When it comes to advent calendars, there’s no such thing as too early in the beauty world. From Liberty, Harrods and Sephora to Cult Beauty, Lush and John Lewis, the biggest brands have already unveiled their lineups – and it’s only just August.

These countdowns for beauty lovers have become a contemporary Christmas tradition. An indulgent alternative to chocolate, beauty advent calendars reveal a make-up, skincare, haircare, or fragrance treat behind each door of December (if you can refrain from unboxing in one fell swoop).

Whether it’s a Charlotte Tilbury foundation, a Byredo lipstick, or an Augustinus Bader cream, the gifts last long beyond party season. While once considered excessive, beauty advent calendars have become an increasingly mainstream choice for Christmas gifting – and most sell out by late October.

If you’re looking to add a touch of luxury to the festive season, it’s worth deciding which calendar you want to invest in now. Yes, even in the throes of another summer heatwave.

As a shopping editor, I’ve covered beauty advent calendars for more than half a decade, reviewing line-ups from Selfridges, Cult Beauty, John Lewis, and Space NK. So far, heavyweights including Liberty and Harrods have already dropped their waiting list, while plenty more are teasing details online – including Gen Z go-to Lush, Provence favourite L’Occitane, and crowd-pleasing John Lewis.

The most wonderful time of the year in the beauty sphere, consider this your cheat sheet to 2026’s best advent calendars – trust me, you’ll want to get ahead of the glamorous game.

When Liberty unveiled its beauty advent calendar in 2014, the modern mania began. A snapshot of its iconic beauty hall, the London department store’s annual offering is known for spotlighting more underground brands while delivering reliably luxurious skincare and fragrance staples. The box is worth the investment alone – it takes pride of place on any Christmas display.

This year, the retailer has confirmed that its calendar will be available for pre-order from early August, with the waitlist already open. In the line-up, you’ll find Sunday Riley CEO vitamin C 15 per cent brightening serum, Lisa Eldridge baume embrace melting lip colour, Augustinus Bader’s The Face Oil, and Davines Oi Shampoo, among other goodies.

Read more on Liberty’s beauty advent calendar

This year, there are 41 products, including a huge 23 full-size goodies and 18 deluxe minis. Alongside skincare, makeup and fragrances from the likes of Trinny, Fenty Beauty, Elemis and Gucci, beauty tech features for the first time – including Foreo’s UFO mini, worth £129 alone.

Among the full-size skincare products, you’ll be treated to L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil, Liz Earle’s Cleanse & PolishTM, and Medik8’s Hydr8 B5, while make-up heroes span the Sculpted by Aimee Line and Shine Lip Liner and Gloss Duo, Fenty Beauty Hella Thicc Volumising Mascara, and Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand. What’s more, one in 41 customers is in the running to win a mystery voucher: prizes include a Shark face or hair tool, and a Clarins spa treatment.

The John Lewis beauty advent calendar 2026 is available to pre-order from 3 August for MyJL Beauty members, who get exclusive early access. Pre-orders will be shipped from 3 September, before going on general sale from 7 September – so it’s well worth becoming a member.

The Harrods beauty advent calendar is always one of the earliest to launch – and it’s already revealed this year’s offering. Inside, there are 34 products – 21 of which are full-size – spanning make-up from Charlotte Tilbury, skincare from Augustinus Bader and Tatcha, haircare from Color Wow, and fake tan from By Terry.

Beauty highlights include Hourglass’s ambient lighting blush travel in luminous flush, a £75 voucher off selected Currentbody Skin devices, Nars’ total seduction eyeshadow stick, Lyma’s power youth cream, and Medik8’s C-tetra advanced gel-serum. It’s sure to be up there with this year’s most covetable calendars. There’s also a fragrance advent calendar (£225 for 12 luxury niche scents), and a 12 days of hair and body calendar (£99 for 17 pampering items), which offer stellar value for money.

Read my full Harrods beauty advent calendar review

The Boots 24-day beauty advent calendar is a much underrated option. Always affordable, it costs £150 again this year – but is worth £100 more. The exact lineup remains under wraps, but those who sign up to the waitlist will unlock 24-hour early access to buy the calendar before general sale online on Wednesday 2 September. From the teaser image, I can spot Nars, Estee Lauder, a Sol De Janeiro body mist, a Huda Beauty Easy Bake setting spray, and a Color Wow shampoo.

