You’re about to enter a sacred space: our 2023 Readers’ Choice Beauty Awards, aka a collection of the year’s best skincare, makeup, hair products, tools, and treatments...according to you. Back in April, we asked our savviest readers to vote for their most beloved beauty items, and more than 75,000 (!) of you weighed in. And today? We’re excited to debut this epic list of 85 winners—whittled down from nearly 7 million votes!—curated and vetted entirely by you all. Keep scrolling to hear from IRL reviewers about why these fan favorites are absolute must-haves—and don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone if you decide to shop ’em all.
What you love to use on your face and body
The biggest benefits of this toner? Pore minimizing and improved skin texture. “My pores used to be giant, and this really helped make them look smaller and tighter,” one reader told us. “It makes my skin so soft, smooth, and clear,” another one of you shared.
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser
4,800 readers called this their favorite makeup remover. “It’s my go-to,” wrote one of you. “The way it leaves my skin so clean is amazing—no residue and no irritation,” said another.
Many of you said you loved the “texture,” “feel,” “fun packaging,” and “affordability” of Byoma products. As for the eye cream, “it’s my go-to for both morning and night—it has helped with my dark circles and under-eye bags,” said one of you.
Y’all have nothing but love for this sleeping mask from Bubble. “It hydrates and calms my skin without creating any greasy residue or breakouts,” shared one reader. “When I wake up in the morning after using this, my skin simply feels incredible.”
“I love everything Cocokind, especially this sunscreen. It’s so gentle and it feels light on my skin. The quality of the products at an accessible price point and the company’s sustainable practices are why I’ve been a loyal customer for years.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
“This product is so easy to integrate into my routine,” wrote one reviewer, adding that “it’s a lifesaver for when your skin feels irritated or inflamed.” Other great feedback: “This works so well to soothe acne-prone skin” and “it takes down redness almost instantly.”
Treating active breakouts and the dark scars and marks they leave behind at the same time can be tricky, but this lightweight lotion gets the job done. “This stuff is amazing—it cleared my acne and brightened my complexion,” one of you wrote.
These pimple patches were your favorite in 2022 and they got your top vote again this year. “These are super cute and fun and make me less angry about having a pimple,” wrote one enthusiast.
Pretty much your ultimate fix for cracked, chapped lips. “This feels so soothing on my lips and makes them feel soft for a long time,” wrote one of you. “I never leave my house without it in my
purse,” said another.
“Super hydrating,” “smells amazing,” “gives smooth skin,” and ”cleanses without drying” were among all the positive things you had to say about this creamy body wash.
“This is the only body lotion I’ve used for the last 10 years. It keeps skin hydrated and is not greasy or tacky,” shared one reader. “This lotion makes me skin so smooth and it has helped my eczema so much,” said another.
You all love how this gentle body scrub makes your arms and legs “feel so soooo smooth” and “has the prettiest, freshest floral scent.”
Many of you agreed that Osea’s body oil is worth the $$. “It immediately helped with my cracked elbows and knees—plus, it dries down quickly and smells divine,” said a reader. “It leaves my skin glowy and soft, not sticky like so many other body oils I’ve tried,” wrote another.
Behold: Your chicest solution for dry hands because “it is so moisturizing and smells amazing” and “the bottle is just so gorgeous, I bring it everywhere.”
This checked all your boxes when it comes to the perfect antiperspirant. “It stops sweat, smells fresh but not overly perfume-y, and feels nice and soothing under my arms,” explained one of you.
“Easy to use” and “natural-looking” were common phrases you all used to describe your favorite self-tanner. “These drops are great because I can really control the amount of color,” said a reader. “They give my skin the dewiest glow and never look orange,” wrote another.
Your favorites for your eyes, lips, cheeks, and more
Check out this 10/10 review from a reader: “The Ilia Skin Tint is the perfect natural base for a fresh and dewy daytime look. I love the amazing shade range and the lightweight feel. It gives me great coverage yet feels like I’m wearing nothing at all.”
