The 100 Top Skin Care Products of All Time

5 Mar

Note: Scroll to the underside to see photo galleries of one of the best products in various categories.

If skincare is the engine that fuels the sweetness industry — who knows it higher than the people in the driving force’s seat? So when Beauty Inc decided to create the definitive list of the highest treatment products of all time, we knew the one strategy to compile it might be to ask the founders, marketers, retailers, influencers, analysts, artists and C-suite types who comprise the industry to weigh in.

In early January, we sent ballots to greater than 300 industry insiders, then tabulated their answers. The response was overwhelming: Promised confidentiality, a lot of beauty’s biggest names participated in the method.

The resulting list of 100 products is a captivating microcosm of skincare today. There are newcomers and classics alike. Moisturizers, by far, garnered essentially the most variety of votes, but clinical, ingredient-driven products — vitamin C, retinol, peels and acids, whether alpha hydroxy or hyaluronic — are also heavily represented. Based on the votes received, we have now identified the highest 10 skincare products; the remaining 90 are listed alphabetically.

Other key insights: Clean is a definite truth today — over 25 percent of the highest 100 meet the definition of unpolluted as established by a serious retailer. Geographically, French pharmacy products were primary, with K-beauty not far behind. Over one-third of the brands on the list have female founders, and plenty of are relative newcomers to the scene — including the biggest vote getter, Augustinus Bader’s The Cream and The Wealthy Cream. Here, the best 100 skincare products as voted on by the sweetness industry.

The Top 10

Augustinus Bader The Cream and The Wealthy Cream

Launched: 2018

Price: $265

With a well-connected cofounder on the one hand, and a superb scientist on the opposite, Augustinus Bader’s The Cream and The Wealthy Cream have shot to the skincare stratosphere in record time. Said one elector, “It’s the mixture of right product launched at the fitting time in the fitting way. It does what it says it’s going to do.” Consumers appear to agree. Sales tripled in 2020, from $24 million the 12 months before to $70 million in 2020.

Fun Fact: Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, sales tripled in 2020, from $24 million in 2019 before to $70 million in 2020.

La Mer The Moisturizing Cream

Launched: 1965

Price: $345

The cult classic with essentially the most compelling creation story within the business is as popular with industry insiders because it is with consumers. Under parent company the Estée Lauder Cos., it has blossomed into billion-dollar plus brand status.

Fun Fact: Each jar of Crème de la Mer is hand-filled inside eight hours of formula completion, with the room’s temperature continuously controlled. The time-intensive method insures that the lively ingredients are suspended within the cream’s unique emulsion.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Get well Complex

Launched: 1982

Price: $105

Since its launch almost 40 years ago, when it was certainly one of the primary products to focus on nighttime repair, ANR has been updated 4 times, most recently in 2020. It stays a worldwide bestseller for Lauder, equally as popular within the East and West with a cross-generational consumer base.

Fun Fact: In 2019, roughly 22 bottles per minute were sold globally.

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Day by day Peel

Launched: 2005

Price: $88

Peels are super hot without delay — and this OG patented two-step version stays as relevant today as when it launched greater than 15 years ago.

Fun Fact: One Peel is sold every three seconds globally.

SkinCeuticals C + E Ferulic Serum

Launched: 2005

Price: $166

Launched: 2005

“I’ve tried every vitamin C product on the market and that is hands down one of the best,” wrote one elector, echoing the feelings of many citizens.

Fun Fact: In 2018, SkinCeuticals sold 2,893 serums per day, 120 per hour, two per minute.

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen

Launched: 2018

Price: $34

Supergoop! founder Holly Thaggard is on a mission to make sunscreen an on a regular basis essential — and with this weightless, scentless, invisible product, she has succeeded within the eyes of the sweetness industry.

Fun Fact: The highest-selling sunscreen at Sephora, three Unseen Sunscreens are sold every minute.

Biologique Recherche Lotion P50

Launched: 1970

Price: $106

P50, to those within the know, is the cultiest of cult products. After taking up recent strategic partners in 2019 and getting an infusion of money, the brand is expanding its purview — and recognition.

Fun Fact: P50’s name comes from the effectiveness of the product: P refers to its peeling motion, while 50 corresponds to the 2 epidermal cycles (between 21 and 28 days each) needed to attain optimal results.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

Launched: 2004

Price: $185

The naturally derived essence with greater than 90 percent of the hero ingredient, pitera, was discovered by sake-making Japanese monks. Today, it’s equally as popular with beauty insiders.

Fun Fact: One bottle is sold every two seconds.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +

Launched: 1968

Price: $29.50

The center of Clinique’s trademark three-step skincare system stays as iconic today as when it launched greater than 50 years ago, due to a refresh in 2013 that increased its hydrating properties by greater than 50 percent.

Fun Fact: Clinique tested greater than 100 formulas over a six-and-a-half 12 months period when coming up with the supercharged formula that became DDML+. Globally, one sells every 7.54 seconds.

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum

Launched: 2013

Price: $80

Drunk Elephant was instrumental in ushering within the age of unpolluted, clinical skincare, and its signature vitamin C serum is a standout with cosmetics experts.

