26 skincare winners that claim their place in the GLAMOUR Beauty Power List Awards 2022
Every month, dozens of new moisturisers, serums and toners hit the shelves, tempting us to stray from our tried-and-tested skincare favourites. But how are we meant to know when it’s worth taking the plunge and investing in a new serum or jumping ship to a new brand altogether?
Enter the skincare winners in the GLAMOUR Beauty Power List Awards 2022. Think of it as your definitive list of the best products available to buy and try right now, broken down into every imaginable skincare step and concern. All of the nominees were initially selected by an expert panel of skincare aficionados, including Dija Ayodele, author and founder of the Black Skin Directory, Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, founder and medical director of Adonia Medical Clinic, and leading consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto. The winners were then determined by hundreds of thousands of your votes, so it’s safe to say that they are deserving of their top spot.
Among the skincare winners are some new entries from freshly launched brands boasting breakthrough innovation, as well as cult classics that refuse to be replaced. So, what are you waiting for? Scroll down to see the award-worthy acne treatment that has proven its efficacy time and time again, the acid exfoliator that guarantees a glow, and the best SPF that you can rely on come rain or shine…
We asked, our panel nominated, you voted and now we’ve awarded. Check out the rest of the GLAMOUR Beauty Power List Awards Winners 2022.
Best lightweight moisturiser
Bioderma Hydrabio Gel-Crème, £16
Super hydrating, but super lightweight, this is the dream combo if you’re after a moisturiser that quenches skin but sinks in quickly. It’s ultra-gentle and created with dehydrated and sensitive skin in mind. The blend of patented Aquagenium complex and vitamin E work to deeply hydrate, whilst a teensy concentration of exfoliating salicylic acid ensures skin stays smooth and receptive to the products and makeup you place on top.
Shortlist:
Trinny London Energise Me Niacinamide Moisturiser, £42
Best rich moisturiser
Elemis Pro-Collagen Morning Matrix Performance Day Cream, £125
Powerful marine and plant actives create a potent blend that can supercharge hydration and is clinically proven to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Beyond that, this feels luxurious on skin, it’s a surprisingly lightweight texture but with all the benefits of a rich cream, which might be why it nabbed 46% of votes.
Shortlist:
Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream, £77
Lumene (Arktis) Arctic Hydra Care Moisture & Relief Rich Day Cream, £23.20
Best night cream
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream, £32.80
The name sums it up – this whipped airy cream leaves skin feeling like it’s on cloud nine. The perfect bedtime remedy, it contains 98.6% naturally derived ingredients, including omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and botanicals, such as lavender and evening primrose, which replenish and strengthen the skin barrier.
Shortlist:
Nuxe Merveillance Lift Concentrated Night Cream, £38.50
Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme + Night Intensive Restorative Creme, £84
Dr Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask, £31.35
Best clarifying face mask
Fenty Skin Cookies N Clean Detoxifying Face Mask, £25
Well, if it’s good enough for Ri-Ri, right? The name may sound a little cutesy and novelty, but the formula is seriously hard-working. It packs whipped clay to mop up dirt and impurities, encapsulated charcoal to detoxify, and salicylic acid to gently polish skin.
Shortlist:
Tatcha The Clarifying Clay Mask, £65
Beauty Pie Super Pore-Detox Purifying Black Clay Mask, £45
Youth To The People Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask, £31
Best brightening face mask
L’Oréal Paris Pure Clay Glow Mask, £7.99
Affordable and effective (we love the combination). This melds three different types of clay with red algae extract to absorb excess oil, exfoliate away dead, dull skin and improve brightness.
Shortlist:
Rodial Vitamin C Brightening Mask, £65
Best hydrating face mask
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask Duo, £65.60, Cult Beauty
Glow Recipe is known for its fun, playful, high-performance skincare – and its sleeping mask is no exception. The luxurious bouncy gel texture melts into skin, and the headlining watermelon extract floods skin with vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids, so you wake up to super soft, beautifully fresh skin.
Shortlist:
Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, £45Dr Jart+ Cryo Rubber With Moisturizing Hyaluronic Acid, £11
Beauty Pie Japanfusion Bio-Ceramide Deep Moisture Mask, £100
Best eye treatment
The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream, £7.95
You can skip the espresso shot, since The Inkey List’s eye cream infuses circulation-boosting caffeine directly into skin to reduce puffiness and under-eye bags, leaving you looking bright eyed and more awake.
