10 Best Beauty Subscription Boxes of 2023

Jul 05, 2023

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Try all the best new beauty products from the comfort of your own home.

When it comes to beauty, there's simply no shortage of product recommendations constantly sent your way. That's why beauty subscription boxes are a certain kind of genius. After all, what's more convenient than brand new skincare, makeup and haircare regularly dropped off at your front door? Many services even offer quizzes tailored to your specific needs and concerns — like an itchy scalp or sensitive skin — to customize shipments just for you.

Usually filled with tons of beauty goodies, services like makeup subscription boxes feature both mini-sized and full-sized versions of products from top brands ready for your experimenting. Running the gamut from $13 to $50 a month, beauty bundles let you sample your way through individual products you'd usually have to pay top dollar for and can include best-selling brands like Origins, Glow Recipe and Briogeo. So, if you want to try out new products without the commitment, read on for the best beauty subscription boxes.

Shopping for last-minute holiday gifts? Check out some of the best clothing subscription boxes and best food subscription boxes, too.

Revamp your entire self-care routine with Birchbox, using its impressive beauty catalog that spans popular brands like Bumble & Bumble and Briogeo. Hand select samples and full-sized products or let the brand's experts take the reins for you based on an in-depth quiz. Answer based on your skin type, skin goals and product preferences — you can even say which products you'd like like to skip. If you prefer fragrance-free, cruelty-free or even vegan products, you can make that known in your quiz, and Birchbox will narrow down its recommendations to fit.

The brand only offers one box type, which delivers two to six samples, travel-sized and full-sized products. You can choose to pay $15 monthly or opt for the $156 prepaid option, which saves you $24 over the year.

You can trust Allure's beauty box to include tip-top products. It rounds out its six or more curated picks with body care, haircare, makeup and beyond — think Necessaire and The Inkey List, among others. At least three of these picks include full-sized options. You'll find a good balance of luxury and indie brands worth trying out, sometimes with a bonus name-brand product thrown in. Each sendoff includes detailed pamphlets that list who on their beauty team picked the item, why it's worth using and how to use each.

Change the frequency of shipments to every few months if you find products piling up too quickly. The brand also regularly promotes a deal that offers your first box for only $10 (typically $22), using code BOX10. Plus, you get a free full-sized gift in the first shipment — no strings attached. Once you become an Allure Beauty Box subscriber, you also unlock exclusive discounts on luxury products and limited-edition boxes, plus exclusive access to Allure beauty events.

It's far too tempting to grab those travel-sized products at the Sephora checkout on a whim, but this curated set ensures you've got some of the latest and greatest makeup on your hands. While it's not subscription-based, it's a great opportunity to try out new products from coveted brands like Tower 28, Rare Beauty and Fenty Beauty or to include as a stocking stuffer. Other kits from the Sephora Favorites collection include a lash kit filled with mascara and eye makeup and vacation set complete with sunscreen and setting spray.

For those who love to experiment with makeup, Boxycharm stocks a massive supply of beauty favorites, including Too Faced, MAC and the list goes on. The brand also adds in a few haircare and skincare products for extra measure. Unlike other beauty boxes, this one actually gives you five full-sized items, letting you hand select one each month.

Await a surprise as the brand allows a sneak peek of just two potential items in that month's box. Don't worry: your your preferences will be prioritized after you've taken the beauty quiz. Many of the boxes are valued at $230, but you can sign up for bundles starting at just $27.99 per month. As a subscriber, unlock up to 70% off beauty products from the retailer.

Curate an enviable makeup lineup (not to mention a stash of the cutest toiletry bags) using Ipsy's personalized quiz. It's introduced our Good Housekeeping pros to some of the best eyeshadows they've tried. You can input the color of your features and comfort level with makeup, then add some familiar name brands to your rotation like Benefit, Tatcha and Ouai, to name a few. Best of all, you can select which products you'd like to see less frequently or never at all, which is especially helpful if you already own tons of mascara or lipstick.

If it's not just makeup you're after, the brand also offers skincare and haircare products. No matter your budget, we enjoy that you can take your pick from three monthly plans that start at $13 and run up to $41. Upgrade to its Glam Bag Plus, which sends over five full-sized products for $28 per month. If you fancy a bit more spontaneity, Ipsy bundles a mystery glam bag every month, too.

