Grooming Awards 2026: Face Care Products

We've spent a quarter-century urging men to take better care of their faces, and we're not changing our tune in 2026. Most guys don't have much of a facial care routine, and when they do, it rarely consists of more than just a simple wash. We're here to tell you even a three-step, five-minute morning face care routine will help you fight off blemishes, tighten your pores and keep wrinkles at bay. Interested yet? Our panel of grooming experts made things even easier on you by picking out the year's best face care products, from washes and acne treatments to moisturizers and masks. Best Skincare Brand of the Year OSEA Malibu Debuting hit after consecutive hit, family-owned OSEA Malibu has evolved into one of the most celebrated beauty brands on the market. Its mission to incorporate seaweed-derived ingredients is one of a kind, touting the ocean plant’s vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that repair, restore, and replenish the skin from head to toe. Standouts include everything from an Undaria algae body oil to a lightweight, mattifying blemish balm that is the cure-all for an oily t-zone. OSEA Malibu constantly reinvents itself by introducing new products while always revamping its preexisting lineup, making it a company that is equal parts reliable and exciting. Find out more at OSEAMalibu.com  Best New Skincare Brand Strive A skincare brand is only as good as the science that goes into it and Strive founder Angel Olavarria has dedicated his career to researching the ingredients that yield smoother, healthier, and compliment-worthy skin. The result is a line made for men who “strive” to be better versions of themselves, with products like a best-selling, plant oil-based miracle face moisturizer and a jojoba face scrub that have earned it staying power in a notoriously oversaturated industry. Needless to say, we’re excited to see what the company has in store as it continues to attract an already-impressive number of loyal customers. Find out more at StriveSkin.com  Best Anti-Aging Treatment Eonian 40+ Starter Edition This dynamic duo with a daily moisturizer and night treatment keeps skin hydrated and protected during the day while supporting collagen and firmness as you sleep. It’s an effective two-step approach for the guy who wants to simplify his skincare routine and not navigate through a medicine cabinet full of products. $156 at EonianSkincare.com Best Face Cleanser LILFOX Tomato Milk Cleanser We know the importance of a well-rounded diet of fruit and veggies. This extends to skincare products, as well, with LILFOX’s garden-forward tomato milk cleanser that smells as if you’ve extracted the oils of a peppery green tomato vine and rubbed it into your face. The formula is rounded out by papaya and pineapple enzymes that scrub away buildup while black willow-derived salicylic acid refines texture. $134 at LILFOX.miami  Best Exfoliating Cleanser Plantkos Gentle Exfoliating Daily Gel Cleanser Shed the day’s layer of dirt and grime with Plantkos’ Gentle Exfoliating Daily Gel Cleanser. The pH-balanced blend of turmeric, willow bark, bilberry, and panthenol can be used daily to remove impurities without over-drying, leaving your face feeling both clean and rejuvenated. $27 at Plantkos.co  Best Toner Goshi Super Vitamin Elixir Toner Take your vitamins, but also rub them into your face with Goshi’s Super Vitamin Elixir toner that refines, smooths, and hydrates. The vitamin E, virgin sesame oil, wild thyme, and plant oil combo feels like a quick spritz of water, but leaves the skin feeling soft and bouncy to stand up to additional layers of products. $56.18 at Goshi.com  Best Toner Pads Jaxon Lane Glow Up Pad A skincare routine gamechanger, Jaxon Lane’s toner pads help to wipe away dead skin, dirt, sweat, and even makeup while exfoliating with PHAs and AHAs. Use the biodegradable rounds daily to reveal skin that glows and prepare the surface for the brand’s impressive arsenal of other dermis-strengthening topicals. $38 at JaxonLane.com  Best Face Essence Origins Plantscription Youth-Boosting Essence If you’re looking to awaken and prep the skin before applying toners, serums, and creams, Origins’ Plantscription Youth-Boosting Essence is a good place to start. The