The 43 most innovative beauty products of 2024

Our beauty cabinets are now filled with next-level gadgets—and for good reason. “Thanks to technology such as miniaturised devices and artificial intelligence, we can achieve more speed, performance, individualism, and precision than we could with just our fingers alone,” says Guive Balooch, the global managing director of augmented beauty and open innovation at L’Oréal Groupe. We tested hundreds of these tech-forward innovations across hair care, skincare, makeup, and fragrance this year; here are the standouts that are expanding the boundaries of beauty.

NEW TOOLS

These gadgets and gizmos found a permanent spot in our beauty routines this year.

Isamaya x FACEGYM Sculpt 01 Gua Sha

FaceGym and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench teamed up to design Sculpt 01, a comb-meets-contouring tool designed to stimulate blood flow for healthier skin and hair.

L'Oreal Paris Colorsonic Hair Color Device

L’Oréal Paris Colorsonic takes the guesswork out of at-home coloring and is as easy to apply as brushing your hair. The device freshly mixes the dye formula and dispenses it through oscillating smart bristles that distribute color evenly.

Currentbody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device

CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device disables hair follicles at the root for permanent results. It’s fast too; 15 minutes can treat the whole body.

Medicube Age-R Booster Pro - 6-in-1 Total Care LED Therapy Device

Medicube Age-R Booster Pro is a six-in-one device using microcurrent technology to lift, five types of LEDs to target lines and spots, sonic vibration to penetrate product deep into the skin, electric muscle stimulation to firm and tighten, and electric microneedles to improve skin elasticity.

Rhode Lip Case

Is a phone case groundbreaking? In the case of Rhode’s Lip Case, yes. Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand launched an iPhone case that conveniently has a slot for carrying the brand’s cult-favorite peptide lip treatments and tints so that one is always close at hand.

Silk'n Titan MultiPlatform

Silk’n Titan MultiPlatform combines radiofrequency, infrared energy, and low-level laser therapy to tighten, brighten,and increase skin’s cell turnover.

Oura Ring Horizon

In a world of bulky fitness tech, the sleek Oura Horizon ring reigns supreme. Comfortable, understated, and a breeze to use, the Oura ring is what our editors use to track everything from sleep, temperature fluctuations, heart rate, fertility, steps, and workouts.

Foreo BEAR 2 Body Set

Foreo's Bear 2 device uses two types of microcurrents plus five T-Sonic massage settings to enhance the body's skin elasticity and smooth wrinkles—all from the palm of your hand. It also lasts for up to 300 minutes on a single charge and is bacteria-resistant.

Kohler SpaViva

Kohler's high-tech SpaViva hand shower quickly takes your cleansing experience to the next level. Choose between full coverage, air induction, or its MicroBubble spray setting—which infuses tiny bubbles into your water—for an extra deep clean. It also comes with four interchangeable attachments: facial brush, body brush, body scrubber, and body massager, making it easy to get a spa-like experience from the comfort of home.

Therabody Depuffing Wand

Leave your freezer for food and not beauty tools. The Therabody Depuffing Wand offers three instant hot and cold temperature settings to help reduce puffiness under the eyes and boost product absorption.

SMART HAIR DRYERS

The technology inside these health-conscious dryers is the next best thing to having a stylist on call.

Dyson Supersonic Nural hair dryer

An upgraded version of the brand’s first hair tool, the Dyson Supersonic Nural has smart features like scalp-protect mode, which reduces the temperature as the device moves closer to your head, and a built-in sensor that recognizes the chosen attachment, like the wide-tooth comb or gentle air nozzle, adjusting settings accordingly.

AirLight Pro

There’s a reason the L’Oréal Professionel AirLight Pro hair dryer won a 2024 CES Innovation Award. It uses a high-speed motor, infrared-light technology, and wind-inspired airflow to dry hair quickly and without excessive heat while maintaining moisture.

Dyson Airwrap i.d.™ multi-styler and dryer

Dyson unveiled a new version of its viral Airwrap multi-styler. At first glance, the Airwrap i.d. looks like the original device, but—in a first for the brand—the new version connects to an app to customize your self-styling experience. Enter your expertise level and desired result, and the app automatically tells the Airwrap how long to heat your hair in the curling barrel and to set the curl with the cool shot. This new feature eliminates the need to manually adjust the device’s heat and speed settings for an easier, seamless wrap process.

MAGIC MAKEUP

Add these cool formulas and innovative packaging designs to your cosmetics bag.

