What are the top beauty products with a cult-like following?
Every new season seems to bring unique skincare trends and viral beauty products. But few brands can tout a cult-like following who sell out new product launches in minutes and rave about a life-changing jar of moisturizer. Thanks to this era of TikTok and one-day shipping, a single gushing review by an influencer is enough to catapult a brand to fame.
These trendy products are beloved in all corners of the world, taking over YouTube videos, makeup artist’s kits and bathroom vanities. While there’s no guarantee a hair mask or concealer will revolutionize your life, the allure and devotion surrounding these products certainly make it hard to resist. So, from established classics to new favorites, here are 17 products with a cult-like following you should know about.
Shop this article: La Mer Creme De La Mer Moisturizer, SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic and Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment
What it means to have a cult-like following
There are millions of good beauty products on the market and thousands of great products. However, not every great product develops a cult-like following. There’s no specific sales number that elevates a brand to a cult favorite. Instead, followers share the skin-saving secret with friends, and people stop you on the corner to ask what lip color you’re wearing. So, a product is likely a cult favorite if:
- It’s an established classic. If your grandmother wore perfume and you still see it all over TikTok, it has a cult-like following.
- Fans buy extra in case they are out of stock or discontinued.
- Devoted followers stock up regardless of price.
- Users don’t just buy it once but continue to order it.
Top products with a cult-like following
Skin care
La Mer Creme De La Mer Moisturizer
Despite the extravagant price, fans can’t stop singing the praises of this rich and creamy moisturizer. Not only does it soothe irritation and redness, but it also claims to firm and lift skin with daily use. Plus, it’s gluten-free and formulated without parabens, formaldehyde and hydroquinone.
Sold by Sephora
Sunscreen is a staple in many skincare routines, and this bottle is a favorite. It’s formulated with 15% L-ascorbic acid to neutralize free radicals, 1% alpha-tocopherol to replenish skin lipids and 0.5% ferulic acid to enhance the stability and antioxidant benefits of vitamin C and E.
Sold by Skinstore
Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment
This AHA serum is packed with powerhouse ingredients that can brighten the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. These include lactic acid, prickly pear extract, licorice and lemon grass. It’s also free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and sulfates. It is ideal for all skin types.
Glow Recipe Watermelon + AHA Glow Sleeping Mask
With a blend of lactic acid and glycolic acid, this mask is a gentle exfoliant that removes dead skin cells to reveal smoother, brighter skin. Other ingredients include watermelon extract, hyaluronic acid and peony root to hydrate, soothe irritation and brighten the skin.
Sold by Amazon
Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, this lip mask delivers intense moisture to revive dry or cracked lips while you’re sleeping. It comes in several flavors, including the cherished gummy bear. Plus, it’s free of parabens and phthalates.
Sold by Amazon
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
This body cream touts a luxurious texture and intoxicating scent of vanilla and salted caramel. To visibly tighten and smooth your skin, it’s packed with guarana, capuacu butter and acai oil, which are fatty acids and antioxidants that work well together. It also leaves a hint of shimmer on your skin for a beautiful glow.
Makeup
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
Many Laura Mercier products qualify as cult favorites, but this setting powder is one of the best on the market. This single product offers an instant blurring effect with a soft finish and no flashback, and it wears for up to 16 hours. Unlike most translucent powders, it comes in three shades, making it ideal for multiple skin tones.
Sold by Ulta, Kohl’s and Sephora
Right around the time when full, filled-in eyebrows became trendy, Glossier Boy Brow became a cult favorite with its brushable, creamy wax. It comes in several shades and gives brows a flexible hold that looks natural. Plus, it contains skincare ingredients to condition and moisturize.
Sold by Amazon
L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara
Products don’t need to be expensive to have a cult-like following, and this mascara is proof. The soft bristle brush has over 200 bristles to thoroughly coat every lash with just one swipe and deliver volume and length. It comes in several shades and a waterproof option.
Sold by Ulta
While this blush comes in over 18 shades with shimmer, matte and satin finishes, the shade orgasm X made this product a cult favorite. With silky, superfine pigments, you’re sure to get a flawless application.
Urban Decay Naked3 Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Naked eye shadow palettes consistently have pigmented shades and blend in seamlessly. This rose-hued neutral-based palette is one of the brand’s top products, with 12 shades in matte, glimmer and metallic.
Sold by Sephora, Ulta and Kohl’s
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer
This drugstore concealer continues to be a favorite year after year. It’s available in 18 shades that cover up dark circles and blemishes. Plus, it offers moisturizing, crease-resistant coverage for up to 12 hours.
Sold by Amazon
Hair
Suitable for all hair types, this texturizing spray is ideal for a ton of occasions. Use it to add volume to your roots and texture throughout your hair or loosely hold your final look. Plus, it’s vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and formulated without parabens, sulfates and mineral oil.
Sold by Amazon
L’Oreal Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold UV Hair Spray
This established classic hair spray has been around for decades and still has a cult-like following with every new generation. Its micro-infusion technology even disperses the mist to cover all strands evenly. Plus, it’s safe for color-treated hair and protects your style from humidity.
Sold by Amazon
While every Olaplex product has a cult-like following, their No. 3 hair perfector remains at the top of the game. This at-home treatment strengthens hair, repairs damages and reduces breakage.
Sold by Amazon
Beauty tools
Beauty Blender Original Makeup Sponge
While makeup sponges have been around for nearly a century, the beauty blender revolutionized the industry and revamped the outdated makeup sponge. The unique shape allows you to easily blend makeup on large areas or with the small end under your eyes. Just be sure to get it wet first, so it doesn’t absorb your makeup.
Sold by Sephora, Ulta and Kohl’s
Revlon One-Step Volumizer And Hair Dryer
If you’re looking to save time while getting ready, this hair dryer will style, dry and volumize your hair in a single step. The ionic plus ceramic technology works to smooth out the hair while the round edge adds volume. Also, you can pick from three heat and speed settings with a cooling option.
Sold by Amazon
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Bre Richey writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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