26 Skin Care Formulas That Will Transform Your Glow

Testing this year’s crop of skin care winners made us feel like we’d accidentally taken The Substance — in a good way. Looking in the mirror after slathering on the myriad of lotions and potions, we suddenly saw smoother, glowier, more even-toned skin staring back at us. These futuristic formulations feature new ingredients and high-tech molecules that are almost beyond belief.

We’re talking juicy jelly masks that brighten even the dullest complexions, moisturizers that help build up your collagen while you sleep, and serums that literally sculpt your cheekbones. We didn’t believe it either, but the results were undeniable. Either that, or we’ve got a younger version of ourselves running around out there looking fabulous. Keep reading to discover Bustle’s best skin care products of 2025.

Best Acne Treatment

They don’t call Sofie Pavitt the “Acne Whisperer” for nothing, and this genius mask is just another reason why the New York City-based aesthetician is so beloved for keeping her clients’ skin crystal clear. The first-of-its-kind treatment is made with 5% benzoyl peroxide, kaolin clay, and glycolic acid, so it gets into your pores to clear out the clogs while also tackling surface-level buildup. The addition of panthenol helps to ensure your sensitive skin won’t dry out and disrupt that delicate oil balance. Leave it on for five minutes and let it do its magic by shrinking even the most monstrous pimple.

Best Brightening Mask

A treat for your skin and your senses, this tart and juicy mask from Rihanna’s Fenty Skin line is inspired by the singer’s Barbados roots with a juicy Caribbean cherry scent. The jelly concoction gently exfoliates while 5% alpha-hydroxy acids refine uneven texture and restore radiance to dull skin. It’s also just really fun to play with the bouncy, fruity face treatment. “This mask delivers gentle but effective exfoliation, thanks to a blend of AHAs that help brighten and smooth the skin,” says Dr. Michelle Henry, M.D., dermatologist and guest judge. “The jellylike texture makes for an interesting and sensorial experience.”

Best Chemical Exfoliator

A gentle chemical exfoliator that airbrushes skin texture and makes pores look positively polished, this liquid face peel from Origins features 100,000 (!) apple stem cells, plus apple cider vinegar and a glycolic acid complex to smooth and supercharge your glow. “I absolutely love this product; it’s so light and smells great,” says BDG staffer Becca Mandell. “It’s very thin when you apply it, and it doesn’t make your skin feel dry. For application, I would recommend using a very thin cotton swab or pad to get the most out of it.”

Best Cream Cleanser

Low on lather but big on moisture, this calming cream cleanser from Drunk Elephant helps break down makeup and sunscreen without stripping the skin of its natural balance. Your complexion feels clean but not dehydrated after washing, thanks to its marula seed oil, colloidal oatmeal, and illipe butter formula. It has a skin-friendly pH of 5.0, vanilla fruit extract for built-in antioxidant protection, and an oh-so-subtle sweet scent our testers found utterly invigorating.

Best Gel Cleanser

A unicorn of a gel cleanser, this dermatologist-developed jelly wash is gentle enough for even the most sensitive complexions, but still manages to get rid of waterproof sunscreen and makeup. It’s also gentle on the eyes, so no more squinting at the mirror while you scrub off the day and then frantically splashing water at your stinging gaze. “I used this every day and enjoyed it,” says BDG staffer Melanie Rivera. “It took off all of my glam without the need for an additional makeup wipe before or after. It also did not dry out my skin. I used it with the Dr. Idriss Major Fade Active Serum and Active Seal and felt it diminished my discoloration and improved texture overall.”

Best Oil Cleanser

If you like soft skin that’s plump and glassy (so, everyone), this is the cleanser for you. It features an ultra-gentle formula packed with nourishing oils — including safflower, apricot, and jojoba — plus squalane to hydrate and smooth. “This cleansed well without stripping my face,” says skin care expert and guest judge Joseph Carrillo. “It also got my sunscreen off — I took it to Mexico with me, and my skin was poppin’.”

Best Cleansing Balm

As much as we love cleansing balms for their ability to get rid of waterproof/sweatproof/lifeproof makeup formulas, we don’t love having to dip our mitts into jars, contaminating the formula with our not-so-clean digits. This genius balm solves that issue with a mechanism that grinds out a fresh portion with just a twist of the top, letting you get the exact amount you need of the gentle, yet powerful formula. It uses camellia sinensis seed oil, grape seed oil, madecassoside, and centella extract to cleanse and condition, soothing redness and irritation as it dissolves even the most hardcore makeup, dirt, and sunscreen.

Best Daytime Moisturizer

Collagen loss starts in your 20s, but this peptide-packed moisturizer from Neutrogena works to help boost and help you maintain those reserves with a unique formula that penetrates 10 layers deep into the skin’s surface. It features patented micro-peptide technology, plus bakuchiol to help smooth fine lines and firm your complexion with continued use. “It doesn’t feel too heavy on my face, and my skin looks brighter and feels smoother thanks to it,” says BDG staffer Jasmine Velez. “The bottle contains a lot of product and is very convenient to keep in your bathroom cabinet.”

