Hunting for the best essence makeup products is a happy problem: the brand is award-winning, cruelty-free and very affordable, which means you can try several picks for the cost of one prestige item. But affordable does not mean everything deserves a spot in your bag. We combed the current North America catalogue, staples and limited editions alike, and ranked the products that earn their place.
Every item below comes from a brand whose whole mission is to make beauty fun, so expect scents, charms and color alongside genuinely functional formulas.
1. the super peptide glossy lip treatment + pouch set
The best essence makeup product right now is also its most care-focused. The peptide lip treatment leaves lips looking smoother and beautifully cared for, with a glossy finish and a subtle brown tint that flatters without effort. The set version adds a zippered pouch with a specially molded holder that fits the treatment perfectly, which turns it from a product into a tiny kit.
It is the pick for anyone whose lip color keeps disappearing under dryness: treatment first, everything else second. Grab it while the set is around at essence makeup.
2. BANANA LOOSE POWDER
The quiet workhorse of the lineup. The lightweight, talc-free formula feels comfortable on skin through a full day, and the included sponge makes on-the-go touch-ups actually happen instead of staying theoretical. It is vegan and cruelty-free, and it plays the classic banana-powder role of setting makeup without deadening it.
If your routine leans clean, this kind of ingredient-conscious staple fits right in; our clean beauty makeup starter guide covers how to build around products like it.
3. soft touch mousse blush
A vegan, cruelty-free mousse blush with a buildable formula that blends seamlessly and stays lightweight and comfortable. The underrated trick: it works on cheeks and lips, so one compact delivers a coordinated look in under a minute. For beginners, it is one of the most forgiving blush textures you can buy.
4. JUICY BOMB shiny lipgloss set
essence's gloss icon, in shareable form. The set is built to mix, match and shine your way, it is vegan and cruelty-free, and it is the kind of low-stakes color play that makes the brand so easy to love. Keep one gloss in every bag, or split the set with a friend.
5. club SOLEIL: the limited edition worth catching
essence runs limited editions constantly, but the club SOLEIL drop is unusually complete, a full summer face in one collection:
- Eyeshadow palette: soft cream-to-powder texture that blends effortlessly with medium, buildable coverage.
- Cream to powder blush: lightweight formula, soft matte finish, buildable medium coverage for fresh-looking cheeks.
- Gradient highlighter: silky pressed powder with radiant shimmer, a warm glow inspired by a summer sunset.
- Lip stain: lightweight full-coverage tint with a slanted felt tip applicator, ideal for warm, natural-looking lip looks.
- Slim lipstick: ultra-slim design that glides on full-coverage color with a soft matte, everyday finish.
- Gradient lipgloss: smooth liquid texture, fresh radiant shine and a juicy grapefruit scent.
- Mix & match charms: a playful, personalized touch for whatever you carry.
Limited editions do not restock on a schedule, so if club SOLEIL suits your palette, move before it moves on. The current drops all live at essence makeup.
6. THE game EDIT: the most giftable line
Tennis-inspired and charm-heavy, THE game EDIT is essence at its most playful. The lipgloss delivers a jelly-textured sheer wash of bright pink with a shiny natural finish, watermelon scent and a pink ball charm that clips onto your bag. The lip balm brings a vitamin E enriched formula with a hint of pink and the same clip-on convenience. The fixing spray is the sleeper pick: a lightweight fine mist with aloe vera that sets makeup for a smooth, seamless finish while refreshing skin. And the lash and brow styler packs a bristle brush for brows plus a silicone brush for lashes into one precise, everyday tool.
7. Ciao! essentials for the everyday bag
The Ciao! collection covers the between-makeup moments. The lip balm gives a sheer, natural finish with a sweet lemon scent; the lip oil roll-on glides on through a convenient roll-on applicator with playful beads and a sweet citrus scent; the blushlighter blends a rosy-nude flush with delicate shimmer for a sun-kissed glow; the concealer sponges are sized for the delicate eye area and adapt to cream, liquid and powder formulas; and the sunglasses pouch hooks onto your bag and fits most sunglasses. None of it is essential; all of it is the kind of small joy the brand does best.
How to choose your first essence order
If you want one product
The super peptide glossy lip treatment. Care plus color plus gloss in one tube is the best single-item value in the range.
If you want a starter face
BANANA LOOSE POWDER, soft touch mousse blush and a JUICY BOMB gloss. Three cruelty-free staples that cover set, flush and shine, still at a drugstore total. If you are building a fuller kit from scratch, our step-by-step clean beauty routine guide shows the order to add things in.
If you love collecting
Start with the current limited editions, club SOLEIL for a full coordinated look, THE game EDIT for charm-clipped fun. The whole catalogue, staples and drops alike, is at essence makeup.