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I’m willing to bet the teen girl in your life is getting into beauty products. Whichever camp she falls into — skin-care newbie or aspiring makeup artist — chances are there’s something beauty-related on her wishlist this year. To help make shopping a little easier on you, I talked to teens about their favorite brands and most coveted beauty products and watched hundreds of GRWM TikToks to see what’s popular. I found a lot of the usual brands (Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, for example), and also learned about their fragrance and hair-care routines. I’ve included some personal picks, too —products that I’ve tried myself and others I found scouring our archive of recommendations. Below, are over two dozen selects sorted by category, and if you’re looking for even more gift ideas, I’ve written a more general gift guide for teen girls, too.
Skin-care gifts for teenage girls
Unsurprisingly, Drunk Elephant had the most GRWM spottings and interview mentions. (You can thank the Sephora teens and tweens for that.) This was the most popular duo for deeply hydrating and adding glow.
Glow Recipe was just as buzzy, but instead of gifting the brand’s teen-popular exfoliators, go for a moisturizer. Teens layered this over face creams for extra dewiness.
A new discovery for me and a lot of teens this year: Bubble Skincare, which is catered to teen skin. There wasn’t a clear standout product, but teen twin influencers Aleyah and Aleysha told me the moisturizer was their favorite because it’s not too thick and doesn’t clog their skin.
Multi-step skin-care routines are alive and well with teens and usually involve a toner. Instead of gifting one with harsh actives or exfoliants, go with something more gentle and hydrating. Laneige — a buzzy brand for their lip masks — makes one with moisturizing ingredients.
Face mists were also a hit. Two noteworthy brands: Tower28 and Byoma, which both make barrier balancing formulas. 13-year-old Sophia says the Tower28 one has been on her FYP for months and is on her wishlist this year.
I spotted the Ordinary at least a dozen times in videos. Both of these serums are gentle, just in case your teen goes a little overboard.
Face masks make excellent stocking stuffers, but don’t stress over specific brands. K-beauty company Tonymoly sells inexpensive bundles that come with a variety of benefits and scents.
When teens prepped for back to school, “emergency kits” emerged on TikTok. Instead of stocking up on band-aids, they opted for this statusy hand sanitizer, pimple patches, and other lip balms (more on those coming up).
Makeup gifts for teenage girls
Blush had a big moment this year, especially for teens. Patrick Ta’s cream and blush palette gives her options and was high on multiple teens’ wishlists.
Here’s a less expensive cream option from a brand she already loves.
Summer Fridays is still the buzziest lip product. Since flavor preference differs, I recommend going with this holiday set of three limited-edition balms.
If you want to really impress her, get her Dior’s lip oil. It’s pricey for a gloss, but it’s statusy enough to be a standalone gift.
For younger teens getting into makeup, get them an e.l.f. lip oil instead. E.l.f. was mentioned and spotted over and over again, and is said to be a decent dupe for the above.
The “clean beauty” aesthetic took the cake over any makeup look, which requires glowy skin. Saie’s liquid highlighter was the most mentioned, and e.l.f.’s more-affordable option right after it.
Teens weren’t as brand specific when it came to makeup brushes, but would probably appreciate refreshing their current set.
Same goes with beauty blenders, which one teen told me they can’t have enough of.
Fragrance gifts for teen girls
Every teen I spoke to said Sol de Janeiro made their favorite scents. “I keep mine in my school bag everyday,” says 15-year-old Kennedy, who prefers 68 and 40. If you aren’t sure their preferred one, get them this set of minis.
If she’s a fan of Billie Eilish, Kylie Jenner, or Sabrina Carpenter, you can’t go wrong with gifting one of their scents. I spotted Billie’s the most in TikToks, and the other two are recent drops.
Hair care gifts for teenage girls
This specific brush has made its rounds on TikTok for a couple years now, because it detangles easily. If she already has one, consider a mini version she can easily pack for school.
Some version of this bubble headband is also in nearly every GRWM. Pair it with these hair clips she can use while slathering on her skin care.
As far as hair-care products go, Amika was the standout. Luckily, they offer a wide range of products, so you can gift according to her hair type. And if you’re really stuck, you can’t go wrong with this dry shampoo set that comes with a mini for touch-ups.
Teens are particularly concerned about how their hair looks throughout the school day. This styling cream and wand is perfect for touching up flyaways and small enough to throw in her backpack.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
