Best beauty gift sets for Christmas 2024, tested by a beauty writer (2025)

• Best: Overall
• Products: Four
• Full worth: £67
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Includes four top Olaplex products
• Over £20 of savings
• Suitable for all hair types
Take note
• 33.75

There’s no denying that Olaplex is the GOAT of haircare and this travel-sized beauty set is just the ticket for the person in your life who’s obsessed with having luscious locks. While the no3 pre-shampoo treatment will leave your locks softer than ever (I left it on overnight for an extra fluffy finish), the 4 and 5 shampoo and conditioner duo will clear away build-up and hydrate parched strands. Lastly, the no7 bonding oil is the ultimate final-step for a shot of gloss, smoothing away flyaways and leaving hair smelling sugary sweet. My hair’s honestly never looked better.

• Best: Budget buy
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £41
• In a gift box: No, normal year-round packaging
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Features three top products from Glow Recipe
• The hue drops give skin a healthy glow even in the depths of winter
• While not full-sized, the products are generous and bigger than travel-size

If you’re looking for a skincare gift set specifically, then Glow Recipe’s dewy skin dazzlers is sure to impress. It’s both hydrating and oily-skin friendly – with sebum-balancing niacinamide – and makes for the best cold weather gift with its make up-in-skincare hue drops. Seriously, they’ll leave even the most sun-starved complexions looking glowy and flush with colour. I found the mist to be a welcome layer of extra moisture between my toner and serum, something which was even more appreciated when my annual cold left my nose dry and dehydrated (to say the least).

• Best: For skincare
• Products: 17
• Full worth: £189
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: Not entirely
Why we love it
• Features trending products, including Starface
• An entire skincare routine from cleanser to moisturiser
• A good number of full-size products

A top pick for the beauty curious individual, Beauty Bay’s skincare: wrapped bundle is a masterclass in trending products, with everything from the TikTok-approved Starface pimple patches to Avène’s hero irritation treatment, the cicalfate restorative cream. For me, a rosewater spray is a big thumbs up and Mario Badescu’s is a godsend for stuffy, heated workplaces. Likewise, I’ve tried a myriad of Beautypro sheet masks, but this niacinamide and cica one is equal parts brightening and anti-inflammatory – a must for post-cold and flu dullness. Grab the whole lot now with 70 per cent off.

• Best: For make-up
• Products: Five
• Full worth: £75
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• You can pick the flawless filter, flawless finish and pillow talk lip kit shades
• Saves 10 per cent on the individual products
• All cult Charlotte Tilbury formulas, especially the flawless filter

There are few products Charlotte Tilbury isn’t known for, but when it comes to the best foundations, flawless filter is up there with one of the best. This, alongside the matching flawless finish pressed powder, the airbrush flawless setting spray and the your-lips-but-better pillow talk duo, make for the ultimate make-up haul. Think: a smooth, seamless complexion and a sweep of natural, just-bitten colour across your lips. Plus, the setting spray smells powder fresh and is a real pick-me-up in the middle of the day – I even use it to bring my make-up back to life after several hours of wear.

• Best: For haircare
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £50.50
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Features the brand’s hero dreamcoat supernatural spray in a full size
• Includes the colour security shampoo in a travel-friendly size
• Saves over £10 on the individual products

Color Wow’s haircare range is my go-to for the ultimate blow-dry and a sleek, shiny finish. Of course, the supernatural dreamcoat spray is a humidity-proofing dream (I love it so much I wrote an entire review on it), while the colour security shampoo gives damaged hair a new lease of life. With over £10 of savings, this trio is a perfect blend of brand newness and bestsellers (the money masque is a 2024 addition from Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist, Chris Appleton), and will send you or a loved one into the New Year with bouncy, lustrous locks.

