Recommendations
Former Beauty Trend Editor's Top-Rated Beauty Brands
After years working in the beauty industry (first scouring the globe for the most innovative products, then inside one of the UK’s leading skincare brands), I’ve become painfully difficult to impress.
I’ve tested thousands of products, sat through hundreds of launch presentations, and witnessed countless ingredients go from “the next big thing” to quietly disappearing a year later. I've also seen just how much strategic marketing can influence a brand's success - sometimes more than the formulations themselves. And that’s why, generally speaking, I’m more loyal to specific products than brands.
But every so often, a brand consistently gets all the fundamentals right: exceptional product performance, luxurious textures, meaningful innovation, and beautiful packaging.
These are six brands that have earned a place on my shortlist…
Medicube
While many K-beauty brands have gained popularity because of novel packaging or viral marketing, Medicube has quietly built its reputation on both efficacy and affordability. The brand’s formulas focus on proven active ingredients at concentrations that are both effective and well tolerated, delivering results for a multitude of common skin concerns such as pigmentation, enlarged pores, redness, uneven skin texture and various signs of ageing.
For me, what really sets the brand apart is its investment in clinical testing. Medicube frequently supports product claims with extensive clinical studies and dermatologist testing, something that still isn’t as common across the industry as consumers might think. Its AGE-R devices have also done something truly impressive by bringing technologies once reserved for clinics into our homes without compromising on usability or credibility.
It’s one of the few brands where I genuinely look forward to seeing what they launch next.
The Ordinary
Few skincare brands have done more to educate consumers than The Ordinary. Before it arrived on the skincare scene, ingredients were often buried beneath misleading product names and aspirational storytelling. The Ordinary challenged the industry by putting the likes of , , and retinal front and centre on their own merit. And, in doing so, they raised consumers’ expectations of what brands should disclose and, therefore, forced many other brands to become more transparent about what’s actually inside their bottles.
Even now, what impresses me most isn’t the affordability of the products, but the fact they consistently deliver straightforward formulas and visible results built around targeted ingredients backed by decades of scientific research.
The brand isn’t perfect. The size of its product range and variety of ingredients can feel overwhelming for beginners. But once you’ve found your footing, this brand allows you to build a routine that’s ultra-tailored to your own very specific needs, with many of its formulas being hard to beat in terms of visible results vs price point.
Ultra Violette
If you still think sunscreen has to be thick, chalky and unpleasant to wear, then you definitely haven’t tried Ultra Violette. This Australian brand has arguably done more than any other to reposition sunscreen from a product people reluctantly apply on holiday to an everyday essential, thus solving the single biggest barrier to sunscreen use by delivering formulas that users actually look forward to applying as part of their daily routines.
Its formulas combine premium, broad-spectrum UV filters with lightweight yet silky textures that rival many luxury moisturisers and sit flawlessly under makeup without pilling, greasiness or any white cast. As an experienced judge of sunscreens who has tested every filter, format and texture, for me Ultra Violette consistently combines ultra-high performance with cosmetic elegance.
It’s also a brand that has always prioritised sunscreen education over fear-mongering, helping consumers to understand the great importance of daily sun protection without resorting to alarmist messaging.
Erborian
Erborian is a rarity in that it genuinely excels in both skincare and makeup, having consistently championed hybrid products long before they became mainstream. Drawing on Korean skincare expertise and ingredients, combined with luxury French textures and cosmetic concepts, this brand has built a unique portfolio of complexion products where carefully-selected skincare benefits actively contribute to makeup wear and finish as well as overall skin health.
As one example, its iconic CC Cream remains (in my opinion) one of the most impressive complexion products on the market. Rather than simply masking the skin’s flaws with heavy coverage, the encapsulated pigments deliver natural-looking colour correction while proven ingredients work to directly treat the likes of redness, dullness and uneven texture.
It’s a brand that understands flawless makeup starts with optimal health of the skin underneath.
Hourglass
Luxury makeup is full of brands with beautifully packaged products that don’t justify their price point. But Hourglass isn’t one of them.
One of the things I love most about this brand is its consistency across the board. Whether it’s a concealer, blush, bronzer or finishing powder, each formula is meticulously refined, intuitive to use, and delivers the level of performance you’d expect for the price point. Super-rich pigmentation, effortless blendability and ultra-impressive longevity are just some of the more specific qualities that run throughout the entire range, rather than being limited to just one or two hero products.
Beyond its formulations, Hourglass was also one of the first luxury beauty brands to commit to becoming entirely cruelty-free, proving that exceptional performance and ethical standards can coexist - even within premium beauty.
Aesop
Yes, there are brands with more targeted active ingredients. There are also brands with more innovative textures. But very few have built a brand as thoughtfully as Aesop. From product development and store architecture to customer service and visual identity, every touchpoint is carefully considered and undeniably ‘Aesop’. In all of the above aspects, Aesop has remained remarkably consistent over the years - which I consider one of its greatest strengths for ensuring lasting desirability.
Its formulations combine sophisticated botanical ingredients with well-established cosmetic science to deliver products that prioritise a luxurious experience without sacrificing on performance. The fragrances are both complex and unmistakable while the textures are indulgent. Aesop is also a certified B Corporation, reflecting a broader commitment to responsible business practices alongside exceptional formulations and design.
This brand is a prime example of how successful branding isn’t about having the loudest identity. Aesop is the epitome of quiet confidence which, ironically, screams ‘luxury’.