Alongside the premium calendar, there’s also a 24-day skincare offering (£70, but worth £300), and a 12-day fragrance calendar (£90, but worth £345). The 2025 calendar was brimming with premium names and genuinely useful products – think Estee Lauder cleansers, a full-size Drunk Elephant cream that lasted me into the spring, and a Nars primer. I’m hoping for the same this year.

The Cowshed calendar waitlist opens on 17 August ahead of its launch on 1 September. Alongside Cowshed signatures – think the refresh hand wash, active bath and shower gel, and relax body lotion – the calendar features the brand’s new reimagined range of Wildly-Feel-Good fragrances for body, hand, hair and home.

In the mix, 24 full-size products draw inspiration from Christmas at Babington House, from roaring fires to champagne celebrations. The handwoven wicker hamper is designed for year-round use, while each door is individually boxed and sticker-sealed for gifting to loved ones.

Provence beauty brand L’Occitane is always a favourite for Christmas gifting – and its prestige beauty advent calendar combines all its bestselling formulas into one 24-day December offering. Granted, the value for money isn’t as impressive as other brands – it costs £169 and is worth £269 – but the lineup will make any L’Occitane devotee very happy. From the cult almond shower and body oil to luxurious hand creams, soaps, haircare and skincare – including the immortelle cream, overnight oil, eye cream, and cleansing cream – the calendar is just the ticket for some party season pampering.

The waitlists for both the prestige calendar and the more affordable Provence classics calendar (£99, worth £192) are open, with pre-orders from 13 August and general sale from 26 August.

Fortnum & Mason has revealed its 2026 beauty advent calendar, which costs £275, but is worth more than £1,225. There will be 24 full-size products across 25 days, spanning perfumes, makeup and skincare. The refined lineup is a noticeable departure from the products we always see in beauty advent calendars. Expect Ortigia, Wildsmith, Clive Christian, Delilah, Granado, Jean-Charles Brosseau, and Benamôr 1925. The gorgeous pink, floral-painted box is quintessentially Fortnums too.

Sephora is somewhat synonymous with viral brands and formulas – and its beauty advent calendar has sold out four years in a row. This year, the waitlist is already open, and the brand is teasing 41 treats, including 27 full-size products and lots of exclusives. From the elusive image released, I think I can spot a Mac lipstick, a Discotheque Lola candle, Phlur eau de parfum, and a Makeup by Mario 12-colour eyeshadow palette, alongside a Kayali eau de parfum, a Sephora Collection lip tint felt liner and the Kosas shiny objects wet glisten powder. And as head starts go, I’d say this is a pretty promising selection.

After revealing that its 2026 calendar will be worth more than £1,000 with 16 full-size products, Cult Beauty is dropping tidbits weekly until it officially launches. Among the goodies, you can expect both makeup and skincare, from Charlotte Tilbury’s travel-size Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, to a full-size Patrick Ta Double Take Powder Blush Duo, a full-size Huda Beauty lip contour in warm brown, a full-size Westman Atelier mascara, and a full-size Hourglass Satin Crème Lipstick.

Byoma’s foaming rice deep cleanser, Medik8’s advanced pro-collagen+ peptide cream, Laneige’s cream skin cerapeptide mist, Sunday Riley tidal deep hydration and plumping serum, and The Ordinary multi active delivery essence.

The Harvey Nichols beauty advent calendar 2026 promises more than £1,000 worth of luxury beauty, including 29 favourites over 25 days – and 16 full-size products. Behind each door, discover skincare, fragrance, makeup and more from brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Sisley-Paris and La Mer. Last year, personal highlights included La Mer’s renewal oil, Le Labo’s eucalyptus 20 eau de parfum, Color Wow’s conditioner and a Jo Loves candle. The crowd-pleasing lineup is always great for individual gifting, too.

Charlotte Tilbury’s annual beauty advent calendar is arguably the best for makeup lovers. The waitlist for the 2026 lineup is now open, and the brand has stuck to tradition by offering 12 beauty favourites. We can look forward to all the CT classics – Beauty Light Wand in 'Pillow Talk', Lip Cheat Lip Liner in 'Pillow Talk', Magic Cream, Unreal Lips Glow Nectar Oil, and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray – plus newer launches including the Unreal Blush Healthy Glow.

