2024's Top Beauty Product Launches: A Year in Review
IN THIS ARTICLE
Greetings, knowledge seekers, and welcome to But More Importantly. Who am I, you ask? I'm Caolan, a passionate skincare enthusiast and your source of skin health education. If you're new here, welcome.
The focus of today's article is a review of the best product launches in 2024, categorized for your convenience. Rest assured, no brand has sponsored this article, meaning all opinions shared here are unbiased. If you're new here, don't hesitate to leave a comment.
Let's dive into the review with the best cleanser of 2024!
Best Cleanser of 2024: Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser
This brand appears to have sponsored every dermatologist on the internet. Despite this, I appreciate their Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser. What makes it stand out? It's a creamy salicylic acid cleanser, a rarity in the market. Typically, people associate salicylic acid with oily skin and seek more stripping or foaming products. However, individuals with dry, rosacea-prone, or sensitive skin can also have breakouts.
This product caters to such users or those living in dry environments who battle breakouts but want to avoid over-stripping their skin. Thus, this item is my top drugstore discovery for 2024 at just $10.
Innovative Toner: Panoxyl's 2 Percent Salicylic Acid Toner
Next, let's talk about toners. Toners are not a one-size-fits-all solution.
In essence, most people tend to associate toners with anything that appears watery or liquid. However, toners can also function as chemical exfoliants. This is a new product from Panoxyl, but not with their usual benzoyl peroxide. This is a 2 percent salicylic acid toner, a great affordable alternative to Paula's Choice, priced at just $12. The only drawback is the dropper system, which can be a bit messy. Yet, Panoxyl, with its 2 percent salicylic acid, is still a worthy buy.
Effective Spot Treatment: Kiehl's Truly Targeted Acne Clearing Solution
Moving on to spot treatments, they can be quite complex, as most people think of hydrocolloid patches like Star Face, Patch Hero, and so on. However, Kiehl's hit the mark this time. Their Truly Targeted Acne Clearing Solution, priced at $30, is a transparent patch that can be applied directly to your skin.
If you have a pimple or blemish and need to apply makeup, don't feel nervous. Apply this patch first. It contains 2 percent salicylic acid, 4 percent niacinamide, and licorice root, which can help minimize post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It may feel a bit sticky, and it doesn't peel off super easily, but it creates an effective transparent barrier over your blemish for under your makeup.
Targeted Serums: Sophie Pavitt's Mandelic Acid and The Ordinary's Barrier Support Serum
Next, we have targeted serums. In this category, Sophie Pavitt, a New York City esthetician, stands out with her Mandelic Acid product, priced at $54. Mandelic Acid, a gentle AHA, is ideal if you have sensitive skin or want to exfoliate more often. It comes in a very liquidy serum form, fragrance-free, and leaves your skin looking clear and slightly tighter.
Finally, an unexpected product from an innovative brand, The Ordinary. Known for their single-ingredient focus, they've caught my attention with their barrier support serum, priced at $17. It's designed to soothe and repair your skin barrier. What intrigued me was its Pepto Bismol-pink color. The color is allegedly due to the Vitamin B12 content, which helps to reduce dryness and visible redness.
The Antioxidant Revolution
Next is the Tatcha Silk Serum, a creamy, hydrating formula that costs $98. Despite its marketing as a retinol alternative, which seems slightly misleading, this product still has much to offer. It contains cranberry extract, a barrier supporter and superb antioxidant. The inclusion of sea fennel, a marine botanical, aids the natural turnover of skin cells, though it doesn't quite make it a retinol alternative. Silk proteins in the serum contribute to the plumping effect, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
The serum is hydrating and enhances skin smoothness. However, its collagen-boosting and skin-firming effects are less pronounced. It's fragrant, which may not suit sensitive skin, but it's perfectly fine for anyone who likes a little fragrance in their skincare.
For a true antioxidant serum, look no further than Jordan Samuels Antioxidant Treatment Emulsion. It costs $65 and comes in an appealing peach-tone pump, reminiscent of the Pantone color of the year. The color is attributed to Aztec xanthin, also found in salmon. Combined with niacinamide, resveratrol, and palmitoyltrypeptide 8, it helps to fend off environmental stressors, aiding your skin to proactively protect itself against daily wear and tear, aging, and more.
