Allure/Ingrid Frahm
Yes, it's still summer. With more than a month of the season left to go, there's still time to switch up your skin-care routine to nail it for your current needs, or simply invite the best newness into your regimen. So, to help you out, we're sharing the new August skin-care products that we know you'll love.
Changing your regimen up can feel scary. Is this serum worth the splurge? Do we really need another self-tanner? And what the hell do all of these ingredients actually do? To help answer any and all questions you may have about what you should be using, we've tested and tried every product — moisturizers, cleansers, serums, masks, and more — that comes our way to help you make an informed decision.
You can count on us to keep you in the know about the skin-care launches that excite us and that we think will make you feel your best. This August, treat yourself to a new skin-care regimen with the latest products to hit both physical and virtual shelves — including a gentle way to exfoliate every day (thanks, Murad) and an overachieving face mist packed with peptides from Ghost Democracy.
Be sure to check back weekly for new skin-care launches that are dropping this month. (Trust us, you don't want to miss out.)
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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With title ingredients like squalane (a Biossance fave), amino acids, and aloe, you might think the latest Biossance launch is a moisturizer. And it kind of is — in that it definitely moisturizes. But Biossance Squalane + Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser is definitively a face wash, as evidenced by its ability to make dirt and makeup thoroughly evacuate from your face. It soothes and hydrates as it sends off pore-clogging grime, leaving any and all skin types looking and feeling fresh.
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OK, so "drink" isn't exactly a common skin-care product term, but the new Korres Santorini Grape Velvet Skin Drink makes a strong argument for it. Technically a face oil, this final step in any moisture-driven routine offers the benefits of both Santorini grape extract and its seed's oil to improve elasticity and texture via fatty acids and antioxidant resveratrol. The resulting smoothness of your nourished skin is undeniable.
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The minimalist packaging design of Philosophy's new Microdelivery Resurfacing Solution completely undersells how awesome this daily exfoliating liquid is — and yet, it simultaneously says it's all business. It's got the ideal balance of all of the buzziest ingredients that are proven to actually do something to improve the look and feel of your skin: alpha hydroxy acids, cica, vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid — the gang's all here to bring your complexion to a smoother, brighter, more hydrated level without the irritation you might expect from such a powerful team.
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We love a product with an adverb in its name. Eau Thermale Avéne Tolérance Extremely Gentle Cleanser is love at first swipe regardless of if your skin needs the kid-glove treatment or not, thanks to how easy it makes removing makeup. Shea butter is somehow hidden in the transparent, no-rinse, gel formula, leaving skin moisturized and soothed without any follow-up products. But should you wish to continue with serums and moisturizers, your skin will be left as a fresh, ready-to-receive canvas for the rest of your routine.
Blemish patches have come such a long way in such a short amount of time, as evidenced by these hyper-focused, active-ingredient-packed, sophisticated Microcrystal Dark Spot Cover Miracle Patches from Rael. When a pimple is rudely leaving a parting gift of discoloration, these nip it in the bud (read: help it fade faster) with a brilliant blend of niacinamide, tranexamic acid, and broccoli extract. You get six in a pack, and they're all a bit larger than your usual zit stickers since post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation often extends past where the blemish originally was.
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A skin-care spinoff of lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne, Oak Essentials is starting off strong with a handful of glow-inducing products. We're especially excited about the Restorative Mask, a 15-minute treatment focused on the healing and anti-inflammatory powers of honey. It also includes vitamin C-rich, deeply moisturizing ingredients like avocado and seabuckthorn oils, so skin gets a natural boost of collagen support.
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At long last, Peach & Lily has launched a body product, and as we would expect, the brand is treating skin below the neck with just as much respect as the face. KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub is dead serious about sloughing off dead skin that's contributing to bumps, and its physically exfoliating mineral crystals get extra help from glycolic, lactic, and polyhydroxy acids. The result, in addition to a moisturized glow, is the smoothest skin you can remember having in you don't know how long.
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Cica might have made it onto your radar as a trend, but its soothing powers have proven it's more than just a fad. It's a big part of the appeal of the versatile Espa Tri-Active Regenerating Calming Cica Cleansing Balm, which can be applied directly to dry skin to break down makeup and then applied with water for a double-cleanse with the very same product. You fully expect to avoid redness, and cupuaçu butter means skin is left as moisturized as it's left clean.
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There are toners, and then there are toners. Indeed Labs Gluconolactone 10% Exfoliating Toner is definitely the latter. Delightfully affordable for such a sophisticated formula, this brightening liquid gets its exfoliating power from a polyhydroxy acid called — as you might have guessed — gluconolactone, which is considered gentler on sensitive skin than AHAs and BHAs. In fact, it's gentle enough to use during both your morning and evening skin-care regimens, so prepare to see noticeably glowier skin ASAP.
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When brands claim that a skin-care product produces overnight results, for the most part, that's a whole lotta B.S. Isle of Paradise Night Glow, however, is an exception. This self-tan face mist really does make a difference, depositing just enough dihydroxyacetone (DHA — the main ingredient in self-tanners) to give you a noticeable but not drastically darker glow while you sleep. Shake it up before misting it on your skin in the evening, and in addition to kick-starting your tan, it will provide soothing moisture via jasmine, argan oil, and hyaluronic acid.