Best Eye Cream

The closest thing to a spa treatment in your bathroom, this decadent eye cream comes with a massage tool that helps to decrease puffiness and feels ridiculously relaxing after a long day of staring at screens. The gel-cream formula is lightweight, so it won’t interfere with your makeup, and the five-mushroom blend helps calm the skin, hydrate, and increase radiance. “This was very hydrating and nongreasy, and I felt like my under-eyes looked brighter after regular use,” says Carrillo.

Best Face Device

With celebrity fans galore, we’ve had our eye on the CurrentBody Skin Series 2 LED Mask since it hit the shelves. Its flexible silicone shape, added chin strap, and three clinically proven wavelengths of light make it one of the most scientifically tested masks for reducing wrinkles, boosting collagen production, improving skin plumpness, reducing redness, and evening skin tone.

“I have recommended CurrentBody’s masks to many of my clients because of the company’s reputation for using proper wavelengths,” says guest judge and aesthetician Soo-Young Kim Abrams. “But I have a hard time using tech at home on myself as a busy working mom. CurrentBody’s is easy to use, though, and I love how portable it is once it’s charged. I have other at-home masks, but I am obsessed with the chin strap on the Series 2, which addresses an area of the face that I would like to work on.”

Best Face Oil

This nighttime face oil got rave reviews from our testers for its decadent formula that kept skin nourished and hydrated, thanks to a clinically tested roster of ingredients that include squalane, prickly pear seed oil, and pomegranate seed oil. “I rarely meet a face oil I don’t like, but this one was a love for me,” says BDG staffer Rebecca Iloulian. “The rich formula is a good level of thickness, and really keeps my skin feeling hydrated and soft, while creating a nice glow without looking greasy. Plus, there is no scent, which is great for those of us with sensitivities.”

Best Hydrating Mask

We often preach that good skin care takes time to see real results; however, this sleeping mask from Clinique literally delivers the goods while you snooze. A trio of peptides plus 12% hyaluronic acid and skin-soothing adenosine work during your body’s reparative cycle to hydrate, plump, and smooth the complexion — meaning you wake up to visibly dewier, glowier, and more moisturized skin. Talk about getting your beauty sleep.

“I felt my skin was noticeably plumper and radiant the next morning — I was shocked,” says BDG staffer Lauren Sofair. Adds BDG staffer Eileen Cain, “I saw a noticeable difference! My skin was hydrated and plump, as advertised. I will share this recommendation with friends.”

Best Multitasking Face Device

With so many red-light masks on the market, it takes a lot to impress us these days. Shark managed to get everyone in the office talking (and clamoring to try) when it debuted this hybrid red-light and cryo-tech face mask. It not only features three wavelengths of clinically tested LED lights — red, infrared, and blue — but also has a built-in under-eye cooling patch with three temperature settings to refresh, depuff, and visibly tighten your under-eye area. It’s like four treatments in one extremely sci-fi mask.

Best Nighttime Moisturizer

Wake up to a softer, more hydrated complexion with this luxe overnight cream from the K-beauty pros at Peach & Lily. Made with a combo of glycerin, aquaporin booster, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, baobab, and marula oil, it drenches skin with moisture while nourishing and rebuilding your barrier while you sleep. “This is a deeply hydrating cream — it’s rich, yet nongreasy with no tacky residue,” says Dr. Henry. “Perfect for dry or sensitive skin, this is a great choice for those looking for intense hydration without heaviness.”

Best Physical Exfoliator

Packed with nourishing minerals, this renewing facial scrub helps to gently polish away dirt, buildup, dullness, and impurities without hurting sensitive skin. It features both chemical and physical exfoliators, plus a blend of salicylic acid, volcanic ash, and wintergreen. Your skin looks and feels smooth, bright, and velvety soft after one wash. “Nothing gets rid of my dry flakes like a true scrub,” says BDG staffer Katie McPherson. “This one has a fine grit, a lovely herbal smell, and really does leave my face brighter after each use.”

Best Purifying Mask

With this hybrid clay mask and exfoliating scrub, Chanel managed to make exfoliating chic by adding the brand’s signature camellias into this refining treatment that delivers an airbrush effect to your skin. It leaves you looking smooth and soft while reducing the appearance of shine and large pores, all without irritating sensitive complexions.

“Chanel consistently produces well-designed containers with really luxurious products inside,” says BDG staffer Sarah Aswell. “I love this soft and fragrant mask-to-scrub that manages to avoid the negatives of many exfoliants while still leaving your skin super soft and matte. I always look forward to using it once or twice a week.”

Best Acne Serum

Who knew the humble blackberry could be this powerful? Of course, Glow Recipe knew. The leaders in all things fruity for your face packed three types of retinol into this yummy serum, which helps shrink blemishes as it unclogs pores, refines textures, diminishes discoloration, and smoothes lines — all while being gentle enough to be used on a nightly basis. Now that’s what we call a superfruit.

