Beauty Advent calendar season starts earlier every year, but not every “2026 guide” is showing 2026 products. This page separates what retailers have actually announced for 2026 from what we learned by opening, reviewing and comparing the 2025 calendars. Every retailer link was checked again on 22 September 2026, and a live page is not treated as a released calendar unless it offers the actual 2026 edition for sale or pre-order.
For each retailer, you will find a plain-English 2026 update first, followed by an editorial look back at the 2025 box: what was genuinely good, which products did the heavy lifting and who it suited.
How to read this guide: Green status boxes mean the actual 2026 calendar is available to buy or pre-order. Grey boxes mean it is not available: the link may be an older product, article, collection, registration or waitlist page. All photographs and product commentary are labelled by year.
Beauty Advent calendar comparison
| Calendar | Best for | 2025 price | 2025 stated value | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space NK | Best overall | £260 | £1,150+ | Available now — £275; worth over £1,200; 35 products, including 26 full sizes |
| Sephora | Trending brands | £225 | £1,000+ | Pre-order — £235; 40 products, including 27 full sizes; temporarily out of stock online |
| Liberty | Luxury value | £275 | £1,180–£1,245 | Available now — £285; worth over £1,300; 29 products, including 21 full sizes |
| Harrods | Premium brands | £250 | Not used for ranking | Available now — £270; 34 products, including 21 full sizes |
| Cult Beauty | Cult favourites | £240 | £1,100+ | Available now — £245; worth over £1,100; 38 products, including 17 full sizes |
| Selfridges | Exclusives | £250 | £1,136 | Available now — £250; worth £1,278; 40 products, including 33 full sizes |
| John Lewis | Department store | £235 | £1,095+ | Available now — £250; worth £1,160; 41 products |
| M&S | Best value | £60* | £330+ | Announced — contents preview live; price, qualifying-spend terms and launch date awaited |
| Boots Premium | High street | £150 | Approx. £612 | Available now — £150; worth £709.59; 27 products, including 19 full sizes |
| Lookfantastic | Price-to-RRP ratio | £105 | Approx. £580 | Pre-order — £120; worth over £665; 19 full-size products; dispatching from 2 October |
*The 2025 M&S price was linked to promotional terms at launch. Check the 2026 qualifying-spend rules when published.
1. Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The Space NK Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 is available to buy for £275, worth more than £1,200, with 35 products including 26 full sizes. View the Space NK calendar →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
The 2025 Space NK calendar cost £260 and the retailer said the contents were worth more than £1,150. It contained 35 products, including 26 full-size items, split across skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance and body care.
What did buyers say?
Owners most often praised the number of full-size products and the fact that recognisable names such as Medik8, Dyson, Tatcha and Summer Fridays appeared in useful sizes. Beauty-calendar communities also liked the balance of established favourites and newer launches. The recurring reservation was product overload: even a strong-value calendar is difficult to justify if you already have several unopened serums and hair treatments.
Our 2025 verdict
Space NK went big on proper, usable sizes: 35 products, 26 of them full size. That made it feel less like a box of samples and more like a ready-made beauty cupboard. The mix was strongest in skincare and haircare, although there was enough makeup to keep December interesting.
The products we would have opened first: Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP, Dyson Chitosan Post-Style Serum, Summer Fridays skincare, Tatcha and Rare Beauty. Medik8 and Dyson were the headline drawers because both were current, talked-about products rather than old stock dressed up for Christmas.
Our take: One of 2025’s safest luxury buys for someone who follows new launches and will use the skincare. The catch is predictable: it sells quickly, so the 2026 waitlist is worth using.
See Space NK’s full 2025 contents →
2. Sephora Favourites Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The Sephora UK Advent Calendar 2026 is confirmed at £235, with 40 products including 27 full sizes. It is currently listed for pre-order but temporarily out of stock online; use Sephora’s stock alert for availability. See the Sephora 2026 calendar →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
The Sephora Favourites calendar cost £225, with Sephora claiming a value of £1,025. Buyers received 41 products, 24 of them full size, spanning makeup, skincare, fragrance, haircare and body care.
What did buyers say?
Verified Sephora reviews were particularly positive about the breadth of the selection. One repeat customer called it her favourite 2025 calendar, while another said she had bought it for four consecutive years. The strongest praise went to the fashionable brand mix and generous full-size count; the main caveat is that regular Sephora shoppers may already own several of the viral minis.
Our 2025 verdict
Sephora’s UK calendar was built for people who follow TikTok and new-brand launches: 41 products, 24 full size, with far less filler than the cheaper Sephora Collection calendar. Customer reviews repeatedly praised the variety, and Sephora’s own beauty team singled out several drawers they were genuinely excited about.
