The Best New Skin Care, Makeup, and Hair Care Launching in January 2021

Elemis's cleansing balm is one of those iconic products loved by editors, influencers, and makeup artists alike. The 3-in-1 cleanser starts out as a balm, transforms into a makeup-removing oil as you massage it over dry skin (and this cleanser really gets it all off, even the waterproof stuff), and then finally — after you add water into the mix — turns into a hydrating milk that leaves skin both silky soft and utterly clean. The Elemis Pro-Collagen Naked Cleansing Balm (£44) features the same great formula and offers the same great results, it's just free of any added fragrance, meaning that those with sensitive skin or who prefer fragrance-free skin care can finally enjoy the much-lauded product.

We don't know exactly what 2021 has in store for us, but we do know it's getting off to a good start from the very first day of January. Why, you ask? Well, it's because the long-awaited UK launch of the Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial (£67) is landing on 1 Jan. Fans of Drunk Elephant have been waiting for the product to drop ever since the brand arrived in the UK in 2018.

If you're not familiar with the product, we can tell you it was very much worth wait. This product is small but mighty. It contains a whopping 25 percent alpha hydroxy acids (a combination of glycolic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid) and two percent beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid), making it a total powerhouse when it comes to at-home exfoliation; although, it's definitely for more seasoned acid users.

Best of all, the formula is exactly the same in the UK as it is in the US. Sometimes formulas (especially those containing strong ingredients) must be altered to meet EU regulations, but this one was good to go. Baby-soft skin, here we come!

Its name may give a nod to the popular Japanese drink, but the Drunk Elephant Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray (£35) — the second major launch from the brand this month — is more like a swig of Powerade for your skin. Chock-full with electrolytes (like coconut water and sodium PCA), plus amino acids and ceramides, one spritz will make you look refreshed — and ready to take on the day.

Over the past two years The Inkey List has helped introduce consumers to new and hard-to-pronounce ingredients like tranexamic and polyglutamic acids. And in 2021, they wasted no time bringing us something fresh and exciting with the launch of The Inkey List Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment (£7) in the first week of January.

Similar to many science-y skin-care ingredients, succinic acid has been used in medical circles for years, according to The Inkey List Cofounder Mark Curry. "We predict we will start to see this ingredient more and more within the beauty industry, the same way tranexamic acid appeared onto the scene. It's naturally found in amber, where it's antimicrobial properties have been used for centuries in therapeutics, however recently, studies have shone a light on its amazing properties — e.g., skin reconditioning and antioxidant properties — that could make this an ingredient generalist, right up there with the likes of retinol and vitamin C."

The new treatment contains 2 percent of succinic acid, which Curry explained helps "soothe the irritation and sources of acne on all fronts", whilst simultaneously reconditioning the skin. The little tube also contains salicylic acid and sulphur, two well-known spot zappers — the former by helping to clear out clogged pores and the latter by sopping up excess oil.

For being gel-based and oil-free, the new Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream (£39) is surprisingly hydrating. That's thanks to the fact it's packed with ingredients to help your load your skin with moisture and then keep the moisture there, ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and glycerin (as well as some amino acids or good measure). After a layer of Cloud Dew, your skin feels springy and bouncy, while the fun, jelly-like texture has us continually wanting to go back for more.

Wo Skincare is a new brand that launched at the end of 2020, but many in the industry are predicting it to make waves in 2021. 'Wǒ' means 'I' or 'myself' in Mandarin, which reflects the brand's range of mix and match, mono-dose products. Each blister pack or vial contains enough for exactly one application, and you can purchase them in 2, 4, or 8 week dosages so you're not committing to huge amounts of creams and serums at a time. The idea is that you can tailor your routine to your exact skin type and concerns, and then easily add and swap products out depending on the time of year or how your skin is feeling.

The brand offers creams, balms, oils, and cleansers, as well as a collection of "Power TonIQ", which are basically treatment serums, including the Wo Skincare Power TonIQ Instant Radiance Boosting Essence (£15), the Wo Skincare Power TonIQ
Anti-Redness Essence (£16), and the Wo Skincare Power TonIQ Eye Contour Perfecting Essence (£19), all shown here.

