These 16 Beauty Products Are the Only Ones Worth Buying on Prime Day, According to a Beauty Writer

When Dyson’s $600 styling tool first debuted, I was skeptical. Now, I see what the fuss is about—specifically, the Coanda airflow tech. The 1.2- and 1.6- inch barrels make it easy for even the least dexterous (read: Me) to obtain big, bouncy curls. I also love the round brush attachment, because I can never maneuver a hair dryer and separate round brush successfully. One of the big standouts of the Dyson is that you can change the airflow’s direction with a simple twist, rather than swapping out the barrel. I find this quite convenient, since I like to alternate curling directions on my hair to maximize the volume. After having the Airwrap for a couple years, I’ve learned that it’s easiest to style long hair—but if you’re nimble and comfortable doing things backwards in the mirror, there are plenty of tutorials for shorter hair styles as well. This tool is rarely on sale—so I’d hop on it, stat.

Sol de Janeiro is an undisputed darling right now, famed for its body mists and Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. Unsurprisingly, it has a lovely scent that reminds me of coconuts and a sunny day at the beach. The lotion is packed with ingredients like squalane, cupuaçu butter and guarana to moisturize and firm the skin. I found it to be quick absorbing and not greasy—the death knell for any lotion. And as a bonus, they sell refillable pods, which cuts down on plastic waste.

Anyone who’s gone blonde knows that a purple shampoo and conditioner is essential to maintaining your color, before you slide into recession brunette. It’s no surprise that Olaplex makes a popular one: No. 4P Shampoo. The formula will repair, hydrate and brighten blonde, lightened and gray hair, while neutralizing yellow and brassy tones. An incredibly pigmented violet toning agent balances color and brightness, while coconut oil-derived surfactants add moisture and promote lather. The purple concentration is crazy, but after testing, I found it didn’t leave a stain on my hands.

The No. 4P’s companion is No. 5P conditioner, marked down 25 percent off for Prime Day. Similarly, the purple conditioner uses violet toning agents to balance hair color and brightness. The addition of shea butter packs in moisture while also helping to detangle the hair. When I tried the formula, it was incredibly rich and smooth—but didn’t stain my hands.

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you’ve seen the viral Biodance Bio-Collagen mask that magically turns translucent after a few hours. (Perfect for that long-haul flight.) Key ingredients include collagen peptides to promote skin elasticity, galactomyces for skin texture, hyaluronic acid for hydration and niacinamide for brightness and reducing fine lines.

“The Biodance mask is a little floppy, but still thicker and more rubbery than a paper mask,” says PureWow Senior Commerce Editor Stephanie Maida. “The formula feels gentle and cooling and gradually soaks into the skin over a few hours until it becomes clear. After removing it, my face feels hydrated and my skin more bouncy and supple. It also gives my complexion a nice little glow. I love using this while traveling to return moisture to my skin after it’s exposed to dry plane air—it feels like it brings it back to life.”

Another buzzy beauty pick that’s on sale for Amazon Prime Day? The Solawave Radiant Renewal Wand, beloved by celebrities and PureWow editors alike. And you’ll want to bookmark this deal: It’s marked down 50 percent off for day four of Prime Day.

This tiny device delivers red light therapy, galvanic current, therapeutic warmth and a face massage in this updated iteration. It also comes bundled with the Solawave Renew Complex Activation Serum. It’s loaded with aloe vera and hyaluronic acid for moisture, while also providing a slickness that allows the wand to glide easily without tugging on your face.

“Since I’ve started using the Solawave wand diligently, my skin texture has definitely become softer and more supple, while my complexion looks more even-toned and glowy,” reports Maida in her review. “The wand has also helped tackle my puffy under-eyes in the morning after one too many glasses of wine the night before, leaving them smoother and brighter. Furthermore, my skin feels more hydrated and looks less dull overall, which may be a testament to the claim of galvanic current increasing product absorption. As a result, the fine lines and creases that reveal themselves when my skin is parched have been less noticeable. I’ll also say that I haven’t gotten a single blemish or breakout in the past two weeks.”

Snail mucin has been a popular skincare ingredient for a while, in large part thanks to the popular South Korean skincare brand COSRX. Their Glass Skin Start Set is on sale for Prime Day, and includes two bottles of Power Essence and The Retinol 0.1. I found the essence to be hydrating, calming and lightweight—something you could also pair with the Solawave wand if you didn’t want to opt into the brand’s serum. The companion retinol is a formula targeted for beginners who may be just starting to notice fine lines.

The Medicube Booster H will help your skin absorb more skincare—the brand claims 490 percent—via electrical stimulation. I own a similar device, the Age R Booster Pro, and found it definitely helped with moisture absorption. At this point in my life, the device helped with pumping moisture into my skin. I noticed that with the Age R, I was using TONS of moisture—way more than I would have absorbed patting it onto my face with my hands. After the treatments, my skin always felt (and looked) more hydrated, and I believe that in conversation around wrinkles and fine lines, etc., moisture is a big part of the equation.

