them products for the glowiest skin in the game. From the face oil one of the most in-demand facialists swears by to at-home mask to use when you can’t visit the spa to the $8 moisturizer an editor loves as much as expensive finds, these are the 24 best skincare products to add to your medicine cabinet, according to experts.
“I love a face oil to lock in hydration and nourish the complexion. I tend to incorporate a facial massage into my daily regime, so an oil acts as the perfect massage medium by providing the right amount of slip to ensure you’re not pulling and tugging at your skin. Apply The Face Oil all over the face, neck, and décolletage and work in an upwards and outwards motion focusing on areas that hold tension.”
“I’ve always removed my cleansers and masks with a face towel to gently buff and exfoliate the complexion. The problem with normal towels is that they can harbor and transfer bacteria to the skin. I love that these Resorè towels are made from antimicrobial and antibacterial fibers because a clean towel means clean skin!”
Biologique Recherche Huile Fondamentale (price upon request). “You’ll always find a multiuse product like this one in my bathroom vanity. Following a bath or shower, I’ll apply Huile Fondamentale all over to keep my skin supple and hydrated (sans grease!). On days that I have a little more time, I’ll lather the oil to the ends of my hair as a pre-shampoo treatment, keeping it on for 20 minutes before rinsing it out.”
“After one of my friends showed me some epic before and afters after using this toner for a month, I was sold. I’d always thought that since I’m not particularly blemish-prone this wouldn’t do much for me, but it’s also great for brightening and refining the look of pores. I also love that even though it’s exfoliating the skin, it never leaves me feeling taught or overly dry.”
“I already know this will be my go-to moisturizer this summer. I use it a few nights a week in place of moisturizer or even on top of moisturizer if my skin feels exceptionally dry. The thing I love most is that it never feels overpowering on the skin. It sinks right in and I never worry about it soaking into my pillowcase rather than actually penetrating my skin.”
“I’ve only gotten particular about my cleanser over the last year or two, and this one quickly rose to the top of my list from the first time I tried it. It’s a gorgeous, clean formula that smells edible and makes my skin feel soft and comforted. It has strawberry powder, raspberry powder, and lemon powder that gently slough away dead skin and help to regulate oil and it truly feels and smells like washing your face with an organic smoothie.”
“The first time I tried Supergoop sunscreens, my mind was blown. The formula is truly one-of-a-kind and I love their daily moisturizer because it truly just works as a moisturizer and I almost forget the sunscreen part altogether. I love the way it smells and I pretty much buy every new product that Supergoop comes out with!”
“I’ve been using this face oil for about one to two months now, and it has saved my ultra-dry skin here in L.A. Tata Harper products have always been on my radar because there’s always so much buzz around a new launch or best-selling product, and now that I’ve had a chance to really give their products a try I understand the hype. I love how easy to use this face oil is, it absorbs really quickly and I find that afterward my skin is feeling really refreshed.”
“I will only wash my face with this face wash. Sometimes I leave it on to use as a face mask and I’ve been using it for about three years and can attest to how moisturized and glowy your skin feels afterward. Skincare products with honey automatically have my attention, but a lot of times they can contain very little actual honey, but here the raw honey is abundant and they kept it raw to maintain the enzymes and magical qualities of raw honey. I miss this face wash when I’m away from home and it has quite literally saved my psoriasis.”
“Azelaic acid is my new favorite active ingredient. It treats everything from redness and irritation, uneven tone and texture, helps soothe inflammation and brightens. I have very dry skin, so I use this creamy emulsion after my other serums and before my moisturizer.”
“During the pandemic, I rediscovered Hanacure because I wasn’t able to see my esthetician. When I started using this mask consistently, I saw very impressive results. This mask removes impurities revealing lifted, smoother, glowier skin, and it’s very fun to scare friends and family on FaceTime once it dries.”
“This isn’t a topical, but I have seen a huge difference in my skin since I started taking this a few weeks ago. My skin is plump, my lines have softened especially the very pesty nasolabial folds. My. Skin. Is. Beaming. It is tasteless and odorless so I mix this in with my coffee in the morning.”
“Sublimage La Crème is my absolute favorite cream that changed my skin within days of using it. I treat it like liquid gold and apply it as a ritual daily. The texture is sublime and has an easy glide to massage the skin, it also helps to moisturize the neck and also the décolletage, for anti-aging purposes. Sublimage has diminished my dark spots and that’s one of the hardest things to achieve in skincare, but the best thing is that I love the idea that the key ingredient comes from Madagascar and its vanilla plants.”