Fun Fact: One serum sells every two minutes globally.

11 to 100, organized alphabetically:

Alchimie Eternally Kantic Brightening Mask, $60. The brand’s top seller was first developed as a post-procedural treatment for pulsed-dye laser patients.

Algenist Liquid Collagen, $115. Comprises greater than 13,000 bubbles of microalgae oil per bottle.

Aquaphor Healing Ointment, $8.69 for 3.5-oz. The multipurpose salve is essentially the most really useful panacea by dermatologists.

BeautyStat Universal C Refiner, $80. Featuring three different patents, greater than 250,000 units have sold since launch.

Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, $38. Belif has sold greater than 4 million Aqua Bombs, and its sister product, Moisturizing Bomb, since launch.

Bio-Oil Specialist Skincare Oil, $12.99 for two.-oz. Created by a German doctor and sold first in South Africa, that is the top-selling scar and stretch mark product in 18 countries.

Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water, $14.90. One bottle is sold every two seconds.

Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil, $72. One bottle was sold every three minutes globally in 2020.

Boiron Homéoplasmine, $5.75. This plant-based treatment, which is sold in 16 countries, has had the identical formula since 1932.

Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, $3.59. About 500,000 balms are manufactured on daily basis.

Carol’s Daughter Face Butter Nourishing Cream, $12. Meant as a substitute for petroleum jelly, founder Lisa Price conceived of the moisturizer as a product her whole family could use.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir, $49 for 100-ml. A French pharmacy staple, one is sold once every 30 seconds globally.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, $15.49 for 12-oz. Social media stardom helped sales grow 82 percent in the primary nine months of 2020 alone — with analysts predicting billion-dollar brand status is imminent.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $9.50. Cetaphil’s first product has develop into a drugstore mainstay, selling once a minute.

Chanel Sublimage La Crème, $400. This took 10 years to formulate, and requires a special extraction approach to its hero ingredient, vanilla from Madagascar.

Chantecaille Pure Rosewater, $74. Each bottle incorporates greater than 4,000 petals of roses.

Clarins Double Serum, $127. A favourite around the globe, one sells every 4.5 seconds.

Clark’s Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream, $105. Founder Francisco Clark formulated this by accident, after mixing a resurfacing serum with a moisturizer during a moment of distraction.

Coola Classic Face Organic Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50, $32. As popular with consumers as insiders — that is the top-selling product in Coola’s portfolio.

Darphin Intral Day by day Rescue Serum, $130. This redness-fighting treatment is alleged to penetrate 18 layers of skin.

Dior Capture Totale Dreamskin Care & Perfect, $120. Considered one of these luxe creams is sold every 10 minutes.

Dove Beauty Bar, $3.08. Dove’s most recognizable product still literally flies off the shelves, with greater than 26 bars sold per second.

Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum, $300. Barbara Sturm’s first serum is now sold in 260 countries.

Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment, $52. This redness-reducer posted a 446 percent sales increase following a viral TikTok trend in November 2020.

Dr. PawPaw Original Multi-Purpose Soothing Balm, $8. The pinnacle-to-toe salve sells at a clip of 1 per minute.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, $128. Garnering greater than 50 awards since launch, one sells every 20 seconds.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, $24. Elizabeth Arden gave her bestseller its moniker after a client used it on a baby’s skinned knee, which healed eight hours later.

Elta MD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46, $36. Greater than 15,000 rankings on Amazon have catapulted this to bestseller status.

Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré, $28. A favourite in France, this sells once every 10 seconds globally.

Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar, $38. The soap, whose fans include Audrey Hepburn and John F. Kennedy, has sold greater than 50 million bars since launch.

Eve Lom Balm Cleanser, $80. Eve Lom’s moisturizing cleanser varies in color from batch to batch, depending on the harvest of Egyptian chamomile.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, $36. The pinnacle-to-toe moisturizer is sold once every 20 seconds globally.

Fresh Soy Facial Cleanser, $38. Considered one of the primary products to feature soy, Fresh’s cleanser sells one a minute within the U.S. and Canada.

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water, $8.99. Vital for proponents of the double-cleanse, every 4 seconds a bottle is sold.

Giorgio Armani Crema Nera Supreme Reviving Cream, $400. Greater than 350 resurrection plants were screened before formulators ultimately selected the Phoenix plant.

GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment, $60. A consistent bestseller at Sephora, this broke sales records inside six weeks of its launch.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, $45. Greater than 50 watermelons per day are required to supply the formula.

GoopGlow Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Mask, $125. Goop’s bestselling core product — in just only a 12 months — relies on each physical and chemical exfoliation.

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser, $34. The mask, makeup remover and cleanser hybrid sells once every seven minutes.

It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream, $49. Every hour, greater than 50 of those are sold.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil, $49. An early arriver to the face oil craze, this has sold 12 million bottles since launch.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment, $85. This sold out inside six minutes of its launch on QVC and still posts double-digit growth a decade later.

Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream, $55. The classic that sells 18 jars a minute.

