Cosmopolitan Holy Grail Beauty Awards: Best Products of 2025

I always say the beauty industry doesn’t need more (for the blissfully unaware, we’ve got a serious waste problem over here), we simply need better. Now I say this in the same breath that I’m introducing you to Cosmopolitan’s biggest beauty awards in its 60-year history—we have more winning brands and products than ever featured before—but trust me when I say these beauty awards are also, by far, the best.

Each of the 267 winning products, tools, and treatments on this list has been personally vetted by one of 29 discerning Cosmo editors, each with their own unique beauty point of view. And that vetting process? A yearlong journey of sorting through thousands of products and then swatching, testing, debating, and comparing notes and feedback on countless spreadsheets, Slack threads, and emails. The end result is an ultra-curated list of holy grails that deliver big on results and are a genuine joy to use too.

So next time you shop for new skincare, makeup, or perfume, reference this list and remember: better, not more. Think of it as your guide to shopping the crowded beauty landscape like a pro so you end up with one lipstick you truly love (instead of five so-so ones that just take up space in the bottom of your bag) or one clear sunscreen (instead of a bunch that end up leaving a white cast on your skin). Shop a small edit of our favorites for summer, as seen on NYC’s hottest DJ trio Las Flaquitas below, and don’t forget to click through each link for the full list of winners in each category.

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(Title Image) On Jess: Dress from Depop, Luar bandana, Jennifer Fisher earrings. On Tatiana: Diotima top, Norma Kamali swimsuit, Shiny Squirrel earrings (bottom), talent’s own earrings (throughout), Isabel Marant bracelet. On Kaila: Tropic of C bikini, R13 shorts, Shiny Squirrel earrings, Jacquie Aiche bodychains. (Face Image) On Kaila: Oséree bikini top, Shiny Squirrel earrings, talent’s own necklace.

On Tatiana: Edward Cuming bikini top and skirt, Bliss Lau earrings. On Kaila: Oséree bikini, No Maintenance jeans, Shiny Squirrel earrings, arm cuff, bracelets, and bodychain, talent’s own necklace. On Jess: Etro top, Tropic of C bikini, Deniz shorts, Jennifer Fisher earrings, Don’t Let Disco necklace.

On Tatiana: Theophilio dress, Marie Lichtenberg earrings.

On Jess: Christopher John Rogers bikini top, Diesel skirt, Jennifer Fisher earrings.

On Tatiana: Edward Cuming bikini top, R13 shorts.

On Kaila: top from The Break, Belle the Label top, Lizzie Fortunato earrings.

Details on our methodology

May 2024 to December 2024: We (aka the Cosmo beauty team) compile data on new and noteworthy beauty launches while continually researching and reviewing the thousands (yes, actual thousands) of products that come across our desks.

December 2024: The Cosmo beauty team organizes standout products and treatments into 267 categories spanning skincare, bodycare, makeup, hair, fragrance, nails, and pro treatments.

January 2025 to March 2025: The top products in each category are sent to a select group of beauty-obsessed Cosmo staffers for a 12-week testing period. These staffers are asked to honestly evaluate products based on criteria including efficacy, ease-of-use, value, and innovation.

April 2025: Cosmo staffers submit their favorite products (along with detailed feedback and testing notes) to the Cosmo beauty team for review. We then take all of that info and use it to create this list of 267 winners—our biggest beauty awards EVER.

May 2025: We share all of the winners—and exactly why our staff testers love them—in these easy-to-shop stories.

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Styled by Jessica Neises. Hair by Mirna Jose for Oribe. Makeup by Olivia Barad for Dior. Manicure by Alexandra Smith.