The 46 Best Skin-Care Products of 2021
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Perhaps the most difficult and most gratifying category to test for our annual Best of Beauty Awards is skin care. Results aren't instantaneous. Sometimes it takes weeks, even months, to figure out if a moisturizer is actually strengthening your skin barrier, or if that vitamin C serum really does diminish dark spots. But that's why we do this. Now more than ever, we want to get great results for ourselves, but especially for you.
We've scrubbed using some pretty spectacular (and some maybe-not-so-great) exfoliators, tapped on too many eye creams to count, and peeled with the best of them to bring you this comprehensive list of skin-care winners.
Maybe you'll fall for the featherlight moisturizer that's suitable for all skin types, the eye cream that doubles as a concealer, or the sunscreen formulated by and for those with melanin-rich skin. We think you'll love them all — we certainly do. That's why they've earned the title of this year's Best of Beauty Award winners.
Scroll down to see this group, and then check out the rest of the top picks from the full 2021 Best of Beauty winners' list. —Sarah Kinonen
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- 1/47
Melē
Melē No Shade Sunscreen Oil SPF 30
Formulated for and by people with melanin-rich skin, Melé No Shade Sunscreen Oil
SPF 30 is a translucent serum that provides a sheer veil of coverage. - 2/47
Hourglass
Hourglass Equilibrium Restoring Essence
Replete with lipids, Hourglass Cosmetics Equilibrium Restoring Essence restores the skin barrier that some cleansing surfactants can strip away, helping off-kilter skin regain balance and on-kilter skin keep its composure.
- 3/47
Mario Badescu
Mario Badescu Skin Care Cleansing Oil
Fans of botanicals will love the silky evening primrose and lavender oils in Mario Badescu Skin Care Cleansing Oil. Everybody else will marvel at the petal-soft results.
- 4/47
Garnier
Garnier Green Labs Pinea-C Brightening Gel Wash with Vitamin-C + Pineapple
The gentlest of gels, Garnier Green Labs Pinea-C Brightening Gel Wash dissolves makeup and eradicates dullness with vitamin C and a water-thin feel.
- 5/47
Freeman
Freeman Beauty Cleansing Mask Bars
Packed to the edges with kaolin clay, each Freeman Beauty Cleansing Mask Bar does your skin a solid, purging pores while lifting away dirt and oil.
- 6/47
Alpha-H
Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser
The generous dose of aloe (a hero humectant) in Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser melts into skin and locks moisture in place.
- 7/47
TonyMoly
Tonymoly I'm Rice Exfoliating Enzyme Cleanser
A face wash that goes against the grain, Tonymoly I'm Rice Exfoliating Enzyme Cleanser turns into a milky emulsion that polishes without scratching.
- 8/47
Clinique
Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Add water to transform a scoop of Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm into a delicate oil — and dry skin into silk.
- 9/47
Bliss
Bliss Well Yes! Healthy Glow Multivitamin Scrub
The cushy little buffers in Bliss Well Yes! Healthy Glow Multivitamin Scrub (they're made of cellulose) dislodge flakes without disrupting your skin's protective barrier; a bevy of B vitamins boost hydration.
- 10/47
No7
No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Glow Toner
With a water-based formula, a no-joke dose of vitamin C, and fruit acids, No7 Radiance+ Vitamin C Glow Toner imparts instant gleamy-ness.
- 11/47
Innisfree
Innisfree Youth Enhancing Serum Mist with Black Tea
It turns out that tea is balm for the soul and the skin. Infused with hard-core antioxidants and hydrating ingredients, Innisfree Youth Enhancing Serum Mist with Black Tea repels free radicals and steeps your face in dewy moisture.
- 12/47
SkinCeuticals
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
Think of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum as the antioxidant equivalent of a parasol: The silky layer of protection reduces environmental damage, present and future.
- 13/47
L'Oréal Paris
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 0.3% Pure Retinol Serum
Containing the purest and most potent form of vitamin A, L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 0.3% Pure Retinol Serum turns over cells at a clip, visibly smoothing lines and reducing wrinkles in weeks.
- 14/47
BareMinerals
BareMinerals Ageless 10% Phyto-Retinol Night Concentrate
For those who can't tolerate even a pea-size drop of retinol, the plant-based alternative in BareMinerals Ageless 10% Phyto-Retinol Night Concentrate diminishes lines without redness or irritation.
- 15/47
AHC
AHC Aqualuronic Serum
Similar to notes on a scale, the trio of hyaluronic acids in AHC Aqualuronic Serum penetrate skin at high, medium, and low levels, tuning your moisture barrier to perfection.
- 16/47
Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant Protini Powerpeptide Resurf Serum
The high percentage of lactic acid in Drunk Elephant Protini Power Peptide Resurf Serum dissolves dull surface cells, basically giving skin no choice but to reform its look and feel.
- 17/47
Fresh
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer
The duo of hyaluronic acid and super lotus extract in Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer boost suppleness by binding water to skin and strengthening the skin barrier.
- 18/47
Function of Beauty
Function of Beauty Custom Facial Moisturizer
Our oily-skinned testers loved the gel formula of Function of Beauty Custom Facial Moisturizer. Light and bouncy, it plumps skin without smothering pores.
- 19/47
Olay
Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Moisturizer
The minuscule peptide molecules in Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Moisturizer penetrate skin to give collagen-producing cells a helping hand.