And whilst that would seem to be a whole lot of waste generated, it's not: Wo Skincare packaging is made from up to 80% recycled PET and is 100% recyclable — thanks to the fact there are no pumps, no plastic wrap, and no glossy varnish — plus, there are secondary protective boxes that often generate a ton of excess waste.

If you're still on the hunt for an eye cream that actually does something (rather than just feel nice and creamy), well, 2021 might be your year with the launch of Ren's Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream, which launches on 7 Jan.

The Ren Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream contains elderberry flower extract, an ingredient with strong antioxidant benefits to help neutralise free radicals, which can cause crepey skin and puffiness. The ingredient list also includes glycogen, a stored form of glucose, that is naturally occurring in the skin and helps it to retain moisture (similar to hyaluronic acid, for example). What's more, it's vegan and cruelty-free.

Healthy skin starts with a healthy skin barrier. This means the outer layer of our skin is functioning well and protecting against moisture loss. A compromised skin barrier can lead to red, sore, and peeling skin, which is never ideal. That's where the Strivectin Wrinkle Recode Moisture Rich Barrier Cream (£92) comes in.

The heavy-duty cream is packed full of Strivectin's NIA-114, a patented form of niacin, which helps to repair the skin barrier; an ingredient the brand calls 1:1:1 Biomimetic Lipid Ratio, which consists of ceramides, plant-derived cholesterol, and free fatty acids and is ultrahydrating; and Chinese lu gen an poria mushroom extract, which soothes dry skin and calms redness.

As the name suggests, the Wrinkle Recode Moisture Rich Barrier Cream has a thick, creamy consistency, making it incredibly comforting for dry skin types, especially during colder and dryer months.

Huda Kattan's new serum, the Wishful Thirst Trap Juice Ha3 Peptide Serum (£41), is actually an amped up version of the formula inside of the brand's Thirst Trap Cocoon Mask. By adding three different types of hyaluronic acid (hence the Ha3 in the product name) and a whole bunch of peptides (the short chains of amino acids in our skin that are responsible for its texture, strength and resilience), the Thirst Trap formula is now even more hydrating and skin-plumping, especially if you use it regularly, which in serum form is very easy to do.

A year after Lumene launched its best-selling Arctic Hydra Care Day Cream, the brand introduces the complementary Lumene Arctic Hydra Care Rich Night Balm (£27). The silky balm feels almost like butter, which makes sense as it contains Nordic oat butter, along with Nordic seed oil and Arctic spring water, all of which do a bang up job of hydrating dry, thirsty skin whilst you sleep. We also appreciate the fact it's fragrance free, making it a good option for those with sensitive skin.

In creating her new Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum (£110), Dr. Sturm wanted to provide consumers with a serum that contained the right amount of vitamin C to make a difference in their skin, but without causing sensitivity or a damaging skin barrier. The Good C contains a 5% concentration of vitamin C, but made up of three different types of the ingredient: an oil-soluble vitamin C THD (which is an extremely stable form of the ingredient), a synthetic version called vitamin C glucoside, and kakadu plum extract. Together, the three different vitamin C varieties help fade dark spots, improve the overall tone and texture, and protect skin from free radicals caused by external pollution. Dr. Sturm also included zinc, which aids in the absorption of vitamin C, as well as olive leaf extract, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin — all of which help keep skin hydrated and happy.

The Algenist Algae Eye Renewal Balm (£48) promises to pamper the delicate skin around your eyes, using peptides, three differeing kinds of algae (brown, red, and green), as well as the brand's patented alguronic acid, which it claims helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles with repeated use. It also makes a great primer before makeup to keep foundation and concealer from creasing.

Both a physical and chemical exfoliator, the Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub (£25) promises to leave your skin smooth and sparkling. The gentle formula contains alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which help break down dead skin cells on the surface of your skin chemically, whilst the ultra-fine sugar exfoliants help whisk whatever's left away as you massage the scrub over your skin.

