Introducing the Condé Nast Traveller Beauty Awards 2026 – our annual edit of the best in beauty and wellness. The following products were tried and tested by our expert editors, bringing you the very best buys categorised by wellness, innovation, skincare, SPF, fragrance, hair and the best of the rest. For more winners, see the main Beauty Awards 2026 page.
Some products defy a single category – they’re the ones that quietly become indispensable, the travel classics you’d never dream of leaving behind and the body, make-up and tanning discoveries that deserve just as much recognition as any serum or SPF.
This edit is a celebration of the products that rounded out our testing in the most satisfying way; the ones that solved a problem, elevated a routine or simply made travelling feel that little bit more luxurious. From cult mask favourites to bronzing drops that deliver a convincing glow without a beach in sight, these are the best of the rest – and in many cases, the ones our team fought hardest to keep on the final list.
Condé Nast Traveller Beauty Awards 2026: best of the rest
Travel classics
A hydrating mist with genuine skincare credentials, this delivers a fine veil of serum actives that refresh and revive skin instantly. The kind of effortless luxury that makes even the longest journey feel a little more civilised.
Mediheal Best Essential hydrating mask (4-pack)
A K-beauty staple beloved for good reason, this soothing sheet mask delivers an intense hit of calming hydration that rescues stressed, travel-tired skin overnight. Our team unanimously found it the ultimate post-flight recovery tool.
Dries Van Noten Woody Nomadic refillable eau de parfum set
A beautifully considered travel fragrance edit from one of fashion’s most thoughtful houses, this set distils the brand’s signature aesthetic into a perfectly curated collection of scent essentials. As pleasurable to travel with as it is to use – switch between three scents to perfume your travels and create memories.
Dr. Althea 345 relief cream hydrating facial mist
Soothing, lightweight and remarkably effective at calming reactive skin, this cream mist is a revelation for anyone whose complexion tends to protest at the first sign of a new climate. Our tester found it an instant rescue remedy – a quick spritz that visibly settles redness and restores comfort on contact.
Beauty of Joseon matte sun stick
Mess-free, portable and impressively effective, this matte sun stick makes SPF reapplication on the go genuinely effortless. Our tester loved its skin-calming formula and the clean, non-greasy finish – a clever, compact innovation that removes every excuse to skip your midday top-up.
%20-%20Heiko%20Prigge.jpg?w=145&resize=145,100&ssl=1 "Buzzy, beautiful, and under £200 – these are the loveliest affordable hotels in Europe right now according to our editors")
