By Ida Pink

After months of testing different brands and products, the 2024 ELITE Beauty Award winners have been chosen based on characteristics, quality, and innovation and how well they deliver on their promises. They include everything from classics to hot new items that caught our attention. Here are the ELITE 2024 Award winners for skin care, body care, troubleshooters, fragrance, and brand. (For the hair care, makeup, and wellness categories, stay tuned, as they will be announced later this year.)

Skin Care Award Winners




Serums

1. Best Luxury Glow-Reviver Serum: EVE LOM Radiance Repair Retinol Serum

Why we love it: Fortified with alpha hydroxy acids and microbiome-rebalancing prebiotic oat kernel ferment, this retinol serum is a great wrinkle-fighter that gives skin a refreshed and rejuvenated glow.

($185, evelom.com)



2. Best Vegan Glow-Booster: Lumene Nordic-C Glow Boost Essence

Why we love it: Supercharged with radiance-boosting power, this serum is 100% vegan and gives a beautiful glow.

($35.99, lumene.com)



3. Best Peptide Serum: StriVectin Peptide Plump Line Filling Bounce Serum​

Why we love it: This serum instantly makes skin feel tighter and plumper, and it absorbs quickly, leaving skin fresh, smooth, and rejuvenated.

($89, strivectin.com)



4. Best Retinol Serum: Augustinus Bader The Retinol Serum

Why we love it: The serum has a fabulous lightweight texture and powerhouse formula that reduces deep lines, wrinkles, blemishes, and pigmentation without irritation or redness.

($350, augustinusbader.com)



5. Best Illuminating Serum: La Prairie White Caviar Pearl InfusionWhy we love it: The lovely texture and light-infused formula illuminate and reduce dark spots, redness, yellowness, and grayness (bye-bye dull skin!) while lifting, firming, and enhancing skin luminosity.

($770, laprairie.com)



6. Best Vitamin C Serum: Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Complex 20%

Why we love it: This serum has an ultra-potent vitamin C formula that visibly brightens, smooths, and minimizes discoloration and dark spots over time. Bonus? It is soy- and gluten-free.

($165, perriconemd.com)



7. Best Multi-Tasking Serum: Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus + Advanced Serum Concentrate

Why we love it: This multi-tasking powerhouse serum concentrate targets and visibly improves radiance, uneven texture and tone, discoloration, enlarged pores, fine lines, wrinkles, and firmness. It has a pleasant, lightweight serum and cream-like texture that absorbs fast.

($25–$469, perriconemd.com)



8. Best Face Oil: Flora Mirabilis Face Oil

Why we love it: This moisturizing, hypoallergenic face oil is handcrafted in small batches from 10 plant-based ingredients that brighten, balance, and restore the skin. It has a rich yet lightweight, velvety texture and is quickly absorbed by the skin, leaving it soft, hydrated, and nourished. Bonus? The fabulous earthy and exotic natural scent.

($120, floramirabilis.com)



9. Best Face Glow Oil:  Biography Golden Ray Glow Face Oil

Why we love it: This hydrating vegan face oil actively triggers collagen production and increases glow on a cellular level, making your skin look and feel rejuvenated with a beautiful glow. With the product’s French marine algae, carrot-seed oil, and fruit-seed complex for antioxidants, one can’t help but love how the skin looks and feels after using it.

($112, Biographynyc.com)



Face Creams

1. Best Daily Moisturizer: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

Why we love it: This anti-aging celebrity favorite instantly hydrates, plumps, and gives skin a fabulous glow.

($92–$550, augustinusbader.com)


2. Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin: m-61 Hydraboost Rich Cream

Why we love it: This day-and-night cream deeply hydrates, nourishes, and firms, and has a beautiful texture that glides on effortlessly (note, a little goes a long way) and leaves skin baby-soft.

($88, bluemercury.com)


3. Best Moisturizer for Dry Mature Skin: Tatcha The Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream

Why we love it: This cream has a rich texture that glides on effortlessly, enveloping the skin with intensely hydrating and nourishing ingredients that address advanced aging signs, leaving skin hydrated with a youthful glow.

($198, tatcha.com)


4. Best Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin: Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturizer

Why we love it: This moisturizer has a soothing, healing formula that deeply hydrates while blurring lines and illuminating skin with ruby crystals. Bonus: It’s clean and gluten-free.