Many of you called this the greatest concealer of all time. “Nothing else covers my dark circles,” one of you wrote. “I will die on the hill that is Tarte Shape Tape,” said another superfan.
You all love ColourPop—especially this top-rated highlighting powder. “Colourpop has great, affordable products that last and are even better than some higher-end products I’ve tried,” wrote one reader. “I really just like anything from Colourpop,” another one of you said.
Thousands of you crowned this gem your all-time favorite eyeliner. According to one reader (and, like, every makeup artist ever), “the tip is so precise and the pen is so easy to use.”
Your secret weapon for making natural lashes feel super strong and healthy. “I use this for gorgeous, curled lashes that always get me tons of compliments,” one of you explained.
“I love MAC lipsticks because of the wide shade range and amazing texture.” You said it and honestly, we couldn’t agree more.
TikTokers aren’t the only ones obsessed with this viral sensation: “The Dior lip oil is to die for! I always get compliments when I wear it” was just one enthusiast’s response.
Tons of you had high remarks for this lip liner. “It’s been my favorite for years—the shade options are beautiful and the formula has great longevity,” wrote one tester. “It goes on smooth and the tip never breaks,” wrote another.
It was your favorite polish of 2022, and it’s still your mani-pedi formula of choice for 2023. The color stays ultra-shiny and chip-free for up to 11 days—plus, the shades are pretty perfect.
These were your clear favorite in the press-on nail category. “Kiss nails are THE go-to for press-on nails,” shared one reader, adding, “they’re so quick and reliable and they always stick!”
Everything you’re obsessed with for washing, conditioning, and styling
A winning choice for nearly all hair types and textures, from fine and straight to thick and curly. “It is affordable yet high quality and smells delicious,” gushed one of you.
If you’re not already one of the hundreds of readers obsessed with K18, consider this a sign to hop on the bandwagon ASAP. “It totally healed my hair,” said one of you. “K18 all the way—it’s by far the most effective hair product I’ve ever used,” wrote another.
This is so much more than just a leave-in conditioner. It detangles, gives hair silkiness and shine, helps repair damage and split ends, minimizes flyaways, and makes styling way easier. It’s no surprise 1,800 of you said it’s the leave-in conditioner you “swear by.”
“Shiny,” “silky,” and “super-soft” were words y’all used to describe your hair after using this hair oil. The magic? A blend of hydrating honey, conditioning coconut oil, and strengthening almond oil.
“Mielle products are always at the top for me—they literally never miss,” professed one reader. “Mielle is in a category of its own. I really love how these products—especially the edge control—make my hair feel,” raved another.
Leave it to Jennifer Aniston to create a detangler that leaves hair feeling like straight silk. “This detangles my hair so unbelievably well,” wrote one of you. Another of you said, “I use this every time I get out the shower and my hair is always so soft and smooth.”
1,000 readers told us this is their favorite way to give fine, flat hair a boost. “This stuff is so good for volumizing,” shared one tester, adding, “I’ve honestly never tried a Not Your Mother’s product that I didn’t love.”
Cosmo’s curly girls love this mist for refreshing and resetting hair in a pinch. The lightweight blend of aloe vera, cactus flower, and pequi extract moisturizes and smooths to breathe new life into second (or third) day hair.
The techy stuff on your vanity
“The Dyson hair dryer is the best hair dryer I have owned,” said one of you. “It’s worth every penny—each time I use it, my hair looks like I just came straight from the salon” and “it truly gives the perfect blowout,” shared two more readers.
“This brush is gentle on my wet hair which is important because that’s when hair is most fragile,” explained one of you. “It’s a miracle brush. Wet, tangled hair from a 20-mile run in the rain? No problem, no pulling, and no snags,” said another one of you.
Facial rollers are the It skincare tool of 2023, and 1,600 of you crowned BeautyBio’s Cryo Skin Icing Roller your favorite. It soothes, depuffs, calms inflammation, and can even help make large pores look less noticeable too.
