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Welcome to our Holy Grail Beauty Awards—a story that has never felt more necessary than in 2022.

cosmopolitan's holy grail beauty awards

The beauty industry has grown so much in the last few years, and the amount of new brands, products, and treatments to choose from is exciting but also absolutely overwhelming. What mascara should I buy?! Does this device actually work?! Is this eye cream deserving of the hype?! This is where we, the Cosmo beauty editors, can lend our expertise. Our team has a combined 30+ years of experience reviewing beauty products and treatments, so we’re genuine pros at cutting through the BS and finding the stuff that really truly works. These awards—an edit of the best of the beauty industry right now—are the culmination of months of swiping, swatching, and testing. It contains the 190 holy-grail-status products, tools, and treatments that we swear by right now. So next time you’re unsure of what to add to your cart or put on your face, let this story be your guide.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Skincare / Makeup / Hair / Body / Scents / Nails / Tools / Pro Treatments


skincare

All our favorite zit zappers, glow boosters, and skin smoothers.

skincare
CHELSEA KYLE

makeup

The very best for your eyes, lips, cheeks, and more.

tk
CHELSEA KYLE

hair

Whether you’ve got stick-straight strands or 4c curls, we’ve got you covered.

hair products
CHELSEA KYLE

body

Your smoothest, softest, baby angel skin starts right here.

body
CHELSEA KYLE

scents

Everything you need to be the best-smelling person in your friend group.

scents

nails

Your DIY mani-pedi game deserves all this goodness.

nails
CHELSEA KYLE

tools

All the game-changing gadgets that will make your life *so* much easier.

tools

pro treatments

The facials, peels, and lasers that are actually worth your $$.


Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Headshot of Lauren Balsamo
Lauren Balsamo
Beauty Director

Lauren Balsamo is the 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 more than a decade at Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram

Headshot of Chloe Metzger
Chloe Metzger
Deputy Beauty Director

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.

Headshot of Julee Wilson

Julee Wilson is Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan. Previously, Julee was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence and has held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She counts herself lucky AF that she gets to play with beauty products for a living and tell dope stories. And if you’re as obsessed with beauty as she is, make sure to follow her on Instagram for plenty of product recs, natural hair inspo, skincare testing, and Black girl magic shenanigans.