People Magazine's Beauty Awards have officially launched! After months of swatching, swiping and styling, the publication has determined its 2025 award winners. People's Style and Beauty director, Brittany Talarico, stopped by TODAY to reveal their top picks for the best cleanser, best frizz-fighting serum and so much more.
"We work together with a diverse panel of People staffers and beauty enthusiasts to test these products over several weeks and months to bring you the best of the best from 2025," she says on their methodology.
Below you'll find household names like L'Oréal Paris, Garnier and Dove, alongside trending brands like Kosas, Goop, Merit Beauty and more. People Magazine award-winners start at just $7, keeping your hair, skin and wallet happy.
People Magazine Beauty Award winners seen on TODAY
Despite the pastel colors they come in, these lip masks go on clear to bring moisture to the lips and lock it in — all while you’re snoozing. It comes in three different versions, each with a different goal.
Mint bliss soothes the lips and rosy petal nourishes them, while the option above prioritizes hydration. Talarico calls this the “ultimate bedside essential,” adding that its quickly become multiple staffers’ new favorite product.
Transform tired eyes by waking them up the same way you do in the morning — with caffeine. The People staffers called this product a “game-changer,” saying it helps them look like they got eight hours of sleep, when in reality they only got five.
Caffeine is grouped with hyaluronic acid and dipeptide-two to depuff the skin, while a more technical ingredient (acetyl tetrapeptide-five) combats anti-aging woes.
This face wash dispenses as a gel then lathers into a foamy consistency to reduce pores, remove makeup and cleanse skin. A hydration complex and plant-derived surfactants work together to promote hydration, while the key ingredient malachite removes toxins.
"Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand nailed this gently exfoliating formula that our staffer said made skin 'feel clean with zero tightness,'" says Talarico.
Frizzy hair, meet your match. Looks may be deceiving, but this travel-friendly product packs a powerful formula complete with argan oil and plant keratin to provide a lightweight, grease-free solution.
People staffers were “obsessed” with this serum, to say the least, that left their hair free of frizz — even after five washes!
SPF and skin care go hand in hand — this product is proof. One swipe sets you up for success, with the four core ingredients working to provide anti-aging benefits while also protecting your skin from the sun.
"You can’t neglect the neck!" says Talarico. "This formula is a triple threat: The brand says it reduces wrinkles and neck crepiness, helps with overall firmness of the face and jawline, and brightens skin."
Dove prides itself on creating products that gently and thoroughly cleanse the skin. This body wash proves to be no different, with plant-based oat milk serving as the main ingredient, helping you have smoother skin after each shower.
Talarico says this body wash provides a "spa-like shower experience" thanks to its "super-rich and luxe-feeling lather."
People Beauty Award winners seen on Jenna & Friends
People Magazine's Deputy Beauty Director, Jackie Fields, unveiled more winners from People's Beauty Awards on TODAY with Jenna and Friends.
Picks include a tinted sunscreen that could replace your daily foundation, a shaving oil (rather than cream) and more.
The brand says you can use this spray "anytime, anywhere" when you need to replenish dry skin. A trio of key ingredients — specifically hyaluronic acid, glycerin and plant extracts — retain and lock in moisture and further nourish the skin.
Tinted sunscreens have added benefits to them — most notably their added pigment — that traditional sunscreens lack, according to experts we previously interviewed. They also can help prevent hyperpigmentation and even out skin tone "more effectively" due to the additional blue light protection they provide.
Merit's take on tinted sunscreen can be used in place of your foundation, and is available in 15 different shades.
This petite product also earned the award for Best Overall Tint Stick during Shop TODAY’s 2025 Beauty Awards for its “perfect gloss” and natural, “long-lasting” color, according to our editors.
It’s available in four pops of pink and a neutral nude color, and can be used on both the lips and cheeks.
This product can be used both during and post-shave, for a sleek finish, then "rub it in as a hydrating after-shave oil," per the People team.
"This oil blew our staffers away because the consistency was perfect for shaving — plus, it left skin feeling smooth afterward," says Fields. "As the name would suggest, some also used it as a body oil."
Brighter, glowy skin is just one step away, with the use of this body oil. It's primary ingredient is vitamin C, which aids in evening skin tone and boosting collagen production.
"Our staffers were bowled over by the glow this antioxidant-infused oil gave their skin — one staffer said it left her legs feeling super silky, and felt like a real treat for her skin," says Fields, further complimenting the luxe packaging and "sophisticated" scents. While the brand's popular vanilla verve scent is currently out of stock (naked neroli and sacred santal are still available!), you can join the waitlist for it here.
More People Beauty Award winners to shop
When's the last time you replaced your mascara? If it's over the six-month mark, experts say it's time to toss the old, and start anew.
"Bubble-like" lashes can be achieved with the help of this mascara, due to its buildable formula and comb brush, that separates lashes while lifting them during application.
The queen of country music once said: “The higher the hair, the closer to God,” and this volumizing mousse delivers on that sentiment. Not only does a couple of pumps provide you with more definition, but it also serves as a heat protectant.
“Just a couple of pumps of this airy foam elevated our testers’ fine-to-medium, straight-to-wavy hair from sun up to sundown,” says Fields of their pick for best volumizing foam.
Do you suffer from acne, but not the kind on your face? Mighty Patch has got you covered no matter where pimples pop up — on your chest, back, shoulders or otherwise thanks to this pick.
You can find hyaluronic acid as a key ingredient in your skin care routine, but what about hair care? It's incorporated in this shampoo to "strengthen, plump and lift" your locks, naturally adding volume and definition, according to the brand.
Similarly, this conditioner pairs with the shampoo above to provide you with 48 hours of hydrated hair, while also offering protection against humidity.
"I've been such a fan of skin tints lately for the hydrating ingredients, lightweight formula and SPF," says associate editor, Shannon Garlin. "This one checked all those boxes! It felt like I was just putting on a moisturizer and the coverage was impressive, the most I've seen with any skin tint! It also lasted all day and didn't seep into creases or pores."
Leave-in conditioners have a long list of benefits they provide, including adding some much-needed moisture to dry strands. It features hydrating ingredient hyaluronic acid, as well as Fenty Hair's proprietary complex that works to "repair and strengthen" your hair, according to the brand.
PSL's may be calling our name, but we're not ready to leave our summer tans behind! This self-tanning jelly promises a "sun-kissed" glow in as little as two hours, and is available for pre-order now.
Living Proof recommends using this shampoo (and the conditioner below) as part of a three-step routine, that finishes with their dry shampoo, for cleaner, more hydrated hair that stays fresher for longer in between washes.
Similarly, this conditioner promises to revive dry, dull strands with just one use — to keep hair full of life for up to 72 hours, according to the brand.
For more plump lips that boast a little shine, keep this lipgloss within reach. It's available in eight shades that "melt" into your lips for all-day wear, up until you're ready to remove it.
Plus, its formula consists of lip conditioning oils, that provide a 24% hydration boost, per the brand.
Organic coconut oil is the primary ingredient in this cleansing balm, and works hard to remove makeup, SPF and more while also nourishing the skin.
A little goes a long way according to reviewers, who love how soft their skin feels after use.
Meet the experts
- Brittany Talarico is the Style and Beauty Director for People Magazine.
- Jackie Fields is the Deputy Beauty Director at People Magazine.
How we chose
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers. Products were chosen by Talarico, Fields and members of the People Magazine team.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
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