shea butter and salicylic acid-based wonder has also been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and rough skin texture in as little as two weeks. $76 at Origins.com  Best Face Serum NassifMD Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum Peptides are all the rage and E!’s most famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Nassif, has found a way to bottle the miracle ingredient in a serum that promotes anti-aging. Consider it a superfood for your face with the addition of antioxidant-rich cranberry extracts that enhance glow and radiance. $55 at NassifMDSkincare.com  Best Face Oil Maya Chia The Super Couple Ultra Luxe Face Oil The term “ultra luxe” isn’t hyperbolic after spreading Maya Chia’s The Super Couple Ultra Luxe face oil into your delicate dermis. Antioxidant astaxanthin, in tandem with chia, omega fatty-acids, antioxidants, and minerals, work together to combat inflammation while imparting an enviable dewy aura that will last all day. $86 at MayaChia.com  Best Face Scrub Maelove The Exfoliator BHA + Clay Facial Scrub Buff away impurities with Maelove’s beloved The Exfoliator, formulated with BHA and clay to awaken rough, dull, and congested skin. Use it up to 2-3 times per week to notice long-lasting results in as little as a month. $40 at Maelove.com  Best Face Moisturizer Beau Domaine The Cream We’ll take any opportunity to look more like Brad Pitt. His uber-popular skincare line, Beau Domaine, will have to suffice in the meantime with its most talked-about product, The Cream. Its luxurious texture practically melts into your skin and is powered by a potent blend of patented actives and antioxidants to improve elasticity and combat free radicals. $99 at Beau-Domaine.com  Best Face Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin Starface Star Cream + Salicylic Acid Starface is so much more than an acne-targeting line with fun and colorful packaging: It’s got products that work, including this salicylic acid-based moisturizer that can be a last step for practically any nightly skincare routine. We also love to rub it into pimple-prone areas of the body such as the back and shoulders for a featherweight, non-clogging layer of moisturization. $15.99 at Starface.world  Best Moisturizing Stick Deinde Moisture-Locking Face Stick Deinde’s Moisture-Locking Face Stick is a convenient item to keep in a bag or pocket for an on-the-go burst of hydration. It’s also ideal for city dwellers in need of an extra layer of protection against environmental stressors such as pollution. $36 at Deinde.com  Best Sheet Mask Patchology Serve Chilled On Ice Hydrogel Firming Face Mask If you love the feeling of ice on your face, chill out with Patchology’s Serve Chilled on Ice hydrogel firming face masks. They reduce redness and inflammation while strengthening the skin with peptides, vitamin C-rich cloudberry extract, and plant-based retinol. $12 at Patchology.com  Best Eye Cream Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Eye Cream Eye creams often get a bad rep for being nothing more than high-priced moisturizers, but Dr. Barbara Sturm has broken through the noise with a product that actually works. This small yet mighty jar is jam-packed with puffiness- and dark shadow-reducing ingredients like Persian silk tree extract, red ginseng, and hyaluronic acid to make tired eyes look and feel alive again. $225 at DrSturm.com  Best Night Cream Setú Moisturizer with Retinol, Maca & Açaí Retinol, maca, and acai team up as a p.m. power trio to smooth and refine skin overnight. A little goes a long way, making this vegan, science-backed, Latin America-inspired moisturizer a wise investment and perfect finisher to any evening skincare routine. $25 at SetuPersonalCare.com  Best Sleeping Mask Emma Lewisham Supernatural Sleeping Mask The body doesn’t just rest and recover while you sleep — it also restores the skin, and New Zealand-based Emma Lewisham debuted a sleeping mask that accelerates this process. Engineered using a proprietary Physiology Synchrony Unlock method, this bedtime essential combines 22 active ingredients to form a synergistic skin system that “mimics the cellular pathways of your skin” and “triggers the skin’s own restorative and preventative action.” $90 at EmmaLewisham.com  