The 25 Best Luxury Skin Care Brands of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Oct 15, 2024

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What luxury skin care should look, feel, and smell like—and unfailingly accomplish, according to InStyle editors and beauty industry icons.

In This Article

InStyle / Kristin Kempa

We can’t define luxury skin care—three-digit price tags and museum-quality packaging simply aren’t enough to slap this label on a product. Although these factors can (and do) become deciding details for splurging on a luxury makeup or skin care item, our experiences and lifestyle choices will outweigh any purchase decision. According to Sarah Brown, Chief Brand Officer at Violet Grey, every investment purchase comes with a set of standards. “The product must be covetable—you have to want it and you have to want to use it—and it has to not only outperform your expectations, but also outperform the other products you’re currently using, and it has to improve your life,” she says.

Celebrity endorsements, famed founders, and opulent packaging give some brands their notoriety. Others are under a year old, but their highly effective products have earned them a stellar reputation. And, a few have been offering products since the inception of skin care itself—consistently proving their worth in a cutthroat industry. Discover them ahead, and the products we believe are truly the height of luxury skin care.

Everyone is talking behind Sofie Pavitt’s back—in a good way. We’ve heard whispers across Manhattan about this celebrity aesthetician, whose clientele includes Lorde and Zendaya, and her heaven-sent facials. Last year, Pavitt expanded her goodwill and knowledge outside her NYC-based studio with a minimalist product line. The items address the most stubborn acne concerns with well-balanced formulas, that balance potent exfoliating acids with gentle, hydrating ingredients. The goal? Knock out several issues with and declutter your bathroom cabinet in the process.

Alongside face wash and serum, the collection features our new favorite frozen friend—the Nice Ice Frozen Toner Pods. These ingenious ice-cube-shaped items contain glycerin, niacinamide, and green tea extract to soothe inflammation and puffiness from breakouts or sun exposure.

Best Sellers: Mandelic Clearing Serum | Claim to Fame: Multipurpose products designed by celebrity facialist

Powered by plants, and praised by scientific peers, Chantecaille was at the forefront of brands to use plant stem cells in its formulas. Many have followed suit since, but its highly effective peptide and collagen-infused anti-aging masks and eye creams keep the brand at the top of the skin care food chain. Beyond that, the clinical results don’t lie: In a clinical study conducted for The Bio Lifting Mask+ 82 percent of the 32 women tested saw an immediate lifting effect and 100 percent of the participants said they instantly felt smoother skin. And, the brand continued making strides toward a cleaner, sensitive-skin-friendly beauty by offering vegan products free from phthalates, palm oil, synthetics, and other potentially harmful ingredients.

Indicated by the leaf-embossed eyeshadow pallets and animal kingdom imagery interwoven across its product line, Chantecaille also has a clear philanthropic purpose with a mission with several causes to preserve endangered species. Profits from every opulent tiger-eyed compact and shimmering eye shade go toward a worthy conservation cause.

Best Sellers: Biolifiting mask, Rose de Mai Cream | Claim to Fame: Botanical formulas, conservation efforts

Cofounders Alice Kindred Wells and Jennifer Black struck out from their previous careers on a trailblazing road to redemption: Counteract their years in the fashion industry by developing a slow beauty brand free from plastic packaging and harsh chemicals. Every item creates an infinite loop that’s never broken with a new plastic purchase, courtesy of handblown glass bottles you never want to toss and its refillable recycling program.

Its designs have an endearing hodgepodge quality that feels uniquely curated to the user, like a collection of seashells, vintage accouterments, and family heirlooms you’ve acquired. Produced in limited quantities, every holistic-centered formula within the vessels promises cold-pressed natural oils, organic plant-based ingredients, and detoxifying clays. In addition to its hydrating serums and healing body oils, the brand offers fragrances, eye pigments, cheek rouge, and other makeup items to round out your at-home beauty apothecary.

