21 best beauty advent calendars for 2026 tried and picked by our experts
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From M&S and Boots to LOOKFANTASTIC, e.l.f. and Aldi, our beauty experts have tried, reviewed and picked 21 of the biggest beauty advent calendars for Christmas 2026.
Beauty advent calendars have become serious business, with some of this year's biggest launches promising hundreds of pounds worth of make-up, skincare, fragrance and haircare for a fraction of the combined retail price.
But a huge claimed value does not necessarily mean a calendar is worth buying. NationalWorld's beauty and lifestyle writers have been opening, testing and examining the biggest beauty advent calendars of 2026 to find out what you are actually getting for your money.
From a £19.99 Aldi bargain to extravagant skincare calendars costing more than £200, we have covered options for very different budgets. There are also specialist calendars for make-up fans, K-beauty devotees, fragrance lovers and people who would happily swap lipstick for a new bath bomb every day.
Here are the beauty advent calendars our experts have tried, reviewed or picked out for Christmas 2026.
M&S Beauty Advent Calendar 2026: £75
The M&S Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 is one of the big high-street launches shoppers wait for each year, and NationalWorld Fashion and Beauty Writer Rochelle Barrand got an early look inside the 2026 edition.
For £75, there are 25 treats with a stated value of around £400 and seven full-size products. Estée Lauder, Benefit, bareMinerals, Clinique, Color Wow, Aveda, ESPA and Philip Kingsley are among the recognisable names, with skincare, make-up, haircare, fragrance and body products all represented.
Rochelle particularly liked the breadth of the collection and the number of major beauty brands M&S has squeezed into a calendar costing considerably less than many luxury rivals. The only slight downside was a sense of familiarity around a few of the traditional advent-calendar inclusions.
LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar 2026: £120
The LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the biggest collections we have opened this year.
It costs £120 but contains 27 products worth more than £665, including 19 full-size items. Medik8, Clinique, MAC, Elemis, Benefit, Anastasia Beverly Hills, The Ordinary, Color Wow and LANEIGE are among the names inside.
Rochelle was particularly impressed by the variety. Instead of 25 versions of essentially the same skincare product, there are cleansers, moisturisers, make-up, haircare, fragrance and body products, plus a home fragrance treat from The White Company.
Boots 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar: £150
Boots has three major own-label beauty calendars this year and Lifestyle Writer Natalie Dixon opened all three.
Her favourite was the Boots 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar, which costs £150 but was given a stated value of £709.59.
There are 27 treats and 19 full-size products, with Estée Lauder, NARS, Benefit, Clinique, Sol de Janeiro, Fenty Beauty, MAC and Aveda among the brands. One of Natalie's standout products was the £65 Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Lift + Sculpt Eye Cream.
Boots 24 Days of Skin Skincare Advent Calendar: £70
The cheaper Boots 24 Days of Skin Skincare Advent Calendar is aimed squarely at skincare fans.
It costs £70 and was valued at £303.56 when Natalie reviewed it, with an impressive 21 full-size products. Anua and Haruharu Wonder were among her favourite inclusions, although she was less excited by some of the more practical extras.
Boots 12 Days of Scent Fragrance Advent Calendar: £90
Boots' third big option is the 12 Days of Scent Fragrance Advent Calendar.
There are 14 perfume bottles plus a NEOM candle inside, including one full-size fragrance, with a stated total value of £356.52. Natalie admitted she would usually prefer a traditional 24-day countdown but said the fragrance selection made this shorter calendar much easier to forgive.
e.l.f. Express Your e.l.f. Beauty Advent Calendar: £92
The e.l.f. Express Your e.l.f. Beauty Advent Calendar was one of Natalie's favourites after trying numerous beauty calendars this year.
The £92 calendar contains products worth £159, with 18 full-size items among its 24 doors. There are make-up, skincare and beauty tools, alongside two products exclusive to the calendar.
The packaging can also be coloured and personalised, adding something different to the usual beauty-calendar format.
Neal's Yard Remedies 45th Anniversary Advent Calendar: £195
Julie Bayley has opened more than her fair share of beauty calendars over the years, but the Neal's Yard Remedies 45th Anniversary Advent Calendar was a standout.
It costs £195 but contains more than £500 worth of products, and a substantial 17 of the 25 treats are full size. There are skincare, bath, body and aromatherapy products, including three new launches.
The Morris & Co-inspired presentation also gives this one a properly luxurious feel before you have even started opening the drawers.
