How to Give Luxurious, Personal Skincare Gifts this Holiday Season

It can be tricky to find the perfect holiday gift that will not only please the recipient, but also make them feel like you spent time thinking about them. Fortunately, a carefully selected skincare gift checks both of those boxes in a snap.

Not only does luxury skincare make people feel pampered, it can also show just how closely you’ve been listening and how much you care. Ask yourself these five questions while you shop to choose perfectly personalized skincare gifts this holiday season,

1. How Old is this Person?

While the recipient may not have confessed their skin concerns, you can use their age to guess which skincare ingredients might be best for them.  Here are our top recommendations by age group:

• Teens:  This is the age when many of us start using skincare. Teach your favorite teen to properly care for their skin with our Balancing Set, a routine-in-a-box that includes all four essential skincare steps with handpicked products for oily and combination skin.
• 20’s: TikTok-obsessed twenty-somethings fueled this year’s makeup prep trend, making our Makeup Prep Must-Haves the ideal gift set for this age group. This powerhouse duo of our Omega Repair Cream and cult favorite Vitamin C Rose Oil drenches skin in moisture, creating the perfect, smooth canvas for makeup.
• 30’s: Dermatologists recommend introducing vitamin C during this busy decade to help counteract damage from free radicals and environmental stressors. Our Vitamin C Power Trio features three antioxidant-rich award-winners to dramatically brighten, repair, and protect.
• 40’s: Our 40s are the decade when our skin often begins craving more moisture, particularly in the delicate undereye area. Give your favorite 40-something a double dose of instant lifting and lasting moisture with our Lift + Bright set, which features two full-sized jars of our multi-award-winning Marine Algae Eye Cream
• 50+: Our skin’s moisture and collagen levels plummet during our 50s, with many of us experiencing uncomfortable dryness and irritation as our skin becomes dehydrated. With three full-sized award-winners, targeting deep, lasting hydration, our Glow Forth Set is ideal for mature skin that feels dry, dull, and irritated.

2. Which Skin Type Do They Have?

While skin type may not be an everyday conversation topic, we find that people are surprisingly eager to share during a casual conversation about skincare and concerns. Once you’ve sussed out the recipient’s skin type, simply select the right Core Four Set to pamper them with a luxurious, easy-to-follow four-step skincare routine. Here’s a quick guide:

• Oily + Combination Skin: Balancing Set
• Dry Skin: Moisturizing Set
• Normal + Combination Skin: Brightening Set
• Mature Skin: Age Defense Set

3. What’s Their Skincare Skill Level?

We recommend choosing skincare ingredients and formulas that may already be on your recipient’s radar but still feel fresh and new to them. Here are our recommendations based on their skincare skill level:

Just Learning: Our Core Four sets contain four full-sized products to create an easy-to-follow skincare routine tailor-made to your recipient’s skin type.

Leveling Up: Help your loved one take their skincare routine to the next level by introducing them to serums with clinically proven skincare ingredients. If they already have a daytime serum they love, try a night serum to help them amp up their routine. Innovative day and night treatments such as our Retinol Night Serum, Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum, Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum, or 10% Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum are great adds at this stage of the game. Skincare Aficionado: Allure Magazine’s editor-tested, intensively researched Best of Beauty Awards are the gold standard in skincare recommendations for those in the know. Our Allure Winners Collectioncontains four bestsellers that have all won Allure Best of Beauty awards. Vetted and voted on by Allure readers of all skin types, these icons deliver results a cut above the rest.

4. What is Their Lifestyle?

Gifts are made to be enjoyed, so take care to choose items that fit seamlessly into your loved one’s lifestyle. Here are some ideas:

Chill Vibes - If your loved one values mindfulness and self-care, give them the  Smooth Start Body Set. This complete body care ritual includes our enzyme-powered scrub, a soothing and toning body cream, and our multitasking oil for head-to-toe hydration.

Full, Balanced Plate - Has this person mastered the art of work-life balance? First, ask them their secret. Then, give them our Radiantly Rose Duo. With travel-friendly sizes of our award-winning Vegan Rose Lip Balm and our cult-favorite Vitamin C Rose Oil, this set is perfect for slipping into a purse or travel bag for on-the-go hydration and glow.

Never Not Hustling - Is the person you’re shopping for burning the candle at both ends? Refresh tired eyes with the instant lifting power of our multi-award-winning Marine Algae Eye Cream. Our bestselling eye cream pairs the power of marine algae and paracress extract for smoother undereye skin and lasting moisture.

5. What Are Their Hobbies?

Considering the recipient’s interests is essential to choosing a holiday skincare gift they’ll love. Here are a few suggestions:

The Outdoor Explorer - If the giftee loves spending time outdoors, they may find exposure to cold, dry winter air leaves their skin dry and dehydrated. Our Hydration on Deck set features two skin-quenching bestsellers — our Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum and our Omega Repair Cream. Even better, 5 percent of proceeds go to Oceana, the world’s largest policy-focused ocean advocacy group.

The Science Junkie - Whether they work in the sciences or are simply enthralled by field, your loved one will appreciate the cutting-edge technology that went into creating our Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer. This first-of-its-kind pairs a gentle form of vitamin C with fermented lemon peel to powerfully brighten and reduce the appearance of dark spots while delivering deep moisture.

The Creative - Many creative types enjoy finding multiple uses for a single item. Our award-winning Vitamin C Rose Oil is an instantly brightening master multitasker that lends itself to creative repurposing as a highlighter, lip oil, or to customize foundation coverage.

The World Traveler - Give your favorite jet-setter the gift of radiant, resilient skin on the go with our Rapid Radiance Set. This travel-sized routine includes four powerhouse products to visibly firm, smooth, and deeply nourish skin wherever your loved one may land.