“Having a face oil in my skincare is a must! I always mix it in my foundation to create a dewy finish or love to use it on when I want to be bare and add little extra something. This face oil also has the most beautiful bend of botanicals and a most important ingredient Vitamin C. When you put a couple of drops on your fingers and massage it on your face, you feel the tropics!”
“What a dream to have an all-in-one product, toner, serum, moisturizer, in a spray bottle! I love to have this product to hydrate during the day, and the spray is super hygienic so I don’t have to dip my figures in my cream when I am on the go! One of its main ingredients is Olive Leaf extract that helps with inflammation, I always feel puffy towards the end of the day and that makes it such a refresher!”
“The Strivectin Full Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Illuminating Finish is one of my favorites for warm weather. The formula is lightweight, absorbs quickly, and leaves a hint of gold shimmer on the skin. Seriously, it makes you look fantastic. I love it when I have a bare face or under foundation to give it an extra boost of luminosity.”
“When I need to get rid of a pimple fast, the Zitsticka Killa Kit is my go-to. It’s a tiny micro-dart sticker that allows acne-fighting ingredients to penetrate your skin faster than a topical spot treatment. I find it best to sleep with it on. Unlike other patches, they stay on and you can see a difference when you take it off in the morning.”
“I’m a Brown girl. Any blemish or blackhead is guaranteed to leave a pesky dark spot once it heals. As long as you’re consistent, a tiny dot of the Renée Rouleau Post-Breakout Fading Gel applied to any spot will dramatically fade it over time. I’ve even used it to fade scarring from ingrown hairs!”
“I talk about this cleanser all of the dang time, but if worst came to worst and I was stranded on a desert island, this (along with maybe sunscreen) would be the one and only product I’d want with me. Shani’s ultra-gentle formula has spoiled me for all other cleansers! It’s packed with tons of skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, oat bran extract, and calming olive and chicory leaf extracts so my skin actually feels balanced, healthy, and moisturized post-cleanse instead of stripped or dry. It has an almost serum-like consistency (hence the name), and it actually makes me look forward to washing my face each night. It’s very luxurious, and it’s very worth the $38 splurge.”
“I’ve been loving this new vitamin C serum from SkinCeuticals. I recently wrote an in-depth review, here, but essentially, it’s a cousin to its other well-known sister serums C E Ferulic and Phloretin CF. However, unlike both of the latter, Silymarin CF is specifically formulated for people with an oily skin type or who are prone to breakouts. I’ve always had FOMO because literally, every single vitamin C serum I try makes my face erupt into pimples, but not this one! Instead, it leaves me glowy, breakout-free, and significantly less red and reactive. It’s kind of been my 2021 miracle.”
Biologique Recherche Creme Iso-Placenta (price upon request). “I’ve been on bad beauty editor behavior and have gotten a number of relatively severe sunburns on my face this year. (Trust me—I’m ashamed to admit it!) That said, one silver lining is that I’ve discovered the magical healing powers of this newly reformulated face cream from holy-grail French skincare brand Biologique Recherche. Normally, my face can’t tolerate heavy creams like this, but I’m blaming some kind of witchcraft because my skin can’t get enough. I rotate between this and the Crème Verte Espoir A.R.($100), and between the two, my last horrible sunburn (complete with peeling) practically disappeared overnight. It’s highly regenerating, which also makes it great for acne-prone skin, and deeply nourishing as it’s strategically designed to biomimic the properties of the human placenta. I know that sounds a little crazy, but the proof is in the pudding!”
“I always, always, always want glowy summertime skin (luminous, pore-less, healthy-looking, makeup-less), and this lotion leaves the perfect dewy sheen. It melts right in (it’s somehow super light yet nourishing) is loaded with powerful antioxidants (vitamin C) and botanicals (kakadu plum), and smells faintly citrusy and refreshing. This stuff is just total supple-skin magic.”
“This stuff smells like Hawaii (that’s the hibiscus extract); leaves my curls smooth, defined, and manageable (that’s the blend of organic aloe and chamomile); and is infused with crystal energy (how fun—there’s one at the bottom of the bottle). I love that it’s clean and free of harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrance, made by a lovely person (a single mom in Atlanta who started the line while still working her corporate job) and that it works so freakin’ beautifully.”
“This gorgeous bar soap lathers like a dream, the heavenly geranium-ginger scent suffuses the entire shower, and the blend of antioxidant turmeric (God, I love turmeric everything), shea butter, castor oil, and gently exfoliating rose clay leaves skin plumped, cleansed, and moisturized. Love the no plastic and love the brilliant simplicity of washing with a big block of soap.”
