The best new beauty products of May 2021
If you’re on the hunt for new beauty products, grab your wallet and stay awhile.
If you’re on the hunt for new beauty products, grab your wallet and stay awhile. Our w&h Vanity Edit unveils the most-hyped beauty and new makeup releases to date.
May has already introduced a dizzying array of regimented skincare solutions, exciting collaborations, and bold, bright makeup (among other beauty delicacies, of course). Considering the innovative formulas and claims promised, these beauty launches are a far cry from gimmicky marketing. In fact, it’s all-the-more clear that brands are contending for a permanent spot in our beauty routines. Suffice it to say, this month’s beauty edit is one we’re eager to wax poetic about.
w&h’s beauty edit for May
Like last month’s launches, the new beauty products for May marry luxury with convenience, offering streamlined remedies to our most common makeup, skincare, and haircare concerns. This month, you’ll see releases from familiar, cult-status favorites, like Fenty Beauty, along with curations from more under-the-radar labels.
The best new beauty products for May: new makeup releases, skincare, and haircare launches
New makeup products
Fenty Beauty Bright Fix Eye Brightener
(Image credit: Fenty Beauty)
No. of shades available: 16| Key Benefits: Works to hydrate, brighten, and blur
Fenty Beauty is chock full of new beauty products, including the Bright Fix Eye Brightener: formulated to conceal dark circles and brighten the undereye area. Available in a variety of tones and undertones, this makeup essential features a sheer-like formula that imparts natural to buildable coverage. And try as you might; it won’t crease from sweat and humidity. (But first and foremost, know how to apply concealer with your best foundation.)
Not surprisingly, Rihanna moved the needle further: This new beauty launch offers skincare benefits, too. It’s infused with jojoba oil and other hydrating ingredients, which help attract and retain moisture and condition delicate undereye skin.
• Fenty Beauty Bright Fix Eye Brightener available at Fenty Beauty for $25
Haus Laboratories PhD Hybrid Lip Oil Stain
(Image credit: Haus Laboratories)
No. of shades available: 5| Key Benefits: Ultra-hydrating lip oil with revolutionary tech
Lady Gaga’s latest oil-to-stain hybrid helps lips stay supple, nourished, and soft, packed with plant-derived squalane, collagen, peptides, and antioxidants. We love how it delivers a glossy, shiny veil when applied, without ever feeling too greasy to sticky.
More notably, it’s powered by your own unique pH. Here’s how it works: the formula features self-adjusting pigment, which “takes cue” from your pH to transform into a color that’s tailored to your lips. So simple, yet innovative and extraordinary.
• Haus Laboratories PhD Hybrid Lip Oil Stain available at Amazon for $24
Anastasia Beverly Hills Face Palette
(Image credit: Anastasia Beverly Hills)
No. of shades available: 3 palettes with different color variations| Key Benefits: Versatile and eliminates the need for additional purchases
As beauty mavens, we’d argue that the best new beauty products are multi-functional—without ever being ineffective. Case and point: the Anastasia Beverly Hills Face Palette houses the essentials in a glittery, compact case, and each inclusion won’t disappoint. Emblazoned in the brand’s iconic logo, this trio palette features a warm bronzer, shimmery highlight, and soft blush, all of which are easily blendable, buildable, and lightweight. Plus, it’s cruelty-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and oil-free.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Face Palette available at Nordstrom for $58
MAC Love Me Liquid Lipcolour
(Image credit: Mac Cosmetics)
No. of shades available: 16| Key Benefits: Formula is long-lasting and features rich color
Whether you’re aiming to go full glam or recreate a natural makeup look, the Love Me Liquid Lipcolour delivers decadent texture, intense pigment, and an enduring satin finish—courtesy of MAC’s exclusive ColourCling Technology. Makeup benefits aside, it nourishes and conditions the lips with a powerful blend of argan oil, coconut oil, shea butter, carnauba butter, barley extract, and cucumber extract. Not to mention, it features a flexible, arrowhead-shaped applicator for smooth and precise product application.
•MAC Love Me Liquid Lipcolour available at Bloomingdales for $24
New skin products
Fenty Beauty Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream
(Image credit: Fenty Beauty)
Key Ingredients: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free; shea butter, glycerin, nourishing oils
Key Benefits: A refillable whipped oil body cream that’s formulated with tropical oils, butters, and extracts
Packed with hydrating butters and oils, the Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream features a luxurious velvety texture that not only applies like a dream but delivers long-lasting skincare benefits. It harnesses a powerful blend of shea butter, glycerin, and oils (like jojoba and coconut) to help condition, soothe, nourish the skin and repair its natural moisture barrier. Furthermore, it’s infused with antioxidants and cherry extract, which work to bring a coveted “glow from within” look.
• Fenty Beauty Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream available at Sephora for $39
Sol De Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Deodorant
(Image credit: Sol De Janeiro )
Key Ingredients: Vegan, cruelty-free, and comes in recyclable packaging; citric acid ester, papaya enzyme, and tapioca starch
Key Benefits: An aluminum- and baking soda-free deodorant that eliminates odor, soothes skin, and fights ingrown hairs; Infused with Cheirosa ’62 fragrance. (Cheirosa ’62 fragrance is used in the brand’s cult-status Brazilian Bum Bum Cream.)