Shortlist:
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Eye Recovery Eye Cream, £56
Best eye makeup remover
Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make-Up Remover, £3.45
A classic for a reason, Simple’s gentle, fragrance-free eye makeup remover effectively sweeps away hard-to-remove mascara whilst conditioning lashes. And bonus, the bottle’s now made from 100% recycled plastic.
Shortlist:
Lancôme Bi-Facil Non-Oily Instant Cleanser Sensitive Eyes, £25
Best oil/balm cleanser
Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, £29
A fan favourite and deservedly so, this delicious cleanser feels like a mini spa sesh on skin, especially when combined with a hot cloth. The solid balm melts into a silky oil when massaged in and lifts the day away (we’re talking makeup, pollution and grime), leaving skin feeling comfortably soft.
Shortlist:
The Body Shop Camomile Dissolve The Day Make-Up Cleansing Oil, £12
Best micellar water
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water For Sensitive Skin, £5.99
With an impressive 50% of the votes, Garnier sweeps the top spot for the best micellar water. It’s not hard to understand why: not only is it supremely effective at removing all traces of makeup and daily grime, it’s also refreshingly affordable and recognised by the British Skin Foundation and Allergy UK for its soothing formula, which is suitable for all skin types (even the most sensitive).
Shortlist:
CeraVe Micellar Cleansing Water, £11
Best foaming cleanser
CeraVe Hydrating Cream-To-Foam Cleanser, £12.50
If there’s any skincare brand renowned for its cleansers, it’s CeraVe – and its Hydrating Cream-To-Foam Cleanser is its overall hero. It gently yet thoroughly cleanses the skin and, thanks to its three essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid and amino acid blend, it also strengthens the skin barrier and leaves skin moisturised.
Shortlist:
Caudalie Vinoclean Instant Foaming Cleanser, £15
Best cream/gel cleanser
The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser, £9
This cleanser is a classic and, according to our voters, it’s still the best out there for its creamy, silky texture and caring ingredients. Vitamin E protects the skin, as does wheat germ, which is known for its moisturising properties.
Shortlist:
Milk Makeup Vegan Milk Cleanser, £27
Best skincare bar
Carbon Theory Charcoal & Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Bar, £6.19
Perfect for easily congested or oily skin, this clever cleansing bar has been dermatologically proven to prevent breakouts, balance excess oil production and reduce inflammation. Plus, it’s a dream for popping in your carry on or gym bag without any risk of spillage.
Shortlist:
SBTRCT Vitamin C Booster, £30
Best acid exfoliator
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, £6.25
The combination of alpha hydroxy acids and salicylic acid creates a comprehensive exfoliating treatment that is able to address a multitude of skin concerns, from dullness to acne. It deeply exfoliates without ever leaving skin feeling dry or sensitised, thanks to hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5, which help to comfort and protect.
Shortlist:
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Corrective Unclogging Care, £18.50Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment, £78
Best exfoliator
Fresh Sugar Face Polish, £22.50
For those who prefer a physical scrub to a chemical exfoliator, it doesn’t get better than Fresh Sugar Face Polish. Packed with brown sugar granules and strawberry seeds to effectively buff away dead skin and debris, it also provides additional skin-boosting benefits (brown sugar is a natural humectant and seals in moisture, and strawberries are rich in antioxidants).
Shortlist:
Espa Refining Skin Polish, £32
Best SPF for face
La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+, £19
Regarded by many to be the ultimate authority in suncare, La Roche-Posay is known for its broad-spectrum, high-protection formulas. This Invisible Fluid is water, sweat and sand resistant, able to shield from UVA and UVB, hypo-allergenic and perfume free – and true to its name, it’s totally invisible on every skin tone.
Shortlist:
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF50, £14.99
Ultra Violette Queen Screen Lightweight Skinscreen SPF50+, £36
Best acne treatment
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Corrective Unclogging Care, £18.50
With 44% of the votes, La Roche-Posay wins again, this time for its Effaclar Duo (+) Corrective Unclogging Care, an essential for oily and acne-prone skin. Not only does it keep skin moisturised whilst minimising the appearance of breakouts and blackheads, it helps to prevent acne scarring and controls shine.
