Unveiled: The 2026 Esquire Grooming Awards—The Game-Changers Redefining Male Style This Year!

Unveiled: The 2026 Esquire Grooming Awards—The Game-Changers Redefining Male Style This Year!

Ever caught a seal meticulously grooming itself on a serene beach, and thought, “Maybe I could learn a thing or two from that dedication?” Well, that’s kinda the vibe here at Esquire’s Grooming Awards — a wild gathering of products laid out like a feast, ready to be devoured by a tribe of passionate editors. Imagine a conference room buzzing with editors, each snatching the newest skin care, hair care, fragrance, and body care innovations to put them through the ultimate test. This isn’t just about looking good — it’s a relentless pursuit of the best, the most effective, and yes, sometimes the downright game-changing . This year, we went all in, assembling a bigger crew of testers than ever, clashing over who gets to try what, but all for that sweet spot of excellence. 94 standout products, vetted by dedicated experts, making sure you get nothing but the cream of the crop. Will you need every single one? Probably not — but if you’re after guaranteed winners that deliver, this list’s your cheat sheet before the next shopping spree. Ready to elevate your grooming game? Dive in. LEARN MORE

Seal grooming itself on a beach

Chances are you’ve never seen hundreds of grooming products laid out on the table of a conference room as a group of eager editors hovers overhead, ready to snatch up each new release and take it home for extensive testing. Around the Esquire offices, though, it’s not such a novel sight. Each year, we endeavor to identify the very best stuff in the worlds of skin care, hair care, body care, fragrance, and so much more.

This year, we went big, tapping a larger-than-ever group of testers to try out hundreds of new releases and winnow the list down to the winners of our latest annual Grooming Awards. Some testers were organic obsessives. Others just wanted the most effective thing at the best price. Every single one was passionate as hell—leading to more than a few spirited conversations and no fewer than a dozen arguments about who got to try what. But we worked it out. And after lots of spritzing, scrubbing, sniffing, and sloughing, we managed to build our list of winners.

That list, like the effort, is our biggest ever. Below, you’ll find 94 products, all vetted by experts and deemed the best in their class. Should you buy every single one of them? Probably not. But if you want to be sure you’re getting something great—something that just plain works, no questions asked—consult this list before your next purchase.


The Best in Skin Care

Grooming product featured in 2026 awards for men

Rona Liana Ahdout

The Peptide Serum by Dr. Barbara Sturm.

The Best in Body Care

Grooming product featured in Esquire 2026 Awards

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Green Goddess Soap Brick by Flamingo Estate.

The Best in Hair Care

Grooming product featured in Esquire 2026 awards

Rona Liana Ahdout

Bio-Ferment Renewing Conditioner by Kat Burki; Flexible Hold Hair Spray by Cécred; Rosemary Leave-In Mask by Nécessaire.

The Best in Shave and Beard

Grooming product featured in Esquire 2026 Awards

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R1 Matte Black Shaving Set by Bolin Webb.

The Best in Oral Care

Grooming product showcased for 2026 awards by Esquire

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2.0 Toothbrush by Suri; Origin Electric Flosser by Slate.

The Best in Fragrance

Grooming product featured in 2026 awards by ESQ

Rona Liana Ahdout

Il Lanificio Eau De Parfum by Zegna; Light Blue Pour Homme Eau De Parfum by Dolce & Gabbana.

The Best in Tools and Accessories

Grooming product featured in Esquire's 2026 awards

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Cool by Dermaflash.

The Best in Sunscreen

Grooming product featured in Esquire's 2026 Grooming Awards

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Prime & Protect SPF 30+ by Ciele.

About the Testers

Jonathan Evans, style director. Jonathan has covered men’s style and grooming for more than 15 years and overseen the Esquire Grooming Awards since 2018. He’s obsessive about fragrance and, as a pale guy with sensitive skin, good sunscreen and products that are both gentle and effective. He also has a beard—but don’t hold that against him.

Krista Jones, senior director, commerce and partnerships. Krista has spent more than a decade testing and reviewing products, including all things beauty and grooming. She cares deeply about clean-ingredients products, sunscreens, and body lotions and has fully got on the LED red-light wagon.

Alfonso Fernández Navas, senior style and marketing editor. Fueled by equal parts vanity and a history of skin-care concerns, Alfonso has been obsessed with skin care for well over a decade and can (and will) launch into a 30-minute tangent on ingredient efficacy. These days, he regularly receives compliments on his skin (sometimes multiple times a day) and remains eternally grateful that his high school self had the foresight to wear sunscreen regularly.

Luke Guillory, commerce editor. Luke has tested and written about everything from fashion, grooming, and interior design to outdoor gear. A self-care minimalist, he’s interested in the cleanest, simplest formulas that will do the most and take up minimal space in the medicine cabinet.

Bellamy Richardson, associate commerce editor. Bellamy has tested more face creams, toothbrushes, and fragrances than she can count. She loves diving deep on the best colognes and unisex fragrances, as she’s always looking for a new signature scent.

Andrea Ríos, fashion assistant. Andrea is a beauty-obsessed trend tracker with a sharp eye for what’s worth the hype. Always ahead of the curve, she explores the latest in grooming and beauty innovation, putting every product to the test in the name of glowing, camera-ready results.

Emma Rose Saxon, contributing fashion assistant. As a lover of all things wellness and hair care, she loves spending her money on the newest products in the health space—especially lasers and LED lights.

Bryn Gelbart, associate commerce editor. Bryn loves and reviews tech products on a daily basis, but he doesn’t shy away from the grooming category. He doesn’t trust anyone to trim his beard, so he’s always after the best new tools to do it himself.

Mark Burger, social media editor. A lover of all things wellness, Mark cares deeply about sustainable corporations, giving back to the planet, and making sure grooming products have clean ingredients. This year, he tested body washes, moisturizers, and oils that all fit the bill.

Heath Owens, deputy commerce editor across multiple Hearst brands and giant skin-care aficionado. For years, Heath has been an avid user of cleansers, serums, and moisturizers for those with sensitive skin and is always looking for the newest productions for perfect complexion.

Sirena He, editorial assistant. A lover of cocktails and hair care, Sirena spent the year testing shampoos, conditioners, and hair masks, and she even loved a few exfoliators and serums—adding some new steps to her routine.

Leigh Cohen, designer. Leigh loves all things beauty and spends her weekends browsing through Sephora. This year, she tested everything she could get her hands on, from micro-current devices to toners and teeth whiteners.

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