Best Anti-Aging Serum

We’re going to go out on a limb and guess okra wasn’t a top ingredient in your skin care arsenal. That’s OK, we didn’t know either. But, after testing this anti-aging serum from S’Able Labs, consider us okra converts. They call it “nature’s Botox” because peptides derived from the fuzzy green veggie can help stimulate collagen and relax expression lines. It also features a bioavailable form of retinol that’s gentler on the complexion while smoothing texture and helping to fight hyperpigmentation. “The lightweight texture absorbs well and layers easily with other skin care,” says Dr. Henry. “It’s great for those sensitive to traditional retinoids.”

Best Brightening Serum

As much as we love vitamin C for its ability to help protect our skin from free-radical damage, we don’t love how delicate an ingredient it is. Too much exposure to air, moisture, or direct sunlight in an unprotected clear bottle, and you’ve got yourself a contaminated formula that’s less effective, especially if you’re working with high doses of it.

Wildfleur innovated a solution to that issue by creating a super-stabilized form of 15% L-ascorbic acid — the most potent form of vitamin C — using a patented technology that features xanthophyll from marigolds. It’s elegant, potent, and keeps our skin bright, happy, and hydrated without having to worry about degradation from the elements. Nature really is lit.

Best Hydrating Serum

We’ve used plenty of hyaluronic acid serums in our day, but this is the first we’ve ever encountered that’s given us a cheekbone contour. The plumping effect of this formula is more than just hydration — it actually volumizes your skin equivalent to one cubic centimeter of hyaluronic acid. That means more defined contours, improved facial volume, and visibly filled fine lines after 12 weeks of consistent use.

“I’ve used this for about three weeks now, and it does seem to have the volumizing and plumping effect it claims — although I’m not sure if I’m looking for it, in a placebo-type way,” says former BDG staffer Brianna Kovan. “With that being said, I’ve never really noticed cheek contour before, and I do now. It feels nice on application, and has a nonfragrant scent that reminds me a little of figs — in a pleasant, very subtle way.”

Best Skin Treatment

If someone could figure out how to bottle a good night’s sleep, we would give that person all of our money. While no one has quite figured out how to put eight hours in liquid form (yet), Estée Lauder has done the next best thing with this Advanced Night Repair Overnight Treatment, which makes us look like we’re well-rested, no matter how few Zzzs we might have gotten.

It strengthens your barrier, hydrates, boosts skin’s cellular energy, and reduces the look of fine lines in just one night (!). You’ll wake up looking like you’re the kind of person who goes to bed at 8 p.m., eats a balanced diet, gets your daily dose of exercise, and definitely doesn’t spend all night doom-scrolling through TikTok until 3 a.m.

Best Sunscreen For Dry Skin

When you have dry skin, it’s a delicate balance trying to find an SPF that can hydrate yet won’t leave you feeling super slick in the process. La Roche-Posay knocked it out of the park with this sheer beauty, which gives your complexion a dewy finish, thanks to a healthy dose of hyaluronic acid that complements the brand’s signature Cell-Ox B3 UV shield. “This is my new favorite SPF,” says former BDG staffer Jordan Murray. “It’s super easy to blend into my skin and leaves no white cast. Plus, it’s nongreasy while being really moisturizing. It didn’t feel like it was clogging my pores or like it was going to break me out.”

Best Sunscreen For Oily Skin

Mineral sunscreens have come a long way from the days of chalky goop you had to smear all over your face because it never fully blended into your skin. Case in point: this beauty from Lightsaver. It has non-nano zinc oxide, a fluffy texture that blends like a dream, and it doesn’t cause oily types to feel sticky or break out.

“After years of thinking the only sunscreen I’d ever love that’d work on my combination skin was La Roche-Posay Anthelios, I’m so happy I got to try this one,” says BDG staffer Hertie Gutierrez. “It rubs in super easily and doesn’t leave that filmy texture I’m used to with other sunscreens. Plus, it doesn’t sting my eyes after a full day of wear, which is a game-changer for me.”

Best Sunscreen For Sensitive Skin

When you have sensitive skin, there’s nothing worse than gingerly applying a product to your face, only to feel the telltale sting of irritation. It feels especially like a betrayal when said product is supposed to protect your complexion from harm. Thankfully, this SPF fluid from the kind souls at Prequel is none of the above — it’s the rare chemical sunscreen that protects without the burn and helps strengthen your skin barrier in the process. “I absolutely love this sunscreen,” says BDG staffer Kelsey Stewart. “I have pretty sensitive skin, so some SPFs are a bit irritating, but that’s not the case with this formula. Plus, it blends in like a dream.”

Best Toner

Toner pads are still a relatively new concept in the United States, but once you start using them, you’ll wonder why you’ve waited so long to jump on this K-beauty staple. This rose-infused version from Femmue won our testers’ hearts for its instant soothing, hydrating, and refreshing benefits. The toner-soaked pads are convenient to use and feel like a mini facial each time you swipe them across your skin.

“If you don’t like a rose scent, then this might not be for you, but as someone who enjoys the fragrance, I really like this product,” says BDG staffer Jamie Kenney. “The toner immediately leaves my skin feeling fresh, clean, and not dried out (an issue I find with some toners), and after weeks of use, I feel like my complexion is more even and has a nice glow to it that wasn't there before.”

Photographs by Emma Chao