Beauty box subscriptions might just be the best subscription service to ever exist. Forget Netflix [1], Amazon Prime [2], and Hello Fresh [3]. Who needs food when you could have a box full of beauty product samples delivered directly to your doorstep each month? Not us. But that doesn't mean it's easy to pick which box to sign up for.
In an ideal world, we'd sign up for every single one of them. Unfortunately, we've also got a Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hello Fresh subscription to pay for, so we spent hours working out the beauty subscription boxes that come out on top. Full to the brim with new brands, classic products, and makeup accessories you didn't know you needed, there's something for everyone — meaning they're one of the most cost-efficient ways to try before you buy and refine your beauty routines.
Click through to see the eleven best beauty subscription boxes you can — and should — sign up for.
— Additional reporting by Kelle Salle
Look Fantastic
One of my all-time favourite online beauty stores, Look Fantastic's beauty box [4] (£15) is just as it sounds: fantastic. With a focus on quality and a mix of full-size and sample-size products, you can't get a bad box. This month's Hygge-themed box includes ESPA Smooth & Firm Body Butter, This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil, Dr Botanicals Hemp Infused Natural Nutrition Moisturiser, and more.
4Curly Hair
4Curly Hair [5] is a natural hair care subscription box focused on providing men and women with afro hair types a range of vegan and organic products. There are four boxes to choose from [6]: Standard, Luxury, Hair Goals, and Discovery with prices starting as low as £5. 4Curly Hair's aim is to make your shopping experience as stress-free and easy as possible; providing only the best products out there.
FabFitFun
FabFitFun [7] (£50) is released seasonally, meaning each delivery is overflowing with eight to 10 full-sized premium products, valued at over £150. Though there's a mix of beauty, fitness, lifestyle, and fashion, you can personalise each box to suit your beauty needs. The best part? Once you become a member, you receive access to exclusive sales and FabFitFunTV.
Cohorted
Cohorted Beauty Box [8] (£40) prides itself on premium products, and it's yet to disappoint. Delivered monthly in a sleek black box, previous brands include Drunk Elephant, Two Faced, Bare Minerals, Show Beauty, Milk, and Ciate.
TreasureTress
Founded by Jamelia Donaldson, TreasureTress [9] (£25) is Europe's first and largest natural hair discovery box. The brand prides itself on being more than just a subscription service. They want to create a safe space for Black women by redefining the relationship they have with their hair and promoting sisterhood in their online community of devoted customers. Through building relationships with leading hair and beauty brands, they are able to ship exclusive items to customers, who the brand affectionately refers to as the "TreasureTress tribe." Hair education is also held in high regard as tips for managing and styling your tresses on a monthly basis are always on hand.
Mask Time
If you're a fan of face masks, you can't overlook Mask Time. The Korean sheet mask subscription service offers two plans: the Glow Starter Box [10] (£10) with four sheet masks and the Glow Starter Box [11] (£10) with seven to 10 sheet masks. No matter which box you choose, your skin will never look better.
Birchbox
Birchbox [12] (£10) is all about samples, meaning every month you receive a selection of the latest and greatest in skin care and beauty to test in the comfort of your own home. The longer you're a subscriber, the more personalised your beauty box becomes, and you can earn loyalty points when you buy the full-sized product of anything you've tried. The brand's box for June, shown here, includes a concealer and a microfibre makeup-removing cloth, plus three other products from brands like Patchology, Winky Lux, Amika, Wander Beauty, and Lord & Berry.
Glossybox
Glossybox [13] (£10) is one of the original beauty boxes, making it a great place to start if you're new to beauty box subscriptions. Packaged in their signature pink box, subscribers can expect a monthly delivery of five surprise beauty products of different sizes and price points.
CosBox
Offering a revolutionary experience for women of colour, CosBox was created to challenge the narrative that there is a lack of available options for women of ethnically diverse skin tones. The brand's aim is to enable women to discover new products and reconnect with old favourites. The box has been labelled as a 'must-have' for beauty lovers.
Each specially-crafted box provides a minimum of four high quality products from a range of brands that cater to the needs of women of colour. Innovative, informative, and inclusive beauty is at the heart of everything the team at CosBox do.
There are two subscriptions plans available: the CosBox Bimonthly Plan [14] (£25) and the CosBox Bimonthly Plan [15] (£25).
The BlacBox
Offering products from award-winning Black-owned brands that are tailored to your own beauty profile, BlacBox explore and find new products and brands that work amazingly for your skin and hair.
Their personalised pampering and self-care boxes allow you to indulge during those moments where self-care is a necessity, while discovering new products from black-owned brands around the world.
Every box, which customers receive on a bi-monthly basis, includes six products which are specifically tailored to your beauty profile [16]: two for skincare, two for haircare, and two for general beauty.
For more information, visit the 'What's Inside Your BlacBox [17]?' section of their website.
Mintd Box
The Mintd Box [18] (£70) is a luxury subscription box tailored to your beauty profile, which you fill out when you first sign up. Each month, you receive a box of four to five products, ranging from skin care to hair care, makeup, nails, bath and body, and accessories.
Look Incredible
Unlike most of the other boxes on this list, Look Incredible [19] (£35) sticks solely to makeup. Featuring brands such as Nars, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, and Tarte in previous deliveries, when you hear the doorbell ring, you know you're in for a treat.