Your Guide To The Best Beauty Box Subscriptions

Ever since Birchbox launched in 2010, beauty box subscriptions have kind of taken the world by storm. If you've ever tried one, you might know why beauty lovers find them so appealing. If you're unfamiliar, here's the deal: Beauty box subscriptions are essentially packages of a handful of beauty products that are mailed directly to your doorstep on a regular basis. The products found in each box might be sample-sized or full-sized, but either way, the goal is to give you a chance to try out new products for less than it would cost to buy all of the full sizes.

And because of the wide variety of boxes available now, there really is a subscription for everyone. Whether you like knowing exactly what will be in your box or prefer more of a surprise; whether you like a mixed-bag of samples, or prefer a specific type of product; and whether you like those cute, deluxe-sized samples, or just want the full-sized from the get-go — there's a box to suit you.

If you're interested in starting a subscription, but don't know which box to choose, here's a breakdown of the 10 best beauty box subscriptions to help you find your perfect fit.

Best For The Non-Committal Beauty Lover: Birchbox

Samples: 5 sample-sized skin, makeup, and hair products.

Cost: $15 / month; $13 / month with yearly plan

Birchbox is the OG subscription box that started it all. To join, you fill out a questionnaire and get a box full of samples customized to your preferences. Brands include fan favorites like Kiehl’s, Benefit, and Bumble and bumble and since they’re all sample-sized, you get to test out products before fully committing at a pretty reasonable price.

Best Value: Ipsy

Samples: 5 deluxe-sized samples or full-sized items, depending on subscription.

Cost: $12 / month for glam bag, $25 / month for glam bag plus; additional $55 / month for Glam Bag X

This personalized beauty subscription is perfect for anyone who likes to try new products. After you take a quiz to determine which subscription and products would be best for you, your box is completely customized to fit your wants and needs.

Sign up for the Glam Bag and you get five deluxe-sized samples, with the option to choose one product. Sign up for the Glam Bag Plus and you get five full-sized samples, with the option to choose three items. The Glam Bag X is a quarterly upgrade where you get seven to eight full-sized products, with the option to choose three items.

Best For Curly and Coily Natural Hair: Curlbox

Samples: 4 or more hair product samples.

Cost: $25 / month

Founder Myleik Teele started Curlbox to help women find products that A) actually worked on curly hair and B) aren’t expensive or hard to find. You’ll find shampoo, conditioner, treatments, and so much more to keep your curls healthy.

Best For Supporting BIPOC Women-Owned Brands: Tribe Beauty

Samples: 5 full-sized makeup, skin, and hair products worth over $120.

Cost: $39.99

Founder Bili Balogun launched Tribe Beauty Box in 2017 to celebrate fellow female entrepreneurs. You’ll find a well-curated collection of both established and emerging makeup, skin, hair brands in this bi-monthly subscription.

Best Clean Conscious: Beauty Heroes

Samples: One full-size product and samples.

Cost: $58.95 / month; $45.95 / a month for three months; $41.95 / month for six months; $39.95 / month for a year

According to Beauty Heroes, it’s not just a subscription box; it’s a discovery. Each month, you will get one full-size product and accompanying “sidekick” samples from the same brand. Each one goes through intense vetting to make sure it’s up to Beauty Heroes clean standards.

Best Personalized Skin Care: Glory Skincare

Samples: Full-size skin care products.

Cost: $79 for essentials box; $99 for inaugural box; $149 for premium box

Skin care is personal and this subscription box is all about catering to your specific needs. You’ll first take a skin care quiz to get a completely customizable skin care box to tackle your most pressing concerns. Each brand featured is cruelty-free and non-toxic, so you’re getting high-quality formulas.

Best For Skin Care Fanatics: BeautyFix

Samples: 6 products, mostly full-sized.

Cost: $24.95 / month for one month; 23.95 / month for three months; $22.95 / month for six months; $21.95 / month for a year

Dermstore is one of the go-to destinations for great skin care products. Its subscription box is a perfectly curated selection of mostly full-sized skin and hair products with some prestige makeup samples.

Best Fragrance: ScentBird

Samples: One 8ml spray bottle.

Cost: $15.95 / month

Picking a fragrance can be overwhelming. ScentBird takes some of the pressure away by allowing you to test drive popular scents for a different sensory experience each month. Choose one fragrance from ScentBird’s extensive collection (some choices are Prada, Atelier Cologne, and Acqua di Parma, to name just a few) and you can adjust your subscription to fit your lifestyle.

Best K-Beauty Discovery: JoahBox

Samples: 5-7 full-sized products.

Cost: $35.95 / month for one month; $35.31 / month for three months

If you’re looking to discover the newest innovations in K-Beauty and popular brands not available in the US, this monthly subscription is for you. You get full-sized products straight from Korea, along with helpful tips for using each one.

Best Hair Overall: Prose

Samples: Customizable.

Cost: 15% off total order

With Prose, you’re not getting different hair brands but instead shopping from its own specially made products. Take a quiz to help determine what products and ingredients are best to keep hair smooth and healthy. Once you choose from their recommendations, you can sign up for a subscription and receive 15 percent off your goodies.