As a sequel to our retailer-focused roundup, BeautyMatter has gathered the first wave of solo brand releases. The format not only allows for sampling aplenty of the brand’s entire offering—and as a gift, also a chance to invite new audiences into their commercial journey who may not have stumbled upon their offerings otherwise—but also a chance to drive home individual key focuses.
For some like The Body Shop and Susanne Kaufmann, it’s celebrating social impact and sustainable alternatives, for others like Lush and MAC Cosmetics, it’s a chance to combine iconic bestsellers with newer releases. Read on for our selection of advent calendars that are sprucing up the holiday release calendar.
A mighty circle of yellow- and gold-marbled print inspired by the house’s hat box designs, Acqua di Parma’s advent calendar is certainly a departure from the traditional winter colorscapes. Inside, one finds all the scented delights one could possibly need, from the eau de parfums, eau de colognes, and eau de toilettes, to body care and candles, priced at $600.
Taking a disco-themed approach to the holiday season, the brand is offering a 12 Days of Glow kit packaged in a disco ball print box, exclusive to beautybio.com. Inside are deluxe minis of products like Swipe & Glow Peel Pads and The Nightly serum, as well as skincare routine tools such as a silk headband and product spatula. Costing $125, the kit offers a total product value of $184.44.
Taking a mindfulness approach to advent calendars, Beekman 1802’s rendition features a hand-blown hourglass in the middle (complete with a Goatie mascot figure as a nod to the brand’s goat milk formulations), as well as daily affirmations inside each of the 24 drawers. Costing $150 for a $222 value, the set includes the brand’s trademark Pure Bar Soap, Pure Stick of Butter (not actual butter, but rather a solid goat milk moisturizer), and Fig Leaf Lip Balm, all suitable for sensitive skin.
For the 10th anniversary of the brand’s nail polish advent calendar, Ciaté has released a fuschia-coloured, star-covered box containing 23 mini polishes and 1 full-sized polish, all the most loved shades by the brand from the past decade, updated with the new Plant Pots formula. This means that all polishes contain up to 80% sustainably-sourced and natural ingredients, including biodegradable glitters, while bottles are made of recycled glass and have recyclable caps. Retailing for $69, the set contains $196 worth of products.
Given the brand’s glamorous roots, its Christmastime rendition was guaranteed to have some sparkle. The Diamond Chest of Beauty Stars brings that in spades, whether it’s the jewel handle drawers, or the actual products inside offering some illumination—be it for the eyes (Colour Chameleon eyeshadow pencil in Golden Quartz), face (Wonderglow), or lips (Charlotte’s Magic Lip Oil Magic Elixir). A $200 set, it contains $345 worth of products.
For essential oil aficionados, the French personal care brand is offering 24 of its best-selling products in a sunny illustrated case, containing a £488 ($541) value for £120 ($133). Products include the invigorating Green Mandarin Aromessence, refreshing Neroli Bigarade Cleansing Mousse, luxurious White Magnolia Hand Cream, soothing Lavender Fine Night Balm, and cleansing Rosemary Black Clay Mask, with a branded headband to top things off.
Few things capture the eye quite like the nighttime sky, which makes it a clever angle for the luxury fragrance brand’s festive outing: black packaging decorated with the print of hundreds of stars, even featuring illustrations of the Milky Way. Continuing the celestial theme, each day will correspond to a different constellation, offering candles, fragrance, and body care, including three limited-edition Christmas scents: Sapin, Neige, and Étincelles, with a £370 ($480) price tag.
The ESPA Wellness advent calendar features both full-size and deluxe-size minis of bath and body, as well as skincare products, priced at £160 ($177) with £319 ($353) value. Products range from the invigorating (Signature Blends Energising Bath & Body Oil) to the relaxing (Muscle Rescue Balm), with some ambient decor (Winter Spice Votive Candle) thrown in for good measure. sealed with a copper-colored emblem of the brand logo.
