I've reviewed the best beauty advent calendars for 2026

These countdowns for beauty lovers have become a contemporary Christmas tradition. An indulgent alternative to chocolate, beauty advent calendars reveal a make-up, skincare, haircare, or fragrance treat behind each door of December (if you can refrain from unboxing in one fell swoop).

Whether it’s a Charlotte Tilbury foundation, a Byredo lipstick, or an Augustinus Bader cream, the gifts last long beyond party season. While once considered excessive, beauty advent calendars have become an increasingly mainstream choice for Christmas gifting – and most sell out by late October.

If you’re looking to add a touch of luxury to the festive season, it’s worth deciding which calendar you want to invest in now. Consider this your cheat sheet to the best beauty advent calendars of 2026.

Best beauty advent calendars 2026

Liberty London beauty advent calendar 2026 – £285, but worth £1,300, Libertylondon.com

M&S beauty advent calendar: £77, but worth £460, Marksandspencer.com

Harrods beauty advent calendar 2026 – £270, but worth £1,039, Harrods.com

Lush advent calendar 2026 – £210, but worth N/A, Lush.com

John Lewis beauty advent calendar 2026 – £250, but worth £1160, Johnlewis.com

Cult Beauty advent calendar 2026 – £245, but worth £1,100, Cultbeauty.co.uk

Charlotte's Hollywood beauty wonderland advent calendar 2026 – £170, worth £325, Charlottetilbury.com

Boots 24 day premium advent calendar – £150, but worth £700, Boots.com

Fortnum & Mason beauty advent calendar 2026 – £275, but worth £1,225, Fortnumandmason.com

As a shopping editor, I’ve covered beauty advent calendars for more than half a decade, reviewing line-ups from Selfridges, Cult Beauty, John Lewis, and Space NK. So far, heavyweights including Liberty, John Lewis and Harrods are already available, while Lookfantastic and Boots are proving popular among the more affordable calendars available.

Daisy Lester/The Standard

★★★★☆

When Liberty unveiled its beauty advent calendar in 2014, the modern mania began. A snapshot of its iconic beauty hall, the London department store’s annual offering is known for spotlighting more underground brands while delivering reliably luxurious skincare and fragrance staples. The box is worth the investment alone – it takes pride of place on any Christmas display.

In the line-up, you’ll find Sunday Riley CEO vitamin C 15 per cent brightening serum, Lisa Eldridge baume embrace melting lip colour, Augustinus Bader’s The Face Oil, and Davines Oi Shampoo, among other goodies. After unboxing the calendar, I can confirm it's characteristically luxurious, with niche-focused treats, excellent full-size value and standout fragrances – but makeup lovers and anyone wanting to try trending, more household names may find it lacking. Beauty buffs will love the thoughtfully curated lineup come December, while just about anyone can appreciate the uniquely beautiful box on display this Christmas.

Available now

• Worth: £1,300
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 29 (21 full size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Augustinus Bader the face oil, Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C brightening serum, Lisa Eldridge baume embrace melting lip colour

Daisy Lester/The Standard

★★★★★

This year, there are 41 products, including a huge 23 full-size goodies and 18 deluxe minis. Alongside skincare, makeup and fragrances from the likes of Trinny, Fenty Beauty, Elemis and Gucci, beauty tech features for the first time – including Foreo’s UFO mini, worth £129 alone.

As I unboxed the calendar, I failed to come across a product I wouldn’t love to receive, whether as a stocking filler or gift. As always, there’s attention paid to mature skin too – from Trinny’s bounce back mini to This Works’s perfect cleavage, Shiseido’s vital perfection uplifting and firming advanced cream, and Neal's Yard’s frankincense intense age-defying cream, making it a calendar both mother and daughter would enjoy.

Among the full-size skincare products, you’ll be treated to L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil, Liz Earle’s Cleanse & PolishTM, and Medik8’s Hydr8 B5, while make-up heroes span the Sculpted by Aimee Line and Shine Lip Liner and Gloss Duo, Fenty Beauty Hella Thicc Volumising Mascara, and Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand.

What’s more, one in 41 customers is in the running to win a mystery voucher: prizes include a Shark face or hair tool, and a Clarins spa treatment.

Available now

• Worth: Over £1,160
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 41 (23 full size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Medik8 Hydr8 B5, Foreo Mini UFO, Elemis Pro-Collagen Future Restore Serum

Daisy Lester/The Standard

★★★★☆

The Harrods beauty advent calendar is always one of the earliest to launch – and it’s already revealed this year’s offering. Inside, there are 34 products – 21 of which are full-size – spanning make-up from Charlotte Tilbury, skincare from Augustinus Bader and Tatcha, haircare from Color Wow, and fake tan from By Terry.