($155, omorovicza.com)


5. Best Stem Cell Moisturizer: Beverly Hills MD Deep Regenerating Stem Cell Moisturizer

Why we love it: This hydrating, firming day-and-night moisturizer harnesses the power of plant stem cells to re-energize aging skin cells for a stunningly smooth texture, even tone, and movie-star glow.

($150, beverlyhillsmd.com)


6. Best Anti-Aging Winter Cream: Natura Bissé Diamond Extreme

Why we love it: This rejuvenating day-and-night cream is a dream for dry, damaged skin, or for people in cold and dry climates, as it nourishes, protects, and targets extreme dryness with its rich emollient texture.

($395, naturabisse.com)



7. Best Probiotic Moisturizer: LAPCOS Biome Boost Cream

Why we love it: The collagen-infused formula restores elasticity, balances the skin’s microbiome, blurs wrinkles, and instantly makes those annoying fine lines disappear.

($32, lapcosusa.com)



8. Best Natural Vitamin C Cream: Niki Newd Skin Cream

Why we love it: This freshly artisan-made cream has a yummy medium-rich texture that envelopes the skin with a gourmet blend of food-grade vitamin C and antioxidants that brighten, nourish, and hydrate, leaving skin rejuvenated.

($116, nikinewd.com)



9. Best Daily Vitamin C Cream: Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream

Why we love it: With 15% encapsulated Vitamin C, this brightening moisturizer’s delightful and lightweight texture quickly absorbs, leaving skin hydrated, revitalized, and radiant. It also targets inflammation, which is a big bonus.

($116–$210, katburki.com)



10. Best SPF Primer: KYPRIS Pot of Shade: Heliotropic

Why we love it: Offering nano-free mineral, broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection, this moisturizing, calming primer has a beautiful texture and translucent finish with a radiant glow. (Think insta-glow) Bonus: It’s gluten-free and nonirritating, which makes it perfect for the most sensitive skins.

($75 for 27 mL, kyprisbeauty.com)



11. Best Moisturizer (masstige): Thayers Soak It Up 80HR Liquid Moisturizer

Why we love it: With a super lightweight texture that absorbs quickly and does not feel heavy or sticky on the skin, this incredibly hydrating moisturizer provides up to 80 hours of moisture. (Bonus: the modest price!)

($18.97, Walmart.com)



12. Best Natural Skin Balm: Niki Newd Skin Balm

Why we love it: Made from a holistic blend of the finest oils and rare juniper-sprout extract, this freshly artisan-made balm has a rich texture that melts into the skin, rejuvenating and calming it, leaving it nourished and happy. It also works beautifully around the eyes.

($90, nikinewd.com)



13. Best Cream for a Dewy Glow: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

Why we love it: This rich cream gives skin a fabulous dewy “insta-glow” by plumping and drenching it with hydration and antioxidant-rich Japanese purple rice.

($72, tatcha.com)



Eyes, Lips, and Neck

1. Best Neck Cream: BioNova Age Control Neck Treatment With UV Chromophores

Why we love it: With its beautiful texture and finish, this formula firms and shapes up neck issues like wrinkles, crepey and sagging skin by stimulating the production of collagen, elastin, and fibronectin.

($95, shopbnscience.com)



2. Best Eye Serum: StriVectin Peptight 360˚ Tightening Eye Serum

Why we love it: It visibly tightens the skin around the entire eye area, including sagging upper eyelid skin, and has a fabulous cooling applicator that helps depuff the skin. Bye-bye eyelid sagging! 

($72, strivectin.com)



3. Best Antiaging Eye Cream: StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles PLUS

Why we love it: This cream delivers fabulous results, reducing the look of all types of lines around the eyes, including crow’s feet and stubborn “eleven lines” between the brows.

($72, strivectin.com)



4. Best Under-Eye Cream: Dr. BRANDT No More Baggage

Why we love it: This celebrity favorite quickly became ours as well. This under-eye gel cream instantly tightens and visibly reduces under-eye bags, puffiness, and dark circles. It’s also perfect for a hectic travel schedule. 

($42, drbrandtskincare.com)



5. Best Anti-Aging Lip Treatment: Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ Lip Therapy

Why we love it: This multitasking powerhouse deeply nourishes and hydrates lips while targeting the appearance of vertical lip lines, lipstick feathering, and dry, rough texture.

