27 Of The Best Skincare Brands To Know In 2024

When it comes to anti-aging products, Ultra Violette’s ethos is that sunscreen is the most important. This future-proofing product is underappreciated, so founders, Ava Matthews and Bec Jefferd, came up with a sunscreen that plays nicely with other skincare and makeup products—while also being comfortable and nourishing. The best part is that this Australian-made brand knows what it’s like to live under the Aussie sun, so you can feel safe knowing your SPF is protecting you.

Setting out to redefine beauty industry norms, Emma Lewisham launched in 2019 and has since become a top-shelf staple in many beauty routines—and for good reason. Apart from creating results-driven and scientifically-backed products that tackle a variety of common skincare concerns, the brand is also highly environmentally-conscious (being the world's first carbon-positive beauty brand). Emma Lewisham offers everything from refillable packaging to traceable ingredients and an incredible circular recycling program for its packaging.

Founded by Zoë Foster Blake, this beloved Aussie brand launched back in 2014 with the goal of becoming your go-to skincare. The eco-friendly brand uses primarily Australian plant and nut oils that are effective for a wide range of skin types and concerns—while leaving out parabens and sulfates, which are known to be harmful to the skin.

SkinCeuticals has been a leader in skin care for over two decades thanks to its science-backed approach. Widely recommended by dermatologists, celebrities and beauty editors alike, the extensive skincare line has a serum or product designed to treat nearly every problem or skin concern. 

Developed by Perth-based Dr Clara Hurst and Dr Deb Cohen-Jones, Aussie skincare brand The Secret started gaining popularity thanks to its bespoke approach and incredible results. With a simple consultation process, the brand will tailor you a personalised prescription treatment plan with each product being created for you when you order, ensuring potency and effectiveness. As a bonus, the team is available to support you along your skincare journey and answer any questions you might have. In 2022, The Secret also launched refillable packaging, which we love to see.

"Your skin, but better" is the MO at IT Cosmetics. While it is their legendary CC+ Cream SPF 50 that made them famous, the brand's line of solutions-focused skincare is well worth a look-in too. There are three ranges to choose from. The "Bye Bye" range features targeted serums formulated for specific concerns like lines, dark spots, breakouts, and pores. The "Hello Results" range includes simplified products with double the results, like a daily retinol serum-in-cream and a glycolic peep and facial oil in one. Our favourite range is the "Confidence" collection, which ticks off essentials like cleanser and moisturiser, but in supercharged formulas that deliver big results.

Regularly recommended by dermatologists, Cerave has recently discovered a new wave of popularity thanks to going viral on social media. However, the brand has long been a skincare staple thanks to its wallet-friendly formulas that focus on protecting and restoring the skin's barrier through the addition of ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.

Originally founded in 1996, Paula’s Choice was one of the first skincare brands to hit the world wide web. The brand’s founder, Paula Begoun, gained notoriety for holding the beauty industry accountable through her website, Beautypedia.com—a standard she has consistently upheld across her namesake brand. Since then, Paula’s Choice has amassed a cult-like following thanks to its science-backed, simplified, and transparent approach to skincare.

For those in the know, Korean skincare is where it's at. And heritage brand Sulwhasoo is easily one of the best Korean skincare brands in the world. The luxurious range from this beloved heritage brand is centred mostly around the healing properties of Korean ginseng, which can help your skin's circulation and collagen production. With reviews like "best serum I've ever used" everywhere online, the hype is real for Sulwhasoo. Each product has a ritual to follow too, with the idea that a skincare routine can be a mindful, peaceful moment of self-care.

Shopping for skincare at the chemist is easy to overlook, but if you're familiar with all things French pharmacy, you know La Roche Posay shouldn't be slept on. The widely available cult-French skincare brand delivers affordable yet high-end style formulas designed to target specific skincare concerns and a broad range of products suitable for nearly all skins.

Starting as an apothecary in 1851, Kiehl's is about as experienced as a skincare brand can get. With various products ranging from cult-skincare staples to reliable best-sellers and no-fuss favourites, this quality and heritage brand truly has a product to suit everyone - and every skin type.

Australian skincare brand Rationale is serious about skincare, particularly about repairing the damaging effects of solar and free radicals on the skin. While you may know the brand for its Essential Six (six product collections designed to treat specific skin concerns), individual products can easily be integrated into your existing skincare routine, or mix-matched to suit your skin's needs.

The Rationale offering extends beyond products, with a trained team able to offer in-depth consultations and facial treatments at dedicated salons to ensure you select the right products for your specific skin concerns. Though pricey, Rationale's tinted SPF is one of the best in the biz.