Liz Earle 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar: £175
The 24 Days of Liz Earle Beauty Advent Calendar is aimed at shoppers who would rather have a substantial collection from one favourite brand than lots of smaller products from different labels.
It costs £175 but was valued at £576.50 when Rochelle reviewed it, making the difference between the price and claimed value more than £400. Most of its 24 skincare and bodycare products are full size, with some supersize products thrown in as well.
That makes this particularly interesting for established Liz Earle fans who know they are likely to use the products rather than simply being tempted by a big headline value.
Dermalogica Advent Calendar 2026: £229
At £229, the Dermalogica Advent Calendar 2026 is one of the most expensive calendars in our round-up.
Dermalogica says there is £546 worth of skincare behind its 24 doors. Highlights include a full-size £89 Pro-Collagen Banking Serum and £115 Phyto Nature Lifting Eye Cream, alongside cleansers, moisturisers, exfoliants, SPF and other treatments.
There are only two full-size products, however, with the rest made up of mid, travel and deluxe sizes plus accessories. That means it makes more sense for serious Dermalogica fans than shoppers simply chasing the highest number of full-size products for their money.
Superdrug 24 Days of Beauty: £60
Superdrug launched its first dedicated skincare advent calendar for 2026, with the Superdrug 24 Days of Beauty calendar originally priced at £60 with more than £160 worth of products.
The line-up mixes Superdrug ranges with Olay, Aveeno, Round Lab, Lanolips and VT Cosmetics, while K-beauty products from Beauty of Joseon and Haruharu Wonder broaden the selection further.
LOOKFANTASTIC 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent: £50
One of the newest calendars our team has tried is also one of the most unusual. The LOOKFANTASTIC 12 Days of K-Beauty Advent costs £50 and contains more than £140 worth of Korean skincare.
It swaps a conventional calendar for a bag containing 12 individually numbered boxes. Inside are products from LANEIGE, Anua, SKIN1004, Beauty of Joseon, Medicube, INNISFREE and others.
Rochelle was less convinced by the relatively plain packaging but thought the products and overall value were excellent, particularly for someone curious about K-beauty but unsure where to start.
Lumene Nordic Beauty Advent Calendar: £99.50
The Lumene Nordic Beauty Advent Calendar contains 24 products from the Finnish beauty brand, spanning skincare, make-up and body care.
Natalie liked the variety and the opportunity to discover several different Lumene ranges in one purchase. Her main reservation was size: many of the products are relatively small, which may disappoint shoppers who put full-size products above variety.
It was priced at £99.50 when she reviewed it.
Aldi Lacura Beauty Advent Calendar: £19.99
Aldi sits at the opposite end of the price scale with its 12 Days of Lacura Beauty Advent Calendar for just £19.99.
Rochelle found a surprisingly broad mix of make-up, skincare, haircare and accessories inside, including mascara, hair oil, face treatments, a gua sha and a Perfect Peach Plumping Lip Gloss exclusive to the calendar.
There is no affiliate link to include because Aldi does not sell the calendar online. It is a Specialbuy available from stores while stocks last.
W7 Beauty Blast Advent Calendar: 24 beauty treats
The W7 Beauty Blast Advent Calendar is one of the most affordable traditional 24-door make-up calendars we have spotted.
It contains a mixture of mini and full-size W7 make-up and beauty products rather than relying heavily on skincare samples. That makes it an obvious option for younger beauty fans or anyone more interested in experimenting with make-up.
When Natalie covered it, Amazon was displaying more than 5,000 customer ratings and more than 1,000 purchases in the previous month.
Soap & Glory Unwrap The Magic Within Advent Calendar: £48 RRP
The Soap & Glory Unwrap The Magic Within 24 Piece Advent Calendar is much more about bath, body and fragrance than expensive make-up.
There are 24 products, including familiar Soap & Glory favourites and limited-edition Velvet Cherry treats. Rochelle particularly liked the fragrance selection and variety, although the relatively high number of minis will divide opinion.
For someone who enjoys lots of smaller pampering products, that is a positive. Shoppers specifically hunting for full-size products may prefer one of the more expensive calendars.
Lush 29½ High Street Advent Calendar: £135
The Lush 29½ High Street Advent Calendar takes a completely different approach to beauty.
Instead of mascara, serum or moisturiser, there are 25 bath bombs and bubble bars, including seasonal favourites and several products exclusive to the gift.
Rochelle is already a fan of Lush's bath products and found the laser-focused format a major strength: there is less chance of opening doors containing products you have no interest in using.
Baylis & Harding Jojoba Ladies Advent Calendar: £45 RRP
For another bath and body-focused option, the Baylis & Harding Jojoba Ladies Advent Calendar contains 24 products across three fragrances.
