You may be surprised to hear that the proverbial Allure group chat (a.k.a. Slack) is just as a-buzz with new product launches as it is with editor love letters to classic beauty products. It turns out, our readers are just like us. We took a look at the most popular beauty products of 2023 among our audience and compiled our findings into one fascinating end-of-year roundup.
While many of the products aren’t fresh off the 2023 press release, our readers sought tried-and-trues you wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to a friend. It makes sense, then, that many have picked up a Best of Beauty and/or Readers’ Choice Award — or two! Ahead, the most coveted and clickable products according to, well, you.
The Most Popular Beauty Products of 2023
- The Wonder Eye Cream: RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $22
- The Vitamin C Serum: La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum, $45
- The Hot Launch: Tarte Shape Tape Radiant Concealer, $31
- The Dark Spot Minimizer: SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense Multi-Phase Serum, $108
- The Plumping Serum: Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum, $45
- The K-Beauty Sunscreen: Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun SPF 50, $13
- The Drugstore Foundation: L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation, $15
- The Luxe Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $69
- The Luxe Lip Tint: Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in 928 Pink Delight, $45
- The Drugstore Lip Tint: Peripera Ink the Velvet Lip Tint, $10
- The Mascara: Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara, $5
- The Scalp-Loving Shampoo: Tea Tree Scalp Care Regeniplex Shampoo, $53
- The Vibrator to Rule Them All: LELO Sona 2, $149
Hopelessly Devoted to You
Consistently throughout the year, no product tempted our readers to check out quite as much as RoC’s Retinol Correxion Eye Cream. This potent formulation features pure vitamin A to address the signs of wrinkles, crow’s feet, dark circles, and puffiness. The kicker is that the retinol is paired with glycerin, meaning it’s soothing and gentle enough to use on the daily. While we’ve been singing this product’s praises for some time, the brand got a healthy publicity boost from Sarah Jessica Parker in the fall, which probably contributed to its popularity.
Runners-up to RoC’s eye cream are similar hard-working skin-care products from La Roche-Posay and SkinCeuticals. The former is our top drugstore pick from our Best Vitamin C Serums round-up and, as we report in our review, the product’s inclusion of neurosensine (a synthetic peptide), glycerin, and hyaluronic acid helps to soothe the skin from all of the refining and evening out caused by the vitamin C. Of course, if vitamin C isn’t your cup of tea, SkinCeuticals’ Discoloration Defense uses tranexamic acid to not only correct but prevent dark spots. It’s no wonder it’s a year-round favorite among readers.
That New-New
We all love a routine mainstay but there’s nothing like a fresh drop to get the heart pumping. Like us, our dear readers fell in love with several 2023 Best of Beauty Award winners that splashed onto their respective scenes. Home to one of our favorite concealers ever, Tarte’s Shape Tape family expanded (again) with Shape Tape Radiant, a glow-inducing version of the original. MAC changed the game with its Lash Dry Shampoo, which softens dried-up mascara and detangles mid-day clumps.
In the skin-care arena, many of you introduced Ilia’s sea fennel (a natural retinol alternative perfect for sensitive skin) eye cream and The Ordinary’s gentle foaming cleanser onto your bathroom counters.
Put in the (Makeup) Bag
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: You don’t need to spend a fortune on foundation to get a glowy, red carpet-worthy finish. L’Oreal Paris’ Perfect Radiance Foundation is proof in the pudding — and it happens to be the clickiest foundation among our readers in 2023.
For those who want to spend a bit more of their budget on their base products, the two luxe favorites were far and away Armani’s Luminous Silk and Chanel’s Les Beiges.
The people loved a light touch last year, and Saie’s Slip Tint delivered the perfect natural glow for plenty of our readers. Primers also proved big in 2023, led by Milk Makeup’s superstar Hydrogrip. (Honorable mention goes to the Beyoncé-approved One Size by Patrick Starr’s On ‘Til Dawn to seal the deal.)
The makeup love didn’t stop there. Tubing mascara isn’t a new concept but, thanks to TikTok, it had a major resurgence in the second half of 2023. The best way to hop onto a trend that’s worth the hype without breaking the bank? Picking up an under-$10 mascara, like Essence’s Bye Bye Panda Eyes, of course. Speaking of trends, they may come and go, but your (and our) love for Tarte’s Tartelette in Bloom Eye Shadow Palette will likely never fade — this 12-pan of everyday, wearable neutrals suits any mood or event.
