ELLE Names 83 Winners of Its 2026 Future of Beauty Awards

ELLE's 2026 Future of Beauty Awards recognized 83 products across skin care, hair care, body care and color cosmetics, selected from hundreds of launches tested by dozens of ELLE staffers between July and September 2026. The full feature appears in the November 2026 issue of the magazine.

The winners include several genuine firsts for the U.S. market. One winning sunscreen is among the first in the country to contain BEMT, the first new SPF ingredient approved by the FDA in more than two decades. "I liked that the consistency is quite thin and isn't sticky—that's my favorite for an under-the-makeup sunscreen," the tester wrote. Another winner may be the first foundation formulated with exosomes and peptides for skin renewal, using amino-coated powders in place of skin-clogging silicones.

What themes dominated skin care?

Longevity science moved decisively into moisturizers. One cream, developed with the supplement brand Timeline, uses Mitopure, a postbiotic said to trigger mitochondrial renewal. Another contains plant peptides and an NAD+ precursor. Its tester was blunt: "Before testing this product, I read that it would lessen the appearance of my fine lines within a month. I was skeptical, but it really works! I have tried so many face creams over the years, but this is the only cream I think has actually made a difference."

GLP-1 era skin care also arrived. One moisturizer, formulated with multiple hyaluronic acids and ectoin, was studied on GLP-1 users, who reported smoother and more radiant skin. Korean-inspired actives ran throughout: a vegan PDRN and exosome serum, a lip treatment with barrier-strengthening PDRN, lactic acid and hibiscus enzymes, and an effervescent peptide-and-ceramide serum a tester called "the kind of product that encapsulates modern K-beauty."

Other standouts included a rollerball combining collagen peptides and NAD+ for sculpting, a face mask pairing low-level DHA with erythrulose for subtle self-tanning, and a caffeine-and-peptide cream mask judged ideal "after a late night or early morning." Dr. Diamond's Metacine Liplift Hyaluron Peptide-6 BioFill Lip Treatment, inspired by the in-office work of Jason Diamond, MD, drew praise for fuller lips "without the sting of traditional lip plumpers."

Which hair products won?

A professional scalp serum containing 50 billion exosomes per bottle delivered measurable results for one tester: "I chopped off three inches a month ago and there seems to be about half an inch of growth already." A slick-back gel credited on Beyoncé protects hair up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and left one weekly slickback wearer "smooth and sleek, instead of hard and crunchy." A pre-shampoo bond-builder prompted an unusually enthusiastic verdict: "It feels like exactly what my hair needs and something I could get addicted to using." A heat prep spray shields up to 410 degrees, and a Beyoncé-adjacent styling stick blended shea and mkani butters with cranberry extract for shine without residue.

What won in body care and makeup?

Body care winners skewed hybrid: a hand serum that kills 99.9 percent of bacteria, a body wash that is 50 percent serum and oil, and a Future Society fragrance built from cloud microbes, rounded out with vanilla, iris, sugar, aldehydes and musk. A former beauty editor, Christina Han, built a three-step Korean bathing kit of soap, exfoliation mitt and eukalyptus lotion that left a tester's skin "the softest it has ever been."

In color cosmetics, testers handed out perfect 10s—one to a foundation where "one to two small drops was enough," another to a brow stick with a "fluffy feathered effect." An M.ph by Mary Phillips palette condensed the makeup artist's underpainting method into one product. Rihanna's updated Fenty matte foundation added more neutral shades and prompted a four-word verdict: "In Fenty we trust." A setting spray holds makeup for up to 18 hours, and a lipstick earned a Certified Ease of Use designation from the Arthritis Foundation for its oversized grip.

How were winners chosen?

ELLE's beauty team gathered launch data from March to April 2026, invited free formal submissions in May, and deployed dozens of staffers to test from July through September, rating products on innovation, efficacy and ease of use. Feedback submitted in October determined the 83 winners. With exosomes, NAD+, mitochondrial postbiotics and a new FDA-approved SPF filter all landing in a single winners' list, the 2026 edition reads as a snapshot of where beauty R&D is heading next.