Rochelle liked its simplicity. Instead of throwing in specialist skincare or make-up shades that may not suit everyone, it sticks largely to easy-to-use bath and body treats.
At a £45 RRP, it is also considerably cheaper than most of the premium beauty calendars.
Champneys 24 Days of Spa Glow Advent Calendar: £46 RRP
The Champneys 24 Days of Spa Glow Advent Calendar has one of the most unusual final doors in this round-up.
Alongside spa-inspired bath, body and wellbeing products, Door 24 contains a voucher for a Champneys Twilight Spa Evening for one, which was worth at least £59 when we covered it.
The calendar itself has a £46 RRP and had dropped to £34.50 when Rochelle first spotted the offer, although shoppers should check the current Boots price before buying.
Stacey Solomon's 25 Days of Rehab Advent Calendar: £65 RRP
The 25 Days of Rehab Advent Calendar is the first advent calendar from Stacey Solomon's Rehab brand.
There are 25 Dose oils for the hair, scalp, face and body, including three calendar-exclusive products. The final door contains a full-size limited-edition Toasted Marshmallow version of the Dose 1.0 Hair Oil.
It has a £65 RRP but was selling for £35 when NationalWorld first covered the launch.
Sentier Fragrance Advent Calendar 2026: £109
Natalie usually avoids 12-day calendars, but the Sentier Fragrance Advent Calendar 2026 managed to change her mind.
It costs £109 and Sentier gives the contents a stated value of £529. Behind the 12 doors are six 10ml perfumes and six 60g scented candles, presented in an illustrated keepsake box.
Natalie's standout was Ardent Cherry Extrait de Parfum, although she would have liked a full-size fragrance to give the collection a stronger centrepiece. NationalWorld readers can also use the code ADVENT10 for 10% off, according to the original review.
LOOKFANTASTIC Fragrance Advent Calendar: £150
Fragrance lovers willing to spend more also have the LOOKFANTASTIC fragrance advent calendar collection to consider.
The 25-door 2026 calendar has a £150 RRP and was given a stated value of more than £530. Jo Malone London, YSL, Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Giorgio Armani are among the fragrance names represented.
There are also extras including a LOOKFANTASTIC atomiser, This Works pillow spray, Molton Brown and an Osmology candle.
The £19.99 Wowcher beauty-calendar gamble
There is also a wildcard for anyone who likes a bit of risk with their Christmas shopping.
The Wowcher Christmas mystery advent calendar deal was £19.99 when Rochelle covered it. Every order receives a jewellery advent calendar, but buyers also have a chance of being sent one of 50 luxury beauty calendars from brands and retailers including Liberty, Harrods, Selfridges, Space NK, Charlotte Tilbury, Tatcha and Jo Malone London.
The crucial point is that a beauty calendar is not guaranteed, so this should not be treated as a £19.99 route to a £285 Liberty calendar. It is a mystery offer where the standard purchase is the jewellery calendar.
Which is the best beauty advent calendar for 2026?
There is no obvious single winner because the calendars are doing very different things.
M&S is one of the strongest choices for someone who wants big beauty names without going above £100, while LOOKFANTASTIC offers an enormous multi-brand collection and Boots Luxe is the more extravagant high-street option.
For full-size products, Neal's Yard Remedies, Liz Earle and e.l.f. stand out. Skincare fans have specialist choices from Dermalogica, Superdrug and LOOKFANTASTIC K-Beauty, while Lush, Soap & Glory, Baylis & Harding and Champneys are better suited to shoppers who prefer bath, body and pampering products.
Aldi is difficult to beat on outright price, while Sentier and the LOOKFANTASTIC fragrance calendar offer a much more focused countdown for perfume lovers.
The best advice is not to be blinded by the biggest claimed product value. Look at how many of the products you would actually buy, how many are full size and whether the calendar leans towards the part of the beauty aisle you genuinely use.
One more festive beauty option
It is not technically an advent calendar, but NationalWorld's advent-calendar coverage also includes the Very Festive Beauty Box.
Natalie was impressed by the £75 box, which contains 20 beauty products with a stated value of more than £360. Benefit, Elemis, Caudalie, Dyson, Beauty Works, Michael Kors and Moncler are among the brands included, making it worth considering as a Christmas beauty gift even though there are no numbered doors to open each morning.
Prices, discounts, stock and stated product values can change. Details are based on NationalWorld's 2026 reviews and coverage, and shoppers should check the current retailer price before purchasing.