• Best: For men
• Products: One
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• One of the most popular men’s fragrances and a good one for the person who has everything
• The ornate gift box negates the need for wrapping
• For the price you’re getting a bigger 100ml bottle and the stronger eau de parfum

Dior sauvage is one of those scents you’ve likely caught whiffs of here, there and everywhere. Writing about it now, even, a handful of men (cousins, in-laws etc.) spring to mind and, upon re-spritzing the fragrance in my own home, it’s totally understandable why so many gents are fans. Its aroma is long-lasting and brings wafts of pepper and florals, plus a warm cedar wood base. In this limited edition gift box, it’s one of my top luxury picks for a partner, friend or family member if you’re feeling generous.

• Best: Fragrance set
• Products: Two
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes, though not particularly festive
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Coco mademoiselle is one of the most popular women’s fragrances
• Introduces the recipient to the brand’s body oil
• A good day-to-night, year-round fragrance

For me, Coco mademoiselle is one of those fragrances that I associate with my mum, but I’ve known many a glam twenty-something to wear it, too. It’s ageless, luxurious and is always a hit at Christmastime, especially in this format twinned with the collection’s matching body oil. The gift box is a real treat with its hardware clasp and it’s one of those presents that will certainly incite a round of “oohs” and “aahs” around the Christmas tree. The scent is equal parts floral and citrus, and is the type of aroma to prompt compliments wherever you are – trust me, I’ve seen it firsthand.

• Best: For body care
• Products: Three
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Includes a handy toiletry bag
• Miniature perfume mist is an ideal handbag size

I’ve spotted this gift set all over TikTok, with many users dubbing it their must-have item for Christmas. I’m not surprised at how popular it is becoming, since the brand’s perfume mists have been consistently trending throughout 2024. If you’re not familiar with Sol de Janeiro’s bom dia scent specifically, it’s both sweet and warm with a mix of amber, vanilla, jasmine and orchid. I’d say it’s quite universal, suitable as either a day or night fragrance, and it works well as a hair perfume, too.

• Best: Luxury set
• Products: One
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Limited edition packaging
• An excellent colour corrector
• Prevents shine for up to six hours

Another product that’s done the rounds on TikTok, to say the least, Givenchy’s prisme libre loose powder is about as luxe as a setting powder can get, though you might be surprised to learn how big it is. While Laura Mercier’s cult loose powder is sold in a 29g size, this colour correcting formula from Givenchy features a total 100g of powder which, amazingly, makes it almost a third of the cost when you price it up per gram (£1.32 p/g vs. Givenchy’s £0.55 p/g). What’s more, I love how it effortlessly conceals redness and smooths any skin tone unevenness, both features which I desperately need once the frost brings a red Rudolph nose to my face.

• Best: For personalisation
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £55
• In a gift box: Yes, though it’s not particularly Christmassy
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• A choice of two concealers and four foundations, each in the lucky recipient's personal shade
• The hydratint and brighten up concealer are best-sellers
• £10 saving
Take note
• No returns on selection boxes

The brand’s founder, Aimee Connolly, is the Queen of complexion products and her hydratint is was chosen as the top pick in our round-up of the best tinted moisturisers. Naturally, that made me quite excited to see this tailored face-base trio ahead of Christmas, with shoppers being given the choice of either the hydratint or four other foundations. To add to the present’s draw, the lucky giftee will receive the equally famed brighten up concealer (or its satin silk counterpart) and a luxe duo make-up brush for the ultimate smooth finish. Upon testing, I achieved said smooth finish and my face base stayed put without so much as a patch or streak as the day wore on.

• Best: For trending products
• Products: Two
• Full worth: £59
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Both cult products
• The lip oil tastes lovely and leaves lips smooth, soft and seamless
• The hair oil is full-sized, smells heavenly and doesn’t leave build-up in hair

This duo has its own fan club and rightly so. Gisou’s hair oil not only smells delightful, but leaves your hair feeling voluminous and healthy, while the honey-infused lip oil is on par with my favourite Laneige lip sleeping mask (more on that later). The lip oil is softening, feels comforting without stickiness and, in terms of its K-beauty similarities, I think it’s the daytime answer to Laneige’s overnight treatment. Plus, with over £15 of savings, it’s a good value pick, too.