Kopari Beauty 100% Organic Coconut Melt, $28. The celeb favorite doubles as a cleanser, moisturizer, shave cream and bath treatment.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, $510. A top-three bestseller for the brand for the last five years.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Pimples Spot Treatment, $29.99. The French pharmacy brand sells 1,122 units of Effaclar Duo Pimples Spot Treatment per day.

Laboratoires Filorga Time Filler Eyes, $59. A sleeper hit, this has been the brand’s third bestselling product since 2019.

Lancôme BiFacil Double Motion Eye- Makeup Remover, $15-40. Sold enough units in 2020 to fill 100,000 Champagne bottles.

Lancôme Advanced Génifique Face Serum, $105 for 1.7-oz. Enough bottles were sold in 2020 for each woman within the U.S. to have at the very least one on her shelf.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, $22. The little pink jar sells one lip mask per minute within the U.S.

L’Oréal Paris Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum, $29. This is alleged to be the bestselling serum within the U.S., with consumers buying one every minute.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, $17. Drying Lotion has been Mario Badescu’s top seller every 12 months since launch except once.

Natura Bisse Diamond Extreme Cream, $385. Natura Bisse’s global bestseller.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer, $17.99. Greater than 11 million ounces of this have been sold, enough to fill 4 swimming pools.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, $6.49 for 25. Essentially the most used makeup remover amongst skilled makeup artists, in response to the brand.

Nivea Creme, $1.29 to $7.49. 2.8 units were sold every second in 2020.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, $42. France’s bestselling oil.

Olay Regenerist Whip, $28.99. The technology that offers this cream its namesake texture can hold greater than 1,000 times its weight in lively ingredients.

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask, $27. Origins’ cult-favorite mask remains to be its bestseller in North America.

Patchology Flashpatch Rejuvenating Eye Gels, $35. The patch format hastens the absorption of the attention gels’ hero actives, caffeine and hydrolyzed collagen.

Peace Out Pimples Healing Dots, $19. Peace Out’s founder Enrico Frezza was denied by 65 labs in his quest to make these dots, that are the one patent-pending hydrocolloid patches for pimples.

Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum, $39. With 12 sold-out batches and a 25,000-person waitlist after launch, this jumpstarted the glass skin movement.

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash, $29. This has greater than 2,000 five-star reviews on ulta.com.

Pixi Glow Tonic, $15 for 100-ml. A part of Pixi’s debut skincare collection, the toner’s appeal endures, with one bottle selling every minute online at Boots.

ProActiv Renewing Cleanser. A part of ProActiv’s famous three-step regimen, that is the brand’s bestselling standalone product at Sephora.

RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $24.99. This purports to be the top-selling eye cream within the U. S.

Shani Darden Retinol Reform, $88. After generating a waitlist of 5,000 people at launch, Retinol Reform catapulted Shani Darden from esteemed aesthetician to skincare mogul.

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, $110. After winning 179 awards globally, one serum sells every seven seconds.

Sisley-Paris Black Rose Cream Mask, $166. France’s top-selling mask, with one sold every minute worldwide.

SkinFix Triple Lipid Peptide Cream, $50. A favourite of influencer Hyram Yarbro, the cream is reputedly certainly one of Sephora’s top-selling moisturizers.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, $33. A set of those sells every 12 seconds.

St. Tropez Self Tan Express Advanced Bronzing Mousse, $44. This customizable self-tanner sells once per minute.

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, $48. This flew off shelves, selling out two weeks after launch.

Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment, $85. Sunday Riley went through 15,000 formula iterations before hitting on the winning one for Good Genes.

Tammy Fender Holistic Skin Care Epi-Peel, $80. This blends ingredients from three continents: wealthy starch from Thailand, rosemary from Morocco and kaolin clay from France.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, $65. Almost 1,000 five-star reviews on Harper’s website alone have made this a brand bestseller.

Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, $68. Originally created for makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic.

Tatcha The Rice Polish, $65. An endorsement from Meghan Markle catapulted this cult favorite to top-selling status.

Thayers Witch Hazel Toner, $10.95. Amazon’s bestselling toner, and the latest member of the L’Oréal group of brands.

The Odd AHA 28% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, $7.20. Production will double this 12 months to almost 15 million units to maintain up with rising demand.

Then I Met You Cleansing Balm, $38. This has won eight awards since its launch.

True Botanicals Repair Serum, $140. The brand’s number-two selling product for the past 4 years running.

Tula Glow & Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm, $28. Tula has sold enough eye balms to succeed in the highest of the Empire State Constructing and back — 89 times.

U Beauty Resurfacing Compound, $148. Tina Craig’s buzzy product sold out globally inside two days of launch.

Urban Skin RX Even Tone Cleansing Bar, $24. A viral TikTok video led to a 220 percent sales increase in 2020.

Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair, $3.49-$5.99. Clinical studies show one use maintains hydration for a full 72 hours.

Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer, $29.50. Greater than 2.8 million bottles have sold worldwide since launch.

Vintner’s Daughter Energetic Botanical Serum, $185. Each batch takes three weeks to make.

Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Wealthy Cream, 18.99. One tube is sold every 23 seconds.

Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser, $36. The highest-selling facial cleanser at Sephora, in response to brand execs.

Click on the photos to view products in each category.