Allure Opens Best of Beauty 2027 Submissions, at $195 to $795 a Product

Allure's Best of Beauty Awards turn 31 next year, and entry now costs money in every category. The magazine's 2027 submission guidelines introduce a mandatory per-product fee: $195 for general categories, $395 for Clean, and $795 for Breakthroughs. All fees are nonrefundable.

Allure frames the charges bluntly. "The beauty landscape has grown exponentially in recent years," the guidelines state, and the fees exist "to ensure that we have the resources we need to maintain Allure's high standards throughout the Best of Beauty testing process." Translation: the shelf got crowded, and testing it is no longer free.

When can brands submit?

The first submission window runs from Monday, October 19, 2026, at 10 a.m. to Friday, October 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST. A second window opens Monday, January 4, at 10 a.m. and closes Friday, January 15, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Allure will not accept late submissions under any circumstances.

Product call-ins begin on a rolling basis from mid-November 2026. Brands without a final launch date can list an approximate one; those without an MSRP should enter "0" and expect follow-up in early 2027.

What does each fee buy?

The three tracks carry different rules and different price tags.

• General Awards, $195 per product. Covers Skin, Body, Hair, Makeup (Eyes, Lips, and Base), Nails, Tools, and Scent. Eligible products must have launched before October 2026, not have won a 2026 award, and not be limited-edition. New products launching before September 16, 2027 also qualify.

• Clean, $395 per product. Submissions must meet the Allure Clean standard. The higher fee, the magazine says, supports "the due diligence involved in ensuring that each product meets our standard."

• Breakthroughs, $795 per product. Open to hair, makeup, skin, fragrance, devices, and in-office procedures launched between October 1, 2026, and September 16, 2027. Winners "do more than just perform beautifully; they transform beauty routines with a new ingredient, technology, or design."

Each entry requires its own form and its own Stripe payment, with the payment confirmation ID entered on the form. One form, one fee, one product.

What happens to the samples?

Allure reviews submissions first and requests samples only for products the team has not already tested widely. That request is a deadline in disguise: "Late arrival of product samples for testing will deem the product untestable, and, therefore, your product will not be considered for a win."

Testing itself remains the old ritual. Since the first awards ran in 1996, Allure has worked with a judge panel of makeup and nail artists, hairstylists, cosmetic chemists, and dermatologists. Breakthrough judging adds a review of the science behind each product.

One quiet mercy: 2026 winners do not need to be resubmitted. Allure considers last year's winners automatically during deliberations, though brands should flag any winner being discontinued or reformulated.

Questions go to [email protected]. Brands planning multiple entries should budget accordingly — a product entered in all three tracks would cost $1,385 before a single sample ships.

By Olivia Hart