• Best: Value for money
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £94.67
• In a gift box: Yes, though it’s not very holiday-specific
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Gender neutral
• Nearly £50 of savings
• Includes a supersize of the cleanser

Liz Earle’s cleansers are some of the first I used back in my early skincare days and, over 10 years on, the brand’s formulas are still some of my favourites. This gift set from the brand is a Boots exclusive and boasts a huge saving. It’s a big bonus that you’ll receive the bigger bottle of cleanser (the hero product in this trio, if you ask me) and the energise and glow body wash makes getting out of bed that little bit easier on cold days. Its bergamot scent is refreshing, while the gel moisturiser was a cooling wake-up call for my tired morning skin.

• Best: For anti-ageing
• Products: Two
• Full worth: £124
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• The best retinal in the business, if you ask us
• Few brands pay specific attention to anti-ageing around the eyes specifically
Take note
• Quite expensive

Medik8’s crystal retinal is an anti-ageing skin saviour, offering all the wrinkle-filling properties of vitamin A but, thanks to its uniquely encapsulated retinal, without any of the irritation. I’ve been using the brand for around four years now and can confirm that the formulations are lightweight, leave fine lines and wrinkles looking significantly lighter and, with this set specifically, are lighter on your wallet, too. Indeed, shoppers can delight in over £30 of savings on products that, for me, have prompted visible changes to the appearance of my 11s (the deep creases between my eyebrows).

• Best: For teens
• Products: Four, including a make-up bag
• Full worth: £78
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Includes the long-standing customer favourite, better than sex mascara
• Features a handy wipeable make-up bag

Too Faced’s better than sex mascara is the sort of product that blew up in its 2014 YouTube heyday and managed to maintain popularity in the years afterwards. Thanks to the Boots star gift phenomenon, this quad will afford you £40 of savings, too. While the lip oil will leave lips looking glossy, hydrated and subtly rosy, the blush gives a healthy pop of colour. A top pick for those in the throes of their first foray with make-up, me thinks.

• Best: For men’s skincare
• Products: Three
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• An excellent capsule shower trio for men on-the-go
• Includes a full-size shower-shampoo gel, which smells wonderfully earthy
Take note
• Featured face wash and shave gel are small albeit travelfriendly

On the whole, skincare is relatively gender neutral, but this male-specific gift set is a pretty good choice if you’re looking for shaving-related formulas and more traditionally masculine scents. While Clarins’s two in one shampoo and shower gel will keep the lucky giftee smelling botanical and feeling clean, a 30ml travel face wash uses shea butter and glycerin to nourish winter weather-beaten skin. My brother’s been using this trio on and off for years and, after reacquainting himself with the shower gel more recently, described it as a “real treat to use”.

• Best: Newbie set
• Products: Three
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Arguably yes, but it doesn’t differ much from the year-round Glossier packaging
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Includes the hot-off-the-press Glossier doux and rêve fragrances
• Handbag-friendly sizes with spray dispensers
Take note
• Quite expensive for a total 18ml of perfume

If you’ve not heard about the latest additions to Glossier’s renowned ‘you’ fragrance collection, then take this as your sign to snap them up pronto. Said additions – namely, doux and rêve – are offering what sounds like sweeter iterations of the original perfume. That said, these scents are the sort that you really have to experience in person to describe, as their olfactory profiles (think: violet and frankincense for the former, buttercream and sandalwood for the latter) don’t paint an accurate picture of how wonderfully each individual component melds together on the skin. The solution? A discovery kit, of course. Three travel-size spritzes to get to know the new aromas and wear them over an extended period prior to parting with £62 for a full-size.

• Best: For men’s fragrances
• Products: One
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Allure homme is a popular men’s fragrance
• Its gorgeous gift box saves you time on wrapping

The type of scent that’s reminiscent of warm hotel towels and stepping fresh out of the shower, Chanel’s allure homme sport is the ultimate fragrance gift for a partner, if only for the joy it will bring you. It smells expensive and makes cosying up to your significant other all the more tempting. It wafts across rooms, lasts all day and, as cologne aromas go, it’s one of my favourites. I really don’t think you can go wrong with this one.