Unprecedented Retinol Alternatives
Allies of Skin’s Multi Peptide Advanced Serum, priced at $188, can be considered a genuine retinol alternative. It's especially suitable for those unable to withstand retinols or wanting to use it beyond the jawline but feeling apprehensive about applying retinol to the neck or chest. It delivers an attractive sheen to the skin, offering instant gratification that encourages continued use for long-term results.
From Dr. Idriss, the DePuffer has brought me much joy this year. This Arnica-based serum, applied with a roller, continues to reduce puffiness and redness even after the roller is done. Clinically tested and proven to work, it also helps decrease the look of bruising post-procedures—an excellent add-on for many patients after a cosmetic dermatology treatment.
The $22 ELF Youth Boosting Advanced Retinol Serum is also worth mentioning in the realm of retinols. It's a hydroxypinacolon retinoate, or granactive retinoid, combined with retinol and antioxidants. It's a great start for those with sensitive skin who are reticent to spend too much.
2024's Beauty Breakthroughs
The Rise of Moisturizers
Finally, we have moisturizers. Aveeno's Calm and Restore gel moisturizer has been a favorite, but Purito's Oat Intense Cream, containing 71 percent oat, may be a strong competitor. This moisturizer, which blends effortlessly into the skin, delivers a silky, thirst-quenching experience. It's a stellar moisturizer.
Your skin absorbs the soothing and calming ingredients found in oat seed water, oat kernel oil, oat kernel flour, and oat kernel extract, making them beneficial for those with inflamed skin barriers or eczema.
Reinventing Day and Night Creams
Skin Food by Weleda is a product that has always appealed to me. They have recently introduced a nourishing day cream and a night cream. However, the day cream's scent is not appealing and its texture is surprisingly light considering the essential oils present. In contrast, the nourishing night cream is fantastic, resembling the rich consistency of the original Skin Food. It feels like butter on your skin. And it lacks the strong gin-like aroma found in their day cream. It also contains glycerin, which I absolutely love. So, cheers to Weleda for introducing an exciting new product that I enjoy.
The Sunscreen Breakthrough
Next up, let's talk about sunscreen. Dr. David Kim recently launched a brilliant mineral sunscreen that finishes matte. Ideal for oily skin types that dislike the greasiness typical of sunscreen. I'm excited about his future products.
Mesmerizing Eye Paint
I'm currently fascinated by Violette's eye paint. It's just like paint, and I was initially unsure how to use it, but I soon found that applying it with my finger and dabbing it on works best. The color is incredibly vibrant and well-pigmented. It may be priced at $31, but a little goes a long way.
The Mascara Evolution
Next is Tower 28's Make Waves mascara. For the past year, I've been loyal to the shade called Jet, which is their black version. Recently, they introduced a brown version named Drift, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Despite my preference for brown eyeliner, I stick to black mascara because it accentuates my eyelashes more effectively.
Diving into Katie Jane Hughes Collection
Moving on, I've been fascinated by the products from Katie Jane Hughes, particularly her Hypershine serum and light pink highlighter. Learning how to use these products did involve a learning curve, but I think I’ve got the hang of it! I dab a bit of the Hypershine Serum using a brush, lightly touching the high points of my face. After that, I gently dab with a beauty blender to even it out. Her highlighter is fantastic, especially if you prefer a sparkle-free look.
The Body Care Wave
Lastly, let's talk about body care. Necessaire's body peel, an exfoliating serum for the body, has been a game changer. It's a lightweight formulation, consisting of 10% AHA, 1% BHA, and 1% PHA, combined with a peeling peptide. It's excellent for dry skin and deals effectively with keratosis pilaris on the arms and legs.
So, those are my top product launches of 2024! I hope you've enjoyed this article and I'm excited that we've managed to release content every week this year. If you've made it to the end of this article, let me know in the comments how many of my articles you've read this year!
About the Author: Caolan
With over a decade of international experience, Caolan's passion lies in simplifying the complex. Now, as the founder of But More Importantly, he applies these talents to the world of cosmetics, aiming to unmask marketing hype and provide readers with the truth about beauty products. His mission: to help you make informed choices and discover what truly enhances your beauty routine.
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