The 10 best beauty advent calendars to celebrate generosity and beauty

Start the countdown to Christmas with beauty advent calendars from top cosmetic brands. The thought behind choosing them, the meticulous packaging or simply the desire to give someone a pampering treat make them all the more special.

Comfort, pampering and conviviality… Winter is an enchanting pause when sweet childhood memories resurface: chocolates, scented candles, poems. Legend has it that at the end of the 1800s (‘800s), an impatient German boy eager to celebrate 25 December kept asking his mother, ‘When is Christmas coming?’. Tired of hearing the same question, his mother baked traditional spiced Christmas biscuits and placed them into 24 little pouches to open one by one, from 1 December until Christmas Eve, to count down the days. That boy was Gerhard Lang, the German publisher who later became famous for inventing the advent calendar tradition, inspired by those very memories. Now objects of desire for adults as well as children, today they hold everything from miniature surprises to cosmetics. To count down to Christmas in style, we have selected ten advent calendars devoted to self-care.

Acqua di Parma

Inspired by the iconic Acqua di Parma hatbox and decorated with a dynamic print designed by Emilio Pucci, this Holiday Season advent calendar is a striking design piece. Twenty-five doors reveal daily treasures in sizes that let you enjoy signature Acqua di Parma creations, including Fico di Amalfi, Peonia Nobile Crema Lussuosa per le Mani, Arancia di Capri Lozione Corpo and Magnolia Nobile Hair Mist. There are also Osmanthus, Oud and Sandalo from the Signatures of the Sun fragrance line. For the evening of 24 December, look forward to a 70g Notte di Stelle candle labelled ‘Emilio Pucci per Acqua di Parma’, and for 25 December, Colonia, the Maison’s iconic fragrance. Available in Acqua di Parma and Emilio Pucci boutiques and online shops, as well as retail and wholesale channels.

Biotherm

24 best-selling products to discover day after day the sensory textures of Biotherm. Each drawer contains deluxe travel sizes for face and body, including icons such as Life Plankton ElixirTM, Lait Corporel (the citrus body milk with an invigorating scent that has become a legend), Aquasource (hydrating gel) and Blue Therapy, an anti-ageing line featuring the antioxidant power of algae. The elegant box is made from 100% recycled paper. Available exclusively online.

Douglas

Profumerie Douglas has created seven advent calendars this year, illustrated with a festive ‘Christmas Beauty Market’ motif and finished in bright shades paired with classic gold. The Home Spa advent calendar, for example, features 24 miniatures from various Douglas Home Spa ranges, designed for anyone who loves taking time to relax with comforting bodycare and skincare products.

L’Occitane En Provence

The Scrigno di Natale advent calendar by L’Occitane en Provence conceals small, numbered green drawers. Inside, you will find iconic products: a full-sized treat each week, five mini hand creams, brand favourites, new scents and much more. Once opened, these gold-patterned boxes are ideal for keeping your favourite jewellery.

Maria Galland

24 products, including 5 full-size items, 8 travel sizes and 11 samples. Behind each of the 24 windows of the Maria Galland Paris advent calendar lies a morning treat to unwrap: a prestigious selection of anti-ageing formulas, alongside products to cleanse, hydrate, regenerate, enhance and revive the skin’s natural glow. For 24 December, the star is La Crème from the new MILLE line, a limited edition in a special 15 ml format. The calendar features the luxurious ‘Maison Maria Galland’ mansion in the heart of Le Marais in Paris. Available at partner salons and online.

The Merchant of Venice

The countdown to Christmas turns magical and fragrant with the advent calendar from The Merchant of Venice, the artistic perfumery brand celebrating the ancient Venetian art of perfume rooted in trade with the Far East. 24 beauty surprises are housed in an elegant handmade Venetian palazzo, finished in the iconic red and gold palette. From precious Eau de Parfum to Eau de Parfum Concentrée, including the new Flamant Rose fragrance, rich and enveloping with its floral and fruity notes. Alongside the brand’s most famous scents, discover body products from the Luxury Bath Line in sleek, travel-friendly sizes.

Molton Brown

The London brand presents an advent calendar packed with treats for pampering at home. Inside are 24 individually wrapped gifts: Heavenly Gingerlily Eau de Toilette Travel Case Refill (7.5ml), Fiery Pink Pepper Eau de Parfum Travel Case Refill (7.5ml), Delicious Rhubarb & Rose Vibrant Body Oil (45ml), Delicious Rhubarb & Rose Mini Candle, Re-charge Black Pepper Eau de Parfum Travel Case Refill (7.5ml), Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel Bath & Shower Gel (100ml), Fiery Pink Pepper Fine Liquid Hand Wash (100ml), and much more…

Origins

A box full of wonders featuring 12 doors rather than 24, for a shorter yet equally exciting countdown. Ten products and two accessories create a complete skincare routine. Here is a preview of what is inside: Clear Improvement Charcoal mask tube (30ml), Mega Mushroom mask tube (15ml), Ginzing energy boosting gel moisturizer tube (15ml), Mini mask brush, C&B frothy face wash tube (30ml), Micellar water bottle (30ml), GINGER hand lotion tube (30ml), Plantscription lifting cream tube (15ml), Modern friction tube (30ml), Mega Mushroom soothing treatment lotion bottle (50ml), Ginzing Serum tube (15ml) and a Scrunchie.

Sephora

The beauty giant offers an exciting selection smartly combining everyday essentials with new must-haves. Decorated in shades of gold and hot pink, the box includes 12 new brands chosen for the occasion, 7 full-sized items and 2 unexpected surprises. Without giving away too much, inside you will find a travel-sized Too Faced mascara, a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, skincare essentials by Erborian, Fenty Skin, The Ordinary, Fresh and Innisfree, haircare treatments from Olaplex and Moroccanoil, plus miniature fragrances by Juliette Has a Gun and Carolina Herrera.

Shiseido

The Shiseido 2021 Advent Calendar holds ancient Japanese beauty secrets inside the brand’s most cherished skincare and make-up creations, offering everything you need for a truly sensorial beauty ritual. Under a sky lit by the sparks of traditional Hanabi fireworks, the 24 boxes conceal an array of treats alongside the iconic Ginza fragrance in a 7.5ml roll-on format. Available exclusively at Douglas perfumeries.