Next has announced its beauty advent calendar for 2026 in partnership with the breast cancer charity Future Dreams. In true Christmas spirit, £10 from every calendar sold will go to supporting those affected by breast cancer. Brimming with useful formulas, pampering treats and makeup heroes, highlights include Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish, Clinique’s eye serum, Elemis’s pro collagen cleansing balm, Kate Somerville’s exfolikate cleanser foaming wash and Estee Lauder advanced night repair.

Space NK’s advent calendars are always a starry line-up of both cult classic formulas and viral products. For 2026, its calendar is worth more than £1,200 with 26 full-size products and costing £275. The full line-up is impressive – and among the best this year. Think Augustinus Bader, Summer Fridays, Color Wow and Sol de Janeiro, alongside K18, Vieve, Skin Rocks and Charlotte Tilbury. It launches online and in store on 10 September, but the waitlist is open now.

I’ve reviewed Lookfantastic’s advent calendar for several years now – and I’m always impressed with how many covetable formulas are packed in at such a low price point. The 2026 calendar looks to be no exception. We don’t know much, but we do know it costs £120 – making it among the cheapest calendars available – and includes 27 products, 19 of which are full-size. The retailer has revealed that The Girls Bathroom’s podcast hosts Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis-Zullo are involved, alongside celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight and beauty and skincare guru Gary Thompson. The first products will be released on 17 August, with the calendar available from 1 September. You can join the waitlist now by signing up to LF Beauty Plus+.

Jo Malone always ranks highly among the most decadent advent calendars. This year, its 25 day fragrance calendar will cost £375 with an overall worth of £597. Granted, it’s one of the most expensive options, but it’s said to be brimming with the fragrance house’s signature scents, plus a full-size tangerine and honey fragrance.

The luxurious trunk-style box features tartan-wrapped minis. The full line up is yet to be revealed, but we’re expecting lime and basil fragrances, Christmas limited-editions and candles.

The Lush Christmas advent calendar is always popular – particularly among Gen Z and young beauty lovers. The 2026 offering has already been unveiled, costing £210 for 25 fan favourites and Christmas crackers. Packaged in a reusable hamper – a nice departure from more disposable boxes – it’s brimming with everything from cosy socks and candles to Lush’s famous bath bombs, bubble bars, shower gels, soaps and skincare. Delivering a little luxury to every day of December, it typically sells out quickly – so I’d suggest placing your pre-order now.

Bringing the spa into your home, Bamford’s beauty advent calendar for 2026 includes 24 products to pamper you during party season. Spanning bath, body, skincare and six wellness tools – think gua sha’s and body brushes – the calendar is a refreshing alternative to trend-driven line-ups.

From the Geranium range candle, body wash and lotion, to the B Balanced body oil, cleanser and pillow mist, the countdown provides a daily moment of calm. Launching on 1 September, it contains six full size products.

Many mistakenly believe Liberty was the first to debut a multi-brand advent calendar, but it was actually Selfridges in 2010. The retailer’s line-up has remained consistently excellent – and while the 2026 offering officially remains under wraps, we’ve been treated to a sneak preview. Costing £250, it includes products from Augustinus Bader, Dr Barbara Sturm and Tatcha, while Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Kylie by Kylie Jenner, Laneige, Refy and Elemis and Burberry will also make an appearence.

Benefit’s annual advent calendar is always a gloriously kitsch affair. This year’s ‘Hotel Beneville’ calendar is no exception, designed with a hotel theme and playful briefcase box. Noticably smaller than most offerings, you’ll find mostly minis inside, except a full-size badgal mascara, brow setting gel, Benetint rose-tinted lip and cheek stain, and Cookie golden pearl highlighter. Perfect for young makeup fans or Benefit devotees, it’s also among the most affordable options – but the value-to-cost ratio isn’t as impressive (over £295).

Widely considered the best value beauty advent calendar each year, M&S’s lineup reflects its ever-growing beauty hall. In 2025, the box was designed by Bella Freud while the contents spanned haircare, make-up, fragrance and skincare from top brands including Clinique, Color Wow, Living Proof and Cowshed. If you’re dipping your toe into the world of beauty advent calendars, M&S’s is perfect.

The 33 best facials in London: effective treatments for every skin concern