The Strategist Beauty 100 – Health

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Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Getty Images, Retailers

Over the past nine years, our writers and editors have spent countless hours interviewing dermatologists and makeup artists, decoding ingredients lists, and testing products on our own faces and hair to find the absolute best products for every step of your routine. And here, in the Strategist Beauty 100, we’ve pored over our archive to curate our perfect top-shelf items, to take care of every inch of your body.

In putting this list together, we imagined the ideal medicine cabinet, something for every step of your beauty routine — from your scalp to your toes and everything in between. We started with the obvious best essentials — keeping in mind different skin and hair types — like cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, shampoos, and conditioners. From there, we looked at the products that have earned staying power: the ones experts love and recommend again and again and the ones our staffers use up and rebuy, as well as reader favorites. Then we added longtime favorites (such as the snail-mucin essence we’ve been recommending since 2017), drugstore dupes (inexpensive dupes — like Tracee Ellis Ross’s $12 face-sculpting tool), and investment purchases that deserve space in your beauty cabinet (like a red-light mask that fixed one editor’s acne). The result is a mix of tried-and-true standbys, drugstore finds, and investment pieces that have proved themselves in real routines. We’ve even found solutions that work for some of your hardest-to-fix problems, like micro-dart pimple patches for cystic acne.

To make it easier for you to browse, we’ve organized this collection into shelves: skin care, cosmetics, body, hair care, and tools. Whether you’re just figuring out what lotion doesn’t break you out, or you’re well versed in the art of the ten-step routine, we’re confident you’ll find solutions that will help you look and feel your best.

If you like this collection and want even more of our beauty coverage, sign up for the Strategist Beauty Brief, our new weekly newsletter, here.

Gentle But Effective Cleansing Balm

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$21 at Amazon

$21 at Soko Glam

$21 at Ulta Beauty

A Japanese Oil Cleanser Made From Olive Oil

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$32 at Amazon

$16 at Dermstore

$31.5 at Ulta Beauty

$24 at Walmart

Foaming Cleanser for Oily Skin

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$19 at Amazon

$19 at CVS

$17 at Walmart

$17.39 at Target

$17.99 at Ulta Beauty

Cystic-Acne-Busting Face Wash

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$10 at Amazon

$12.49 at Ulta Beauty

$10 at Walmart

$12.49 at Target

$12 at CVS

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Pore-Clearing Cleanser (That’s Safe for Rosacea)

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$49 at Amazon

$49 at Dermstore

$45 at Skinstore

$45 at Bluemercury

$48 at Google

Tried-and-True Snail-Mucin Goo

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$25 at Amazon

$25 at Dermstore

$25 at Soko Glam

$25 at Ulta Beauty

$17 at iHerb

An SK-II Skin-Brightening Essence Dupe

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$53 at Amazon

$53 at Sephora

$53 at Soko Glam

A Skin-Clearing Exfoliating Toner

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$37 at Amazon

$37 at Dermstore

$37 at Sephora

$37 at Paula’s Choice

Beginner-Friendly OTC Retinoid

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$13 at Amazon

$12 at Walmart

$19.99 at Walgreens

Gentler Alternative to Retinol

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$64 at Amazon

$60 at Sonage

Dark Spot-Fading Vitamin-C Serum

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$63 at Amazon

$63 at Nordstrom

$63 at Bloomingdale’s

$63 at Ulta Beauty

Less-Expensive (But Still Effective) Vitamin-C Serum

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$40 at Amazon

$33 at Maelove

A Brightening Face Oil That Also Calms Skin

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$40 at Amazon

$40 at Skinstore

$40 at Sephora

Micro-Dart Patches to Calm Zits

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$19 at Amazon

Thick Lotion for Locking in Moisture

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$20 at Ulta Beauty

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Dark-Spot-Correcting Moisturizer

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$58 at Sephora

$58 at Dr. Idriss

Barrier-Boosting Face Cream

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$45 at Sephora

$45 at Soko Glam

$45 at Dieux

Unfussy French Moisturizer

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$32 at Amazon

$32 at Dermstore

The Classic Cure-Anything Occlusive

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$14 at Amazon

$13 at Walmart

$11.59 at Target

$16 at CVS

$14.99 at Ulta Beauty

Acne-Fighting, Pore-Minimizing Face Mask

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$75 at Amazon

$56 at Dermstore

Hydrating Face Self-Tanner

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$34 at Amazon

$38 at Sephora

$34 at Ulta Beauty

Hormonal-Acne-Clearing Serum (Without Irritation)