($32, perriconemd.com)



Power Duos

1. Best Antiaging Unisex Duo: DefenAge 8-in-1 BioSerum and 24/7 Barrier Balance Anti-Aging Cream

Why we love it: The serum and day/night cream are loaded with DefenAge’s proprietary age-repair defensin molecules that target all skin aging signs, leaving skin brightened and healthier. 

(serum ($75–$264), cream ($36–$127), defenage.com)



2. Best Collagen Boosting Duo: Immupure’s Daily Eye Face Neck-Firming Moisturizer and Night Intense Repair and Hydrating Cream

Why we love it: By leveraging the antiaging powers of colostrum, this power duo helps boost collagen production by up to 400 percent within two months. 

(Day Cream ($210), Night Cream ($215), immupure.com)



3. Best Post-Procedure Duo: Epicutis Luxury Skincare Set

Why we love it: Featuring 100% safe, nontoxic, minimalist formulas with potent active ingredients, the anti-inflammatory serum delivers instant relief for dry, stressed, sensitive skin while the cream drenches it with hydration, making this power duo perfect for post-procedure skin.

($350, epicurtis.com)




Cleansers and Toners


1. Best Toner (masstige): Thayers’ Facial Toners

Why we love it: Thayer’s alcohol-free toners soothe and hydrate, and they come in eight fabulous options, including unscented, milky hydrating, 2% AHA, and cucumber.

($10.95 – $14.99, thayers.com)



2. Best Dual Cleanser: Renee Rouleau Better Than Balm

Why we love it: Goodbye thick, waxy cleansers! This dual-phase cleanser has a silky, fabulous balm-oil to milky-gel texture for a double-cleanse in one go.

($45.50, shopbnscience.com)



3. Best Luxury Cleanser: Natura Bissé Diamond Luminous Rich Luxury Cleanse

Why we love it: The fabulous, rich, three-phase texture (gel-oil-emulsion) glides on the skin like smooth silk, effectively cleansing while hydrating and illuminating the skin.

($150, naturabisse.com)



4. Best Treatment Cleanser: BioNova Bioactive Cleanser for Normal/Dry Skin

Why we love it: A cleanser that treats and effectively cleanses, this sulfate-free wash leaves skin hydrated and soft. 

($35, shopbnscience.com)



5. Best Essence: Tatcha The Essence Skin Care Boosting Treatment

Why we love it: Made of a trio of fermented Japanese superfoods (rice, algae, and green tea), this skin care-boosting essence is absorbed by the skin instantly, leaving it soft, hydrated, plumped, and refreshed.

($110, tatcha.com)



6. Best Moisturizing Toner: Dr. Med Christine Schrammek Herbal Care Lotion

Why we love it: This calming toner leaves skin refreshed and hydrated. It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which is a bonus.

($60, drschrammekusa.com)

 



Masks

1. Best Luxury Antiaging Mask: La Prairie Platinum Rare Haute-Rejuvenation Mask

Why we love it: This platinum-infused, intensive two-step night treatment reactivates the skin’s rejuvenating processes, drenching it with moisture and cutting-edge antiaging ingredients. It only takes one night to get visibly brighter and plumper skin.

($1,740, laprairie.com)



2. Best Anti-Fatigue Mask: Chantecaille Gold Recovery Mask

Why we love it: Infused with 24K gold, this luxurious mask’s lovely, rich texture and formula address all signs of fatigue and aging, leaving skin visibly transformed and radiant. It can also be worn overnight for intensive nourishing. 

($300, chantecaille.com)



3. Best SOS Mask: EVE LOM: Rescue Mask

Why we love it: Made with purifying, honey-infused Kaolin Clay and cooling and decongesting camphor, this is the perfect emergency mask to reduce blotchy skin and minimize irritation and to provide an instant pick-me-up after a long day.

($90, evelom.com)

4. Best Face Massage Cream: BioNova Bioactive Oil-Free Massage Cream [Scrub Alternative]

Why we love it: This massage cream is packed with vitamins, antioxidants and bioflavonoids, and its smooth texture effortlessly glides on the skin when mixed with water. In addition, it helps to reduce sagging and promote skin and muscle tone. 

($55, shopbnscience.com)



5. Best Hydrating Clay Mask: Chantecaille Detox Clay Mask

Why we love it: This black clay mask infused with honey and botanicals rebalances the skin’s moisture levels while purifying and reducing the appearance of pores without causing dryness.