Beauty highlights include Hourglass’s ambient lighting blush travel in luminous flush, a £75 voucher off selected Currentbody Skin devices, Nars’ total seduction eyeshadow stick, Lyma’s power youth cream, and Medik8’s C-tetra advanced gel-serum. It’s sure to be up there with this year’s most covetable calendars. There’s also a fragrance advent calendar (£225 for 12 luxury niche scents), and a 12 days of hair and body calendar (£99 for 17 pampering items), which offer stellar value for money.

Available now

• Worth: £1,039
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 34 (21 full-size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Hourglass ambient lighting blush, By Terry tea to tan for face and body, Medik8 C-tetra advanced vitamin C gel serum

Boots 24 day premium beauty advent calendar 2026: £150, Boots.com

Daisy Lester/The Standard

★★★★★

The Boots 24-day beauty advent calendar is a much underrated option. Always affordable, it costs £150 again this year – but is worth £100 more. With a generous mix of full-size products alongside luxe minis, Boots’ 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 covers almost every corner of a beauty routine. Whether you’re most excited by the everyday make-up, cult skincare, indulgent fragrances or haircare, there’s plenty behind those 24 doors to make the countdown feel genuinely luxurious.

The Boots calendar will stock you up on beauty for the new year ahead while adding some glamorous excitement to your festive countdown – what more could you want for £150? Alongside the premium calendar, there’s also a 24-day skincare offering (£70, but worth £300), and a 12-day fragrance calendar (£90, but worth £345).

Available now

• Worth: £700
• Number of days in 2025: 24
• Number of products in 2025: 24 (17 full-size)
• Last year’s advent calendar highlights: Estée Lauder advanced night cleanser, Drunk Elephant protini polypeptide cream, Benefit hoola bronzer

Daisy Lester/The Standard

★★★★☆

Worth more than £1,000 and with 16 full-size products, Cult Beauty’s calendar is among this year’s standout offerings. While I was expecting a lot of good makeup staples, I didn’t expect so many beloved skincare formulas to make an appearence. The calendar sets you up with a full routine for 2027: think Medik8’s pro-collagen peptide cream, Sunday Riley tidal deep hydration and plumping serum, and The Ordinary multi active delivery essence, Byoma’s foaming rice deep cleanser, Paula's Choice dual-retinoid treatment, and Anua’s PDRM cream.

If skincare doesn’t excite you, the formulas are excellent enough to make some family members very happy this Christmas. Makeup products span Charlotte Tilbury’s travel-size Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, a full-size Patrick Ta Double Take Powder Blush Duo, a full-size Huda Beauty lip contour in warm brown, a full-size Westman Atelier mascara, and a full-size Hourglass Satin Crème Lipstick.

Available now

• Worth: Over £1,100
• Number of products: Both calendars feature 16 full-sized favourites and 9 new arrivals from the last 12 months
• Advent calendar highlights: Charlotte Tilbury setting spray, Westman Atelier mascara and Hourglass lipstick

Madelaine Dowds/The Standard

★★★★☆

Charlotte Tilbury’s annual beauty advent calendar is arguably the best for makeup lovers. For 2026, this brand has stuck to tradition by offering 12 beauty favourites. All the CT classics are included – Beauty Light Wand in 'Pillow Talk', Lip Cheat Lip Liner in 'Pillow Talk', Magic Cream, Unreal Lips Glow Nectar Oil, and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray – plus newer launches including the Unreal Blush Healthy Glow.

At £170, it doesn't boast the enormous £1,000+ total worth of a Harrods or Cult Beauty calendar selection. But for Charlotte Tilbury lovers or anyone wanting a curated and beautifully presented chest of reliable crowd-pleasers, it delivers plenty of festive joy.

Available now

• Worth: £325
• Number of days: 12
• Number of products: 12
• Advent calendar highlights: Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick, Beauty Light Wand in 'Pillow Talk', Lip Cheat Lip Liner in 'Pillow Talk'

Sephora

Sephora is somewhat synonymous with viral brands and formulas – and its beauty advent calendar has sold out four years in a row. This year, pre-orders are open, and the brand is offering 41 treats, including 27 full-size products and lots of exclusives. As per tradition, plenty of viral products feature – including the Biodance PDRN Sheet Mask, K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask, One/Size On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray, Dr Sam's Flawless Cleanser, Merit Beauty Flush Balm Cream Blush, and Medicube Collagen Jelly Cream.

Unlike previous years, it feels more like a calendar both daughters and mothers could share. Dermalogica Daily Milkfoliant, Tatcha The Water Cream, Medik8 Niacinamide Peptides and Sunday Riley C.E.O Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream are all crowd-pleasing additions. The makeup offering is among the best this year, from Makeup by Mario Ethereal Moonlight Eyeshadow Palette and Kosas Shiny Objects Wet Glisten Powder Highlighter, to Haus Labs Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer, Tarte Tartelette™ XL Tubing Mascara, Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Shimmer, and Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Eyebrow Gel. I love the addition of the Discothèque Lola at Coat Check Candle, too. Full review incoming.