The Kjaer Weis The Beautiful Eye Balm, which launches 6 Jan., is a luxurious little treat for tired-looking eyes. A rich, solid balm in the pot, as you spread it over your skin, the formula melts into something softer and much silkier, which helps instantly brighten and hydrate the delicate skin around your eyes. The balm is full of natural oils and extracts, including dioscorea batatas (derived from Chinese yams), which give skin a touch of radiance. It also contains beeswax, spilanthes acmella flower extract, which is derived from an herb found in Brazil and promises to help firm the skin, as well as sodium hyaluronate and plant-derived squalane. It's great under makeup or on its own for a little under-eye pick-me-up minus the concealer.

Four years after launching the brand's hugely successful foundation, The Ordinary is back launching another base product in 2021, and this time it's a concealer. The concealer promises, "high-spreadability [through its] suspension system, which offers very high, yet buildable coverage with a real skin finish." The Ordinary Concealer (£5) launches on 19 Jan., with 36 shades following the same undertone format as the foundation. The concealer is lightweight and gives an ultra natural finish that doesn't crease or sit in fine lines. In addition to the newbie, The Ordinary is launching 15 new shades into its foundation range. What's more, in-keeping with the brand's affordability, the Concealer is priced at just under a fiver. What a win.

Since her first launch in 2019, Victoria Beckham has been slowly but surely rounding out her makeup range. And with her first launch of 2021, she's making a major addition: the Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash Mascara (£26). "The perfect mascara is something I've had in my head since day one, and to create my own, I wanted to reimagine what I needed from the ground up," she said via press release.

Like all of the products in her makeup collection, the Future Lash Mascara is vegan, cruelty free, and made without any questionable ingredients (the brand specifically highlights no alcohol, beeswax, BHT, animal collagen, cyclic silicones, EDTA, essential oils, formaldehyde donors, fragrance, gluten, nano materials, ozokerite, palm oil, and parabens). Instead, it uses flexible plant-based polymers that help lengthen, lift, and define lashes without flaking or smudging throughout the day. And when you're ready to wash it off, there's no makeup remover required. Warm water removes it without you having to vigorously rub your lashes. Read our full review here.

When the queen of brows launches a new brow product, it's time to get very excited. In January, Anastasia Soare introduces Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze (£24), a clear brow wax that is meant to mimic soap brows, minus the bar of soap.

When opening up the jar it's a bit shocking. You may not be able to tell in the photo but that the a wax is crystal clear. So clear, in fact, that you can make out every word on the label on the bottom of the packaging. This is a good thing because it doesn't add colour to your brows, it just lifts, sculpts, and holds every hair in place, allowing you to create either a feathered look, or simply slick your brow hairs down. It also doesn't disturb any makeup underneath it, which means you can fill in your brows with a pencil or powder before and it will stay put.

It's also very easy to use: You'll need a spoolie brush to use it, and then all you do is dip the wand into the wax, pick up a little pit, warm it up on the back of your hand (or the cap), and then brush it through your brows and you're good to go.

We are seriously impressed by the E.l.f. Flawless Brightening Concealer (£5), which costs just £5 but is as creamy and blendable as some formulas with price tags nearly triple that. It's not a full-coverage concealer (it's not promising to be), but rather meant for brightening under and around the eye area, which is why the lightweight liquid formula has a healthy dose of shimmer-free luminosity to it and has a second-skin effect when it sets. Available in 12 shades, the clickable concealer pen features a brush tip that makes it easy and fast to apply under your eyes and along the sides of your nose.

Light as, well, air, the Nars Air Matte Lip Colour (£23) isn't your superpigmented, indelible matte lipstick formula. Instead, it's soft and sheer and made to be moved around and diffused, whether you're going for a blurred lip look or more of a wine-stain effect. Apply it straight from the tube – the cushiony doe-foot applicator was made just for this formula — then use your finger or a brush to blur and blend to your heart's desire. It's available in 10 red, pink, and neutral shades, including Mad Rush (an orange red), shown here.

It's a lipstick! It's a lip balm! It's Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss! We're obsessed with this new lip formula because it feels like a lip balm, offers the shine of a lip gloss, and has the pigment of a lipstick — no really, it's fully opaque on first swipe. Incredibly hydrating and comfortable to wear, we envision we'll have a tube of Happikiss in our purse wherever we go — you know, whenever we can go out again. Available in 10 shades (including the classic Pillow Talk), we only hope she adds more vibrant hues in the future.