‘Your Lips But Better’ Tints
We largely have Sofia Riche Grainge to thank for the “quiet luxury” aesthetic that took over our feeds after she blessed us with content surrounding her picturesque French wedding. A key part of her clean, soft glam? Chanel’s Rouge Coco Baume in 928 Pink Delight. Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk is another classic pinky-nude shade that does the trick, and you went all-in during the gifting season with a specially curated Pillow Talk kit. K-beauty lip tints also reigned supreme, and Peripera makes one of our absolute faves to recommend — it looks like they may be our readers’ as well.
The Most Likely Ingredient to Succeed
The skin-care ingredient that opened hearts and wallets in 2023 was hyaluronic acid. New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, MD, told Allure that the humectant is “great at holding water and giving skin resilience and firmness.” It’s known to deliver dewier, plumper, and all-over hydration. It’s no wonder you couldn’t get enough of the best hyaluronic acid serums, which include Glow Recipe’s silky Plump Plump Hyaluronic Serum (five weights of hyaluronic acid for deeper penetration) and the splurge-worthy SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier (which has HA-supporting ingredients such as licorice root and purple rice.)
The peach-tinted, TikTok-loved Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Eye Creme also proved popular, so much so that our readers awarded it a 2023 Reader’s Choice Award. And, no surprise here, the everyone-backed CeraVe moisturizing cream will never not be an HA-infused winner.
Mature Skin Must-Haves
Plenty of mature beauty-focused skin-care products made it to the top of our reader’s carts. We loved to see it, especially since Allure launched its Definitive Guide to Over-40 Beauty Products in the fall of last year. Our readers continue to swear by the three-time Best of Beauty Award-winning SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, but Paula’s Choice’s Antioxidant Serum (one we deem an excellent option for sensitive skin types) also moved up the ranks. If you can’t tell by the names, both products are packed with vitamin C and ferulic acid — two powerhouse antioxidants that work together to brighten and even out your complexion.
Routine Standouts
It’s good to know we’re not the only ones constantly tweaking our skin-care routines. Plenty of our readers made their (millionth?) purchase of La Roche Posay Toleriane and Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost moisturizers.
A bit more surprising is that readers loved an oil cleanser last year, with DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil edging out all other facial cleansers and Avene’s XeraCalm (which can be used from head to toe) also proving to be a popular pick.
Speaking of routines, two sunscreens proved most enticing to our readers. In terms of lightweight, no-cast sunscreens, it doesn’t get much better than EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46, and our readers are clearly in the know. The dermatologist-beloved SPF is a physical blocker powered by zinc oxide (ideal for particularly sensitive skin) and niacinamide for a glow-inducing, brightening effect. The other sunscreen to win over our readers’ hearts is from our Best Korean Sunscreens roundup. Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun is a viral sunscreen that’s also an Allure editor favorite — it disappears into skin within seconds and its star ingredient, 30% rice extract, soothes and plumps upon contact.
Hair Heroes to the Rescue
There’s never a bad time to go back to basics with hair care and, in 2023, our readers were all about nourishing products from scalp to ends. The dandruff-defying Tea Tree Scalp Care Shampoo was the clickiest, followed by the clarifying shampoo from Tia Mowry’s line.
Our most popular moisturizing hair product was the Olaplex No. 8 Bond Moisture Mask with SheaMoisture’s Marfura Hydration Treatment coming in second.
In terms of styling, curly girls loved SGX NYC’s Curl Power cream, and the hot hair tool of choice was the highly-rated Infiniti Pro Conair Hair Dryer. While we love our Dyson Supersonic, there are certainly more affordable options on the market that’ll help you achieve the blowout of your dreams.
And the Sexiest Award Goes To…
Last but certainly not least: vibrators. This was such a hot (ahem) category for our readers, with the ultimate favorite coming from LELO. The luxe Swedish brand retailer only releases one or two new toys a year, and ever since its debut of the Sona 2 in 2019, bedside tables everywhere were forever changed. Top sellers from Womanizer (specifically the Lovehoney clit vibrator collaboration), PinkCherry (hello, We-Vibe Touch), and Maude were in the mix. Consider it ending the year with a bang, of sorts.
More products we heart:
