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Kickstart Your Fall Beauty Routine With September’s Coolest New Products

That back-to-school feeling.

by Amanda Ross and Jessica Fields

Updated: Sep. 30, 2023

Originally Published: Sep. 10, 2023

Rose Inc model wearing Softlight foundation

We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

Anyone else suddenly flooded with the urge to overhaul and transform your entire life? For many (raises hand), it’s September 1 rather than New Year’s Day that truly marks a time for significant change. No matter how many years go by post-grad, it’s hard to shake that back-to-school feeling that creeps in as the temperatures slowly drop. Frankly, you might as well take that studious energy and apply it to fall’s biggest hair colors, styles, and makeup trends because they’re better than ever this year — and September 2023’s best beauty launches are the easiest way to bring them all to life.

It’s like every notable brand around was taking notes on what the people really wanted all year long, waiting for September’s arrival to make them a reality. A sensitive skin-friendly way to brighten up the complexion and smooth out lines? Check, Sulwhasoo’s got that one covered. A honey-powered hair serum engineered to disguise breakage and add in shine? Check, that’s handled by Gisou. And as for those saving-this-immediately TikToks dedicated to the coolest, most creative eyeshadow styles? Thank Ms. Fenty for that — Rihanna’s latest launch has it handled.

Ahead, the very best new beauty products of September.

September 2023 Skin Launches

Best New Essence

Dr. Jart + Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Treatment Lotion

Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Treatment Lotion

Nearly every year, the Dr. Jart+ Cicapair line goes viral for its impressive ability to calm redness for an immediately soothed appearance. Now, the collection adds a new member with the launch of the Soothing Repair Treatment Lotion. Slick on a layer of the treatment after cleansing skin, both morning and night, and watch your hydration level and irritation improve. | Pros: Non-sticky; fast-drying | Notable Ingredients: Centella asiatica extract; allantoin |

Best New Serums

Naturium Multi-Peptide Advanced Serum

Multi-Peptide Advanced Serum

Targeting fine lines, texture, and discoloration, Naturium’s new serum truly does it all. Encapsulated copper (great for stimulating collagen) is included to help smooth out the look of wrinkles, while the included ferulic acid firms things up for an overall refreshed appearance. | Pros: Suitable for all skin types | Notable Ingredients: Hydrolyzed vegan collagen; encapsulated copper; ferulic acid |

The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum

Soothing & Barrier Support Serum

Just in time for the cold weather ahead, fortify your skin barrier or help repair exisiting damage with The Ordinary’s robust new serum. Not only does it help retain moisture (which in turn helps with texture), but it eliminates redness on the spot for an irritation-free complexion. | Pros: Appropriate for all skin types; instant and compounded benefits | Notable Ingredients: Centella asiatica; ceramides; niacinamide; vitamin B12 |

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum VI

First Care Activating Serum VI

The latest rendition of Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum is now formulated with the brand's signature ingredient, ginseng, to instantly brighten and invigorate the skin. Designed to be the first step after cleansing, it works at the skin’s barrier, replenishing it with much-needed nutrients and moisture. | Pros: Improves radiance and visibly firms | Notable Ingredients: Ginseng ; herbal complex |

Best New Toner

Sofie Pavitt Nice Ice Toner Pods

Sofie Pavitt Face

Nice Ice Toner Pods

It’s toner like you’ve never been it before. Legendary New York facialist Sofie Pavitt put her glow-encouraging formula into freezer-kept pods, which can then be popped out as icy discs and applied directly to the skin in a variety of ways. | Pros: Multi-use; calming ice; fun to use | Notable Ingredients: Glycerin; niacinamide; green tea extract; ashwagandha |

Best New Moisturizers

Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Water Cream

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte's Magic Water Cream

Prayers? Answered. A water-based version of Charlotte Tilbury’s cult-classic Magic Cream, this offers all the same plumping, pore-minimizing, makeup-prepping properties as the original, but with a lightweight formula sensitive skin types (and those prone to oil) have been waiting on. | Pros: Gel-like formula; suitable for all skin types | Notable Ingredients: Niacinamide; biopeptide complex |

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Sheer

Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Sheer

With a formula focused on skin metabolism to encourage a lifted, elastic complexion, La Prairie’s newest caviar-centric launch infuses micro-nutrients to foster the ecosystem literally living just under the surface. As a bonus, the cream is refreshingly lightweight, leaving behind a youthfully dewy finish. | Pros: Sustainable packaging; fast-acting | Notable Ingredients: Caviar micro-nutrients |

Best New Skin Tech

TheraFace Mask

Combining the innovative brand’s trademark percussive therapy with the power of LED lighting, Therabody’s breakthrough mask helps with fine lines, elasticity, dark spots, and even acne by dedicating just nine minutes per day to hands-free use. Simply strap the mask on and fire it up, allowing the vibration and nearly 700 individual lights to get to work while you do whatever you want. | Pros: FDA approved; clinically backed; hands-free use | Notable Features: Infared and blue LED lighting; vibration for circulation |

Best New Treatment

Skin Pharm

High Beam Brightening Lotion

Robust and quick-acting without any harsh moisture-stripping, Skin Pharm’s newest product is a smoothing, brightening lotion that seamlessly integrates into your existing routine to combat dark spots, uneven texture, fine lines, and overall dullness. It’s truly like illuminating your complexion with a spotlight. | Pros: Suitable for all skin types | Notable Ingredients: Niacinamide; hexylresorcinol; licorice root; vitamin E |

Best New Retinol

Byroe Pumpkin Pro-Retinol Cream

Pumpkin Pro-Retinol Cream

Harnessing the anti-aging powers of superfoods like calendula-derived retinol, bakuchiol, and pumpkin, this luscious cream works to boost collagen production and reduce fine lines and wrinkles from deep within the skin. It smoothes on like a dream, leaving your skin feeling bouncy, supple, and soft. | Pros: Gentle enough for everyday use | Notable Ingredients: Upcycled pumpkin, eco ceramides, bakuchiol |

September 2023 Makeup Launches

Best New Foundation

Rose Inc. Softlight Skin Smoothing Liquid Foundation

Softlight Skin Smoothing Liquid Foundation

As if your skin was lit by candlelight, Rose Inc.’s new foundation works to blur, soften, and even out the complexion without having to cake it on. The delicate matte finish creates a diffused light effect that makes every skin type look subtly glowy and smooth all over. | Pros: Available in 31 shades; easy to blend | Notable Ingredients: Reishi mushroom; magnolia bark extract |

Best New Brow Pencil

LYS Secure Brow Eyebrow Pencil

Secure Brow Eyebrow Pencil

There are a lot of reasons to love this dual-ended pencil from LYS. There’s the scalpel-sharp slanted nib, perfect for sketching lifelike hairs, there’s the sturdy spoolie for easy brushing, and there’s the wide range of undertones made to match all sorts of hair colors. But even with all those benefits, there’s still one major draw left: through the end of the year, LYS is donating 100% of the net launch proceeds to The Pink Agenda’s fight to help cure breast cancer. | Pros: User-friendly; glide-on formula; charitable component | Notable Ingredients: Castor seed oil; jojoba oil |

Best New Blush

Goop Beauty Colorblur Glow Balm

Colorblur Glow Balm

By Goop, GP’s done it again! It’s almost hard to believe considering how wide-ranging and culturally impactful Goop Beauty has become, but this lineup of four sheer, universally-flattering balms marks the brand’s first foray into color cosmetics. They’re made with Goop’s trademark attention to ingredient detail, resulting in a sheer yet buildable wash of color that looks just as stunning with a full face of products as it does on bare skin. | Pros: Multipurpose for eyes, lips, and cheeks; finger blending-friendly | Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E; buckthorn oil |

Best New Mascara

Estée Lauder Estée Lauder

Turbo Lash High Powered Mascara

Pumping up the drama is a snap with Estée Lauder’s latest, a powerful new mascara designed for maximally-charged lashes in the literal blink of an eye. The development team focused on both the formula and the brush itself, designing the spoolie with a trio of reservoirs to mainline the fiber-building product directly onto lashes faster than ever. | Pros: Great for smoky looks; quick to apply | Notable Ingredients: Maracuja, argan, and castor oils |

Best New Eyeshadows

The Eyeshadow

ADDICTION TOKYO

In a way, all the creativity-inspiring makeup from Addiction Tokyo is new — the brand just launched in the United States, bringing with it all sorts of powders, creams, glitters, and even brushes. While it’s all great, the line’s signature collection of eyeshadows are truly special. Great for blending out with fingers or creating a masterpiece with pro-level tools, they’re available in 99 distinct shades that cover six different finishes. | Pros: Long-lasting formula; large color range | Notable Ingredients: Mineral oil; talc |

Fenty Beauty Shadowstix Longwear Eyeshadow Stick

Shadowstix Longwear Eyeshadow Stick

Ease is the name of the game with Fenty’s new Shadowstixs. In just a single swipe, these slim pencil-like eyeshadows deliver intense pigment that stays put. The full collection includes eight shimmer shades and eight matte so you can swiftly create an expert look even when you’re short on time. | Pros: Resists creasing; effortless application |

Best New Lip Liner

The Lip Pencil

NYFW officially declared ‘90s-style lip liner as one of the season’s key looks — and it just so happens that Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road brand dropped a full collection of your-lips-but-better pencils at the exact same time. The no-tug tip glides right over lips to define, shape, and fill them in, easily paired with lipstick or a simple balm for a fuss-free look. | Pros: Eight shades available | Notable Ingredients: Castor seed oil |

Best New Palette

Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork: Defining Neutrals - Palette For Eyes, Brows, Face & Lips

Danessa Myricks Beauty

Groundwork: Defining Neutrals - Palette For Eyes, Brows, Face & Lips

One palette for your whole face? You better believe it! The velvety earth-toned pomades and coordinating neutral powders in this sleek set are designed to shape, define, and snatch your face to perfection. From your brows, eyes, lips, and cheeks, the high-performance formulas make creating a professional look a cinch. | Pros: Long-wear; oil control |

Best New Setting Powder

MILK MAKEUP Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Talc-Free Setting Powder

Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Talc-Free Setting Powder

Light as air and supremely smoothing, Milk’s latest addition will help you create a flawless base in no time. The talc-free formula boasts skin care ingredients like niacinamide to blur the look of pores and fine lines while keeping your skin shine-free. | Pros: Suitable for a range of skin tones | Notable Ingredients: Lentil extract; bakuchiol |

September 2023 Hair Launches

Best New Dry Shampoo

Alo yoga Clean Dy Shampoo

Clean Dy Shampoo

The perfect refresher post-workout, Alo’s just-released dry shampoo absorbs oil without a whitecast, but adds weightless hydration back in thanks to amla and a dose of vitamin E. | Pros: Volumizing; PFA-free | Notable Ingredients: Biotin; amla; vitamin E |

Best New Blonde Treatment

OLAPLEX No. 5P Blonde Enhancer Toning Conditioner

No. 5P Blonde Enhancer Toning Conditioner

Blondes, rejoice. Not only is OLAPLEX’s new conditioner deeply hydrating and subsequently smoothing, but the patented, bond-building formula is equipped with brass-eliminating purple pigments to tone blonde and silver hair alike. | Pros: Weightless; penetrative pigment size | Notable Ingredients: Shea butter; castor oil |

Best New Hair Mask

Spoiled Child S24 Rapid Recovery Mask

S24 Rapid Recovery Mask

Turn back the clock on heat damage, breakage, split ends, and overall dryness with Spoiled Child’s rich, saturating mask — trial participants report considerably improved hair health overall with just a month of consistent use. The key is in the brilliant blend of oils, formulated to penetrate stressed-out strands in five-minute once or twice per week post-shampoo. | Pros: In-shower application | Notable Ingredients: Macadamia oil; coconut oil; shea butter |

Best New Curl Product

Bounce Back Pre-Poo

Bounce Back Pre-Poo

Tracee Ellis Ross has done it again. The latest launch from her acclaimed PATTERN Beauty is a new addition to the line’s Heat Collection, but engineered to coax curls back to life and give them more shape, bounce, and shine than ever before. Apply the formula to dry hair before washing and let the hibiscus flower extract restore so much lost moisture — then, post-shower, prepare to be amazed as coils and curls return to their full glory. | Pros: Great for before heat styling | Notable Ingredients: Oat extract; hibiscus extract; murumuru seed butter |

Best New Hair Serum

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Repair Serum

Honey Infused Hair Repair Serum

Deeply hydrating and strengthening, Gisou’s newest member is a restoring serum and heat protectant all in one. Rich in natural ingredients like plant-derived keratin, it actively seals split ends to repair damage and prevent future breakage. The result is hydrated and healthy hair that’s also silky smooth. | Pros: Protects against heat damage and UV rays | Notable Ingredients: Encapsulated honey; plant-based keratin |

Best New Frizz Treatment

Moroccan Oil Smoothing Lotion

Smoothing Lotion

In addition to the oil, argan butter, a natural emollient and conditioning agent, brings a deeper layer of nourishment to this styling cream. Suitable for a range of natural curl patterns and textures, it controls frizz without weighing the hair down to create curls that are as defined as they are flexible. | Pros: Flexible hold; reduces breakage | Notable Ingredients: Argan butter; argan oil; tilia tomentosa bud extract |

September 2023 Body Launches

Best New Body Oil

Byredo Susanne Kaufmann Body Oil

Susanne Kaufmann Body Oil

In one of the best collaborative moves of the year, Byredo teamed up with Susanne Kaufmann for a limited-edition body oil that’s as fresh-smelling as it is efficacious. The scent is an invigorating, natural burst of jasmine, pine tree, and fig, which all sinks into the skin thanks to apricot kernel and meadowfoam seed oils. | Pros: Limited-edition; fast-acting formula | Notable Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil; apricot kernel oil; rosemary leaf extract |

Best New Fragrance

Parfums de Marly Althaïr Eau De Parfum

Parfums de Marly

Althaïr Eau De Parfum

Subtle yet surprisingly fresh, Parfums de Marly’s Althaïr is an elegant mix of notes that are perfect for the cooler months ahead. At the heart of the fragrance, you’ll find orange blossom spiced with cinnamon before blending into a warm base of bourbon, vanilla, and musk. Truly an elevated experience, you only need a few spritzes in the morning for it to last throughout the day. | Pros: Long-lasting Notable Ingredients: Praline; bergamot; guaiacwood |

Best New Underarm Care

Fur Ingrown Deodorant

Ingrown Deodorant

Between shaving, waxing, and chafing, the skin under your arms is subjected to a lot of distress. This clean formula deodorant is formulated with both natural and dermatologist-approved ingredients like willow bark and niacinamide to treat ingrown hairs, discoloration, and more in a single swipe. | Pros: Suitable for sensitive skin | Notable Ingredients: Willow bark; radish root ferment; niacinamide |

This article was originally published on Sep. 10, 2023