Best Sellers: Savannah Viper Lip Oil, Moon Dew | Claim to Fame: Opulent glass packaging, organic ingredients, refillable recycle program

Even for those who consider skin care an alien world, La Mer is synonymous with luxury beauty—beauty aficionados consider it the crème de la crème of skin care. And for good reason: The brand’s signature Miracle Broth, which features a fermentation of sea kelp, vitamins, and minerals that help renew and revitalize skin, took no less than 6,000 experiments and 12 years to perfect. The brand focuses on the art of fermentation—after all, its signature broth takes three to four months to reach its greatest form.

Created by physicist Dr. Max Huber to heal the appearance of the scars he suffered during a lab accident, the brand skyrocketed to fame thanks to its deeply hydrating, restorative Crème de la Mer.

Best Sellers: Crème de la Mer Moisturizer, The Treatment Lotion, The Eye Concentrate | Claim to Fame: Miracle Broth (the proprietary, top-secret elixir in every La Mer product), skin care centered on marine botanicals and sea kelp, regenerative creams and lotions

It’s not simply the pastel packaging that make Dr. Loretta’s serums, eye gels, moisturizers, and masks an enjoyable aspect of our skin care regime (though that's certainly a perk). From her refreshing face washes that seamlessly remove makeup to high-coverage, soothing face sunscreens, Dr. Loretta formulates her products with every skin tone and type in consideration. In fact, the Harvard-trained dermatologist was at the forefront of the research that developed the Fitzpatrick Skin Spectrum, a six-level classification system that measures the amount of melanin in one person’s skin related to its reaction to UV rays. Her formulas focus on a potent blend of botanical and patented ingredients that address the effects of pollution, climate, light, and irritants.

Best Sellers: Tightening eye gel, Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 40, Intense Replenishing Serum | Claim to Fame: Formulas developed by Harvard-trained scientist

Helmed by former third generation family owner of Kiehl's Since 1851, Jami Heidegger, Retrouvé is where legacy meets luxury. Heidegger's approach to skin care include the purist ingredients, some grown in the family estate farm in Malibu. Others are sourced from trusted suppliers that adhere to the strictest standards of quality, efficacy, and sustainability. You won't find an overly-extensive product line, only multi-tasking essentials to give you a superior results-oriented routine.

Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer: "The texture of this oil-cream hybrid is so rich and velevety you'd expect a heavier skinfeel. Instead, it sinks into your complexion instantly, leaving a lush and cushiony finish. I use it in the mornings if my skin is flaky and needs a boost of hydration, or at night as a finishing touch for overnight moisture." —Jill Di Donato, InStyle Associate Editorial Operations Director

Best Sellers: Skin Brilliance Priming Pads, Nutrient Face Serum, Balancing Face Oile | Claim to Fame: I Repeat testing to maintain superior quality, ingredients sourced from family Malibu farm, vacuum sealed products.

Along with numerous awards from nearly every major outlet, one walk down a red carpet and you’ll find it full of Augustinus Bader fans—notably Hailey Beiber, Margot Robbie, and Leonardo DiCaprio have sung the brand’s praises.

Accolades aside, the brand is steeped in science and a data-first approach. Clinical trials feature consistently jaw-dropping results. Bader skin care is powered by its patented Trigger Factor Complex technology, which was inspired by over three decades of cutting-edge research on skin healing and tissue repair. There’s not just one product that works, though. The brand has over 20 offerings spanning across skin, hair, and body that are all expert-formulated, expert-tested, and expert-approved.

Best Sellers: The Cream, The Rich Cream | Claim to Fame: Highly effective patented technology, endorsement from celebs like Hailey Bieber and Jennifer Anniston

The proven benefits of acupuncture include regulated gut health, eased muscle tension, fewer headaches, and an overall euphoric feeling. That is if you know who to go to, and Ross J. Barr is currently one of the most celebrated practitioners. “Ross J. Barr has helped Meghan Markle and Sofia Richie—he’s an acupuncturist to the stars,” says Brown. Welcoming him into our home isn’t (likely ever) an option. However, his unique product line provides a similar effect to the treatment by slowly releasing essential oils and nutrients in a patch format.