Best Acne Treatment Skin Pharm Crystal Clear Clarifying Pads Blackheads and cysts don’t stand a chance against Skin Pharm’s Crystal Clear clarifying pads that not only clean and tighten pores, but also prime the surface of the face for the brand’s impressive line of other high-end, acne-fighting products. This can include bestsellers like the peptide-filled Youth Serum and High Beam brightening lotion. $50 at SkinPharm.com  Best Acne Patches Good Molecules Pimple Patches Dare we say that pimple patches are fun? Good Molecules’ stickers are as easy to use as they are effective, offering an ultra-thin, hydrocolloid-based product that will prevent notorious pickers from squeezing and irritating their faces. From $8 at GoodMolecules.com  Best Acne Spray Personal Day Trust Me On This Hypochlorous Acid Spray Trust us on this and spray away any impending bumps and pustules with Personal Day’s Trust Me On This hypochlorous acid spray. The bacteria-killing mist can be used for a quick refresh throughout the day, but especially during moments like post-gym where you may not have immediate access to a sink or shower. $27 at PersonalDay.com  Best Face Sunscreen Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Sunscreen UVLock SPF 45+ Broad Spectrum Most dermatologists will argue that a good sunscreen is, perhaps, the most important anti-aging product you can put on your face each day and Round Lab has concocted a winning formula that is protective, moisturizing, and non-greasy. With over 10 million bottles sold worldwide, it’s also no surprise why this has been declared Korea’s number one sunscreen. $28 at RoundLab.com  Best Toothbrush Nimbus Regular Microfine Toothbrush The Nimbus Regular Microfine toothbrush makes a wonderful addition to any oral hygiene routine, especially for those who are gum-sensitive. Its extra-soft, duo-sized bristles remove plaque while a full brush head and long handle allow users to get into all of the mouth’s nooks and crannies. $19 at NimbusDental.com  Best Electric Toothbrush Supersmile Zina45 Sonic Toothbrush It’s electric! And it’s not going to sit near a bathroom sink collecting dust. Supersmile’s Zina45 sonic toothbrush has redefined what it means to be a cutting-edge oral hygiene product with features like a one-of-a-kind polishing head and four distinct cleaning modes to help you effectively clean above and below the gum line. $175 at Supersmile.com  Best Toothpaste TheraBreath Fresh Breath Toothpaste Therabreath quickly emerged as one of, if not the best mouthwashes on the market. As a result, we were obviously way too excited to see the brand’s highly anticipated foray into toothpaste. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a hit with a clinical-strength formula that successfully fights bad breath with a pleasant mild mint flavor. $10.99 at TheraBreath.com  Best Mouthwash RiseWell Balancing Mouthwash Rise up against bad breath with RiseWell's alcohol-free mouthwash that eliminates odor-causing bacteria with Xylitol and baking soda. The formula also supports a healthy microbiome by nurturing good bacteria which, in turn, balances the mouth’s pH level and leads to a minty-fresh smile. $26 at RiseWell.com  Best Whitening Product Lumineux Whitening Strips Attaining coveted pearly whites is easy and affordable with Lumineux’s whitening strips. Dead Sea salt, coconut oil, and lemon peel work overtime to whiten and brighten without the sensitivity that comes with more mainstream alternatives. $50 at LumineuxHealth.com  Best Lip Balm Harry’s Black Lip Balm This isn’t an invitation to relive high school days as a goth. Instead, Harry’s black lip balm goes on clear and matted, providing the utmost in hydration without feeling too heavy on the skin. $20 at Harrys.com  Best Face Tool Therabody TheraFace Depuffing Wand Eye bags? Swollen cheeks? Double chin? Kick them to the curb. Inflammation has met its match with Therabody’s beloved depuffing wand that cools, heats, and massages with precision and ease. Along with morning coffee, it’s become our favorite way to start the day. $169.99 at Therabody.com  You Might Also Dig: Grooming Awards 2026: Best Hair Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Shave ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Body Care Products