Chanel has quite a lineup of new product launches this month, including a limited-edition makeup collection inspired by Gabrielle Chanel's zodiac sign (Leo, in case you were wondering), a spring/summer 2021 makeup collection, and a new skin-firming lotion. But the item we're most excited about this month has to the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Laque (£31 each), a brand new liquid lipstick with a high-shine finish.

Chanel's first liquid lipstick, the Rouge Ink, is an amazing product that's won numerous beauty awards over the years. The amount of pigment it has is ridiculous (in a good way); the shades are all gorgeous; and the formula, unlike a lot of liquid lipsticks, never feels dry or tight on your lips. This new formula, the Rouge Allure Ink Laque, is basically the exact same but instead of being a velvety matte, the finish is ultra-glossy, like nail polish, or the paint on a car. Available in 20 shades, expect ravishing reds, decadent neutrals and pinks, and a few unexpected (yet still very chic) colours including a purple-y plum (Éternité) and glitter gold (Inflexible, which is limited edition).

We know what you're thinking: L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Satin Lipstick (£9) is far from new. And you're correct. It first launched in 1985. For 2021, however, the brand decided it was time for a little revamp with upgrades to both the formula and packaging, and the addition of 18 new shades to the existing collection of 15.

When it comes to the formula, the brand has added nourishing ingredients like argan oil and vitamin E to not only improve the wear of the lipstick, but to also help keep your lips soft and hydrated underneath. The bullet is shaped a little differently — more like a teardrop with a very pointy tip to ensure a precise application — and the outer packaging is now shiny and gold.

And whilst we appreciate the new formula, we're probably most excited about the new hues, which include bold shades like bright orange and purple, which can sometimes be trickier to find at the drugstore. (Shades shown here from left to right: Made in Paris, Maison Marais, Bonjour Bastille.)

Dior is yet another brand to give its iconic lipsticks an update for 2021, simultaneously improving the formula and making the product a touch more sustainable. Echoing the very first lipstick created by Christian Dior, the Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick (£32) cases are now refillable, and feature an updated design. The formula now includes floral extracts to help not only improve wear, texture, and pigmentation of the lipstick, but also make sure it's kind to your lips underneath. And finally, Peter Philips — creative and image director of Christian Dior Makeup — gave the shade range a zhuzh. In addition to creating two new fabric-inspired textures, adding velvet (which is ultra-matte) and metallic to the two existing textures of matte and satin; he also readjusted the shade range: tweaking colours, adding colours, and rendering classic colours — like the iconic Rouge 999 — in different finishes.

For those makeup fans who aren't feeling a full-pigmented lipstick right now, may we suggest the new Bobbi Brown Crushed Shine Jelly Stick (£25), which launches 7 Jan. We're obsessed with this limited-edition lip colour, not only because the dome-shaped bullet looks adorable, but also for how quickly and easily it perks up our lips — you can basically swipe one on without a mirror and it looks perfect. The formula is almost like a tinted balm, although with a bit more pigment and not as moisturising. That's not to say it isn't hydrating — it certainly is, they're just not as thick and slippery as a balm, which ultimately means the colours wear longer. Available in six mood-boosting shades (shown here in Cranberry), we're keeping a tube on our at-home desks from now on for when unexpected video chats get popped on our diary.

Nars is celebrating Chinese New Year with a limited-edition collection decked out in gorgeous red-lacquered packaging. The celebratory range includes four new lipstick hues, a Light Reflecting Setting Powder (this editor's personal favourite), and the Nars Limited Edition Chinese New Year Quad Eyeshadow (£41), shown here, which include four decadent hues that together, create the most gorgeous warm-toned smoky eyes.

Illamasqua starts off 2021 with a brand new range of 100% vegan professional makeup brushes. The comprehensive collection includes 18 new brushes for the face, brows, eyes, and lips, as well as three essential brush kits, including the Illamasqua Face Brush Kit, shown here. The new tools launch on on 19 Jan. and will range from £16.50 to £28 for individual brushes, and £89 to £99 for the sets.

The new Eyeko Off In A Blink Eye Makeup Remover (£15) is a bi-phase formula, which means that it contains both oil-based and water-based solutions that you mix together by shaking the bottle before you apply it. That means it can easily break down and whisk away all traces of eye makeup — even the long-lasting, waterproof kind, which the brand excels at — without causing irritation (it's ophthalmologist-tested).