Available 30 October

• Worth: Over £1,100
• Confirmed cost: £235
• Number of products: 41, including 27 full-size products
• Advent calendar highlights: Biodance PDRN Sheet Mask, K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask, and Discothèque Lola at Coat Check Candle,

M&S

Widely considered the best value beauty advent calendar each year, M&S’s lineup reflects its ever-growing beauty hall. This year’s calendar spans haircare, make-up, fragrance and skincare from top brands including Clinique, Color Wow, Benefit, Aveda, Sam McKnight and Estee Lauder. The full size (eight) to mini ratio isn’t overly impressive, but if you’re dipping your toe into the world of beauty advent calendars, M&S’s affordable offering is perfect.

Available 13 October

• Worth: £460
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 25 (7 full-size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Estee Lauder Double Wear Primer, Sam McKnight Happy Endings Balm, Clinique All About The Eyes, and ColorWOW Money Mist

Cowshed’s 24 day deluxe advent calendar: £299, Cowshed.com

Cowshed

Alongside Cowshed signatures – think the refresh hand wash, active bath and shower gel, and relax body lotion – the calendar features the brand’s new reimagined range of Wildly-Feel-Good fragrances for body, hand, hair and home.

In the mix, 24 full-size products draw inspiration from Christmas at Babington House, from roaring fires to champagne celebrations. The handwoven wicker hamper is designed for year-round use, while each door is individually boxed and sticker-sealed for gifting to loved ones.

Available now

• Worth: £547
• Number of days: 24
• Number of products: 24
• Advent calendar highlights: Refresh Hand Wash, Active Bath & Shower Gel, Relax Body Lotion

L'Occitane

Provence beauty brand L’Occitane is always a favourite for Christmas gifting – and its prestige beauty advent calendar combines all its bestselling formulas into one 24-day December offering. Granted, the value for money isn’t as impressive as other brands – it costs £169 and is worth £269 – but the lineup will make any L’Occitane devotee very happy. From the cult almond shower and body oil to luxurious hand creams, soaps, haircare and skincare – including the immortelle cream, overnight oil, eye cream, and cleansing cream – the calendar is just the ticket for some party season pampering.

Available now

• Worth: £1269
• Cost: £169
• Number of days: 24
• Number of products: 24
• Advent calendar highlights: Shea hand cream, almond shower oil, and almond supple skin oil

Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason has revealed its 2026 beauty advent calendar, which costs £275, but is worth more than £1,225. There will be 24 full-size products across 25 days, spanning perfumes, makeup and skincare. The refined lineup is a noticeable departure from the products we always see in beauty advent calendars. Expect Ortigia, Wildsmith, Clive Christian, Delilah, Granado, Jean-Charles Brosseau, and Benamôr 1925. The gorgeous pink, floral-painted box is quintessentially Fortnums too.

Available 13 October

• Worth: More than £1,225
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 25 (24 full-sizes)
• Advent calendar highlights: LabSolue aqua adornationis 1947 shower gel, Bamford nurturing face oil, Ortiga Zagara body oil

Next x Future Dreams advent calendar for 2026: £150, Next.co.uk

Next

Next has announced its beauty advent calendar for 2026 in partnership with the breast cancer charity Future Dreams. In true Christmas spirit, £10 from every calendar sold will go to supporting those affected by breast cancer. Brimming with useful formulas, pampering treats and makeup heroes, highlights include Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish, Clinique’s eye serum, Elemis’s pro collagen cleansing balm, Kate Somerville’s exfolikate cleanser foaming wash and Estee Lauder advanced night repair.

Available now

• Worth: £576
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 25
• Advent calendar highlights: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage, Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm

Space NK beauty advent calendar 2026: £275, Spacenk.com

Space NK

Space NK’s advent calendars are always an indulgent line-up of both cult classic formulas and viral products. For 2026, its calendar is worth more than £1,200 with 26 full-size products and costing £275. The full line-up is impressive – and among the best this year. Think Augustinus Bader, Summer Fridays, Color Wow and Sol de Janeiro, alongside K18, Vieve, Skin Rocks and Charlotte Tilbury. I’m yet to get my hands on it for a review, but watch this space.

Available now

• Worth: £1200
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 31 (26 full-size)
• Advent calendar highlights in 2025: K18 HAIR HeatBounce Conditioning Heat Protectant, Medik8 Exo-PDRN Primatic+ Serum, REFY Lash Sculpt in Brown

Lookfantastic

I’ve reviewed Lookfantastic’s advent calendar for several years now – and I’m always impressed with how many covetable formulas are packed in at such a low price point. The 2026 calendar looks to be no exception. Its 2026 offering costs £120 – making it among the cheapest calendars available – and includes 27 products, 19 of which are full-size.

