The £71 anti-ageing cream that's in nearly half of this year's beauty calendars

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The £71 anti-ageing cream that
The £71 anti-ageing cream that's in nearly half of this year's beauty calendars

When it comes to the countdown to Christmas - 83 sleeps, if you were wondering - beauty advent calendars are one of the most popular ways to mark the days off throughout the festive period. Over the past two months, The Mirror have been taking a look at the biggest and best, from high end hauls to budget beauty buys, as well as the ones that will save you the most money.

But one thing we noticed while reviewing the countless contents of each one was that there are a few brands that crop up time and time again. It’s no bad thing, that’s for sure, it simply means they’re popular with shoppers and are likely to entice you to purchase them.

What’s more though, is that on some occasions, the exact same product was cropping up, from TikTok viral purchases to skincare sensations. So, we decided to go through the most popular beauty advent calendars for 2023 and analyse what’s inside to see which brands and products are most commonly found.

Some of the brands I saw recurring in a number of calendars were social media approved Color Wow, Mirror reader fave Medik8, Malin and Goetz and Dermalogica, all of which appeared five times in 15 advent calendars, though the products did vary in each one. However, the viral Sol de Janeiro was also spotted five times, and on four occasions, it was of course the coveted Bum Bum Cream, starring in LookFantastic, Harvey Nichols, ASOS and Sephora’s beauty calendar. I had expected this to be the most popular throughout, having noticed the name appearing over and over, but there were other brands and products more frequently popping up, including Elemis and OTO both featuring six times, while Aromatherapy Associates and Acqua di Parma appeared seven, the latter across four calendars.

It will come as no surprise that Charlotte Tilbury was one of the most commonly found brands and a real pull for many of the calendars. For example, a £45 eyeshadow palette appears in ASOS’s £90 offering, making it a real star of the show. But the Hollywood glam brand also appears in Harrods in the form of a mascara, lipsticks in Harvey Nics and Fenwick, eyeshadow palettes in a further two and setting spray in Selfridges.

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The £71 anti-ageing cream that's in nearly half of this year's beauty calendarsMy top five products from the ASOS Face and Body beauty advent calendar 2023

I often joke that Philip Kingsley appears in ‘every beauty box ever’ because I always seem to have Elasticizer coming out of my ears, and this year, the brand appears in eight calendars, though only three are Elasticizer products. The brand stars in five advent calendars, with the M&S option containing three bestsellers from the haircare collection alone. Dr. Barbara Sturm also appears in eight calendars, as does Sunday Riley, with four of their products being Good Genes, on par with the Bum Bum cream.

The most popular brand of all was REN Skincare, cropping up nine times throughout across eight calendars, coming in twice in the Boots Premium calendar, boasting overnight spot treatments, eye creams, AHA tonics and cleansing gels.

But the one product that brands seem to be using as a big draw is none other than The Rich Cream from Augustinus Bader. The brand cropped up seven times throughout - almost half of the calendars we looked at - and each and every time it was the exact same product: a 15ml sample of the coveted cream.

The £71 anti-ageing cream that's in nearly half of this year's beauty calendarsThe Augustinus Bader Rich Cream is pricey but perfect, according to skincare fans (Augustinus Bader)

Here’s every calendar where it features this year:

You’ll notice that all of the above are what we consider to be the high end beauty advent calendars of 2023, and that’s because The Rich Cream bumps up the value of these calendars quite dramatically, with this deluxe sample size being worth an eye watering £71. It’s not the kind of money that people can justify spending on one item, least not before Christmas, but when included in a money-saving haul of products, it’s a great way to snag it for less.

A revolutionary face cream is said to be inspired by 30 years of research and innovation, that patented 'Trigger Factor Complex' (TFC8) which ‘unlocks a code’ in your skin that repairs tissue. Considered a ‘holy grail’ by many, this formula is best-suited to those with normal to dry skin types and can help visibly reduce the signs of ageing and environmental damage.

Want to know more about our favourite beauty advent calendars? Find our top picks for 2023 here.

Bethan Shufflebotham

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