Exosomes are all the rage right now, and trust me, a beauty writer, when I say they’re only getting bigger from here. It’s got a cooling, almost jelly-like texture, and the key ingredient is, as suggested, exosomes. These cells are naturally occurring and signal the need for repair and rejuvenation. Per West Lake Dermatology, exosomes can help boost collagen, speed healing and reduce inflammation. That makes Medicube’s serum a great companion to Medicube’s Booster H for a big moisture boost.

When I interviewed hair stylists about the best hair dryers for fine hair, it was no surprise that the Dyson Supersonic made the list. I loved the compact, sleek and streamlined design that didn’t interfere with its power. The hair dryer is designed to produce rapid results without heat damage and frizz. In particular, I appreciated how quickly the cool shot deployed—within a couple seconds. With other tools, it can take five seconds or more for the cool shot to activate, so I’m left frying my hair as I wait for the cold air to arrive. Not with the Supersonic!

If you’ve been curious about the explosion of salmon sperm beauty products, you can now try one for under $20. Medicube’s salmon jelly face mask is packed with both salmon PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) for its anti-inflammatory, healing and hydration properties, and hydrolyzed collagen to promote firmness and smoothness.

“The mask is thick and much sturdier than paper ones, so it’s easy to maneuver and fit perfectly on the top and bottom of my face,” Maida reports. “Immediately upon application, it’s cooling and soothing. There’s not a lot of excess formula so it’s not messy and sticky. After 20 minutes or so it starts to harden slightly and dry out as the serum soaks into the skin. This makes it even easier to keep it on for a few hours or overnight, which is how I prefer to use it. In the morning the mask is clear and when I remove it my skin feels like it just took a soothing bath. It’s soft and moisturized and not at all sticky.”

Even on sale, the Dyson Airwarp has an eye-watering price. But, the Shark Flexstyle offers a similar hair styling tool at the price—or less—of a fancy hair dryer. At $250 for Amazon Prime Day, that’s even less than the Dyson Supersonic. The kit includes six attachments: Two styling brushes, two barrels (one for each airflow direction), a diffuser and concentrator. The biggest plus I think it has over the Dyson is that the base can bend at a right angle to create a proper blow dryer with the concentrator. To me, the straight, long shape the Dyson makes is a bit unwieldy, and this is a feature I wish it had. 

These genius toner pads from Medicube use both exosomes and centella asiatica (tiger grass) to deliver a calming, hydrating formula for the base of your skincare routine. (They also throw in tea tree leaf water and niacinamide.) The niacinamide will aid in brightening and reducing redness, while exosomes boost the power of the tiger grass, which is known for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. I appreciated how each jar of Medicube’s toner pads included tiny tweezers to prevent contamination, and how hydrated my skin felt after swiping it over my face.

Here’s another big saver you don’t want to miss. Shark’s HyperAIR dryer is marked down 50 percent for day three of Prime Day. It uses ion technology to help increase your hair’s smoothness and shine while decreasing frizz. Similarly to the Supersonic, there are custom heat and power settings, plus a style concentrator and hot hair brush. I found it lightweight and easy to manage, though it’s slightly larger than the Supersonic. Like most hair dryers, Shark’s also has a cold shot button, but it takes a little longer (maybe five to seven seconds or so) to deploy. However, given the features vis à vis the price, it’s still a good value buy.

I’ve tested a lot of dry shampoo for my fine, thin hair, and R+Co. has always consistently performed for me. After trying dozens, I finally stumbled on Spiritualized earlier this year and thought, this is it. The search, for me, is over.

On first glance, I wasn’t sure—it’s a pump, not continuous spray—and you have to shake the formula so that it blends before applying. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The atomizer delivers an ultra-fine mist and doesn’t squirt aggressively, and because it’s not an aerosol, I don’t need to worry about VOCs. Plus, this is the first, and so far only, dry shampoo that I really cannot feel.

While others do a good job of absorbing oil, there’s always a lingering grittiness or powdery feeling that makes my hair feel heavy, leading me to eschew dry shampoo all together. Spiritualized strikes the right balance of efficacy and feel, and is so pleasant it’s the only one I’ve kept in my vanity. I can get a solid two days between washes with this—and as someone who washes her hair daily, that’s a lot.

I’m admittedly lazy when it comes to styling my hair, so when I do hot tools, I opt to dry style if I can. However, a lot of heat protectants go in wet hair, activated by the hair dryer. R+Co. Bleu’s styling mist solved that problem. I spray it on my clean, dry hair before curling, and I get heat protection and some style hold at the same time. While R+Co., and specifically the Bleu line, aren’t budget buys, in the dozens upon dozens of hair products I’ve tried as a beauty writer, this brand is always consistent in its performance and long-lasting; thus, I think, it’s a great value. And for Prime Day, it’s under $30.