Best Sellers: Patch Pack, Sleep Pack | Claim to Fame: Targeted innovative formulas that simulate the effects of acupuncture

For a centuries-old (yes, really) brand, the impeccable craftsmanship behind each Guerlain bottle and formula has never faltered. Although many will recognize the living heritage company for its luxury perfumes bedecked with Swarovski diamonds and signature gleaming bee emblems, its scientifically based skin care back is a true masterpiece. The test tubes and beakers behind each meticulously crafted formula bring forth lightweight complexion-soothing creams and anti-aging serums that glint in golden packages on our nightstands.

Undoubtedly beautiful, and unquestionably efficient: Guerlain exclusively sources ingredients from which they’re naturally found, such as Corsica, Greece, and Finland. Additionally, Guerlain coined the term BlackBee Repair technology to describe the neuroscience, bee products, and decades of research its scientists pour into each formula, which acts similar to skin’s natural repair system.

Best Sellers: Advanced Youth Watery Oil, Honey Treatment Day Cream | Claim to Fame: Luxury fragrances, sophisticated packaging

If you can’t get on the books for famed plastic surgeon Dr. Diamond’s trademarked InstaFacial, consider these two products, a serum and a moisturizer, from his clinical results-driven brand a close second. Instead of a one-and-done procedure, the Metacin Plasma serum and Metacine Emulsion work cream work overtime to infuse skin with a powerful clinical-results-driven formula from the comfort of your home.

“The science is what initially drew me in; it supposedly mimics (on a lesser scale) the effects of Dr. Diamond's famous laser and micro treatment. It has retinol, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides—everything you could really ask for,” says Alnuweiri.

“Because it is so expensive I cycle through it; I'll go through a bottle then switch to a different product, but then once I finish that bottle I'll go back to Dr. Diamond's Metacine,” says Alnuweiri. “It makes my skin less puffy, brighter, plumper, and less covered in hyperpigmentation. Right now I'm in one of my off periods and my skin can definitely tell.”

Best Sellers: Metacine Plasma Serum, Metacine Emulsion | Claim to Fame: Line of at-home products that mimic the effects of the trademarked InstaFacial

Would you believe a chance encounter sparked the impetus behind SK-II’s now-famed line of powerhouse treatments? Scientists behind the Asian-owned brand discovered the unique yeast strain, known as Pitera, featured throughout the luxury skin care brand in a sake brewery during the ‘70s. (They noticed the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, but extraordinarily soft and youthful-looking hands.) You’ll find it throughout SK-II’s product collection, including brightening and pore-minimizing serums and rich anti-aging creams.

Best Sellers: Pitera Facial Treatment Essence, GenOptics Aura Essence Serum, Facial Treatment Mask | Claim to Fame: Pietra, a fermented yeast ingredient

Ourself gets under your skin—though not with needles. However, its products do address the skin care concerns that land many of us under a plastic surgeon’s bright white lights in the first place, such as thinning lips, hyperpigmentation, and skin laxity. Instead of injecting you with filler, Ourself uses Intides, patented pending peptides the brand claims go below the dermis to stimulate elastin and collagen production to firm and give the appearance of lifted skin.

You can find this Subtopical Technology throughout the range of products, including its sunscreen, moisturizer, dark spot corrector, and hyaluronic acid serum. Even something as seemingly simple as its Daily Purifying Cleanser offers dramatic benefits. It efficiently scrubs away grit and grime with a gentle sulfate-free cleansing agent while beet root extract, niacinamide, and saccharide isomerate provide all-day moisture.