At this point, there are hundreds of Beautyblender dupes, but the majority of you agree that the OG is the real deal. “There’s nothing like a real Beautyblender—it delivers a superior blend every time I use it and my makeup always looks so smooth,” one of you told us.
1,300 of you said this is the “one nail product you swear by for DIY manis-pedis.” The sharp, ultra-thin edges make it easy to remove excess cuticle, jagged nail edges, and annoying hang nails with ease.
“I’m OBSESSED with my Billie razor. I’ve been using it since 2019 and will never go back,” gushed one of you. “The Billie razor is so good! I love the shower holder and how sustainable the system is,” another one of you said.
The best steals, splurges, and one-of-a-kind finds
Hundreds of new beauty brands launch every day, and board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss' was the biggest standout according to readers. “I have incredibly sensitive skin and these products actually work without destroying my skin barrier. The mask, serum, and moisturizer have helped get rid of my sun spots. I just started using the depuffing roller and I’m loving that too,” read a review.
5,200—that’s how many of called Ariana Grande’s R.e.m. Beauty the celebrity beauty brand you love. “The products are beyond and the packaging is so cool,” one of you told us. “I’m kinda over celeb beauty brands, but this line is just so good. It feels different from other brands,” said another. (P.S. If you haven’t tried anything from R.e.m. yet, I 10/10 recommend the lip oil.)
“Curology saved my face. The custom treatment I was prescribed was the only thing that helped my acne after trying different products for years with no results,” shared one of you. “I love Curology because it gives real results in real time,” said another reader
This drugstore foundation performs just as well—maybe even better—than prestige options that are quite literally five or six times the price. “It creates a flawless base,” wrote one of you, adding, “it is so affordable and does its job way too well.”
“These pimple patches are genius. They really get rid of the redness and swelling associated with breakouts overnight,” said one review. “I LOVE the Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch pimple patches. I tried them once and now they’re the only patches I will ever use,” wrote another tester.
“This is the best-feeling foundation I’ve ever put on my face. It’s so lightweight, but the coverage is somehow substantial,” wrote one of you. “It gives you the ultimate glowy skin look,” another one of you told us.
You all called this the “biggest hair breakthrough” of 2023. “Compared to other tools like this, the Shark’s FlexStyle is a steal. It dries, smooths, curls, and styles my hair better than anything else I’ve tried,” said a reader. Another one of you said that “it’s the reason I no longer spend a ton of money on pro blowouts.”
More than 2,000 readers voted for Hydrafacial as their favorite in-office cosmetic treatment. “It’s by far the best facial if you want healthy, hydrated skin,” one of you commented.
Photographs: Joe Lingeman. Prop stylist: Jojo Li for Hello Artists. Beauty direction: Lauren Balsamo. Creative director: Mallory Roynon. Digital creative director: Abby Silverman Art director: Mary Fama. Senior visuals editor: Emily Adar. Visual assistant: Berkeley Brooks. Digital designer: Khadija Horton. Manicure: Shirley Cheng for See Management using Chanel.
Type (Outward) by Raoul Audouin sourced from Velvytyne.
January 2023: Cosmo’s team of beauty editors and contributors nominate 10 standout beauty products across 85 different categories, including makeup, skin, hair, and nails. Our nominations were influenced by trends, top sales, reader shopping habits, social media, and more.
April 2023 to May 2023: Cosmo launches the Readers’ Choice Beauty Awards survey. Readers have six weeks to vote for their favorites in each category or nominate their own winner. Readers provide feedback for their selections as well. In total, 75,927 readers take the survey and 6,985,284 votes are cast.
June 2023 to July 2023: Cosmo beauty editors comb through data from the survey to identify a winning product for all 85 categories.
September 2023: We share the winners and our readers’ thoughts on their beauty favorites with you.
Lauren Balsamo is deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for nine years at Cosmopolitan and has contributed to Women’s Health and Seventeen magazines as well. Follow her on Instagram.