• Best: For wrinkle prevention
• Products: Seven
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Arguably, though it’s not festive
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Features seven different types of SPF, from mattifying to an SPF-in-face mist
• Gorgeous packaging that doubles as a means of storing your products

Finding an SPF to suit your skin can be harder than you’d think, especially with SPF formulas often costing upwards of £20. Enter, Vi’s closet of cuties, a set of seven UV-shielding formulas to set you up for sun protection success. Yes it is winter, but we should wear SPF year-round for the most effective skin cancer, wrinkle and dark spot prevention. Ultra Violette’s range is one of the best, if you ask me, and the preen screen reapplication mist is a real saviour if you’ve forgotten to apply at the skincare stage. The mattifying lean screen sits nicely on oilier skin types, while the fragrance-free clean screen is practically an irritation-free guarantee. Though they are minis, you’ll get a total 142ml of sunscreen which, it’s worth noting, would cost nigh-on £100 for that quantity in the full-size tubes.

• Best: For travel
• Products: Three plus one travel dispenser
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Twist-up mechanism prevents handbag spills
• Excellent for on-the-go and gives you two extra refills
Take note
• Once used up you can’t repurchase refills without another dispenser

Chanel’s travel perfume dispensers are some of the only ones that don’t leave you feeling like Gulliver in Lilliput. They’re a generous 20ml each and feature a fully functioning spray mechanism without the disappointment of a gimmicky roll on. As mentioned above, the Coco mademoiselle scent is an icon in the perfume sphere and needs no introduction; as for the twist and spray iterations, I’d argue they’re a Christmas must for any mademoiselle wearer and the sort of gift they might not justify splurging on themselves. In fact, I’ll be popping a trio into my own mum’s stocking this December.

• Best: For men’s bodycare
• Products: Three
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• A great fragrance starter kit with shower gel, a travel-size and a full-size
• Comes in a gorgeous gift box and includes a larger 100ml size with the stronger eau de parfum, too

For the person who prefers a slightly warmer scent (compared to sauvage and allure homme above), Givenchy’s gentleman society keeps the freshness that we tend to associate with cologne, but adds a more complex woody undercurrent. Upon first spritzing, I could smell the freshness of the iris notes on my partner, though as it settled down it was the sandalwood and pepper that shone through, with all three melding on the skin for a wonderfully cosy, spicy finish. It’s a little bit different to your ‘typical’ men’s fragrance, and my pick for the man that hasn’t yet nailed down his signature scent.

• Best: Luxury men’s set
• Products: Two
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Scent is very easy to get along with, so a good pick for the gent you’re not too familiar with
• It’s strong and lingers on the skin a good while

The lesser known – but still as sauve – Chanel men’s fragrance, bleu de Chanel brings all the freshness of the above allure scent with the added complexity of sandalwood. As such, it’s a deeper scent than its older sibling (it launched six years after allure) and a top pick for the gent with a taste for more musky, earthy aromas. Plus, who can complain at that packaging: equal parts polish and pageantry with its subtle nod to Christmas in the form of navy blue snowflakes. My partner should be so lucky.

• Best: For ornate packaging
• Products: Two
• Full worth: As listed
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Gorgeous, keepsake-worthy packaging
• A classic, timeless scent

For me, Miss Dior is the brand’s signature scent, trumping its J’adore fragrance. Youthful and desirable, Miss Dior features a sweet, floral bouquet, with a heart note of rose. Compared with traditional rose scents, this eau de parfum feels less grandiose and more girl next door. Now, in its unrivalled packaging (seriously, Dior has done a stellar job of gift wrapping this year), you’ll have her wafting whispers of peony wherever she goes, because, in my experience, Miss Dior is a scent that really lasts on the skin.