Ever since Bread launched at Sephora in the US last year, there's been plenty of buzz about the brand's products for curly- and afro-textured hair. Lucky for us, Bread makes its way to the UK via Cult Beauty, and we couldn't be more excited to start to try the range, like the Gentle Milky Hair Cleanser (£18) and Creamy Deep Conditioner (£26), shown here.

What's so special about the range (in addition to the great formulations and sustainable packaging is the messaging. "Women with curly or textured hair haven't really been included in conversations around 'effortless' hair. I think there's this rhetoric that textured or curly hair is hard, time-consuming to look after, and requires lots of product and manipulation," Bread founder Maeva Heim told Allure in 2020. "But I want our audience to feel like she can embrace lazy girl hair, too — and that goes for all curl types and textures. What that looks like and what that means will look different across the curl type range, but I want all textures to be able to embrace this carefree ideal if they want to."

According to the brand, one bottle of the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8-Second Wonder Water (£10) sells every minute in the US, and in January 2021, the much-hyped formula makes its way to the UK. Suitable for all hair types (even though it says for long, damaged hair on the bottle), the Wonder Water is a very thin liquid conditioner (no, really, it has the consistency of some high-quality H2O) that helps soften, hydrate, and detangle strands in just 8 seconds using a patent-pending proprietary technology called "Lamellar technology".

Lamellar technology works similarly to micellar water — which uses micelles to trap dirt and remove it from the surface of the skin — but in the opposite way. Instead, the Lamellar technology delivers active ingredients called "lamelles" throughout your hair, however, the lamelles only target the areas along the hair cuticle that need to be repaired. They do this not through magic, but through chemistry: the positive charges of the lamelles attract to the negative charges of damaged areas of hair, delivering the hair-coddling active ingredients to repair the hair fibre exactly where it's needed.

According to the brand, the Only Curls Cleansing Co-Wash (£8) sold out minutes after launching, and as it is, you can still only buy the 100ml-sized bottle on site (the larger bottle is still out of stock). What makes this cleansing conditioner so good? Good for all curly hair types, not only does the vegan formula do a great job and minimising frizz (a key point made in many of the reviews), but it also manages to moisturise both your hair and scalp while removing buildup — all thanks to a combination of avocado, marula, coconut, and castor oils. Curls ultimately look silkier and more defined after using it. If you're intrigued, we suggest you nab a bottle fast.

Starting off the new year with your hair health (and wallets) in mind, ethically-minded brand Faith in Nature has launched four deep-conditioning masks using some of its three best-selling fragrances. The best news? They all cost less than a tenner.

For dry, curly, and afro hair textures, there's the Faith in Nature Shea and Argan Hair Mask (£7), shown here, which is deeply nourishing thanks to the inclusion of fair-trade shea butter and argan oil. The Coconut and Shea Hair Mask is also deeply hydrating, using organic coconut oil to help moisturise your hair and scalp. The Dragon Fruit Hair Mask (which also includes coconut oil and shea butter) helps to add volume to limp strands, whilst the Rose and Chamomile Masks contains rosehip fruit oil, an ingredient jam-packed with antioxidants and fatty acids that are good at protecting strands from external damage, as well as chamomile essential oil to help calm and balance the skin on your scalp.

Molton Brown introduced a new scent in January inspired by Cornwall and its woodlands and wild flowers. With fresh, creamy notes like magnolia, white tea, freesia, lily of the valley, and pear, we can't wait to indulge in the Molton Brown Lily & Magnolia Blossom Bath & Shower Gel £22) every time we hop into the bath.

Housed in a ravishing red bottle, the Jo Malone London Scarlet Poppy Cologne Intense (£134 for 100ml) is inspired by the poppy flower from the inside, out. The brand has combined poppy with notes of iris, barley, tonka bean, and fig, making this creamy floral that's both sparkly and sweet.

Available at all major retailers, the new Dove Care & Protect Liquid Hand Wash (£2) has antibacterial properties that kill 99.9% of germs. But because it's Dove, it's also superhydrating, meaning your hands and cuticles won't be totally destroyed from constant hand-washing.