The Ordinary is all about no-fuss, affordable skincare with paired back packaging and marketing. With products listed by ingredients and concentrations, you might need to do a bit of research before jumping into the brand. Still, once you know what you're looking for, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more affordable way to update your beauty routine.

Developed by a stem-cell scientist who famously spent the majority of his career working alongside burn victims, Augustinus Bader's blue bottles have been seen in endless celebrity bathrooms. The brand was initially launched with a single moisturiser containing a combo of 40 ingredients and the brand's patented TFC-8 complex designed to support the skin's natural renewal processes.

Grown Alchemist is an Australian skin, body and haircare brand that has earned its stripes over the years in the world of natural beauty. Founded by brothers Keston and Jeremy Muijs, the sleek line's philosophy is science meets plant-based ingredients, packaged up in ultra-cool unisex tubes and bottles. While their natural shampoo and conditioner duo is a cult favourite, their diverse and effective skincare has also made waves, earning a permanent residency on many beauty guru's top shelves.

Loved around the world for its beautiful architecturally designed stores, Aesop's skincare definitely lives up to its aesthetic inclination. The brand offers rich, luxurious formulas that brighten your complexion and smarten up your bathroom while they're at it. Designed for city dwellers, the Parsley Seed range is a standout with anti-oxidant-rich botanicals.

With a brand ethos centred around the four steps of cleansing, treating, hydrating and protecting, the recently buzzy skincare brand iS Clinical was founded in 2002 by two biochemists. The range comprises high-grade formulations that deliver visible skin improvements, with the unique selling point of being a privately-owned brand whose products are all conceptualised and produced in-house.

If you're familiar with Australian wellness brand JSHealth and its cult vitamin range, you've undoubtedly heard about their latest launch of vitamin-infused skincare products. The simple four-step system includes a cleanser, serum, face oil and moisturiser, all designed to support your most healthy-feeling and looking skin.

Originally famed for developing the "vampire facial", orthopaedic surgeon turned skin specialist Dr Barbara Sturm's products took the skincare world by storm and earned her a long list of celebrity clientele. With a simple yet luxurious (translation: expensive) approach to skincare, the line focuses on addressing everything from signs of ageing to common skin concerns with an easy-to-follow and effective routine.

Created in 1998 by a team of aestheticians, chemists and doctors, Cosmedix products were designed to effectively treat common skin concerns without the risk of irritation that can often occur when using actives. The brand achieves this through using "chirally-correct" ingredients, which according to the brand, means their formulas are filtered to only contain molecules that positively interact with the skin. In short (and less scientifically explicit terms), this equals more concentrated formulas that cause less skin irritation.

Like most things born in the 90s, Danish cosmeceutical skincare brand Beaute Pacifique is on the rise again. Once a best-kept secret of beauty editors and celebrities, the brand has recently risen in popularity thanks to its straightforward yet effective product line. Focused on targeting sun damage and age degeneration with its documentable results, the brand has a product—or several—to suit every skin type.

French-pharmacy skincare brand Avène works to deliver optimal results without triggering irritation thanks to the inclusion of its mineral-rich thermal spring water. This focus makes it a cult offering for treating and soothing sensitive and irritation-prone skin types and conditions.

Tried and tested, Cetaphil is a dermatologist-recommended and universally recognised bathroom staple. Its range of gentle and non-comedogenic products is specifically formulated to be suitable for all skin types—even those with sensitive or inflamed skin. So it's the perfect entry point if you're starting out with a skincare regime or for those needing to go back to basics after going overboard on actives (see: retinol).

Tatcha was founded by a Taiwanese-American who spent months healing her skin health through Japanese rituals and ingredients, leading her to create her own line of gentle, effective and skin-loving products. The range was developed alongside guidance from a team of scientists, cultural advisors and geisha, ensuring the perfect balance of proven clinical ingredients and Japanese botanicals.

Founded by dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross, this long-standing brand has produced many a cult favourite product. The brand's clinical-inspired and innovative range was designed to target and treat everything from stressed skin to signs of ageing. Through the brand's extensive research, they have also eliminated more than 1650 ingredients from the line that they believe are potentially harmful, toxic or irritating to the skin.

Founded way back in 1946, Estée Lauder is to this day one of the most trusted skincare brands around. Despite being a big beauty conglomerate, the company is invested in quality first, as well as sustainable practices and packaging, and a positive future for beauty. Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair series is one of the most popular skincare lines all around the world.

Creating one of the first cult skincare products, La Mer is best known for its Crème de la Mer cream, a moisturiser containing the brand's hero Miracle Broth. Renowned for its transformative powers, the seaweed-derived and skin-nourishing Miracle Broth is infused into the entire La Mer line, covering everything from treatment lotions, to lip products and even foundation that all work to restore and replenish the skin.