Makeup by Mario Softsculpt Multi-Use Bronzing & Shaping Serum

Choose your own adventure with Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum, which offers both a wand for precise sculpting and a pump for all-over warmth.

HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick

In a year that saw hundreds of innovative blush launches, Haus Labs Color Fuse Glassy Blush Balm Stick is the coolest. Available in eight buildable shades, the serum-based formula is infused with skin soothers to leave cheeks plump and glowing.

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain

The fun Jell-O-like texture of Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint made it go viral, but it’s the gorgeous, long-lasting stain, which can be used on both lips and cheeks, that earned it a spot on this list.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Jelly Pop Dew Primer

With a gel-like texture that grips makeup, a nostalgic watermelon scent, and skincare actives like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin C, e.l.f. Jelly Pop Dew Primer is the best beauty investment you can make with a Hamilton note.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm Serum Boosted Skin Tint

Skincare meets foundation in Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm Serum Boosted Skin Tint ($42). Available in 16 flexible shades, the natural-finish formula reduces redness and evens skin while nourishing, thanks to peptides, hyaluronic acid, and botanical oils.

POUND CAKE Cake Theory Lip Tone Equalizing Oil

Like any great lip oil, this one from Pound Cake moisturizes and plumps with hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil. But it goes further thanks to the buttery yellow tint, which neutralizes dark spots, freckles, and discoloration on lips without sacrificing your natural lip tone.

Jillian Dempsey Flyk Trick Mascara

Part mascara, part eyeliner, this genius two-in-one makeup innovation works harder than anything else in your cosmetics bag. The mascara can be applied as you normally would, with the eyeliner stamp end bent out of the way. If you're in the mood for a cat-eye, trace a perfect flick with the angular stamp.

LED CRAZE

There has never been a better time to jump on the LED train. These are our favourite picks for hair and skin.

Foreo FAQ 202 Anti-Aging Silicone LED Mask

We’ve tested more LED masks this year than ever before. Still, we found the precise fit of the wireless Foreo FAQ 202 Anti-Aging Silicone LED Mask to be the best, especially if you like to stay busy while incorporating the rejuvenating benefits of eight wavelengths.

Red Light Hat

We’ve been touting the benefits of LEDs for hair growth for years, but the devices and treatments have often been cumbersome. Not anymore: HigherDose Red Light Hat is as easy to wear as a baseball cap and can help stimulate hair follicles in as little as 10 minutes a day.

2-in-1 Skincare Mini

Solawave 2-in-1 Skincare Mini provides portable skin rejuvenation (it can fit in your palm) courtesy of red and near-infrared light therapies as well as therapeutic warming. The compact size is also ideal to target specific areas, like the jawline, hands, and under-eyes.

FRAGRANCES' NEW FRONTIER

These beauty icons have redefined what it's like to wear a fragrance.

Dior Sauvage Eau Forte Parfum

Dior’s perfume creation director, Francis Kurkdjian, reinvented the house’s best-selling cologne as Sauvage Eau Forte, an alcohol-free scent that balances the cooling freshness of water with warm spices. Liberally spray the blend, which features notes of lavender, a spice accord, and a base of wood and musk, for long-lasting wear.

Orebella Salted Muse Parfum

Bella Hadid’s fragrance brand, Ôrebella, suspends aromatherapy oils and fine-fragrance notes in a moisturizing, alcohol-free base with skin-nourishing snow mushroom. Our favorite of the three scents is Salted Muse, a blend of sea salt, pink pepper, lavender, cedarwood, and amber that leaves skin supple.

Future Society Haunted Rose

Future Society Haunted Rose, with notes of black pepper, passion fruit, rose, and sandalwood, is inspired by an extinct flowering shrub. It’s just one such scent from the brand, which was built around biotech-derived ingredients and the DNA sequencing of long-gone flora.

Sol de Janeiro Delicia Drench Body Butter

Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter, a whipped formula infused with the brand’s mood-boosting sandalwood-and-vanilla scent Cheirosa 59, supports the skin’s barrier health with prebiotic hibiscus and a Brazilian soothing complex (a mix of copaiba resin and passionflower-seed oil).

BOND BUILDERS

Bond builders have infiltrated every corner of the beauty space—from haircare to makeup—with formulas that promise unyielding strength.

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience AirWash Dry Shampoo

K18 AirWash is a watery dry-shampoo formula that instantly dissolves—but not before despiting oil-absorbing microbeads and two patented ingredients: the brand's bond-repairing peptide and odorBind biotechnology, incorporating a smart molecule that captures sweat in hair and leaves behind an airy fragrance.