Inside, you’ll find a full-size Medik8 cleanser, a Laneige vanilla lip balm, a full-size Color Wow Kale Cocktail, a Clinique Moisture Surge full-size hydrator, a full-size MAC fixing spray, a Sol de Janerio Cheirosa 40 Perfume Mist and an Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Night Cream, among many more big-name goodies.

Helping it stand out in a crowded market, the Lookfantastic lineup has been handpicked by trusted industry names, including Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis-Zullo (hosts of The Girls Bathroom podcast), Molly-Mae Hague, Olivia Attwood, beauty editor and presenter Sarah Jossel, and celebrity hair stylist Sam McKnight.

Available now

• Worth: £665
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 27 (19 full-size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Color Wow kale-infused dream cocktail, Mac fix+ setting spray, Elemis pro-collagen night cream

Selfridges

Many mistakenly believe Liberty was the first to debut a multi-brand advent calendar, but it was actually Selfridges in 2010. The retailer’s line-up has remained consistently excellent – and the 2026 is officially available now. Costing £250, it includes products from Augustinus Bader, Dr Barbara Sturm and Tatcha, while Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Kylie by Kylie Jenner, Laneige, Refy and Elemis and Burberry will also make an appearance.

I wouldn’t say its the most exciting multi-brand line up this year, but it’s a good chance to try some premium fragrances from Jo Malone and Discotheque, along with luxury makeup from Gucci and Marc Jacobs.

Available now

• Worth: £1278
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 40
• Advent calendar highlights: REFY Lip Stick - Rosa, 3.5ml, Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum 10ml, Elemis Pro Collagen Black Cherry Cleansing Balm 50g

Jo Malone

Jo Malone always ranks highly among the most decadent advent calendars. This year, its 25 day fragrance calendar will cost £375 with an overall worth of £597. Granted, it’s one of the most expensive options, but it’s brimming with the fragrance house’s signature scents, plus a full-size tangerine and honey fragrance.

The luxurious trunk-style box features tartan-wrapped minis. The lineup includes an orange bitter hand cream, English pear and Freesia fragrance, a limited edition gingerbread cologne, a cyprus and grapevine candle, among other luxury olfactory treats.

Available now

• Worth: £597
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 25 (one full-size)
• Advent calendar highlights: Lime, basil and mandarin body and hand wash, tangerine and honey cologne, ginger biscuit scented candle

Lush advent calendar 2026: £210, Lush.com

Lush

The Lush Christmas advent calendar is always popular – particularly among Gen Z and young beauty lovers. The 2026 offering has already been unveiled, costing £210 for 25 fan favourites and Christmas crackers. Packaged in a reusable hamper – a nice departure from more disposable boxes – it’s brimming with everything from cosy socks and candles to Lush’s famous bath bombs, bubble bars, shower gels, soaps and skincare. Delivering a little luxury to every day of December, it typically sells out quickly – so I’d suggest placing your pre-order now.

Available October

• Worth: Not disclosed
• Number of days: 25
• Number of products: 25 plus a reusable wicker basket
• Advent calendar highlights: Honey I washed the kids body scrub, Christmas tree bath bomb, once upon a single wick candle

Bamford

Bringing the spa into your home, Bamford’s beauty advent calendar for 2026 includes 24 products to pamper you during party season. Spanning bath, body, skincare and six wellness tools – think gua sha’s and body brushes – the calendar is a refreshing alternative to trend-driven line-ups.

From the Geranium range candle, body wash and lotion, to the B Balanced body oil, cleanser and pillow mist, the countdown provides a daily moment of calm. Now available, it contains six full size products.

Available now

• Worth: £670
• Number of days: 24
• Number of products: 24
• Advent calendar highlights: Gua sha, Geranium Candle, B Balanced Body Oil

Benefit

Benefit’s annual advent calendar is always a gloriously kitsch affair. This year’s ‘Hotel Beneville’ calendar is no exception, designed with a hotel theme and playful briefcase box. Noticably smaller than most offerings, you’ll find mostly minis inside, except a full-size badgal mascara, brow setting gel, Benetint rose-tinted lip and cheek stain, and Cookie golden pearl highlighter. Perfect for young makeup fans or Benefit devotees, it’s also among the most affordable options – but the value-to-cost ratio isn’t as impressive (over £295).

Available now

• Worth: Over £295
• Number of days: 24
• Number of products: 24
• Advent calendar highlights: Benefit 24-hr brow setter, Benefit benetint, Benefit roller lash
• Available: September