• Best: For anti-ageing on the go
• Products: Five plus toiletry bag
• Full worth: £126
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Each pot of product is stackable
• Includes a wipeable, transparent make-up bag
Take note
• All minis, so, if you decided to buy the full sizes after the fact, they wouldn’t stack together with the tubs here

The stackability of Trinny London products has, since the brand’s launch, been a big draw, especially when it comes to travel-size products, as hotel bathrooms don’t always offer a huge amount of surface space on which to rest your beauty essentials. So, this quintuplet of products is a must for the woman who’s always on the go. With a mixture of peptides, skincare acids, retinal and niacinamide, the formulas will help keep skin looking springy, bright and discolouration-free. Sign me up.

• Best: For hands
• Products: Two
• Full worth: £113
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Skin-loving formula
• Stylish packaging

Aesop’s resurrection duet gift set is a real treat for beauty-lovers and interior-obsessives alike. As with all the Aussie brand’s formulas, the products are beautifully packaged in stylish yet pleasingly minimalist bottles. The cleanser’s gentle formulation of orange, rosemary and lavender effectively cleans hands without drying them out, while the skin-softening balm hydrates and nourishes. The fragrant formulas boast a citrus, woody, herbaceous scent that lingers long after use. A saviour for reversing the effects of winter on our hands, the generously sized bottles will last the lucky recipient right into spring.

• Best: Luxury skincare set
• Products: Four
• Full worth: £415
• In a gift box: Yes
• Cruelty-free: No
Why we love it
• Includes a full-size soft cream worth £270

The absolue skincare range harnesses French rose extracts and purports to promote skin cell renewal. With shimmering golden packaging, the soft cream glides across the skin and sinks in well, leaving fresh, dewy and moisturised skin, plus the smell is divine. Miniature versions of the rich cream, eye cream and serum from the line tie in the collection perfectly. These minis are great for taking on overnight stays, too. It’s definitely a premium set, but a great way to enjoy luxury skincare for the price of one full-size product.

• Best: For brows
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £44
• In a gift box: No
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Everyday formulas
• The included spoolie with the brow slick is great for on-the-go taming/re-application

Jess Hunt’s brand Refy is a beauty editor’s secret to fluffed up, voluminous brows. Containing three of Refy’s bestsellers, this gift set helps elevate arches through three simple steps. The brow pencil boasts a precise tip that creates the illusion of hair strokes (it’s arguably better than Benefit’s cult products), while the brow pomade is a buildable, dual-ended pomade and brush that allows you to shade. Complete with Refy’s famous brow sculpt for sculpting and setting, the finished look lasts all-day. Any make-up fan will be delighted.

• Best: For a well-rounded routine
• Products: Nine
• Worth: £320
• In a gift box: No but carry case included
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Includes full-sized 50ml cream worth more than £100
• Features pretty much an entire skincare routine
Take note
• Could do with a handful more make-up best-sellers, such as the cult primer

Luxury Japanese skincare brand Shiseido has a range of gift sets for Christmas, including this blockbuster vanity kit. Featuring a range of the brand’s signature skincare and make-up heroes, this is one for the luxury skincare aficionados. This set includes a whole skincare routine, including a full 50ml (usually £107, Johnlewis.com) of the vital perfection series uplifting and firming advanced cream, which left my skin feeling supple and moisturised. The express eye masks are great for a pamper evening, too. Rounded off with mascara, satin finish lipstick and Ginza perfume roll-on, this set is sure to impress.

• Best: Vitamin C skincare set
• Products: Three
• Full worth: £83
• In a gift box: No but wash bag included
• Cruelty-free: Yes
Why we love it
• Handy wash bag included
• Efficacious, everyday formulas

‘Clean girl’ beauty was all the rage on TikTok this year, and no brand does the pared-back approach better than Ren (it gets its name from the Swedish word for ‘clean’, after all). This trio of bestselling products includes the cult radiance ready steady glow daily AHA tonic, a toner that brightens, evens and smooths skin. Then there’s the glow and protect vitamin C serum, which is a lightweight formula that helps to form collagen and plump your complexion. A personal favourite, the vitamin C moisturiser completes the set. A dream to apply, it’s non-greasy, fast-drying and immediately softening. Plus, the set includes a handy travel wash bag.