Olaplex Browbond Building Serum

Bond-building ingredients have made their way to the brows. Olaplex Browbond Building Serum is a clear gel with a slew of peptides to increase hair growth within four weeks and even reduce the appearance of gray hairs.

Fenty Hair The Comeback Kid

Unlike some bond builders that need to be rinsed out, Fenty Hair’s the Comeback Kid treatment can be used as a leave-in that simultaneously repairs split ends, reduces frizz, and strengthens hair for a silky finish.

Epres Healthy Hair Shampoo & Conditioner Duo

Invented by one of the developers of Olaplex, Epres Healthy Hair Shampoo & Conditioner Duo is excellent for fine hair. Formulated without large molecules that can stick to strands and weigh hair down, it also repairs broken bonds with the brand’s Biodiffusion technology.

Nexxus Amino Bond Intense Bonding Treatment

In three minutes, Nexxus Amino Bond Intense Rebond Treatment ($18)—dosed with keratin and amino acids—builds a protective layer around strands to prevent damage and frizz

Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara

This iconic mascara was upgraded this year with a 2 percent bonding complex that helps fortify and strengthen lashes while you wear it.

SUPER SKINCARE

Inside these jars and vials is cutting-edge science for glowing skin.

Dior Prestige La Micro-Huile de Rose Advanced Serum

The new Dior Prestige La Micro-Huile de Rose Activated Serumuses a rose-derived peptide and a cocktail of healing actives like hyaluronic acid and omega-rich micronutrients to revitalize and plump skin that’s been damaged from dermatological treatments and other aggressors.

Augustinus Bader The Skin Infusion

Augustinus Bader’s the Skin Infusion is a four-week, twice-daily treatment that combines the brand’s proprietary Advanced TFC8 formula with a vitamin D activator to improve skin clarity, soothe redness, and boost elasticity.

SkinCeuticals P-TIOX Anti-Wrinkle Peptide Serum

SkinCeuticals P-Tiox serum is the perfect companion to neurotoxin injections. The peptide-rich formula minimizes the appearance of nine types of expression lines, including forehead wrinkles and crow’s-feet. Give it a week and you’ll notice results rivalling what you’d see after a derm trip.

Neuraé Neuraé Harmonie - The Serum

Neuraé Harmonie the Serum goes beyond soothing and balancing skin. It uses natural ingredients like red indigo and alpine skullcap to harness the olfactive and skin-brain connections to promote wellness and an overall calm with each application.

Noble Panacea Multi-Defense Cream SPF 50

Noble Panacea Multi-Defense Cream SPF 50 protects against UV damage with mineral filters, but it also guards skin against infrared light, blue light, and free radicals.

Dove Whole Body Deo Aluminum Free Anti-Friction Deodorant Stick

Dove’s Whole Body Deo Anti-Friction Stick not only keeps odor at bay from head to toe but is also great for minimizing body chafing anywhere you need it.

Dove Whole Body Deo Aluminum Free Invisible Cream Deodorant Coconut & Vanilla

We're also obsessed with this cream version of Dove's whole body deo, which can be used literally anywhere you sweat. It's both dermatologist and gynaecologist-approved, and it leaves skin anywhere on the body feeling soft with lactic acid and glycerin.

Clinique Smart Clinical Repair AM/PM Retinoid Balm

This retinol balm delivers the powerful wrinkle-softening ingredient right to where you need it most—like between your brows or around your eyes. It's safe for sensitive skin, fragrance-free, and the hyaluronic acid in the formula helps plump lines instantly for transformational results that come on quickly and stick around.

Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Invisible+ from Hero Cosmetics

We love pimple patches in fun shapes like hearts and stars, but sometimes, we prefer something a little more subtle. These ultra-thin hydrocolloid patches from Hero Cosmetics are perfect for daytime use, as they're nearly undetectable on skin. We particularly love how the edges stay flat.

Superegg ∞(Infinite) Layers Lip Care

This lip balm goes beyond softening and hydrating. Peptides, hyaluronic acid, camellia oil, and the brand's vitamin-rich Yolk Duplex help lips appear fuller and smoother, but the addition of Derma-Clera, a patented Korean plant extract, helps strengthen the moisture barrier and reduce inflammation—putting an end to chapped lips once and for all.

Lead image credit: Thomas Albdorf

Product images: The Brands 

Also read: 12 hair products you should lock in for immaculate heat resistance

Also read: The 9 best heated eyelash curlers for major lashes that last