What makes a skin-care product a classic? Does it need to be a household name? Has it had years—even decades—of uninterrupted availability? Or should the key factor be, regardless of how long it’s been around or how easily recognizable a product may be, how beloved it is by beauty shoppers? If so, the complexion-perfecting picks that won Readers’ Choice Awards this year are all indisputable classics.
Considering how much readers gushed over these products, it would be surprising if you personally haven’t tried at least one already—especially since several have already won Readers’ Choice Awards in the past. But just in case any or all are new to you, print this out and consider it your shopping list next time you’re looking to replenish your medicine cabinet with the most celebrated cleansing, brightening, and moisturizing formulas.
Be sure to check out our other 2024 Readers’ Choice categories, like hair and makeup, to see if your favorite products made the cut.
All the Winning Products:
- Favorite Skin Tool: Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush, $139
- Favorite Cleanser: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, $18
- Favorite Moisturizer: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, $26
- Favorite Sunscreen: Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40, $38
- Favorite Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, $35
- Favorite Serum: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, $35
- Favorite Eye Cream: Tula Skincare Glow + Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm, $38
- Favorite Acne Treatment: Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes XL, $24
- Favorite Face Mask: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, $10
- Favorite Lip Balm: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, $24
Readers’ Choice Awards: Skin
SKIN TOOL: Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush
Can you thoroughly wash your face with just your hands? Sure. Will it be nearly as thorough—or satisfying—as washing with the Michael Todd Beauty Soniclear? Absolutely not. This sonic facial cleansing brush keeps earning new fans (and keeping its long-standing fan base) with its three-speed antimicrobial brushes that rid pores of dirt and dead skin to leave your complexion smoother, softer, and, of course, cleaner. And thanks to a wireless charging system, you can wander around your home while you wash if you so choose.
CLEANSER: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
“CeraVe’s classic face wash is one of those products that I recommend to everybody, even if they didn’t ask for a recommendation,” says Allure senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor. The kind of cleanser you can always come back to when others let you down, Hydrating Facial Cleanser’s non-stripping, refreshing formula with ceramides and hyaluronic acid has truly universal appeal and effectiveness. “You name the skin issue, this cleanser can probably help. That ultralow price tag doesn’t hurt, either,” says Calaor.
MOISTURIZER: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
Never underestimate a seemingly no-frills formula like La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer. Its key ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, and glycerin are all must-have standards and buzzy trends for a reason: They work. Barrier repair and long-lasting hydration come with the comfort of a rich cream but deliver with the lightness of a lotion, which is something every skin type can appreciate—especially sensitive ones.
SUNSCREEN: Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
You don’t mind being seen applying sunscreen—go ahead and let the world know you’re diligent about protecting your skin—but you do mind when your sunscreen remains visible after you’ve applied it. That’s never an issue with Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. Its four chemical filters (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene) go undetectable while they offer broad-spectrum protection within a gel (yes, gel) formula that glides on so smoothly, it doubles as a makeup primer.
EXFOLIANT: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Paula’s Choice is not just Paula’s choice; it’s also the readers’ choice. Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is a repeat Readers’ Choice Award winner for good reason—actually, for many good reasons. Its titular beta hydroxy acid (which you may know as salicylic acid) is powerful enough to help keep pores clear and skin smooth, but it’s also gentle enough to use up to twice a day to help you have fewer breakouts and blackheads.
SERUM: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
“This gooey, pink serum provides instant plumpness, hydration, and dew,” says Dall’Asen, who would definitely know from experience. “I go through few products faster than Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I’m on, what, my fifth, sixth bottle now?” Like so many fans, she uses this serum before makeup during the day as well as at night to keep skin hydrated as she sleeps. “I truly can’t get enough of it”—and neither can Allure readers.
EYE CREAM: Tula Skincare Glow + Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm
You know what makes the results you get from Tula Skincare Glow + Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm even better? How much fun you have while you’re getting them. There’s just something so enjoyable about the stick format, which provides eye-area skin with a boost of hydration-drawing hyaluronic acid, smoothing and soothing probiotics, and firming caffeine in just a swipe or two.
SUNSCREEN: Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
You don’t mind being seen applying sunscreen—go ahead and let the world know you’re diligent about protecting your skin—but you do mind when your sunscreen remains visible after you’ve applied it. That’s never an issue with Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. Its four chemical filters (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene) go undetectable while they offer broad-spectrum protection within a gel (yes, gel) formula that glides on so smoothly, it doubles as a makeup primer.
ACNE TREATMENT: Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes XL
“I can’t say that I’ve ever been excited by a breakout, but I do relish the occasion to use Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Micropoint for Blemishes XL,” says Allure associate features director Dianna Mazzone, whose mind is more or less blown by the nearly 1,400 “micropoints” in each little patch that deliver its blemish-clearing ingredients. “The curved shape is perfect to treat spots on the chin, cheek, and jawline. And I swear the salicylic acid-based formula has helped stop under-the-surface breakouts from coming to a head.”
FACE MASK: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay
Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay has been around since the early ’80s, and with each year that passes, more and more people discover why it’s such a facial staple. The powder-like calcium bentonite clay is meant to be mixed with apple cider vinegar before you apply it for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes and, as the label suggests, “feel your face pulsate.” But the real goal here is what you see once you remove it: pores that seem practically vacuumed out and skin that looks and feels superclean and refreshed.
LIP BALM: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
Warning: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is habit-forming—in the best possible way—so be prepared to use it beyond bedtime. “It’s thick enough to hydrate overnight, but also not so goopy that I can’t use it as a repairing lip balm during the day,” says Allure deputy digital director Kara McGrath, who says she simply hasn’t found a lip mask she prefers over this repeat winner. “I especially like to apply it about an hour before I put on a lipstick; that gives the formula time to soak in, leaving my lips perfectly prepped for color.”