Top Cosmetic Brands – 15 Most Popular Beauty Brands List

How Did We Decide:

To choose the top cosmetic brands in the world right now, we used the popular polling website ‘Ranker’. It is one of the largest’ databases of opinions’ on the internet, with millions of people casting their votes over just as many subjects. Below is the list of top cosmetic brands ranked by women on Ranker. We’ve also taken the top products from each brand from there.

15- Makeup For Ever

14- NYX

13- Tarte

12- Lancome

11- Estee Lauder

10- Dior

9- Bobbi Brown

8- Benefit Cosmetics

7- Chanel

6- Smashbox

5- Clinique

4- Maybelline

3- NARS

2- Urban Decay

1- M.A.C

Interested to know about best-in-class lipstick brands? Head over to 10 Most Expensive Lipstick Brands Of 2020 With Prices

↓ 15 – Makeup For Ever

Brand’s Portfolio:

Makeup For Ever is one of the many cosmetic companies founded by makeup artists. Dany Sanz formed this French brand in 1984. She was initially a sculptor and painter, and while working in theatre one time, she discovered that she could paint just as efficiently on people as she could elsewhere. There was a definite lack of variety and quality in cosmetics for professional makeup artists back then, so with the help of her husband and student, she started makeup Forever.
The brand currently operates in about 60 countries worldwide and has thousands of stores.

Top Products:

• Makeup For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation
• Makeup For Ever HD Microfinish Powder
• Makeup For Ever Full Cover Concealer

Price Range: $1.99 – $164.77 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The foundation hydrates dry skin.
• The microfinish powder has a silky texture which makes application easy.

Cons:

• The foundation is not ideal for oily skin.
• The concealer doesn’t provide good coverage.

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↓ 14 – NYX

Brand’s Portfolio:

For such a young brand, NYX has created a loyal and staunch following. Toni Ko, a Korean-American businesswoman started the company in 1991. It’s named after the Greek goddess of night; Nyx. NYX is a cruelty-free brand and offers vegan products.

Top Products:

• NYX Professional Makeup Makeup Setting Spray
• NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Shadow Palette
• NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil

Price Range: $6.94 – $215.34 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The setting spray is affordable and lasts 2-3 months easily.
• The colors on the shadow palette blend easily with each other.

Cons:

• The setting spray has to be used from afar because up close the drops are thick.
• The eyebrow pencil is not recommended for daily makeup users as it finishes up quickly.

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↓ 13 – Tarte

Brand’s Portfolio:

Tarte was formed by Maureen Kelly, a New Yorker, in 1991. Her desire to create her cosmetics arose from unsatisfactory products available at the time. Maureen wanted makeup that could give a glowing, natural look when applied. She started working on her company while studying psychology at Columbia University. Tarte’s first product was ‘cheek stain’ which became popular. Want to explore some Lip Balm Brands?

Tarte is a cruelty-free brand; it does not test its products on animals. Tarte’s cosmetics don’t have gluten, artificial perfume, parabens and mineral oil due to a variety of dangers they pose to health. Instead, the brand is in favour of using organic ingredients.

Top Products:

• Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer
• Tarte Cosmetics Lights Camera Lashes 4-in-1 Natural Mascara
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF 15

Price Range: $9.99 – $109.94 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The mascara separates every lash and doesn’t clump.
• The foundation is great for skin with acne, it hides well and doesn’t cause the skin to break out.

Cons:

• The concealer creases.

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↓ 12 – Lancome

Brand’s Portfolio:

Lancome is a French company that produces luxury perfumes, skincare and cosmetic products. The brand’s name is inspired by a forest in the heart of France called ‘Lancosme’. It was initially formed as a perfume company in 1935 by Guillaume d’Ornano and Armand Petitjean. Celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Emma Watson, Zendaya, Lily Collins, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, and several others have been faces of Lancome over the years.

Top Products:

• Lancome Renergie Lift Makeup Foundation SPF 20
• Lancome Monsieur Big Volume Mascara
• Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer

Price Range: $6.75 – $450 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The mascara adds volume and fake-lash look easily.
• The waterproof concealer works well on the skin with textural issues.

Cons:

• The foundation settles into lines and pores and creates creases.
• The mascara doesn’t dry quickly.

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↓ 11 – Estee Lauder

Brand’s Portfolio:

Estee Lauder, named after the founder, is perhaps, one of the largest and oldest cosmetic companies in the world. Estee was an American businesswoman who launched her company with the help of her husband Joseph Lauder in 1946 in New York. Estee used to help sell her uncle’s cosmetic products before starting her own business.

Today, Estee Lauder Companies owns a large number of brands of skincare, makeup and fragrances, like Smashbox, Clinique, M.A.C., and several others. The company operates in over 150 countries worldwide and is a top choice for all women.