Best Sellers: Daily Purifying Cleanser, Lip Filler | Claim to Fame: Innovative technology that produces similar results as injectables

Ranavat is a budding South-Asian skin and clean hair care brand that merges the traditional holistic practices of Ayurvedic with forward-thinking new ingredients. The brand interweaves ingredients South Asians have incorporated into this ritual for thousands of years such as ashwagandha, turmeric, and ginger, into its eye creams, cleaners, and toners. In addition to the restorative and meditative benefits of these combined worlds, simply holding the weighty packaging in your hand and adorning your shelves with the line of cool-toned color palettes simulates an introspective moment.

“The creation of this brand stems from the devotion to daily self-care in India—using pure ingredients that are obtained in responsible ways, maintaining their highest potency,” says Razzano. The Brightening Retinol Eye Cream, for instance, uses a milder micro-encapsulated form of retinol alongside bakuchi seed, sometimes considered, nature's retinol, which diminishes the appearance of fine lines by encouraging collagen production.

Best Sellers: Brightening Saffrom Serum | Claim to Fame: Luxe packaging, signature spa-scent fragrance

Obagi is one you’re probably familiar with, either because it likely lines the shelves in your dermatologist’s office or you’ve had a friend recommend its (some would say) life-changing Eyebrow Boosting Serum. For over three decades, the straightforward skin care line has worked with dermatologists and scientific researchers to create potent formulas that target hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and acne. And, Obagi does it with every skin type in mind. According to the brand, it was one of the first to test products across the Fitzpatrick Skin Spectrum.

Additionally, Obagi gained recognition for its patented development of Isoplentix Technology—a game changer in how the products feel and deliver ingredients to your skin. Serums featuring this technology consist of small suspended beads that create the sensation of tiny little massages and contain potent forms of vitamin B3 and Abyssinian and hibiscus oils.

Best Sellers: Daily Hyrdo Drops Facial Serum, Eyebrow Boosting Serum | Claim to Fame: Scientific-backed products trusted by dermatologists

Tata Harper is one of the few brands that truly lives and breathes the clean beauty ethos. With plant-based ingredients sourced from its own farm (and onsite formulation and packaging), the luxe brand is a favorite among celebs like Brooke Shields, Kate Hudson, and Rosie Hungtington-Whitely.

It’s not just the elegant green-glass packaging or commitment to sustainability that sets Tata Harper apart: Products are results-driven and multifunctional, thanks to highly concentrated, high-performance ingredients. Take its Hydrating Floral Mask—which features a whopping 39 botanical ingredients to plump, hydrate, soothe, and nurture compromised skin. The brand even has an entire line, the Superkind collection, designed for reactive skin that includes gentler versions of beloved products.

Best Sellers: Regenerating Cleanser, Resurfacing Mask, Hydrating Floral Essence | Claim to Fame: 100 percent natural ingredients sourced from a Vermont farm

Known for vampire facials (a Kim Kardashian favorite) and her highly effective hyaluronic acid serum, German aesthetics doctor and skin therapist to the stars Dr. Barbara Sturm launched her eponymous skin care line back in 2003—and it’s remained a beauty editor and celeb favorite ever since.

While Dr. Sturm’s skin care philosophy and regimens are simple, her products are anything but. The line is centered around the hero ingredient purslane, a plant extract rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids that, according to the brand, activates the skin’s internal antioxidant system and protects against inflammation and free radicals.

Best Sellers: Hyaluronic Serum, Face Mask, Glow Drops | Claim to Fame: Anti-inflammatory products, purslane-centered formulas

La Prairie began in a stunning chalet hidden in the Swiss mountains, where glandular transplant specialist Dr. Paul Neihans developed the brand’s exclusive cellular complex in the 1930s. That complex—which is produced in three separate laboratories to ensure no one chemist will ever know the full formula—remains a staple in the brand’s product range. From its origin story and weighty packaging inspired by stunning Swiss landscapes to its jaw-dropping efficacy and hard-working formulations, everything about La Prairie is an experience.