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$22 at Amazon

$22 at Soko Glam

$22 at Target

$22 at Naturium

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Barrier-Strengthening Serum

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$17 at Nordstrom

$17 at Sephora

$17 at Ulta Beauty

Fuller Brows in a Week

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$111 at Nordstrom

$111 at Amazon

$111 at Dermstore

Fuller Lashes in Six Weeks

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$68 at Amazon

$68 at Ulta Beauty

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Cult-y Sleeping Lip Mask for All-Day Use

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$24 at Amazon

$24 at Sephora

$24 at Walmart

$24 at Kohl’s

$24 at Laneige

Dark-Circle-Softening Eye Cream

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$30 at Amazon

$22 at Walmart

$30 at Ulta Beauty

$28 at Walgreens

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French Face Wash in a Bottle

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$21 at Amazon

$21 at Ulta Beauty

$21 at Target

$21.99 at Walgreens

A Mineral Sunscreen for Brown Skin

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$47 at Amazon

$47 at Dermstore

A Setting Spray That Doubles as Sunscreen

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$23 at Amazon

$23 at Ulta Beauty

Soothing Sunscreen Without a White Cast

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$43 at Amazon

$42.99 at Dermstore

$43 at Ulta Beauty

$43 at Lovely Skin

A Beauty Blender Dupe (That’s $1.60 Each)

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$13 at Amazon

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A Skin-Improving Foundation

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$55 at Nordstrom

$55 at Sephora

$52 at NARS

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Moisturizing Skin Tint With SPF

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$48 at Amazon

$48 at Nordstrom

$48 at Sephora

$48 at Credo Beauty

$48 at ILIA Beauty

A Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Dupe

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$15 at Ulta Beauty

$15 at Amazon

$14 at Target

Radiance Booster for Mature Skin

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$40 at Amazon

$40 at Sephora

$40 at Ulta Beauty

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Creamy, Hydrating Concealer

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$32 at Amazon

$32 at Nordstrom

$32 at Sephora

$32 at Credo Beauty

$32 at Kosas

Celebrity Beauty Blush That’s Worth the Hype

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$25 at Sephora

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The Perfect Nude Tinted Balm

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$24 at Sephora

$24 at REFY

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Humidity-Resistant, Hydrating Setting Spray

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$23 at Nordstrom

$23 at Sephora

$38 at Revolve Clothing

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Rio’s $7 Special-Occasion Eye Shadow

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$7 at Amazon

$7 at Ulta Beauty

$7 at ColourPop

At-Home Brow Tint

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$44 at Amazon

Gel-Slash-Serum for Feathery Brows

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$26 at Sephora

$26 at Kulfi Beauty

Lengthening $5 Mascara

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$5 at Amazon

$5 at Target

$5 at Ulta Beauty

OG Waterproof Mascara

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$12 at Amazon

$11 at Target

$10 at Walmart

$13 at Rite Aid

A Prostaglandin-Free Lash Serum

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$68 at Amazon

$68 at Sephora

$68 at Vegamour

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A “Won’t Budge” Drugstore Liner

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$10 at Ulta Beauty

Monolid-Friendly Felt-Tip Eyeliner

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$15 at Amazon

$15 at Soko Glam

High-Shine Drugstore Lip Gloss

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$24 for 3 at Amazon

$9 at C.O. Bigelow

Dior Lip Glow Oil Dupe

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$10 at Amazon

$9 at Ulta Beauty

$9 at Target

$9 at NYX

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Hydrating, Actually Long-Lasting Lip Stain