($98, chantecaille.com)



Fragrance Award Winners

1. Best Rose Scent:  Parfums de Marly Delina

Why we love it: With notes of Turkish Rose, Lily of the Valley, and Peony, this sweet scent is perfectly delicate and charming.

($190–$355, us.parfums-de-marly.com) 



2. Best Unisex Scent: Gucci The Alchemist’s Garden Tears From The Moon EDP

Why we love it: Built around a bouquet of White Peony, Lily of the Valley, and Stephanotis, this fabulous unisex scent is fresh, captivating, and elegant.

($384, gucci.com)



3. Best Floral Scent: Creed White Flowers

Why we love it: Reminiscent of a fresh, dewy morning garden, this sophisticated classic exudes the brightness of white flowers complemented by musk and sandalwood. It is perfect for day and evening wear. 

($610 for 75 mL, 2.5 oz., creedboutique.com)



4. Best Woody Floral Scent: Creed Carmina

Why we love it: This scent captures the essence of feminine allure in sweet notes of black cherry and lively pink pepper. The added soft spice of saffron and the delicate femininity of Rose de Mai is warmed by cashmere wood, amber, and musk.

($300–$445, creedboutique.com)



5. Best Winter and Evening Scent: Burberry My Burberry Black

Why we love it: This rich and sensual scent is infused with jasmine and peach nectar as well as a touch of candied rose and amber patchouli.

($110–$180, sephora.com)




Body Care Award Winners

1. Best Foot Spray: Still Standing Foot Spray

Why we love it: This foot spray, made from natural ingredients, combines cooling menthol and organic, anti-inflammatory ingredients to prevent or reduce painful swelling and provide fresh, long-lasting comfort. (It’s a dream for high-heel enthusiasts!)

($20 –$60, stillstandingfootspray.com)



2. Best Body Serum: Beverly Hills MD Nourish + Enhance Body Treatment

Why we love it: Featuring seven types of hyaluronic acid, this hydrating, smoothing, tightening, and plumping body serum has a fabulous texture and finish that makes skin look radiant from head to toe.

($75, beverlyhillsmd.com)



3. Best Body Cream on a Budget: Tree Hut Whipped Shea Body Butter

Why we love it: The amazingly lightweight, airy, whipped formula quickly absorbs into the skin, leaving it soft, hydrated, and nongreasy. Bonus: It comes in a variety of delightful scents that are frequently updated.

($10.49, ulta.com)



4. Best Body Cream: Immupure Hydrating and Rejuvenating Body Cream

Why we love it: It has a rich, luxurious texture and formula that hydrates and promotes collagen and elastin production, leaving skin wonderfully soft with improved firmness and tone.

($169 for 7 oz., immupure.com)



5. Best Hand and Body Cream on a Budget: Dionis Hand & Body Goat Milk Cream

Why we love it: Made with goat milk and loaded with vitamins and nutrients, this rich cream moisturizes without leaving a greasy residue. Offered in a fabulous range of scents (a personal favorite: Caramel Pumpkin Spice!).

($12 for a 3.3 oz. tube, dionisgmskincare.com)



6. Best Body Oil: Biography Sea Chrome Revitalize Body Oil

Why we love it: This 100% natural and nourishing antioxidant-rich body oil has the most lightweight, nonsticky, and fast-absorbing formula. It leaves skin super soft and revitalized.

($78, biographynyc.com)



7. Best Luxury Hand and Body Cream: DefenAge 10 Luxe Hand and Body Cream

Why we love it: It has a superbly antiaging formula and a beautiful, lightweight texture that absorbs quickly without residue, leaving the skin rejuvenated and soft.

($184, defenage.com)



8. Best Hand Cream: Nuebiome Amaretto and Biotic Hand Remedy

Why we love it: Infused with probiotic bioferments and powerful emollients, this lightweight, fast-drying, hand cream has a beautiful silky formula that leaves hands soft, hydrated, nongreasy, and rejuvenated.

($30, nuebiome.com)




Troubleshooters

1. Best Hypo-Allergenic Collection: Untoxicated

Why we love it: Born in a doctor’s office, these limited-ingredient products contain what the skin needs (and loves) without downsides. Untoxicated is the first-ever skin care to completely ban the 128 commonly used allergens known to trigger more than 99% of adverse skin reactions, making it perfect for anybody with very sensitive or allergy-prone skin. Bonus: the modest price!

