skin-care steals

The Best New Skin-Care Products Hitting Shelves in December

We've rounded up the skin-care products, including moisturizers, cleansers, serums, and masks that are worth the splurge this month.
Best SkinCare Launches for December 2018 Indie Lee Gentle Daily Peel Pads Shani Darden Cleansing Serum Clinique Clinique...
Courtesy of brands

Fact: There are a lot of skin-care products out there. So many that it's often hard to keep track of what's new, what's old, and even what to trust. Lucky for you, that's why we're here. As beauty editors, it's our job to point you in the right direction when it comes to shopping for new goods. Every month we highlight the latest skin-care launches — moisturizers, cleansers, serums, masks, and more — so that you can make an informed decision about which products are actually worth the splurge during the biggest shopping season of the year. (We see you, holiday season.) So without further ado, check out 18 of the newest skin-care products to hit retail shelves in December, including the Clinique Clinique iD Moisturizer, Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream, and Shani Darden Daily Cleansing Serum. And as always, happy shopping!

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • Best New Skin Care Launches of December 2019 Drunk Elephant APassioni Retinol Cream
    Courtesy of brand
    1/18

    Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream

    It may have taken Drunk Elephant founder Tiffany Masterson five tries to create the new Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream, but damn if she didn't nail it the fifth time. The lightweight cream, created with a vegan-derived retinol, smooths fine lines over time without any of the harsh effects of traditional retinols — meaning, yes, this one is sensitive skin type-approved.

    $74 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    2/18

    Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Glycolic Night Cream

    Technically a night cream but as powerful as a peel, the Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Glycolic Night Cream is the kind of nighttime treatment you want in your p.m. regimen rotation for good. That's because it's made with a number of powerhouse ingredients, including exfoliating glycolic acid, hydrating, hyaluronic acid, and brightening vitamin C, to boost skin's glow without the trouble of a full night’s sleep.

    $65 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    3/18

    Ole Henriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner

    Although it's jam-packed with a potent blend of alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic and lactic acids, the Ole Henriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner won't bring on any of the harsh side effects associated with using a traditional acid (i.e. dryness, peeling, etc.). Instead, because all you'll need to do is swipe a couple of drops of the stuff onto skin with a cotton pad, and over time, you'll find your skin's texture and tone smoother and more even.

    $28 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    4/18

    We Are Wild Solid Clean

    Inspired by their love of the outdoors, the founders of We Are Wild crafted a line of travel-friendly skin-care products that come housed in cute, little tubes — perfect to toss into anyone's pack. Our fave of the bunch? The Solid Cleanse, which is a cleansing balm that breaks down into an oil then foam to rid skin of dirt, oil, and sweat.

    $24 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    7/18

    Sonya Dakar Clean Canvas Hydrating Eye and Lip Cleansing Oil

    Gone are the days of scrubbing your lips raw in an attempt to rid last night's long-lasting lipstick. Finally, a cleansing oil for your lips exists, and, despite how silly it sounds, it really, truly works. Just a drop of Sonya Dakar's Clean Canvas Hydrating Eye and Lip Cleansing Oil, a silky formula made with grapeseed oil and cucumber extract, lifts lipstick off lips without any smudging or smearing. Oh, and did we mention it works just as well for lids, too?

    $35 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    8/18

    Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter

    How many times have you turned to the original Skin Food for your lips during a moment of desperation? (Same.) That's why Weleda formulated a balm version of its best-selling moisturizer just for your lips. The Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter is packed with a calming blend of viola, chamomile, and calendula flowers to soothe dry, chapped lips anytime, anywhere.

    $7 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    9/18

    First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Barriair Cream

    Although it may look like freshly whipped cream in the jar, the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Barriair Cream isn't actually edible. (Sorry.) It is, however, extremely nourishing for thirsty skin. Made of hyaluronic acid to boost skin's moisture, ceramides to strengthen the skin barrier, and colloidal oatmeal to soothe, this moisturizer may just be the crème de la crème of winter hydrators.