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Consider it a do-over! Last year, SK-II launched a limited-edition version of its famous Facial Treatment Essence in celebration of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — but then the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021. Much to the delight of folks who collect the special-edition bottles of SK-II's hero product (and there are many!), the brand came out with a new design to celebrate the games, which end on Sunday, August 8. This time, that famous skin-clarifying Pitera formula is available in a white bottle with "Tokyo" in red letters and different-color caps to represent the Olympic rings.
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If you've never used a peachy-hued eye cream before, let Kinship Brightwave Energizing + Brightening Eye Cream be the one that converts you. The hint of tint instantly diminishes dark circles long before you apply concealer, while its vitamin C works on long-term brightening. Botanicals like red algae and chaga mushroom add to the hydrating, depuffing, and antioxidant impact, so your eye area looks all-around more radiant.
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Glow Skincare's La Glace Ice Roller sounds like the ultimate summertime treat for your skin, but you'll find yourself reaching for it year-round. That's because the cold temperature imparted by the solid, medical-grade stainless steel barrel helps ease inflammation and puffiness — things we know all too well have no favorite season. Just keep it in the fridge between uses and roll it over your fatigued skin whenever you want. Bonus points if you give it a spin over a sheet mask!
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Tatcha could choose to never launch another product, and we'd still be eternally satisfied with what the brand has to offer. That said, we could not be more excited when it launches new formulas, like Indigo Overnight Repair. This serum-in-moisturizer formula is all about strengthening skin's barrier — what literally stands between you and the irritants that can sabotage calm, smooth, even-toned skin. Ceramides play a big part in the formula's power, and they're joined by hydrating hyaluronic acid, microbiome-balancing mondo grass root, and soothing Japanese indigo extract.
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Consider +Lux Unfiltered N°28 Exfoliating Body Polish the first and last step in your self-tanning journey. Its sugar crystals, passion fruit oil, shea butter, and vitamin E clear the way for even application on well-exfoliated and moisturized skin. Then, that very same combination will slough away fading color when you're ready to start fresh. All the while, self-tanned or not, your skin will glow with a smooth, healthy-looking sheen.
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There are numerous reasons why Touchland Power Mist Moisturizing Hand Sanitizers won a Best of Beauty Award in 2020, but chief among them was the variety of fabulous fragrances it comes in. While other hand sanitizers smell distinctively hand-sanitizer-y, these chic sprays simply don't. And now, the variety of fresh and fun scents is expanding to include even more yumminess: Blue Sandalwood, Velvet Peach, Lemon Lime Spritz, Rainwater, and Applelicious, seen here. And you can expect each one to still have the non-sticky germ-killing power you've come to count on.
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The idea of exfoliating every day is both promising and terrifying. You want to reap the benefits of fresh, uncongested skin, but you also don't want to overdo it, which is all too easy if you're not exfoliating the right way. Luckily, Murad's new Daily Clarifying Peel is absolutely the right way to get in a daily dose of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and a gentle retinoid in perfect harmony, resulting in better cell turnover, clearer pores, and, ultimately, smoother, more even skin. A touch of avocado extract helps moisturize and even tamp down shine.
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Guerlain Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil may be a mouthful, but more importantly, it's a bottle full of bee benefits: four kinds of honey from around the world, as well as royal jelly. Even though it feels as rich as an oil, it's intended to be used prior to serums and creams, helping to plump skin while supporting its ability to repair itself quickly. The result is a noticeable radiance and an unshakeable eagerness to do your skin-care routine.
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It only makes sense that a formula made with kangaroo flower would help skin regain some of its lost bounce. That's just one benefit of the new Clarins Extra-Firming Energy. It's a day cream that moisturizes to the max as it firms and brightens skin with fruit extracts like that of goji, apricot, and vitamin C-rich acerola, which also works as a pollution-protective antioxidant. It's smooth texture makes it a must-have before applying makeup, too.
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Some face mists just kind of send a light haze of good intentions at your skin; others, like Ghost Democracy's new Peptide-Packed Dewy Toning Mist, actually do something. In this case, your complexion is showered in a combination of firming peptides and blue algae, barrier-bolstering niacinamide, and hydration attracting hyaluronic acid. Give your skin a plump-up any time of day, or use it like a toner prior to serums and moisturizers.
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Topicals hit the ground running when it launched in 2020, impressing everyone who tried its Faded gel-serum in an effort to diminish their hyperpigmentation. And now, the brand has turned it Faded into a Brightening & Clearing Mist made to be used anywhere on the body where breakouts may have left discoloration. It contains all of the same effective ingredients, like niacinamide, kojic acid, arbutin, and tranexamic acid, all known for their contributions to evening out dark-marked skin tones.
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Good Skin MD just launched exclusively at CVS, with six products formulated to ease to woes of stressed-out, sensitive skin. That especially true of the Rescue Facial Cream, a moisturizer for skin that has seen things. Whether your complexion is looking and feeling punished by sun damage or it's simply in a constant state of WTF-ery, this super soother and smoother is made for major relief and moisturizer, provided largely in part by glycerin.
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Whether or not "superfoods" are really all that super is up for debate. What's not up for debate is how great a pore-purifying treatment Nooni's new Black Superfood Clay Mask is. The kaolin clay takes gunk away when you rinse it off and reveal smoother skin. And one thing's for sure: The so-called superfoods in this formula — soybean seed, rice, and sesame extract — are definitely more of a pro than a con.
Keywordsproduct launchesshoppingnew skin-care launchmuradclarinsmaskexfoliationface mistmoisturizershopping guideGuerlain