And we’re back with a bang, beauty pickers. So, let’s get cracking. What has the first month of 2026 brought us and what amongst all of the new launches and newsiness has made it into our January top 10 beauty charts? Well, here’s our rundown.
In at Number One has to be the collaboration between Anya Hindmarch and Boots. Yes, we mean Boots as in your friendly neighbourhood chemist and beauty and wellbeing emporium. Anya has dedicated her Village Hall boutique on London’s Pont Street to a pop-up that celebrates the pharmacy heritage of Boots in a ’70s-inspired interior vibe and a range of self-care every day essential products with limited-edition packaging that has been reimagined with her trademark eyes logo. Think everything from toothpaste and mouth wash to shampoo, lip balm, hand wash, cotton buds, tissues and so much more. But you can also go the more lux route with the collab and choose from bag charms, coin purses, zip pockets, card cases and buckets bags all inspired by pharmacy brands including Nurofen, Advil, Band-Aid, Berocca and Cussons Imperial Leather. For those that can’t make it to the pop-up worry not: the every day product collection will go online at boots.com on March 8 for a limited time only.
We’re glossing over any January blues at Number Two with Ilia Beauty’s new Overglaze Hydrating Lip Gloss. The fact that the finish was inspired by hand-glazed ceramics should give you a good idea of the levels of high shine to expect here but it manages not to feel heavy or tacky on the lips. Plus, it’s also full of Fenugreek Seed Extract (try saying that three times in a row) to keep lips hydrated so it’s a full on lip antidote to the depths of winter. Available in 12 shades from the sheerest of neutrals to a bold red, you can shop it here.
Keeping the glossing up theme going at Number Three we have Too Faced and its Born This Way Super Glow Skin Enhancer. It’s Born This Way foundation is, of course, one of those modern beauty legends in its own lifetime, but this latest extension to the franchise delivers a dash of instant radiance with a pearl-like finish and comes available in seven shades to deliver a dash of colour and warmth at the same time. It’s enough that it can be used alone for a quick skin boost or under or mixed in with foundation. Plus, it comes packed with skincare ingredients to help to keep things hydrated and fresh. Get glowing here.
At Number Four we’ve developed some decidedly ardent feelings for another line extension: the new Narciso Rodriguez For Her Pure Musc Blanc eau de parfum intense. This take on the classic is a luminous and gentle iteration full of uplifting jasmine and clean, fresh aldehydic compound that helps to make the central musk more sparkling. Then there’s some cedarwood and vanilla for a touch of sweetness. It has, says the perfumer Sonia Constant, a “unique way of melting into the skin, you’d think it was the skin’s natural scent.” It all feels very cocooning, soothing and like some spritz-able me time. Shop here.
Half way through and in at Number Five is the new Gucci Glow Blush. Honestly, we love this just as much for the packaging as anything else: retro-looking little compacts that echo bygone days of elegance and glamour. But what’s inside is just as fancy, and the lightweight silky blush formula delivers gentle but buildable pops of colour with good staying power. The formula also comes with skincare ingredients including black rose oil and hyaluronic acid so this dinky little item packs way more punch than you might think. Available in six shades, you can purchase yours here.
At Number Six it’s all very Nip+Fab with the launch of the brand’s first product that has been driven and developed because of customer demand. Bid welcome to Vitamin C Fix Antioxidant Morning Oil 20%. The bi-phase oil was created as a daytime product for your morning routine that will support the already popular restorative Peptide Fix Finishing Oil 2% nighttime treatment. It helps to defend the skin with antioxidant protection as well as boosting radiance (there’s a glow complex included which contains niacinamide to help to reduce pigmentation), and working to keep the skin hydrated. Use after serum, but before moisturiser and SPF. Shop here.
The walking marital bliss that is Selena Gomez delivers us our Number Seven slot as she launches her Rare Beauty Find Comfort Hydrating Body Mousse to Oil bit of gloriousness. The lightweight mousse transforms into an equally lightweight oil that absorbs quickly, leaves skin feeling really soft, and comes with the signature aroma of the body care range of honeydew melon mixed with an ocean breeze. An easy way to add a dash of decadence to your body care routine; get yours here.
We have a hit of K-Beauty at Number Eight as we add a little extra love and kindness into our skincare routines this winter with Haruharu Wonder and its new Black Rice Probiotics Barrier 2% NAD+ Serum Mist. A super-light mist, consider this a bit of a mini treatment to help restore the skin barrier and help the skin recover from the wind… and the rain… and the cold…. With the popular NAD+ to boost cellular repair, probiotics for skin microbiome, deep and lasting hydration and a fragrance free formula, it’s an easy way to boost your skincare efficacy. Get yours here.
If summer bodies are made in winter, then maybe it’s the same for summer faces as we continue our skincare focus at Number Nine thanks to The Inkey List as it launches its Starter Retinol Serum. This serum targets those first three signs of ageing – fine lines, uneven skin tone and texture – while strengthening the skin barrier. It’s gentle enough for first-time retinolers (though still go gently into that great night treatment) and is also suitable for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin. So if you’ve been thinking of giving retinol a go then this is a great first step. Shop here.
Another fragrance enters and ends this month’s chart at Number Ten as the Hong Kong-based but French-made Ode Ona celebrates both a new launch, Carte Blanche, and landing at Liberty as a new stockist. The brand merges Eastern aromatherapy and Western perfumery to create fine fragrances that can also work with our emotions. Carte Blanche, explains founder and creative director Ruth Chao von Gehren, is all about finding a clean slate in life – a good thing as we hurtle towards Chinese new year. “It beings with a sourness which is like life when it gives you a kick you didn’t expect [in her case it was the sudden and totally unexpected death of her father] and the transitions you go through. So it moves on to a smokiness [and notes of pine needle tea] for the messiness of it all and then to something supportive and sweet with vanilla and sandalwood as we come out cleansed and renewed. It’s a reminder that we can power through things we find tough in life.” So, it’s all love and light and embracing new beginnings for the year ahead. Start your reset here.
Top image: photography courtesy of