Standout products: Merit Flush Balm, Laneige Water Bank Cream, Malin+Goetz perfume oil, L’Occitane body oil, Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo and products from Summer Fridays, Glow Recipe, Kayali and Tower 28. It was especially good for trying fashionable brands without buying every product separately.
Our take: The most trend-aware calendar in the list. Less appealing if you already own a large collection of viral minis, but excellent for someone who wants a broad mix of makeup, fragrance and skincare.
Read Sephora UK’s 2025 review and contents →
3. Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 is in stock for £285. Liberty says its 29 products, including 21 full sizes, are worth more than £1,300. Buy the Liberty 2026 calendar →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
Liberty’s 2025 calendar was priced at £275 and advertised with contents worth more than £1,200. It held 30 products, including 20 full-size treats, with a noticeable emphasis on premium skincare and fragrance.
What did buyers say?
Long-time Liberty buyers continued to praise the curation, reusable box and opportunity to discover niche brands that do not appear in every other calendar. Owner feedback was more divided on fragrance: perfume fans saw it as a strength, while some returning customers felt the scent samples had become too prominent. That makes the full contents list essential reading before ordering.
Our 2025 verdict
Liberty’s calendar felt like a luxury beauty-hall edit rather than a race to include the most products. The 2025 box sold out for an eleventh consecutive year, which says more about its loyal audience than any inflated “worth” figure.
Standout products: Matière Première Vanilla Powder Eau de Parfum, Liberty LBTY beauty, premium skincare and a strong fragrance selection. The full-size perfume was a particularly good drawer for fragrance fans, though shoppers who dislike scent may have found the balance less useful.
Our take: Beautifully curated and giftable, with more niche discovery than Boots or Lookfantastic. Buy it for the brands and the Liberty experience, not simply because the claimed value is high.
See Liberty’s 2025 product list →
4. Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 price, contents and availability
The 2026 calendar costs £270 and covers skincare, make-up, haircare, fragrance and bodycare. Harrods lists 34 products behind 25 doors and says 21 are full size. Online ordering is live while stocks last, with free UK delivery because the order exceeds Harrods’ £100 threshold.
What is inside the 2026 calendar?
The confirmed line-up includes Augustinus Bader The Rich Eye Cream, Valmont Prime Renewing Pack, Sisley Le Phyto Rouge, Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Medium lipstick, Medik8 C-Tetra Advanced Serum, Gucci Multi-Use Gloss, Color Wow hairspray and full-size products from Huda Beauty, By Terry and TEMPLESPA.
Our 2026 verdict
This is now a current 2026 recommendation rather than a look back at last year’s box. The strongest argument is the mix of 32 named products and 21 full-size items, which makes the £270 price easier to assess than calendars that publish only a headline value. It will suit a luxury-skincare buyer best; shoppers should still check the complete product list and sizes before ordering.
Standout 2026 products: Augustinus Bader The Rich Eye Cream 15ml, Valmont Prime Renewing Pack 50ml, Shiseido Future Solution LX Eye & Lip Contour Regenerating Cream 17ml, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Medium lipstick and Medik8 C-Tetra Advanced Serum 30ml.
Our take: One of the clearest premium beauty-calendar buys currently live for 2026, with enough full-size products to make direct value comparisons possible.
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
The 2025 Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar cost £250 and contained 34 products, including 14 full-size items, with a stated value of £1,136. Buyers liked the broad luxury mix across skincare, make-up, fragrance and haircare, with brands including La Mer, Augustinus Bader, Sisley, Shiseido and Laura Mercier.
Our 2025 take: Its appeal was the chance to try genuinely premium brands in useful sizes without paying the individual-product total. The mix suited luxury-skincare fans particularly well, although shoppers still needed to check that the fragrance and colour products matched their tastes.
5. Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The 2026 Cult Beauty Special Edition is in stock at £245, worth over £1,100, with 38 products including 17 full size. View the current product →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
Cult Beauty’s Classic Curation cost £240 and was said to be worth more than £1,100. It contained 34 products, including 20 full-size items. A separate limited edition added more fragrance and a slightly different product mix.
What did buyers say?
Owners and beauty-box communities liked the modern product choices, particularly K18, Medik8, Summer Fridays and Gisou. The reusable Quentin Jones box also drew praise. More sceptical shoppers pointed out that Cult Beauty’s large promotional goody bags can sometimes deliver a similar discovery experience after buying products they already need, so the calendar made most sense when several headline drawers were already on the wishlist.
Our 2025 verdict
Cult Beauty offered two 2025 versions, including a fragrance-heavy limited edition. The classic calendar was the more broadly useful choice: modern skincare, popular hair treatments and makeup people were already searching for, all in Quentin Jones’ surrealist box.
