What is it about looking back that feels necessary right now?
When the world feels uncertain, nostalgia becomes more than a fleeting thought; it offers something to hold on to. Beauty, perhaps more than any other industry, allows us to experience nostalgia in a tangible way. A scent, a texture, a shade… it can all transport us instantly.
This Beauty Issue sits in that space. Nessa Humayun explores why fragrance remains the most powerful conduit for memory, celebrating new iterations of iconic olfactory creations. Katie Thomas looks at the much-loved products making a return, ready to define a new era. I ask the most influential names in beauty—Sam McKnight, Adam Reed, Bobbi Brown, and Lisa Eldridge—to reflect on the trends they helped to create, and the ones we may soon find ourselves longing for again.
And alongside this, our annual Prix d’Excellence de la Beauté returns for its 40th year, marking the perfect moment for reflection, as well as a celebration of the launches we may one day look back on as defining this moment. Because if we can derive one thing from this time, it’s that nothing is ever really new, just newly relevant.
LOTTIE WINTER
Beauty Director
WORDS EDITOR
from the
The sun has risen, you creak the bedroom
windows open and let the linen curtains blow
in the morning breeze. As you head down
OLYMPIA JCREW
WOMEN WHO WIN
SHARE THIS STORY
senior art editor: ana ospina
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: DIONNE BRIGHTON
JUNIOR SOCIAL EDITOR: MAGGIE JOYNER
MEET EDITORS
THE
katie thomas
senior Beauty editor
SPRING/SUMMER ’26
SPECIAL
READ MORE
40 Years of Excellence—And The Products That Changed Beauty Forever
STYLE BRIEFING
ACCESORIES
Nessa Humayun
Beauty Editor
MEET EDITORS
Lottie Winter
Beauty Director
The 'Made in Britain' Revival -
6 Labels Leading The Way
READ MORE
From CK One to DKNY Be Delicious, Nostalgic Scents Are Making a Genuine Comeback
READ MORE
Fashion SPECIAL
Spring Summer’26
spring/summer ’26
What's Old Is New Again— The Beauty Heroes Staging A Return
READ MORE
spring/summer ’26
Fashion
SPECIAL
the
The Age of Nostalgia
spring/summer ’26
Fashion
SPECIAL
special
ss’26
READ MORE
Lisa Eldridge, Sam McKnight, Bobbi Brown and Adam Reed on the Most Iconic Beauty Products and Moments of All Time
Lottie Winter
Beauty Director
Introducing the Marie Claire Prix d'Excellence de la Beauté Awards Winners
THE BEAUTY SPECIAL
READ MORE
READ MORE
READ MORE
READ MORE
40 Years of Excellence—And The Products That Changed Beauty Forever
What's Old Is New Again— The Beauty Heroes Staging A Return