Top Products:

• Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Lipstick

Price Range: $1.20 – $499 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The mascara dries quickly and leaves eyelashes flexible.
• The lipstick is moisturizing.

Cons:

• The liquid concealer creases on oily skin.
• The lipstick has a low wear time.

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↓ 10 – Dior

Brand’s Portfolio:

Christian Dior founded the French luxury company in 1946. Dior manufactures a wide range of products that include makeup, perfumes, leather goods, shoes, jewelry, fashion accessories, and Haute couture. Dior primarily caters to women, though it also occasionally creates for men and children. Natalie Portman is currently the face of Dior.

Top Products:

• Christian Dior Diorskin AirFlash Spray Foundation
• Christian Dior Dior Addict Lip Maximizer
• Christian Dior Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Pencil

Price Range: $28.72 – $350 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The spray foundation leaves a luminous, glowing effect on the skin.
• The lip gloss/maximizer makes lips fuller with repeated use.

Cons:

• The brow pencil doesn’t last long if used by a daily makeup user.

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↓ 9 – Bobbi Brown

Brand’s Portfolio:

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is a company that offers professional makeup products. It was founded in 1991 by Bobbi Brown, who herself is a professional makeup artist and beauty editor of Health Magazine. She worked with a drugstore chemist and launched a line of lipsticks that were sold under the name of Bobbi Brown Essentials. The success of the company later lead to its acquisition by Estee Lauder. Bobbi’s work has appeared on the covers of famous, mainstream magazines such as Vogue and Elle.

Top Products:

• Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
• Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15
• Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

Price Range: $7.99 – $589.99 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The foundation is good for oily skin.
• The mascara isn’t sticky but has a smooth texture.

Cons:

• The base makes the skin dry.
• The mascara dries out quickly in the tube.

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↓ 8 – Benefit Cosmetics

Brand’s Portfolio:

Benefit Cosmetics is the brain-child of twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford. In 1976, the sisters opened a beauty boutique called ‘the Face Place’ in San Francisco. The boutique was meant to provide quick makeup remedies and fixes. The boutique was renamed as ‘Benefit Cosmetics’ in 1990, the first store opened in 1991, and in 1997, the brand went international. It has enjoyed continuous success since.

Benefit Cosmetics is known for its catchy packaging and product titles.

Top Products:

• Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional Pro Balm Face Primer Pore Minimizer
• Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder
• Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Beyond Mascara

Price Range: $0.09 – $198.99 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Pros:

• The bronzer does good contouring as well.
• The curved wand of the mascara allow for good application.

Cons:

• The pore minimizer does the exact opposite for some skin textures.
• The mascara dries up quickly.

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↓ 7 – Chanel

Brand’s Portfolio:

Chanel is one of the most expensive high-quality brands that provide top-notch cosmetic products. Women prefer this brand due to its high standards. The luxury brand is named after Coco Chanel, a French businesswoman and couturier. The house of Chanel has continuously striven to revolutionalize fashion since its inception a century ago. Cosmetics are the most affordable branch of Chanel and can be bought from all over the world, including online stores.

High-profile Hollywood celebrities such as Kristen Stewart, Vanessa Paradis, Marilyn Monroe, Keira Knightley, and Cara Delevigne have worn Chanel.

Top Products:

• Hydra Beauty Creme Hydration Protection Radiance
• Rouge Coco Flash Lipstick
• Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Broad Spectrum SPF 15

Price Range: $19.80 – $354.98 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The lipstick is hydrating and is perfect for dry lips.
• The moisturizer gives off a nice scent.

Cons:

• The Hydra beauty cream makes the skin sticky.
• The color of the moisturizer doesn’t work with cool skin tones.

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↓ 6 – Smashbox

Brand’s Portfolio:

Dean and Davis Factor launched Smashbox Cosmetics in 1996. The brand was a part of Smashbox Studios, a business empire that included a clothing company, photo studio, and modeling agency. The cosmetics company has since been sold to Estee Lauder.

Smashbox provides good products that make a woman feel attractive. The brand is highly renowned for eye products. The brand offers quality skincare products that are good for skin under camera lights and in the studio. Its long-lasting products are vouched for my celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Drew Barrymore.

Top Products:

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
• Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder
• Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation

Price Range: $12.89 – $128 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The primer blurs pores incredibly well.
• The Halo powder does excellent contouring.

Cons:

• It leaves the hands oily after usage.
• The foundation doesn’t mix well with other concealers.

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↓ 5 – Clinique

Brand’s Portfolio:

Clinique was founded by Evelyn Lauder, daughter-in-law of Estee Lauder, in 1968. The company’s formation was prompted by an article called “Can Great Skin Be Created?” The writers of the report were also recruited for this purpose, and Clinique came into being. It is a dermatologically tested brand of skincare that manufactures cosmetics, perfumes, toiletries and such.