    $30 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    10/18

    GlamGlow Gentle Bubble Daily Conditioning Cleanser

    Based on its name alone, you would probably guess that washing up with the GlamGlow Gentle Bubble Daily Conditioning Cleanser will end up in a foamy, frothy mess. But don't be fooled by the foam. Thanks to the vitamin E-infused formula, you can rest assured it won't strip your skin of its natural oils the next time you cleanse.

    $28 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    11/18

    Milk Makeup Kush Lip Balm

    Milk Makeup calls its new Kush Lip Balm a "hit of hydration," which is not only cute and punny, but it's also entirely accurate. The lime-green balm is jam-packed with nourishing ingredients (think shea, cocoa, and mango butters) to soften dried-out lips, as well hemp-derived cannabis oil to (calmly) hydrate. We like to keep a tube in the pocket of our parka.

    $16 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    12/18

    It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Rosy Tone Vitality Moisturizer

    If you love the It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream (and who doesn't?), you'll love this fun, millennial pink take on the fan favorite. Aptly named the Rosy Tone Vitality Moisturizer, the silky cream is packed with skin-soothing ingredients such as aloe leaf juice, iris root, and peony extract to nourish all skin types.

    $48 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    15/18

    Shani Darden Daily Cleansing Serum

    Aesthetician Shani Darden, whose clients include Chrissy Teigen, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Kelly Rowland, isn't new to the product formulation world. (Her over-the-counter Retinol Reform is a fan favorite — just ask Suki Waterhouse.) But what is new are these three products — the Shani Darden Daily Cleansing Serum, Daily Oil-Free Moisturizer, and Daily Toning Essence — which launch today. We're particularly partial to the Daily Cleansing Serum, a lightweight wash formulated with both makeup-removing and hydrating ingredients (glycerin, jojoba, and oat bran extract) to clean skin without stripping it.

    $38 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    16/18

    Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream

    The Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream may smell like a big vat of vanilla cake batter, but it's actually so much more than just a sweet-scented treat for your body. The nourishing cream is spiked with antioxidant-rich açaí and nourishing cupuaçu butter to smooth, soften, and hydrate skin from head to toe, and is topped with warm, dessert-like notes (coconut, marshmallow, and caramel) as a delicious afterthought. Jihan Forbes, our hair editor loves the stuff so much that she thinks it should be made into a candle. "But in the meantime, I'll just slather it all over my body," she says. Hear, hear!

    $45 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    17/18

    Skin Regimen Enzymatic Powder

    Did we mention we're big fans of customizable beauty around here? Case in point: The Skin Regimen Enzymatic Powder, which — just as its name implies — is a powder-based exfoliator made with papaya enzymes, chlorella, and rice bran to whisk dirt, dead skin, and debris out of pores. To use, simply sprinkle your desired amount into your hand, add water, and start cleansing.

    $45 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    18/18

    Indie Lee Gentle Daily Peel

    As much as we love the ease and accessibility of exfoliating peel pads, sometimes they can be a bit too harsh for sensitive skin types. Indie Lee wants to change that with its new Gentle Daily Peel. Each textured pad comes saturated in a formula made with a combination of both alpha hydroxy acids (caviar lime) and beta hydroxy acids (salicylic acid) to slough away dead skin cells, while glycerin and burdock root nourish post-peel glow-y skin.

    $65 for 60 pads (Shop Now)

Sarah Kinonen is the associate digital beauty director of Allure, where she oversees all beauty market for Allure.com. A journalist with nearly a decade of experience, Sarah has covered beauty for PEOPLE Magazine, InStyle, and Women's Health. In her spare time, she can be found testing the latest skin-care... Read more
Associate Beauty Director, Allure.com
Keywordsskinskin carenew skin-care launchskin-care ingredientsskin-care productsShani Dardenaestheticianbody creamlotionmoisturizercleansersfacial cleanserpeel padexfoliatormonthly skin care
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