- 20/47
Murad
Murad Intense Recovery Cream
Murad Intense Recovery Cream is sort of like a seaweed wrap for your face. The velvety emulsion cradles skin, calms redness, and relaxes stress lines with microalgae and mirabilis jalapa plant extract.
- 21/47
Milk Makeup
Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil
- 22/47
Peter Thomas Roth
Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream
Packed with 21 line-smoothing peptides, Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream is the next-best thing to getting carded.
- 23/47
RoC
RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
The vitamin A in RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream relaxes creases without irritating the tender eye area.
- 24/47
Isdin
ISDIN K-Ox Eyes
Undereye bloat is the result of excess blood flow. Isdin K-Ox Eyes strengthens tiny capillaries to regulate circulation and reduce puffiness.
- 25/47
BeautyStat
BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector
The high concentration of vitamin C in BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector fades shadows and crepiness over time; hyaluronic acid and plant extracts smooth and illuminate on the spot.
- 26/47
Trinny London
Trinny London BFF Eye
For treatment and coverage, Trinny London BFF Eye disguises dark circles like a concealer (it comes in 12 sheer tints), while peptides firm and vitamin C brightens.
- 27/47
Kiehl's
Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Cleansing Clay Mask
Sourced from the Amazon River, the clay in Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask explores every pore, drawing out gunk from depths unknown.
- 28/47
Philosophy
Philosophy Nature In a Jar Skin Rehab Balm with Wheatgrass
Philosophy Nature In a Jar Skin Rehab Balm with Wheatgrass does not, in fact, come in a jar. But the salve (in a tube) does contain a vegetable patch of nourishing greens, plus coddling glycerin.
- 29/47
Dr. Jart+
Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask
Calming and cooling, the anti-inflammatory herbs and humectants in Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask deliver a moment of zen — and lots of moments of luminous skin.
- 30/47
GlamGlow
GlamGlow Brightmud Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment
A real glow-getter, GlamGlow Brightmud Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment fits every imaginable brightener (AHAs, BHAs, vitamin C, pumice particles) into one elegant formula.
- 31/47
I Dew Care
I Dew Care Straight Chillin' Cooling Aloe Sheet Masks
Our new bedside-table staple, I Dew Care Straight Chillin' Cooling Aloe Sheet Masks are steeped in moisture and packed like tissues into an easy pull-out box.
- 32/47
Eve Milan
Eve Milan Brightening Vitamin C + CoQ10 Sheet Mask
For an instant glow-up, Eve Milan New York Brightening Vitamin C + CoQ10 Sheet Mask brightens and tightens with antioxidants and daisy extract.
- 33/47
Patchology
Patchology Serve Chilled Rosé Eye Gels
Laced with strawberry extract and resveratrol (the same antioxidant found in red wine), Patchology Serve Chilled Rosé Eye Gels smooth, brighten, and generally take the edge off the day.
- 34/47
PCA Skin
PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Overnight Mask
Loaded with hyaluronic acid, PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Overnight Mask dives into skin while you drift off to sleep, shoring up your moisture barrier.
- 35/47
Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen Make it Matte SPF 45
There's a texture for everyone! Ideal for anyone on the oily side, Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Matte SPF 45 is a weightless gel that renders a primer-like finish.
- 36/47
Sun Bum
Sun Bum Original 'Face 70' SPF 70 Sunscreen Lotion
We know you know sunscreen is non-negotiable, but did you also know Sun Bum Original Face 70 Sunscreen Lotion is a cream that didn't leave a greasy or chalky finish on any of our testers? You do now.
- 37/47
Shiseido
Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+
Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+ makes invisible broad-spectrum protection swipe-able.
- 38/47
EltaMD
EltaMD UV Restore Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40
Unlike some mineral formulas that leave a whitish cast, EltaMD UV Restore Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 adapts to every skin tone for a dewy, naked look.
- 39/47
Colorescience
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50
For touch-ups, we love Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50, a brush-on powder that blurs imperfections and helps block UV rays.
- 40/47
Paula’s Choice
Paula's Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel
One of the most powerful peels we've tried this side of the doctor's office, Paula's Choice 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel gives us the brightest tone we've seen this side of 35.
- 41/47
CeraVe
CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser
CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser treats and prevents pimples with salicylic acid, while niacinamide and ceramides exert a calming influence.
- 42/47
Differin
Differin Gel Acne Treatment
Differin Gel Acne Treatment contains a prescription-strength dose of adapalene, a retinoid that penetrates pores to stop breakouts before they start.
- 43/47
Vichy
Vichy Normaderm S.O.S Acne Rescue Spot Corrector
Vichy Normaderm S.O.S. Acne Rescue Spot Corrector shrinks blemishes and soothes skin with sulfur and niacinamide.
- 44/47
Florence by Mills Spot A Spot Acne Patches
For a more targeted approach, affix Florence by Mills Spot a Spot Acne Patches to zits and let salicylic acid and tea tree oil do their antimicrobial thing.
- 45/47
Hey Dewy
Hey Dewy Portable Facial Humidifier
With its compact size (think stylish soda can) and USB portability, Hey Dewy Portable Facial Humidifier emits a hydrating mist that goes where sheet masks can't (think Zoom meeting).
- 46/47
Flawless Finishing Touch
Finishing Touch Flawless
There's a four-letter word for uneven makeup: f-u-z-z. Finishing Touch Flawless glides
over the contours of your face, removing unwanted hair so products blend seamlessly.
- Photographed by Elliot & Erick Jimenez / Clip by Ingrid Frahm47/47