As of 2020, Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke is the brand’s very first global ambassador.

Top Products:

• Clinique Even Better Makeup SPF15
• Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer
• Clinique High Impact Mascara

Price Range: $4.90 – $317.94 on Amazon

Social Media: Facebook, Website, Instagram

Pros:

• The Even Better product leaves a natural finish.
• The mascara never clumps.

Cons:

• The mascara smudges.
• The concealer works well for dark circles but not as well for wrinkles and lines.

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↓ 4 – Maybelline

Brand’s Portfolio:

This major brand has an exciting founding story: it started when a brother took inspiration from his sister and named his company in her honour. In 1915, a then-19-year-old Thomas Lyle Williams watched his sister apply makeup to her eyes. She used a mixture of coal dust and vaseline, which he adapted and refined chemically. Her name was Mabel and the eye cosmetic he made, and the company after that was named in her honour.

Maybelline New York is the most beloved cosmetic brand offering collection of fit me foundation, fit me concealer, waterproof mascara, lip balms, and matte lipsticks. The brand offers superior quality products that appeal to every woman.

Top Products:

• Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer Makeup
• Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil

Price Range: $4.40 – $329.06 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The lipsticks are waterproof and transfer-proof.
• Just a tiny touch of the concealer is enough at a time.
• The eyebrow pencil are rich with pigment; the color is very sharp.

Cons:

• The lipsticks can become extremely drying at the center of the lip.
• The eyebrow pencil has a waxy texture.

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↓ 3 – NARS

Brand’s Portfolio:

NARS is a French makeup company that manufactures a wide range of multi-use cosmetic and skincare products. Francois Nars, a makeup artist and photographer, founded the brand in 1994. The brand aims to create makeup for all genders, color, sizes and shapes without discrimination.

It started with twelve lipsticks but has now expanded to various multi-use products. NARS’ Orgasm collection is very popular. The collection has lipsticks, blushes, lip-gloss, cream sticks, and illuminators. NARS is not entirely a cruelty-free brand. The company expressed its regret in a statement by saying that while they don’t endorse animal cruelty, they are required to test on animals by law in some countries, such as China.

Top Products:

• NARS The Multiple
• NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• NARS Blush

Price Range: $3.89 – $364.99 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The Multiple has a creamy texture and allows for a smooth application.
• The blush is saturated well and lasts a long time.

Cons:

• The multi-purpose stick is not long-lasting.
• The blush cake breaks up easily.

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↓ 2 – Urban Decay

Brand’s Portfolio:

Urban Decay was formed in 1996 when Sandy Lerner and Patricia Holmes created a new color by mixing raspberry and black. They launched their company with ten lipsticks and a dozen nail polishes, inspired by the urban landscape. They gave the colors in their products names accordingly: rust, smog, oil slick, etc.

Urban Decay’s most famous and highly recommended collection is ‘The Naked Collection’. The collection includes Naked Palettes, vibrant shadow colors for eyes, Naked Foundations, sheer revolution lipsticks, Naked super saturated pencils, and Naked skin beauty balms. It is a cruelty-free cosmetics brand.

Top Products:

• UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion Tube
• UD All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
• UD Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Price Range: $10.90 – $425.86 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Pros:

• The potion is lightweight, easier to apply and doesn’t crease.
• The setting spray causes the makeup to look fresh for hours.
• The eyeshadow colors don’t crease and are richly pigmented.

Cons:

• The primer potion doesn’t make the eyeshadow pop.
• The scent of the spray is off-putting.
• The eyeshadow colors don’t last very long.

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↓ 1 – MAC

Brand’s Portfolio:

M.A.C., short for Makeup Art Cosmetics, is a brand based in Canada. Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo founded the company in 1984. It is one of the largest global makeup brands with hundreds of stores around the world and millions of followers on social media. The company creates palettes with vibrant tones for every skin color using innovative methods.

Originally M.A.C. products were made ‘for makeup artists by makeup artists’, but now the market has expanded, and they are sold worldwide. Mainly from photo or studio, M.A.C. has become a global brand. M.A.C. has a long list of celebrity sponsors including Princess Diana, Cyndi Lauper, Victoria Beckham, Pamela Anderson, Lady Gaga, Lisa Marie Presley and many others.

Top Products:

• M.A.C Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
• M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid Foundation SPF15
• M.A.C Matte Lipstick

Price Range: $3.93 – $149.85 on Amazon

Social Media: Website, Instagram, Facebook,

Pros:

• Products provide exceptional coverage with minimal usage.
• Color shades match well for all skin tones.
• Provide a smooth application.

Cons:

• They don’t last long or stay put all day. They have to be reapplied.
• The makeup dries after a few hours causing wrinkles and creases to appear.

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