One whiff at a department store may not be enough when nailing down your signature scent. Luckily, Scentbird lets you trial its best-sellers. Need extra help? A custom quiz of your scent preferences will help narrow down the search to personalized recommendations (complete with scent profiles, too). Upon subscribing, the brand sends out an 8 milliliter bottle of your choice — Prada, Rebecca Minkoff and Vince Camuto, included — in a free atomizer case, which allegedly lasts about 120 sprays until your next order.

Get one of the closest shaves with the brand's refillable razor, ranked high for leg hair and private hair removal without irritating skin when we ran tests to find the best razor. The Billie razor subscription service costs $10 per shipment, a great plus considering competitors can charge up to $39 a month. Start by filling out a quick, three-step survey to best understand your shaving needs. You'll answer questions about how often you shave to curate a subscription plan to your personal shaving frequency (monthly, bimonthly or even trimonthly shipments).

Ever wondered what products beauty pros love most? The experts at Dermstore personally pick their favorites in all things skincare to send in your BeautyFIX box. A leading beauty retailer, Dermstore's team of dermatologists, estheticians and hairstylists collaborate closely with beauty brands to ensure its sending quality products that address individual beauty concerns. That includes haircare and makeup favorites, too.

For around $25, the monthly subscription sends out a variety of mini-sized and full-sized products that usually rack up triple digits collectively. Previously featured brands include SkinCeuticals, First Aid Beauty and Sunday Riley. One of its greatest perks is the exclusive savings that subscribers can apply to full-sized Dermstore products. No surprises here as BeautyFIX releases a list of what is inside each box before it ships.

Give your complexion that extra bit of TLC by slapping on a quality sheet mask. FaceTory's sheet mask box introduces its subscribers to K-beauty formulas perfect for ending your nightly routine. Divvy up seven sheet masks from its $19 monthly box or add on four full-sized skincare products from its $50 quarterly box.

The seasonal boxes stash a helpful guide that's filled with beauty tips and tricks for using your new products. If you're loving the subscription, FaceTory keeps boxes coming with its auto-renewal, though you can cancel at any time. There's also a gifting option if you've got someone on your shopping list who loves a bit of pampering.

A pioneer in custom haircare, Function of Beauty formulates products specifically for you — you can even stamp your name on the packaging. The detailed hair quiz gathers data on your hair type and hair concerns, while you customize the formula's scent. Afterward, it crafts a few products that best address your needs, whether that be dry, damaged hair or colored hair. Opt to buy each recommendation individually or sign up for a recurring subscription that you can pause, edit or cancel at any time. Added perks include free shipping, plus 15% off every order. If your formula's not doing the trick, the brand offers a free, one-time reformulation.

✔️ Variety: Beauty boxes aren't exclusive to just makeup — they can span anything from haircare, skincare and even wellness. In our list, we’ve noted which boxes add a variety of both or stick exclusively to one category. Some beauty boxes offer trial-sized versions, too, for easy sampling of new brands. However, if you're already a beauty guru, you may get better use from boxes with full-sized items, since they're bundled at a discounted price.

✔️ Quality: Many boxes offer a slew of familiar brands. Some also let you know the contents of the box ahead of time or share the contents of old boxes, so you know exactly what you're signing up for. However, if you'd like to find more budget-friendly options, you'll probably have to sacrifice those higher-end brands and try on an indie brand. FaceTory exclusively includes lesser-known Asian beauty brands while Allure carries both name brands and smaller brands.

✔️ Customization: Get the best use out of your subscription by finding a box that's personalized to your beauty needs. A majority of the above picks include quizzes that let you set your preferences. Either a team picks for you based on your answers or some subscriptions let you hand select the items in your box. If you get one too many lipsticks, services like Ipsy also allow you to set the frequency.

✔️ Return policy: When you're missing an item or something's arrived damaged, you'll want a support team on standby to swiftly resolve any issues no. Though every company operates differently, we removed the guesswork by laying out the return policies for each subscription box recommended above.

Jacqueline (she/her) covers all things e-commerce in beauty, lifestyle and beyond for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Before joining GH in 2021, she was a style and beauty reviews fellow at Insider, testing viral trends, reviewing sustainable brands and more. She's a graduate of the University of Florida's School of Journalism, with a specialty in magazines and mass communication.

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