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$24 at Sephora

$24 at Kulfi Beauty

Beauty Editors’ Favorite Red Matte Lip

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$32 at Nordstrom

$32 at Sephora

$26 at Saks Fifth Avenue

$32 at NARS

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s Sheer Red Lip

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$34 at Amazon

Makes Nails Look Healthier

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$30 at Nordstrom

$32 at Sephora

$30 at Dior

A Nail Nourishing Hand Cream

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$34 at Amazon

$34 at Nordstrom

$34 at Macy’s

Realistic-Looking Press-Ons

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$9 at Target

UV-Free At-Home Gel Nails

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$19 at Amazon

Nail-Strengthening Base and Top Coat

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$22 at Nordstrom

The Hand Cream Our Beauty Writer Hoards

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$28 at Necessaire

$28 at Sephora

A Washcloth for Slippery-Smooth Skin

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$19 for 3 at Amazon

$15 for 3 at Walmart

A “Long-Loved and Long-Recommended” KP Cream

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$17 at Amazon

$21 at Walmart

$20 at Target

$20 at Walgreens

Skin-Brightening Body Scrub

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$33 at Sephora

$33 at Skinfix

Lightweight Lotion for Dry Skin

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$12 at Amazon

Shea Butter for Scaly Skin

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$29 at Amazon

$29 at Buttah Skincare

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Deeply Hydrating Body Oil

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$105 at Violet Grey

$105 at Mutha

Razors for Sensitive Skin

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$10 at Amazon

$10 at Billie

At-Home Sugaring for Beginners

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$30 at Amazon

$30 at Ulta Beauty

$22 at Sugardoh

Pre- and Post-Wax Oil to Prevent Ingrowns

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$28 at Amazon

$28 at Ulta Beauty

Easy-to-Apply (and Convincing) Faux Tan

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$27 at Amazon

$30.49 at CVS

$16 at Walmart

$27 at Ulta Beauty

Actually Effective All-Natural Deodorant

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$20 at Amazon

$14 at Real Purity

Nonirritating Antiperspirant for Heavy Sweaters

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$10 at Amazon

$14 at Walmart

$9.4 at Lovely Skin

$9 at Vitacost

$11 at iHerb

$11 at Good and Care

Full-Body Sweat-Blocking Wipes

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$20 for 11 at Amazon

$20 at Walmart

Smooth-Glide Anti-Chafe Stick

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$14 at Amazon

$14 at Urban Outfitters

$13.99 at Target

$14 at Ulta Beauty

Skin-Shedding Foot Peel

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$22 at Dermstore

$22 at Ulta Beauty

$20 at Lovely Skin

Shampoo That Gives Bounce From the Roots

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$37 at Amazon

$37 at Sephora

$37 at Planet Beauty

$37 at Davines

Gentle French Dry Shampoo

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$25 at Amazon

$24 at Dermstore

$25 at Klorane

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For Shiny, Hydrated Curls

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$28 at Sephora

$28 at Ulta Beauty

$26 at Space NK

$28 at Bread Beauty

Salon-Grade Leave-In Conditioner

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$75 at Amazon

$75 at Sephora

$40 at Walmart

$75 at Target

$75 at Lovely Skin

Color-Depositing Hair Mask

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$72 at Amazon

$25 at Nordstrom

$69 at Dermstore

$72 at Bloomingdale’s

Classic Curl Cream

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$12 at Amazon

$12.99 at Target

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Leave-In for Frizz-Free Hair

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$27 at Amazon

$26 at Sephora

Detangling Conditioning Spray

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$45 at Amazon

$40 at Nordstrom

Edge Control for All Hair Textures

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$13 at Amazon

$13 at Walmart

$13 at eBay

$22 at Beauty of New York

Non-Damaging, Budgeproof Hair Gel

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$6 at Amazon

$5 at Target

Breakage-Preventing Hair Towel

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$20 for 2 at Amazon

$24 for 3 at QVC

Silk Pillowcase for Shinier, Smoother Hair

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$45 at Quince

Japanese Razor for Foolproof Bangs

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$46 at Amazon

$45 at Hairbrained

All-in-One Blowout Under $50

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$31 at Walmart

$39.87 at Amazon

No-Skills-Required Curling Iron

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$149 at Amazon

$149 at Ulta Beauty

Bonnet Hair Dryer for Bouncier Curls

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$80 at Target

$80 at Amazon

Budget-Friendly Beard Trimmer

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$50 at Best Buy

$49.99 at Target

$50 at Walmart

Precise Tweezers for Perfectly Groomed Brows

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$35 at Nordstrom

$35 at Neiman Marcus

$35 at Revolve Clothing

“Holy Grail” Eyelash Curler

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$33 at Amazon

$21 at Sephora

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Tiny Comb for Clump-Free Lashes

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$5 at Amazon

$10.5 at UKLASH

Tracee Ellis Ross’s Face-Sculpting Tool

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$12 at Amazon

Editor-Approved Red-Light Mask

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$349 at Amazon

$349 at Nordstrom

$349 at Bluemercury

$349 at Higher Dose

Acne-Fighting Red-Light Therapy Wand

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$169 at Amazon

$169 at Nordstrom

$169 at Ulta Beauty

$169 at Solawave

$169 at Bluemercury

A Well-Lit Mirror

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$124 at Amazon

$124 at Macy’s

$124 at Walmart

$124 at Fancii

Everyday Makeup Brushes

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$19 at Amazon

$19 at Target

$20 at Ulta Beauty

Volcanic Face Roller for Oil-Free Skin

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$13 at Amazon

$14.49 at Ulta Beauty

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