The brand brings art and science together in such a sophisticated, dizzying manner that suddenly the $975 La Prarie’s night cream feels like a justifiable splurge. Its iconic collections center around luxurious hero ingredients: The White Caviar and Skin Caviar collections harness the power of, you guessed it, caviar; the Pure Gold collection contains a pure-gold infusion fit for a king; and the Platinum Rare collection centers around a firming, wrinkle-reducing platinum peptide.

Best Sellers: Skin Caviar Liquid Lift, Skin Caviar Luxe Cream | Claim to Fame: Caviar-based ingredients, formulas backed by cellular therapy, luxe packaging

Meet U Beauty, the brainchild of Instagram’s OG-fashion-blogger-turned-skin care-founder extraordinaire Tina Craig. Though still relatively new to the skin care scene (it launched its first product in 2019), U Beauty has more than earned its spot among the luxury elite, thanks to its proprietary SIREN capsule technology, top-notch sustainability credentials, and a refreshing focus on simplicity.

Best Sellers: Resurfacing Compound, The Plasma Lip Compound, The Super Hydrator | Claim to Fame: Sensitive-skin-friendly formulas

Doctor-founded and dermatologist-loved, SkinCeuticals has been strongly committed to science- and research-backed skin care for over 25 years. It’s built a reputation upon a cushy foundation of patents, exhaustive clinical studies, and efficacy above all else.

SkinCeuticals is, oddly, a brand perhaps best known for a legendary, hot dog water-smelling product: the C E Ferulic Serum, which is adored by the masses, big-time celebrities, and seriously impressive derms and doctors alike. Since its launch in 2005, it continues to top lists as the best vitamin C serums available and has garnered endless awards and accolades for its liquid gold-like formula.

Best Sellers: C E Ferulic, Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 | Claim to Fame: Highly concentrated active ingredients, dermatologist-developed skin care

Family-owned French brand Sisley-Paris offerings encompass everything from, hydrating lipsticks and hair care to floral perfumes, all the products primarily focus on plant-based beauty, drawing inspiration from plants’ capacity for regeneration and adaptation. Sisley also uses a self-appointed phrase to encapsulate its work: phyto-cosmetology, which, according to the brand, involves infusing “the vital energy of plants, their adaptive and regenerative potential, as well as their protective systems” into beauty products.

Best Sellers: Black Rose Cream Mask, Black Rose Precious Face Oil, Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream | Claim to Fame: A plant-cell based approach to skin care

Tatcha fans, which include Meghan Markle, Selena Gomez, and Kim Kardashian, quickly point out the brand’s ultra-luxe packaging and hard-working formulas as hallmarks of true luxury. Founder and CEO Victoria Tsai emphasizes the importance of looking at skin care through not just a physical lens, but also a mental and emotional one, in which skin care acts as the anchor of your own larger well-being rituals. The ethos is evident in every product Tatcha launches.

Best Sellers: Dewy Skin Cream, Water Cream, The Essence, Luminous Dewy Skin Mist | Claim to Fame: Luxurious packaging, holistic-forward skin care, ultra-hydrating products

What originated as a grad school project quickly became a staple beloved by beauty editors and skin care enthusiasts alike when Nicolas Travis launched Allies of Skin in 2016. The Singapore-based brand is based around a seemingly simple concept: Supercharged formulas that solve common beauty hang-ups and pain points. The results include a waterless vitamin C serum that stays fresh longer than traditional formulas and encapsulated, time-released retinol that delivers all the benefits without any irritation.

Best Sellers: Promise Keeper Nightly Blemish Treatment, Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment, 35% Vitamin C+ Perfecting Serum | Claim to Fame: Clean and sustainable ingredients and formulas, multifunctional, gentle products

iS Clinicals’ minimalist blue and silver bottles may look simple, but the results you’ll experience from using the formula within are anything but discreet. The two biochemists behind the brand built it around a four-step approach to skin care (cleanse, treat, hydrate, and protect) and pack highly active, plant-derived extracts into every offering. The approach is based on a biological principle called xenohormesis, which is the concept that plants under pressure produce bioactive compounds that pass on stress-resistant and survival benefits to humans who consume or apply them. The result is gimmick-free formulas that cater to specific skin types and concerns. These products are seriously hard-working, delivering notable results in minimal time.