As one of our favorite new beauty products, the Sol De Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Deodorant boasts an innovative formula that works better and faster than its competitors. This smooth-glide deodorant leverages citric acid ester to neutralize bacteria, prevent stench, and soothe delicate underarms, while papaya enzyme evens skin tone and quells ingrown hairs. It also features tapioca starch, which absorbs sweat to keep underarms dry.
• Sol De Janeiro Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Deodorant available at Sephora for $16
Ole Henriksen The Pore Remedy Moisturizer
(Image credit: Ole Henriksen)
Key Ingredients: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free; salicylic acid (BHA) and lipohydroxyacid (LHA), alpine willowherb extract, and Green Fusion Complex™
Key Benefits: A high-performing lightweight moisturizer designed for oily and combination skin
As one of the best moisturizers for dry skin, The Pore Remedy conditions the complexion with rich antioxidants and nourishing botanicals; and they work in tandem to refine clogged pores and absorb excess oil. This skincare hero also promotes anti-aging benefits by smoothing uneven skin texture and targeting fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.
• Ole Henriksen The Pore Remedy Moisturizer is available at Sephora for $46
SkinCeuticals Daily Brightening UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 30
(Image credit: SkinCeuticals)
Key Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide and zinc oxide deliver broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection; non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic
Key Benefits: A tinted mineral sunscreen that maintains a matte finish even in hot, humid conditions
Among the sea of new beauty products, this best sunscreen for face transcends SPF protection. Compared to sticky, dense sunscreens, this option is formulated as an airy mousse and then dries to a powder finish (which transforms your complexion into the perfect base for makeup). Its formula smooths rough skin texture and minimizes the appearance of pores—delivering makeup and skincare benefits in one application. Moreover, since it features a translucent tint, it’s universal and suitable for all skin tones.
• SkinCeuticals Daily Brightening UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 30 available at SkinCeuticals for $35
Supergoop! x Gray Malin Everyday Getaway Kit
(Image credit: Supergoop!)
Key Ingredients: SPF protection, sunflower extract, and vitamin C
Key Benefits: A limited-edition travel bundle of sun care essentials
Supergoop!, the leading sunscreen brand, joined forces with esteemed fine art photographer Gray Malin to curate a limited-edition (and TSA-friendly) sun care essentials kit.
The robust bundle includes Supergoop! best-sellers, such as the PLAY Everyday Lotion SPF 50 with Sunflower Extract, PLAY Antioxidant Body Mist SPF 50 with Vitamin C, Glow Oil SPF 50, Defense Refresh (Re)setting Mist SPF 40, Lip Shield SPF 30, and Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. What’s more, each product featured is ideal for any skincare routine.
PLAY Everyday Lotion SPF 50 with Sunflower Extract: A fast-absorbing and sweat-resistant sunscreen for the face and body
PLAY Antioxidant Body Mist SPF 50 with Vitamin C: A non-aerosol, water-resistant sunscreen spray
Glow Oil SPF 50: A nourishing body oil that protects and hydrates the skin, without ever feeling greasy
Defense Refresh (Re)setting Mist SPF 40: A makeup setting spray that works in a spritz, featuring a light texture and soft scent
Lip Shield SPF 30: A hydrating lip protectant formulated with antioxidant-rich coconut, avocado, and grape seed oil
Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40: An invisible, non-streaking sunscreen that feels weightless and imparts a velvety finish; can be used on its own or as a makeup-gripping primer
• Supergoop! x Gray Malin Everyday Getaway Kit available at Supergoop! for $75
New hair products
Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Joia Dry Shampoo
(Image credit: Sol De Janeiro)
Key Ingredients: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, phthalate-free, and comes in recyclable packaging
Key Benefits: A Cheirosa ’62-scented dry shampoo that absorbs oil and adds volume to limp hair. (Cheirosa ’62 fragrance is used in the brand’s cult-status Brazilian Bum Bum Cream.)
Packed with notes of salted caramel and pistachio, the Sol De Janeiro Dry Shampoo soaks up excess oil, product buildup, and unwanted residue, sans sticky, thick texture. On the contrary, it feels completely weightless post-application, thanks to its ingredient blend of Brazilian kaolin clay, rice starch, and pro-Vitamin B5. This triad detoxifies and moisturizes all hair types, ensuring around-the-clock healthy scalp care. All in all, one of the best hair products on the market.
• Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Joia Dry Shampoo available at Sephora for $24
amika Bust Your Brass Intense Repair Mask
(Image credit: amika)
Key Ingredients: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, and sulfate-free; plant butters
Key Benefits: A deeply hydrating and toning mask that remedies brassiness and quenches dry, brittle hair
If you have fresh highlights, you’ll want to scoop up amika’s Bust Your Brass Intense Repair Mask, formulated to brighten, tone, hydrate, strengthen, and repair all hair types. The mask is fueled by the brand’s Bond Cure Technology, which targets the most abundant bonds in hair to prevent breakage—and tames unruly locks in one use. Aside from reviving blonde tresses, this best hair mask saturates strands in rich hydration, thanks to an ingredient medley of mango butter extract, borage oil, and shea butter.
• amika Bust Your Brass Intense Repair Mask available at Sephora for $42