These Are the Best Beauty Products of 2026

Welcome to The Who What Wear Podcast. Think of it as your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors, and tastemakers who are shaping the fashion-and-beauty world. Subscribe to The Who What Wear Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

For the third annual Who What Wear 100 Beauty Awards, Beauty Director Erin Jahns worked with in-house beauty-editor testers and a roster of celebrity experts to share a curated list of the best beauty products across makeup, hair, skincare, and more.

One of this year’s winners in the hair category was Roz’s Salt Scalp Scrub.

Latest Videos From

“Both of our hairstylists commented on this one and reviewed it and said that it’s a must to remove buildup and give your scalp a refresh,” Jahns said.

Another favorite in the makeup category (for the second year in a row) was Makeup by Mario’s Master Mattes Palette.

“It’s basically just the perfect palette,” Jahns said.

In the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Jahns talks to Editor in Chief Kat Collings about some of this year’s standout products—including a foundation that is worth the splurge and an unexpected tool.

For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.

Was there one product that several beauty power players were really into?

I would say Roz’s Salt Scalp Scrub.

[Both] of our hairstylists commented on this one and reviewed it and said that it’s a must to remove buildup and give your scalp a refresh.

They love using it once a week, and it gives you incredible volume at the roots and really a fresh base for anything you’re doing the rest of the week.

It’s also very gentle and perfect before a big event, like a wedding or red carpet.

You mentioned the scalp scrub. Are there any other standouts that you think our readers should definitely know about?

Chris McMillan launched a line in the last year.

All of his products are great, but his Glassy Smooth Hair Oil won for best hair oil, and it is so great.

It does really give you that glassiness but without any oiliness or heaviness.

Then Crown Affair’s Overnight Repair Serum was another one where you just apply it at night.

It feels very lightweight, it smells nice, and then you wake up and you feel like if you have split ends, you can’t really see them anymore.

Your hair just feels stronger, shinier, and one of those kind of easy things that you can just do before you go to bed and wake up with better-looking hair and then get that instant gratification, but also obviously with time kind of builds upon the results.

Let’s talk about makeup. Is there a universal product that you think literally anyone or almost anyone could pick up in Sephora and love?

This is another one that I think all the celebrity makeup artists on our panel would back me up would be the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, especially if you do use base products like a concealer or a foundation.

As we’re heading into summer, when, you know, maybe skin gets a little bit hotter, it just locks everything in.

There’s another one, too. Makeup Forever’s Multitasking Artist Color Pencil. That’s an OG.

I feel like you see all the celebrities wearing it or testing it on TikTok or, you know, makeup artists love it, too.

You can use it as a lip liner, an eyeliner, can use it as a shadow, a blush, and it has lots of iconic shades.

Are there any other celeb faves from the guest panel of judges?

This product actually won last year as well, so this is an example of a product that just could not be beat in its category. It’s the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Palette in original.

It’s basically just the perfect palette.

We had two of our makeup artists, Renée Loiz and then Lila Childs, both comment on this.

Then we also had our aesthetician, Candace Marino, we had Bridget Brager, who’s our celebrity hairstylist—or one of our celebrity hairstylist judges—so, so much applause for this product.

Are there any makeup winners that you don’t necessarily need but are kind of a fun treat-yourself moment?

One of our other most expensive products that we gave an award to, especially the makeup category, was the Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Foundation.

It’s definitely not the type of matte foundation where it feels cakey or really, really matte, like 2016 era, but gives you this kind of cloud-like finish where it doesn’t look too dewy or wet like some foundations end up looking.

Any products that surprised you or that kind of disrupted your status quo gold-standard beauty routine?

Mara’s Pearl Peptide Glaze, which I’ve already heard is one of our top sellers so far since our winners were announced. It’s just really dreamy.

It’s kind of a three-in-one essence, toner, serum hybrid, and it really does just instantly transform your skin.

Let’s move on to tools. What’s one splurge you would recommend?

This kind of depends on what you’re into, whether you’re kind of a hair person, whether you are trying to improve your skin, because our tools section really spans everything.

I think that the one best thing that you can purchase is the Qure shower filter, which is $99. It’s easy to install.

There’s different colors and finishes. It uses a triple-layer filtration system that reduces 99% of chlorine, heavy metals, harsh minerals that are usually getting in your hair, getting on your skin, and just drying and stripping.

It’s one of those things that helps improve all the other products that you’re using.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.