Standout products: Medik8 C-Tetra Advanced Serum, K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Skin Mist, Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil and Patrick Ta blush. Those are not obscure catalogue fillers; they are recognisable products with strong followings.
Our take: Excellent for the well-informed beauty shopper, though the £240 price still demands a ruthless look at what you will actually finish. The classic version made more sense than the fragrance edit for most buyers.
Read Cult Beauty’s 2025 buyer’s guide →
6. Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The 2026 Selfridges Beauty Advent Calendar is available at £250, worth £1,278, with 40 products including 33 full size. View the current product →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
Selfridges charged £250 for its 2025 calendar and stated that the contents were worth £1,136. The box held 37 products, including 24 full-size items; Selfridges said 35 of the products were exclusive to its calendar.
What did buyers say?
Reviewers repeatedly highlighted the exclusivity and high full-size count, and several expert round-ups placed it among the year’s best calendars. Buyers liked finding fewer of the repeat minis that crop up across competing boxes. The main negative was availability rather than contents: it sold out, reinforcing the need to act quickly once the 2026 edition is properly announced.
Our 2025 verdict
Selfridges’ bright yellow 2025 calendar stood out for exclusivity rather than just quantity: 37 products, 24 full size, and 35 products said to be exclusive to its calendar. Review round-ups repeatedly picked it as one of the strongest edits of the year.
Standout products and brands: Laneige, Elemis, Refy and Murad, with a broad mix of skincare, makeup and tools. The appeal was the chance to find products that were not repeated across every other major calendar.
Our take: A smart choice for someone bored of seeing the same minis every Christmas. At £250 it was a serious purchase, but the high full-size count made the price easier to defend.
See the 2025 Selfridges calendar →
7. John Lewis Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 price, contents and value
John Lewis prices the 2026 calendar at £250 and states a product value of £1,160. It contains 41 curated beauty favourites and introduces beauty technology with a FOREO UFO mini. Selected calendars also contain golden-ticket prizes.
What is inside the 2026 calendar?
The confirmed brand line-up includes Skin Rocks, Trinny London, Fenty Beauty and ELEMIS. The mix covers skincare, make-up and beauty technology, with John Lewis describing this as its highest-value calendar to date.
Our 2026 verdict
The unusually high 41-product count and published £1,160 value make this one of the easiest 2026 beauty calendars to compare on paper. The £250 outlay still makes product fit more important than the headline saving, but the inclusion of beauty tech gives it a point of difference.
Our take: A strong 2026 department-store option for someone who uses several beauty categories and values variety over a tightly edited box.
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
The 2025 John Lewis Beauty Advent Calendar cost £235 and was worth more than £1,095. It included 36 products, 23 of them full size, from brands such as Trinny London, Chantecaille, Laneige, Fenty Beauty, Medik8, Charlotte Tilbury, Clinique, Estée Lauder and Le Labo.
Our 2025 take: Buyers praised its unusually high full-size count, broad age appeal and practical mix of skincare and make-up. It offered strong value for someone who would use several categories, while the main caveat was the same as with any large beauty calendar: the headline saving only mattered if the shades and routines suited the recipient.
8. M&S Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: M&S has announced its 2026 Beauty Advent Calendar and published a contents preview. The price, qualifying-spend terms and launch date have not yet been confirmed, so it is not marked as available to buy. See the official M&S 2026 preview →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
The M&S calendar cost £60 when shoppers spent £35 on qualifying products. M&S valued the contents at more than £330. There were 25 products, including eight full-size items, covering skincare, haircare, fragrance, makeup and body care.
What did buyers say?
Buyer and reviewer feedback centred on value: the combination of Estée Lauder, Color Wow, Living Proof and L’Occitane at this price was difficult for rivals to match. The Bella Freud box was also widely liked. The obvious criticism was the qualifying-spend rule, which made the real outlay higher for anyone who was not already planning an M&S shop.
Our 2025 verdict
M&S remained the value outlier. The 2025 calendar cost £60 when customers spent £35 across qualifying categories, so it worked best for regular M&S shoppers rather than someone making a special trip solely for the calendar.
Standout products and brands: Estée Lauder skincare, Living Proof haircare, Color Wow, L’Occitane, Clinique, Floral Street fragrance and products from Emma Hardie and This Works. Eight full-size items kept it from feeling like a box of sachets.
Our take: The easiest calendar here to recommend on price, provided the qualifying spend fits your normal shopping. The Bella Freud-designed box also looked far better than its high-street price suggested.
9. Boots 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The Boots 24 Days of Luxe Beauty Advent Calendar is available to buy in 2026 for £150. Boots says its 27 products, including 19 full sizes, are worth £709.59. Buy the Boots calendar →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
Boots priced its Premium Beauty Advent Calendar at £150 and said the products were worth £612.50. It contained 25 products, 17 of them full size, with the strongest representation in skincare and makeup.
