The Best New Beauty Products Launching in January

Including a serum Jonathan Van Ness says made him feel gorgeous and an oil Gwyneth Paltrow calls “maybe the best product ever.”

Happy new year! While we can’t promise 2021 will be any better on a societal level, we can help improve the year from a beauty perspective (huge, I know), starting with a selection of the best new products out this month. From a dark-spot erasing serum to a slew of lipsticks at all price points, here are the best new skincare, hair care and makeup products launching in January.

Biossance Squalane and Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum

As global self care ambassador for Biossance, Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness got early access to this dark spot correcting serum, featuring 10 percent vitamin C and white shiitake mushroom extract. (The brand says this formulation is both stable and non-irritating.) After using it for a month, here’s what he had to say: “I’ve always had freckles .. [and I do like my freckles to show through] but they did kind of join together in my 30s to create pockets of melasma that weren’t there before.. and honey, it is breaking up! My skin is feeling bright, I am feeling gorgeous.” We’re sold.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

Okay, this shade extension technically launched in December, but with the holiday fuss we wanted to make sure it had its moment. Hollywood Flawless Filter is not a foundation nor is it a disco-ball-esque highlighter, though you could apply it like it’s both of those things. It’s the perfect dewy lit-from-within glow and it now comes in 12 shades, including the new deep option above. Note: When picking a shade, you aren’t looking for an exact match with your skin tone (again, it’s not foundation). Everyone I’ve ever given this product to is obsessed with it. Do with that information as you wish. P.S. for eyeshadow fans, the brand also debuted Hollywood Flawless Filter Eyeshadow ($66) quads that offer the same smoothing, light-reflecting goodness.

Atelier Cologne Lemon Island Cologne Absolue

I can’t speak highly enough about Atelier Cologne, founded by genius nose Sylvie Ganter and her husband, Christophe Cervasel. Atelier Cologne scents are citrus-y and fresh with serious staying power, yet never overwhelm a wearer (or the room they walk into). Like nearly all of its fragrances, 92 percent of the ingredients in its latest launch, Lemon Island, are from natural origin. This one includes fair trade lemons from Rodrigues Island (a small volcanic island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mauritius), jasmine from India and a vanilla infusion from Madagascar. Parfait, non?

M.A.C Cosmetics Moon Masterpiece Collection

To fete the Lunar New Year, M.A.C has released Moon Masterpiece, a limited-edition Pop Art-inspired collection. The line features best-selling shades of the brand’s popular matte Powder Kiss lipsticks as well as a collectible, fish-embossed version of Double Gleam highlighter, which M.A.C.’s senior manager of makeup artistry, Regan Rabanal, says it will “keep you glowing from day to night.”

Three Ships Refresh Papaya + Salicylic Acid Cleanser

On January 12, Canadian skincare brand Three Ships will launch a new cruelty-free, 100-percent plant derived cleanser. Designed for combination-oily skin types, Refresh Papaya + Salicylic Acid Cleanser features papaya extract to balance and brighten skin, and aspen bark to tackle blemishes.

GOOPGENES All-in-One Super Nutrient Face Oil

In a video for the launch of Goop’s new daily face oil, Gwyneth Paltrow calls it “maybe the best product ever.” At the very least, she says, it’s her “favourite [product] ever, of all time.” She then goes on to say the Bakuchiol-containing oil (Bakuchiol is often referred to as a plant-derived retinol alternative) is like “heaven on earth” and that “you won’t believe the difference it makes in your skin.” And then she drops the bottle on her bathroom floor. The video cuts away before we know whether or not it smashes into a million pieces, but we’re sure GP can get another!

Maybelline New York Ultimatte Color Sensational Lipstick

Everyone loves a cheap and cheerful drugstore find, and this new launch from Maybelline fits the bill. Ultimatte is is a high-pigment matte lipstick available in ten shades. Expect a lightweight feeling: the formula boasts texture-blurring gels to ensure a smooth-looking finish – ideal for chapped and dry winter lips.

Guerlain Météorites Pearl Glow

It’s January in Canada during a pandemic, so it’s a safe to say you are likely in need of a little manufactured glow. This classic highlighting powder, now available in a limited-edition case, only requires you to swirl a fluffy makeup brush lightly over the beads, then sweep that over the high points of your face (cheekbones, bridge of the nose, Cupid’s bow). You will look at least 30 percent more rested on your next Zoom. Thank us later.

Rouge Dior Satin Lip Balm

Should all the aforementioned lipsticks not be your thing, we present this option. The first universal lip balm from Dior boasts a formula that contains 95-percent naturally derived ingredients and is totally sheer. Wear it alone or apply before any Dior lipstick to prep your lips. Hydration achieved.