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We took over 1,350 products into our own hands to go beyond the best of the best. Here are, hands down, the top beauty products of 2023.
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Shape / Jessica Juliao / Prop Styling by Tina DiRosa
As a team, we’re leaning into wellness, seeing our fitness, nutrition, and beauty routines as part of an overall lifestyle strategy that supports our optimal physical and mental health. The lines between “wellness” and beauty have blurred, and we’ve become increasingly aware that what we put in our bodies is just as important as what we put on them. Sure, beauty comes from within, but at the end of the day, we’re still product junkies. However, we’re now sure that the products we choose to use outperform the rest, multitasking to the extreme.
For this year’s Beauty Awards, we shifted our strategy to ensure that we personally tested each and every product for multiple weeks. Each item on this list deserves a coveted spot on your vanity (and in your lifestyle) for a very specific reason.
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Shape / Design by Kaitlyn Collins
Check out each individual story to discover which products scored the highest in this year’s Shape Beauty Awards.
Best Wellness Beauty Products
It’s safe to say that beauty products aren’t just things you apply to your body or face anymore. We now know that there is truth to the fact that what you eat and drink, as well as how you take care of your body will influence how you look and feel. The key to looking good is feeling good, and we’ve got the best supplements (hello, probiotics), tools, and tech that do double (or even triple) duty.
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Shape/Jessica Juliao
Best Hair Products
With the right products and tools, every day can be your best hair day ever. Whether you’re looking to boost hair growth, get that squeaky clean feeling (here’s why you may actually not want that), or achieve a certain look, we’ve got you covered. Shampoo for thinning hair, check. Bond builder to strengthen, check. A blow dryer, curling iron, and air brush all in one, check, check, check.
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Shape/Jessica Juliao
Best Multitasking Makeup
Multitasking for the win, truly. Efficiency is key, especially for those who are looking to get the most out of their skincare routine and products (we see you, ‘high maintenance’ to be ‘low maintenance’ fans). We chose the products that will work overtime, providing extra skincare benefits, in addition to their main purpose.
Mascara that will make your eyelashes more luscious while boosting growth and shine? Yes, please. Skin tint with a vitamin C antioxidant boost? Hello, glowing skin. Expect more out of your products—and learn which will put in extra hours.
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Shape/Jessica Juliao
Best Skincare Products
The amount of skincare products available is dizzying. It’s hard to sort through all the options available and to know what actually works. That’s why we look to our skincare testing experts and go-to dermatologists for the best face wash, serums, lotions, and more. Plus, we think about skin holistically, as it is actually the largest organ in the body and therefore deserves your TLC from a health perspective. For that reason, we’ve got your top picks for deodorant, antiperspirant, and body lotion covered.
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Shape/Jessica Juliao
Best In-Office Treatments
It’s no secret that in-office beauty treatments can be extremely effective for achieving your most glowing, balanced complexion. And hey, if you’re going for a certain look, all the power to you. Our team of testers consulted experts to try out the hottest cosmetic injectables, muscle-stimulating treatments, and prescription-only acne solutions that we could get our hands (or faces and bodies) on.
Our Testing Process
This year, we combined the expertise of our wellness and beauty-focused editors with results from our on-site Dotdash Meredith testing lab and real-world product testing initiatives to get the best of the best when it comes to beauty. Here’s more information on how we actually put products to the test.
Our On-Site Testing Lab
The Lab—located in New York City—has over 5,500 square feet of testing space, where we can test everything from treadmills and running strollers to sports bras and mascaras side by side to see how they compare. During each test, we capture the unboxing, setup, and tester experience through photos, videos, and written insights to provide you with the most comprehensive and behind-the-scenes look at how the products performed during our tests.
Our editors, writers, and producers test products under the guidance of trained professionals and experts using standardized methodologies. For example, with eyelash growth serums, we enlisted 26 beauty-loving volunteers to stop using their usual products and use their assigned lash growth serum during the 10-week testing period. Each tester followed a specific methodology and step-by-step instructions to thoroughly test their product. They record detailed insights and capture custom images of how the product performs (as well as any pitfalls). We aim to have a variety of individuals with different skin and hair types and from various age ranges to gather all the details that you need to know to make an informed decision about your own skincare needs.
Plus, with our in-house testing, we go the extra mile. For moisturizers, we used a moisture reader device to measure the moisture level of the skin before and after product application. For antiperspirants, we instructed testers to hit the treadmill for 15 minutes after application to perform an initial smell test and had each person wear the deodorant for at least 24 hours without showering. You want to know if the product works, so we’ve thought of every which way to test it.
Real-World Testing
A product may work wonders in a controlled setting like a lab or in a clinical setting, but the true test of a product is whether or not it works in a real-life setting. Does a moisturizer or serum naturally become a non-negotiable part of your skincare routine? Do you find yourself looking forward to a specific part of your makeup ritual? We enlist the help of real-world testers, including editors, writers, and subject matter experts to take the product (literally) into their own hands, at home, and run it through a methodical testing process similar to what we do in the lab.
At-home, or “real-world,” testing typically involves longer time periods (AKA at least 8 to 10 weeks) to get a feel for the product. Testers fill out surveys rating each product for key attributes, provide helpful insights on each product, and capture photos and videos of how the products perform in a real-world setting. They can be honest to report whether they love —or hate— the product, and why.
Why Trust Shape
At Shape, our goal is to equip you with the best, most comprehensive, unbiased information you need to feel (and look) like your best self (whatever that means to you). We take our product recommendations seriously — which is why Shape has a robust, standardized process for every product we test and ultimately recommend.
Whether we’re taste-testing the best protein powders on the market in our cutting-edge lab, pounding the pavement in the latest running shoes (check out our 2023 Sneaker Awards), or analyzing the difference between the most popular lululemon leggings, our product reviews are grounded in the expertise of our testers and editors. Think of us as the trusted voice you need to make informed purchasing decisions while taking charge of your health, beauty, and fitness journey. Learn more about our policies and processes surrounding product recommendations here.
In addition to testing hundreds of the newest, most innovative beauty products for the 2023 Beauty Awards, our editors are health, wellness, and fitness enthusiasts who have been in the industry for years and bring unique, experience-driven perspectives to our skin product recommendations.
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Eliza Savage, MS, RD is the Associate Editorial Director, Commerce. As a soon-to-be mom of three girls, Eliza depends on multi-tasking makeup to streamline her morning routine. A non-negotiable part of her beauty routine? Adding collagen powder to her daily green smoothie to boost skin health from the inside out.
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Shannon Bauer is a senior commerce editor with nine years of experience working in the beauty and wellness worlds. She also has her makeup artist certification. Shannon’s desert island product (if skin cancer and sun damage didn’t exist) is a mega-volumizing mascara. Fun fact: This is her 8th year working on a beauty awards program.
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Kristen Geil is a senior commerce editor who frequently covers skincare and beauty products through the lens of skin health. After too many years as a lifeguard, Kristen is forever trying to protect her skin from sun damage. Her desert island beauty product is Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Vitamin C Serum, and as a Chicago resident, she’s always in search of the next greatest moisturizer to protect her skin from the dry, windy winter.
Credits
Associate Creative Director
David Carr
Photographer
Jessica Juliao
Stylist
Tina DiRosa
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Read the original article on Shape.