What did buyers say?
Mumsnet’s hands-on review scored the product selection 8/10, praising the skin-and-makeup balance and wearable choices. Buyers responded well to familiar heroes from Drunk Elephant, MAC, NARS and Estée Lauder. Fragrance and haircare were thinner, and some shoppers found the circus-themed box less traditionally festive, but the contents were regarded as practical rather than gimmicky.
Our 2025 verdict
Boots’ circus-themed premium calendar was the strongest mainstream all-rounder. Mumsnet’s reviewer scored the product selection highly for its skin-and-makeup balance, while noting that fragrance and haircare were lighter.
Standout products: Drunk Elephant moisturiser, NARS primer, Estée Lauder cleanser, Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 76, MAC Velvet Teddy lipstick with Whirl lip pencil, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Milk Makeup’s Dewy Cream Highlighter.
Our take: Familiar brands, useful shades and less risk than a niche luxury calendar. It was still expensive at £150, but the 17 full-size products made it a credible treat rather than an oversized sample box.
Read the independent 2025 review →
10. Lookfantastic Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
2026 status: The 2026 Lookfantastic Beauty Advent Calendar is available to pre-order for £120, worth over £665, with 19 full-size products; dispatching from 2 October. View the current product →
Why did people love this advent calendar last year?
2025 price, value and contents
The 2025 Lookfantastic calendar cost £105 and was advertised as being worth more than £655. It contained 28 products, including 17 full-size items, across skincare, haircare, makeup, fragrance and accessories.
What did buyers say?
Hands-on reviewers liked the low entry price, high full-size count and generous amount of haircare. Medik8, Sol de Janeiro, Laneige and Color Wow were repeatedly identified as the drawers with the broadest appeal. Feedback was less enthusiastic about the small accessories and uneven day-to-day value, so it felt more like a strong discovery box than 28 equally luxurious surprises.
Our 2025 verdict
Lookfantastic delivered the lowest straightforward ticket price among the large multi-brand calendars: £105 for 28 products, 17 full size. Reviewers found plenty of haircare, so it suited someone who wanted more than the usual serum-and-lipstick mix.
Standout products: Medik8 hydrating serum, Iconic London Prep-Set-Glow, Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62, Laneige Lip Glowy Balm, Color Wow shampoo and conditioner, and MAC lip products. Those hero drawers did most of the work; the small accessories were less exciting.
Our take: Strong value and an easy introduction to beauty calendars, but not every drawer felt equally premium. Best for haircare and skincare explorers rather than someone chasing prestige fragrance.
See Lookfantastic’s 2025 contents and 2026 waitlist →
How to choose a beauty Advent calendar
Do not rely on the advertised value alone
A £250 calendar advertised as being worth £1,100 has not saved you £850 if most of the products would remain unused. List the products you would genuinely buy, estimate their personal value to you and compare that figure with the selling price.
Count full-size products carefully
“Full size” is more useful than the total number of items, but even that needs context. A full-size eyeliner contributes less practical value if the shade is unsuitable, while a smaller premium serum may still be valuable to someone who already uses it.
Check shades, skin types and fragrance preferences
Beauty calendars are not universally suitable. Look for complexion shades, active skincare ingredients, hair types and strongly scented products that may make part of a calendar unusable.
Buy now or wait?
The most popular premium calendars can sell out early, while others receive reductions nearer Christmas. If the calendar has a history of rapid sell-outs and the contents closely match your wishlist, launch price may be reasonable. Otherwise, monitor retailer promotions and DealRobin updates.
Beauty Advent calendar FAQs
When do 2026 beauty Advent calendars launch?
Announcements and waitlists commonly begin during summer, with many major calendars launching from August through October. Dates vary by retailer and can change.
Which beauty Advent calendar offers the best value?
Based on 2025 benchmarks, M&S offered the lowest entry price, while Space NK, Liberty, Sephora and Cult Beauty carried very high stated product values. The best choice depends on useful contents, not simply the largest RRP claim.
Are the 2026 prices confirmed?
Only when specifically stated on the relevant retailer page. Figures labelled 2025 in this guide are historical benchmarks and are not predictions or confirmed 2026 prices.
Are DealRobin retailer links affiliate links?
Some retailer links may be affiliate links. DealRobin may earn a commission if you buy through one, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not determine the rankings or remove the need to verify prices and availability.
Last checked: 22 September 2026.
Editorial note: Prices, values, contents and availability can change. Check the retailer page before purchasing. Product values are retailer or publisher claims and are not independently guaranteed by DealRobin.