The best beauty Christmas crackers to gift this year

For skincare and makeup fanatics, the countdown to Christmas is synonymous with two (very exciting) launches: beauty advent calendars and beauty Christmas crackers.

Long gone are the days of small toys, paper crowns and dad jokes (although a little bit of tradition on Christmas Day will never disappoint). Instead, our favourite beauty brands and retailers have filled their Christmas crackers with lots of makeup, skincare and haircare goodies. And the best part? They're usually quite affordable too.

Space NK

£30, Space NK

The ultimate stocking filler for the lip product-obsessed, this festive cracker from Space NK contains four makeup heroes: a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, Rare Beauty tinted lip oil, NARS lip pencil and Tatcha tinted lip balm.

Jo Malone

£38, Jo Malone

A holiday favourite for grandmothers, mothers and daughter, Jo Malone's Christmas cracker is filled with three miniatures: the English Pear & Freesia cologne, Wood Sage & Sea Salt body and hand wash and Peony & Blush hand cream.

£39, Slip

Slip, the beauty accessories brand known for its anti-aging, anti-sleep crease and anti-bed head pillowcases, released a 'scarlet' holiday cracker for 2024 that's filled with five scrunchies made from 100% silk in shades of white, pink and red.

£33, Bamford

Perfect for travellers – or those who have yet to discover Bamford – this limited-edition, cracker-shaped gift box includes five mini hand and body washes in their best-loved fragrances: Geranium, Rose, Jasmine, Citrus and Sage.

Molton Brown

£20, Molton Brown

You can't go wrong with this cracker from British fragrance brand Molton Brown. It's filled with four hand luggage-friendly bath and shower washes in four of its best floral scents: Fiery Pink Pepper, Orange & Bergamot, Heavenly Gingerlily and Flora Luminare.

L'Occitane

£12, L'Occitane

Know anyone that loves taking baths? This festive cracker from L'Occitane might not snap, but it will reveal four limited-edition bath cubes in its best-selling scents: Almond, Verbena, Cherry Blossom and White Lavender.

Mecca Cosmetica

£15, Mecca Cosmetica

She's small, but she's mighty. This Christmas cracker from Mecca Cosmetica contains its cult favourite lip balm, which is formulated with shea butter to replenish, pomegranate seed oil to nourish, vitamin E to strengthen the skin barrier and hyaluronic filling to plump the lips.