(Lightweight Hydrate Moisturizing Lotion ($24.95), Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream ($24.95), Clean Start Facial Cleanser ($17.95), Blank Slate Micellar Water ($17.95), untoxicated.com)

1. Best Multi-Use Scar Treatment Serum:  RescueMD DNA Repair Complex

Why we love it: Developed by a board-certified plastic surgeon, this gentle, clinically proven treatment serum improves the appearance of scars and skin damage by targeting skin damage at the DNA level and supporting the skin’s natural healing process. It can be used for everything from scars (perfect for pre- and post-aesthetic procedures), burns, cuts, acne, uneven texture, redness, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, UV damage, and more. It’s a gem.

($88 –$388, rescuemd.com)


2. Best Eczema and Dermatitis Treatment Cream: HarlanMD SmartLotion

Why we love it: It works wonders! Unlike most anti-itch and anti-inflammation treatments, which use harsh methods that destroy beneficial bacteria in the skin, this eczema and dermatitis treatment cream uses sulfur to rebalance the skin microbiome, lowering the level of harmful bacteria without destroying the skin’s natural defense mechanisms. In addition, it improves the levels of good bacteria while targeting inflammation. The sulfur also allows for a lower, safer concentration of hydrocortisone, helping protect the skin from hydrocortisone side effects.

($39, harlanmd.com)



3. Best Multi-Purpose Skin Treatment Spray: e11ement Hypochlorous Acid Spray for Face and Skin

Why we love it: This product is simple and yet potent. Hypochlorous is nature’s oldest disinfectant and 100 times more powerful than bleach, but without harmful chemicals, fumes, or residues. It is 100% safe, as our white blood cells also create hypochlorous acid as a first response to any virus, infection, or ailment. It can be used as often as you like to cleanse, purify, calm, soothe, decongest, and help improve skin texture, and it’s perfect for acne-prone skin, eczema, dermatitis, infections, burns, cuts and scrapes, wound healing, and more. Available in two different strengths.

($10–$29, depending on size, e11ement.ca)



4. Best Atopic Dermatitis and Eczema Spray: Loma Lux Laboratories Eczemol OTC

Why we love it: Recognized by the National Eczema Association, this natural and nontoxic skin-repair spray effectively helps relieve atopic dermatitis and eczema, redness, skin burning, itching, and pain. It’s also great for burns and wound healing.

($19.99–$44.99, lomalux.com)



Brand Excellence Awards

Brand Excellence Award: Matter of Fact

Why we love it: Founded by Harvard graduate and former K-pop artist Paul Baek, this small yet powerful skin care collection offers effective and gentle products in a straightforward and transparent manner. Each product is formulated by Paul himself, with a focus on delivering maximum results while minimizing adverse reactions.

Product Excellence Award: Matter of Fact

One of the collection’s standout products is the Ascorbic Acid 20 Brightening C Serum ($52–$92), which was developed using a unique technology that allows for high concentrations of vitamin C to be dissolved in a solvent system that doesn’t contain water. An independent lab has verified that the serum will remain stable for two years, and the brand has made the certificate of analysis available on its website for consumers to view, thus showcasing the brand’s commitment to quality and transparency.

(matteroffact.com)




Brand Excellence Award: Immupure

What we love: Immupure uses proline-rich polypeptide colostrum, B-complex vitamins, essential amino acids, and growth factors to improve skin thickness and elasticity by up to 400% within two months. The result is visibly diminished wrinkles; firmer and more elastic skin; refined skin texture and tone; minimized pores; and repaired, rejuvenated, and more youthful-looking skin. The collection also works fabulously on repairing sun damage and soothing irritated skin. We also appreciate that all Immupure products are made in the United States and free of preservatives, parabens, fillers, oils, and perfumes.

(immupure.com)


Brand Excellence Award: BioNova

Why we love it: With a unique approach to skin care, BioNova stands out for its use of bioidentical ingredients that stimulate self-healing and self-regeneration. The product line is exceptional for its anti-aging properties, providing immediate and long-term benefits for healthy skin. What also sets BioNova apart is its range of targeted treatments for specific areas of concern, such as frown lines, lip lines, and the neck area. These specialized products are designed to provide maximum benefit to the specific area of concern, resulting in effective and visible results in hard-to-treat areas. Another unique feature is that BioNova products can be customized to meet individual needs and suit different skin types and characteristics.

(shopbnscience.com)