Shortlist:
Best skin barrier booster
Drunk Elephant Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray, £35
We all know how important it is to look after your skin’s microbiome, which is what makes this easy-to-use spray such a winner (literally). A few spritzes will supply skin with coconut water, fermented sake extract, hops, kombucha and antioxidants that will hydrate, protect, reduce redness and strengthen the skin barrier.
Shortlist:
Cultured Biomecare Biome Calm Cream, £60
Best serum: pigmentation
Murad Correct & Protect Serum Broad Spectrum SPF45, £68
This serum earned a winning spot for its multitasking ways and effectiveness. It works as both a 100% mineral, white-cast-free SPF, as well as a pigment corrector to bring your brightest healthiest skin yet. It’s formulated with beetroot extract to give you maximum hydration, but it’s the carotenoid technology that reflects UV light and provides you with an instant glow, whilst reducing visible discoloration and the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
Shortlist:
Paula’s Choice Clinical Discoloration Repair Serum, £46
Best serum: hydrating
Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster, £26
In need of something to quench your thirsty and dehydrated skin? Look no further than this serum, which is formulated to rehydrate and protect your skin barrier, and bring back its plumpness. Using its highest concentration yet, with 89% of Vichy Thermal Mineralizing Water and hyaluronic acid, this gel-like serum works hard to protect skin from pollution and is also suitable for sensitive and hypoallergenic skin.
Shortlist:
SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5, £72
Avène Hydrance Intense Rehydrating Serum, £21
Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum, £52
Best serum: brightening
Sunday Riley CEO 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, £70
There is nothing like a product that brings the best glow out of you. This advanced serum is packed with plant saccharides, which work hard to hydrate the skin, fused with 15% vitamin C, which is a brightening superhero ingredient. The combo minimises pores, brightens dark spots and reduces the signs of ageing.
Shortlist:
No7 Radiance+ 15% Vitamin C Serum, £19.95
Best retinol
Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer, £38
A retinol that feels hydrating and works hard to improve the appearance of the skin is always bound to be a winning formula. This Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer penetrates quickly deep into the skin’s surface layers to tackle fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, you name it. It keeps the skin hydrated for 24 hours and leaves you with visibly brighter-looking skin and tighter-looking pores.
Shortlist:
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Stable Retinal Night Serum, £47SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3 Refining Night Cream, £65
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser Pure Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Serum, £27.99
Best facial oil
Elemis Superfood Facial Oil, £45
This nutrient-rich facial oil captured a staggering 49% of votes for its super blend of nine antioxidant-rich superfoods, including broccoli, rosehip and flaxseed, because even your skin deserves its own five a day. The oil is light and non-greasy, and it’s easily absorbed, leaving your skin feeling nourished, plumped and radiant instantly.
Shortlist:
Decléor Aromessence Green Mandarin Glow Serum, £56
Best face tool
NuFace Mini Facial Toning Device, £175
Microcurrent facials may well sound gimmicky, but this stuff works. This toning device has won the hearts of many for its natural and effective face lifting powers from home. It works by emitting safe low-voltage electrical currents that sort of mirror your body’s own electrical currents that occur at cellular level. As a result, this stimulates collagen and elastic production, which can give you an instant lift and, with long-term use, reduce signs of ageing.
Shortlist:
Therabody TheraFace Pro, £375
Best fake tan for face
St Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist, £22
Imagine a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow from self-tan – with no rinsing, no streaks, no transfers and no weird scents? You’ve got it right here. All this clear, lightweight face mist requires is one application for a light-to-medium glow. It’s infused with a 100% natural tanning active, hyaluronic acid and non-pore blocking skincare ingredients, such as hibiscus extract, which has antioxidant properties to protect your skin from pollution. Bliss.
Shortlist:
Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops, £19.95
Best toner/essence/mist
Avène Thermal Spring Water, £14.25
This refreshing and pure water spray is here to calm, soothe and soften even the most sensitive skin in a few spritzes. Ideal for sunburn and nappy areas, as well as being a soothing agent for itching or tightness caused by dryness or cleansing, it can even fix makeup. Its low mineral content and neutral pH means that it reduces skin sensitivity fast and improves the skin barrier.
Shortlist:
