The 6 Best Beauty Subscription Boxes

Our favourite beauty box brands in the U.K.

As we’ve spent more time working from home, there’s a certain comfort and excitement to be found in receiving monthly surprise packages, with beauty box subscriptions rising in popularity. A YouGov poll found that 45% of people were receiving more packages in the aftermath of the pandemic, with skincare taking up 26% of total purchases and makeup accounting for 18%. Receiving a handpicked curation of makeup, haircare and skincare delivered to your door every few weeks doesn’t just ‘spice up’ your routine, but allows subscribers the freedom of being able to test and try new products without committing to the full size (and price) of the original.

There’s many companies out there to pick from, so we’ve rounded up our six favourite beauty box brands available in the U.K. for you.

Glossybox

One of the more well known beauty box subscriptions out there is Glossybox. Their subscription stands at £13.25 per month, with free postage included and the ability to cancel your plan at any time, giving more flexibility to the customer. You received five products a month, worth over £50 in total. They also offer exclusive access to deals and discounts on their website, and the ability to earn Glossybox credit by completing surveys or referring friends to the brand. Brands you could receive in your box include Marc Jacobs, Sleek and Ciate. Glossybox also do limited edition releases, usually in partnership with magazines, previous drops include “Grazia Best of Beauty” and “Heat Summer Box”.

BirchBox

At £10 a month (excluding postage & packaging), BirchBox comes in as one of the cheaper beauty box subscriptions on the market. Each month, get five “deluxe sample and travel size beauty products (including the occasional full-size!)” delivered to your door. The boxes include a mix of skincare, make-up, body and haircare for customers to try out. If you’re looking to upgrade your makeup or skincare routine, BirchBox is a great way of being introduced to new products on a monthly basis, helping you find your favourites. Their brands include Becca, Aveda and Laura Mercier.

Cohorted Beauty Box

Cohorted describes itself as the U.K’s number one luxury beauty box subscription service. They offer “full sized beauty products from the very best brands”, priding their ability to pick out quality products for their customers. They keep their selection secret, however previous brands included in their boxes have been Laura Mercier, Too Faced and ThisWorks. At £39.99 per month, the box is priced higher than some of the other monthly subscription based ones, but has also been featured in Vogue, Grazia and The Independent, to name a few.

LookFantastic Beauty Box

LookFantastic offer a popular beauty box with the chance to access many well known brands. Their subscriptions run at £15 a month, with the ability to lower the price to £13 a month if you sign up for a yearly subscription. LookFantastic release all the products which you can expect to find in your box ahead of its delivery, this months favourites included brand such as Illamasqua, Eyeko and Mádara. You can expect a mix of skincare and makeup valued at over £50. Subscribers get access to LookFantastic’s “Unboxed Area” where they can expect “new offers and exclusive content each month”.

Roccabox

Started in 2017, subscription service Roccabox aims at creating "a purse friendly way of allowing women to try before they buy, find out what's new in the world of beauty, and, most importantly - treat themselves every once in a while”. Roccabox have worked with well known brands such as HUDA beauty, Smashbox and St. Tropez to cultivate their packages. At £10 per month (excluding £3.95 postage and packaging) it’s one of the more affordable subscription services, sending out five beauty, haircare or skincare products per month to its subscribers. The brand also allows customers the flexibility to cancel at any time.

The Pip Box

For those aiming to only purchase cruelty-free and vegan beauty products there’s The Pip Box. The company sends out five products per month with a total worth of over £55, and makes sure you’ll never receive the same item twice in a year, “because every edit is created bespoke”. Previous brands have included Phase Zero, Murad and Aveda, to name a few. The subscription runs at £19.99 per month including postage, and allows customers to cancel at any time. Boxes sell out months in advance so you’ll need to pre-order if you want this box.