Marie Claire Celebrates 2026 Beauty Awards Winners at NYC Rooftop Gala
213 winners celebrated after 3,500 products tested by 101 experts over eight months
NEW YORK — Marie Claire honored 213 winning products at its 2026 Beauty Awards celebration Tuesday night, capping an eight-month evaluation that saw editors and 101 external experts test more than 3,500 entries across skincare, makeup, hair, body, drugstore, and nail categories.
The ceremony unfolded at Le Jardin sur Madison, a rooftop venue atop One Madison Avenue with panoramic views of Madison Square Park and the downtown Manhattan skyline. Brand founders, creators, and industry insiders gathered for passed canapés, a charcuterie spread, Marie Claire-branded macarons, spicy margaritas, and champagne service.
Beauty Director Hannah Baxter used her remarks to frame the awards as a rebuttal to artificial intelligence’s encroachment on beauty journalism. “This is something that cannot be replicated by AI,” Baxter told attendees. “It takes human testing. You cannot replicate this, you have to swatch, and wash, and play and swipe. It is just a beautiful reminder that we cannot be replaced.”
The methodology — eight months, 101 independent judges, 3,500-plus products — positions the franchise among the most rigorous in beauty media. Most major publications rely on smaller internal panels or shorter testing windows. Marie Claire’s approach mirrors clinical trial structures more than typical editorial reviews.
Guests interacted with winning formulations at a hands-on testing station while haikuists composed custom poems, a floral activation built personalized bouquets, and a DJ set anchored the evening. Steck Studios photographers documented step-and-repeat moments beside a branded ice sculpture encasing a Grey Goose bottle.
Among the recognized names: Jonathan Van Ness, the hairstylist, author, and television personality, who posed with Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike. Van Ness’s brand, JVN Hair, has collected multiple major beauty awards since its 2021 launch.
The Marie Claire Beauty Awards, now in their fourth iteration, arrive mid-cycle in the industry’s awards calendar — after Allure’s Best of Beauty in September and before the CEW Beauty Awards in spring. Their drugstore category, introduced in 2023, has become a key benchmark for mass-market brands seeking editorial validation.
Departing guests received goodie bags containing more than ten winning products alongside their custom floral arrangements.
