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Don't Buy Your Holiday Gifts on the TikTok Shop—Let Cosmo's Gen Z Beauty Editor Show You What to Get Instead
Every viral beauty product worth gifting in 2025—according to an editor with super-high screen time.
If there was a Spotify Wrapped for screen time, mine would be astronomically high. I've logged days of my life scrolling on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. I'm not exactly proud of it, but it is what it is. To be honest, though, it's made me a pretty damn good beauty editor. I know every single viral beauty product and trend that's popping off online, and for the most part, I've tested them all. All the cool facial devices and Korean skincare and celebrity beauty brands and popular $$$ hair tools (plus their even-more-famous dupes)—I know what's actually worth it and what's just buzzy on social right now.
But I get not everyone is spending all their time on their phone. Can't relate to that level of digital detox, but okay. Fine. Which is why I've gathered all the cool, 'it' items that are worth giving as gifts this holiday season. They're perfect for the Sephora teens in your life, your bestie who's always sending you TikToks, or even your family members who are desperately trying to remain relevant (just mine?!?!)).
The best viral beauty products to shop right now:
All the buzz-worthy products I love are listed below. Keep 'em for yourself or give them as a gift—guaranteed, the teens in your life will not call you "unc" if you've wrapped up one of the below.
Best Deal
For all the people in your life who couldn't stop doing the "Gnarly" dance, surprise them with this lip oil. Real ones will know: KATSEYE was the face of this campaign with Glossier and each have their own signature shade.
I can't scroll on my FYP without seeing people rave about CYKLAR. The entire brand is fair game for gifting, tbh (Gracie Abrams's favorite is the Sex Musk Perfume Oil; although, I think my friends would look at me sideways if I tried to gift them something called "Sex Musk"). I'm pro this lotion, which won a Cosmo Holy Grail Beauty award and softens skin without feeling sticky.
Makeup artist Mary Phillips popularized "underpainting," a makeup technique that sculpts your face without looking cakey. And she's worked with all the greats: Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Kim Kardashian—trust that any beauty lover will immediately know when they see it. Her new brand makes doing her technique easy with five shades to highlight and contour.
Instead of gifting eye masks that have to be thrown away, invest in this set from Dieux that can be reused. Just swipe on your go-to eye cream and pop these on top to help depuff and encourage product to sink in.
Show me a chicer hand cream, I dare you. Anyone will feel like a million bucks pulling this out of their bag all winter.
It's the most famous phone case in the world. And it often sells out, meaning you'll actually look like Santa when they open this up.
If you can't get them a LUAR Ana bag, just get the next best thing. This affordable clip was made in collaboration with TRESemmé (fun fact: TRES does the hair for every LUAR fashion show). And it's freakin' adorable. Plus, it comes with a full-size TRESemmé Dry Texture Finishing Spray to complete your look.
This hand cream isn't just a hand cream. It's packed with retinol to help smooth and tighten the skin on your hands, plus soothing colloidal oatmeal. Think of it like a night cream for your hands. And the pretty jar doubles as a holding place for your rings while you sleep.
Anything Hailey Bieber uses is bound to quickly receive viral status, and the same could be said for the Medicube Age-R Booster Pro, a six-in-one skincare device that helps make your skin look hella glowy. Kendall and Kylie Jenner also recently became fans.
This mega-viral LED mask from Dr. Dennis Gross is one of the first that hit the market for at-home use, and it's still one of our favorites to this day. Picture your loved one lounging on the couch with this and their Kindle in hand? What dreams are made of.
Did you know Quince also makes fragrance? This one came out on top as one of our favorite Baccarat Rouge 540 dupes—it's fresh, sweet, and spicy.
For the K-beauty obsessed in your life (or just anyone who likes a self-care moment), these sheet masks stay on overnight so you wake up with bright, dewy skin. It's my lazy hack to secure a good skin day.
This won a Cosmo Readers' Choice Beauty Award for being the best hair cream, and you can likely find it all over your TikTok FYP for smoothing, slicking back, and softening all hair types.
Winter is the time to do laser hair removal at home, so it makes sense that this device is always on our feeds. Our editors who have tested assure that it's not painful but seriously effective at reducing hair over time.
TikTok discovered the magic that is my mom's favorite lipstick from Clinique last year and turned it into a Gen Z staple. Although it looks dark in the tube, Black Honey actually goes on hella sheer, leaving behind a berry tint that genuinely looks good on everyone.
Cosmo contributing beauty writer Iman Balagam reviewed this after a few weeks of testing and fell in love with the glass-skin glow it left on her skin.
This blush continues to go viral year after year—it's highly pigmented and stays on all day long. "Resilience" is a new shade that would be perfect for winter.
We got a teensy glimpse into Taylor Swift's self-care routine in the Eras Tour documentary trailer, and people quickly clung onto what seems to be her go-to body wash from OUAI. It's moisturizing with oils and feels so good on the skin, but best of all, it smells like a vacation.
I've watched countless gift guides recommend this product (it smells like warm, sweet almonds and leaves skin feeling so soft), and I couldn't cosign more.
Emi Jay makes the best hair clips, according to the entire Cosmo beauty team. And you've likely seen their decked-out accessories online (Gracie Abrams is a fan too, btw).
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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