Millie Bobby Brown’s clean skin, hair, and color cosmetics line has introduced a pick-me-up in the form of its Peace, Love, Florence Advent Calendar. Contained in the uplifting orange and lilac retro-style packaging are 12 days of travel- and full-size products. This includes some limited-edition products like the Oh Whale! Tinted Lip Balm in Candy Cane Red and Flower Power Ornament, alongside bestsellers like the Clear The Way Clarifying Mud Mask and Floating Under The Eyes Depuffing Under Eye Gel Pads, equating to a $169 value at a $129 price tag.
Presented in a limited-edition box designed by Arthouse Unlimited, a charity which supports artistic adults with neurodiversity and physical support needs, this year’s holiday set contains 25 vegan products, costing $300. The reusable gift box made from recycled paperboard is adorned with ribbon made from recycled plastic bottles. Inside are exclusive products like the Ice Rainbow Bubble Bar, and time-honored favorites, including two products brought back from previous Christmas collections (the Gingerbread House bubble bar and Christmas Party bath bomb). With Lush being Lush, there are of course also holiday-themed selections such as Christmas Eve soap, Elf Shake shower gel, and Magical Santa bath bomb. Lush is also offering the more petite-sized 12 Days of Christmas gift set, packed with some of the brand’s most winter wonderland–appropriate bath and body offerings.
A departure from the traditional square stylings of most advent calendars, the encasing for MAC Cosmetics’ seasonal offerings resembles a hat box or holiday cake tin depending on your leanings. The case contains $475 worth of products for $195. Containing 16 full-size products and 8 minis across base, eye, and lip products, the kit contains classics like Prep + Prime Lip, Russian Red Matte Lipstick, and Espresso Single Eyeshadow, alongside newer entries such as the Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour and MACStack Mascara.
A sparkly manicure is atop many a beauty wishlist for the holiday season, and for DIY gel polish and waxing brand Mylee, it’s the perfect excuse to roll out an advent calendar with glitter galore. The kit contains six gel colors, ranging from traditional colors like red and gold to more experimental tones like navy glitter and charcoal grey, a base and top coat, nail file, cuticle oil pen, and two powder pens in gold and silver to add holographic effects. The kit retails for £65 ($72) and is worth £92 ($102).
Nail brand Olive & June, which aims to deliver salon performance-level products for the home user, is offering two different holiday sets for the polish enthusiast—one for Hanukkah (The 8 Nights of Mani Magic) and one for Christmas (The 25 Days of Mani Magic). Each set contains a variety of stickers, press-ons, cuticle serum, dry drops, hand treatments, buffers, nail files, and polishes.
Retailing for $69.95, the OPI Advent Calendar contains 10 trademark colors of the brand, such as Alpine Snow and Big Apple Red, and 12 holiday shades from the Jewel Be Bold range, including Go Big or Go Chrome (a metallic silver), Tealing Festive (a shimmer teal), and OPI’m a Gem (a black glitter polish). The jewel theme is also echoed across the kit’s packaging.
Sticking to the company’s sustainability ethos, this advent calendar is 100% recyclable and free from plastics and glue, as well as made from recycled paper. A 24-day cupboard of special drawers, the set contains products ranging from a 15ml Mineral Body Lotion all the way through to full-size Nutrient Serum, all packed with the signature Kaufmann blend of the most potent and natural formulas the Swiss Alps have to offer. Furthermore, this year the brand is also offering a refillable option for eco-conscious customers. The product retails for $510, with the refill costing $280.
The Body Shop is offering three advent calendar options filled with bestsellers this holiday season: Box of Wishes ($85), Share Love & Joy ($180, $291 value), and Share The Love ($90, $174 value)—each with its own charitable benefits. The latter and largest of the range is an evergreen box made with Community Fair Trade recycled plastic, with proceeds of sales ensuring the fair wage and working conditions of the waste pickers of Bengaluru, India. Box of Wishes supports the financial and professional futures of the women of Chhattisgarh, India, through Community Fair Trade Mango Seed Oil, while Box of Wonders offers education and healthcare projects to the women of Tamale, Ghana.