Best Sellers: Cleansing Complex, Active Serum, Pro-Heal Serum Advance+ | Claim to Fame: Hardworking, multitasking products

In 1967, Dior launched its first skin care products formed from flowers. Today, Dior cultivates its flowers in seven Dior Gardens worldwide and uses a signature extraction method to transform the very best of flowers into the very best of skin care.

Beyond florals, the brand’s scientists have spent the last 50 years studying skin structures and analyzing the latest medical findings to bring them to use in cosmetics. It’s also partnered with some of the most reputable research institutions around the world to delve deeper into areas of interest and produce truly cutting-edge skin care solutions. With an emphasis on innovation and performance, Dior struck that rare balance of prestige and efficacy.

Best Sellers: La Mousse OFF/ON Foaming Cleanser, Dreamskin Skin Perfector, Capture Totale Super Potent Eye Serum | Claim to Fame: Flower-based formulas

Clé de Peau Beauté and its headline-making launches, such as a limited moisturizer housed in an 18-karat gold, diamond-encrusted jewelry box, certainly capture our attention. Yet, we most appreciate how the brand’s promise hidden within its name (Clé de Peau Beauté quite literally means “the key to skin’s beauty,”) holds up.

Founded in Japan in 1982, Clé de Peau focuses on skin cell science and something it calls “skin intelligence,” which is the concept that skin, much like the mind, is smart and can discern between positive (moisture, sleep, nutrients) and negative (pollution, stress, dryness) stimuli to maintain optimal conditions. Its products are meant to amply this intelligence, using cutting-edge, luxurious formulations to boost skin radiance.

Best Sellers: Concealer SPF 27, Protective Fortifying Emulsion SPF 22, Softening Cleansing Foam | Claim to Fame: Innovative use of skin cell science, weighty gold packaging

A distinguishable factor between luxury and non-luxury skin care is not only what ingredients the brand uses, but how they’re formulated. Luxury skin care brands often use patented technology and higher concentrations of potent ingredients to achieve real results.

As Razzano explains, “Imagine you’re in a grocery store and you want spinach. You can buy fresh spinach—the most flavorful and full of nutrients, or you can buy frozen—which is less costly, but also slightly less flavorful and nutrient-rich. Lastly, you can buy canned spinach, which is the least expensive, but it has very few nutrients. Well, these are all technically ‘spinach’ but, the quality of the spinach is what you pay for.”

“I use luxury skin care for two reasons—when you invest in luxury skin care it's an elevated experience, you get quality active ingredients, the product is typically not mass-produced or carelessly packaged, ingredient lists lack things like filler and water that dilute a product's efficacy,” says Di Donato. “The other reason I continue to splurge on luxury skin care is I get a daily affirmation that I'm doing something special for myself when I use the product—it's a little luxury injected into my day or nightly routine, and that makes me feel good.”

While not all the best skin care brands are luxury labels, Razzano says the ones that are will leave no detail overlooked. “From the texture of the product, and of course the quality and effectiveness of the ingredients,” he says, adding that he gravitates toward skin care filled with rare, hard-to-obtain ingredients that nourish and support skin while delivering powerful results.

Irene Richardson is a beauty and fashion commerce writer at InStyle. For this story, she tapped the InStyle team of beauty editors and writers for their favorite luxury skin care brands and products. She also spoke with Sarah Brown, Chief Brand Officer at Violet Grey, David Razzano, Beauty Director at Sephora, and Autumne West, Beauty Director at Nordstrom, for their wealth of knowledge and expert recommendations for the best luxury skin care.