Vogue Shopping: How We Select and Test Products

Photo: Fujio Emura

Why You Should Trust Us

Our Testing Philosophy

Since Vogue’s first issue in 1892, the magazine has always considered the wider world through the lens of fashion—a point of view that extends to beauty, lifestyle, culture, and travel. Our curated shopping edits follow suit.

We hope you come to Vogue Shopping for inspiration, but stay for the thoughtful curations you won’t find anywhere else. Everyone has an idea of what you should buy—our goal is simple: to help you shop like a Vogue editor, with confidence. Think of it as a direct line to what our team is loving right now, filtered through years of expertise and exclusive access before you see it everywhere.

Here’s an inside, no-nonsense look at our process.

Crowd-sourced reviews and star ratings mean little to us since taste is so subjective. It’s important for us to be familiar with every brand, designer, and product we recommend—as such, we test IRL to see how something feels, wears, and performs over a period of time.

We bring subject-matter expertise and a nuanced perspective to all our content, considering everything from personal style preferences to skin tones, hair textures, body types, lifestyles, and price points. The long and short of it: We wouldn’t recommend anything that we wouldn’t obsessively use and hoard ourselves.

Beauty products are tested by Vogue editors and contributors with extensive experience in skincare, makeup, hair, wellness, and fragrance. In addition, we consult our roster of trusted industry experts—from celebrity makeup artists and hairstylists to estheticians, dieticians, and dermatologists—to bring deep personal experience and intel you can only get from immersing yourself in the subject matter for years. Each expert we tap offers a unique POV on the subject matter at hand or products in question. Relevant credentials or industry experience are always disclosed within reviews when applicable. We’d never ask a dietician to weigh in on a mascara, just as we wouldn’t ask a makeup artist to speak to a multivitamin—that way you get the most intentional insight to inform your buy.

Each product featured in our content is put through rigorous editorial review—and chosen with the utmost care to represent a wide range of price points, ages, skin types, hair textures, and aesthetic preferences. Before we include it in any of our lists, we’re sure to test shade ranges, comb through ingredient lists, scrutinize brand claims, and, as it relates to certain skincare and supplements, consult FDA approvals for efficacy. Sometimes, we’ll even dig deeper into peer-reviewed medical and clinical brand studies to back up why a product could be suitable for you. Safety is a key consideration; we will always flag if there are any potential risks associated with use.

From Vogue HQ in New York City to Paris and Seoul, our recommendations spotlight various beauty rituals, alongside the emerging formulas and well-established classics and trending products from those markets.

Testing varies by category and is designed to reflect real-world use—in homes, offices, studios, and travel—rather than controlled labs. We call in samples from brands to test the items we’re curious about, and keep them in the Vogue Beauty Closet to have on hand for shoots and long-term testing and comparisons.

Below, a look at our methodology for each category, including skin, makeup, hair, tools and devices, as well as ingestible wellness products.

• Skincare: Tested over days to weeks, following recommended usage, with attention to ingredients, texture, absorption, efficacy, irritation, and compatibility with other products.
• Haircare: Evaluated across multiple washes and styling routines, considering hair type, curl pattern, ingredients, density, and chemically treated vs. untreated hair.
• Makeup: Worn for extended periods to assess wear, finish, comfort, oxidation, and performance across lighting and weather conditions—with regard to how the ingredient composition will affect skin over time.
• Tools Devices: Tested for ease of use, durability, safety, visible results over time, and how certain modalities pair with other ingredients or devices.
• Supplements Ingestibles: Tested over several weeks and reviewed with caution, focusing on ingredient transparency, dosage clarity, expert input, third-party certifications, and user experience.

We keep a close eye on the market and routinely update our guides to reevaluate product performance; if something goes out of stock, our opinion changes, or something better comes along, we will tweak our lists accordingly. That way, you’ll always know that our Vogue-approved picks are up to date.

Our in-house team of market editors handpick every fashion item we choose to feature. As much as we’d like to, not every item of clothing can be tried in real life (trends are ephemeral, collections sell out quickly, and there’s only so much closet space we have!) but our editors pair their extensive industry knowledge with access to samples and brand desksides to inform their choices. Fit, design, and quality all play a deciding role in our selection, as well as price point and availability—there’s nothing worse than finding a product you love and realizing it’s almost sold out. When we do try or buy something that we love, you can read about it in any of our editor s picks stories—contrary to popular belief, we don’t like to gatekeep!

Seasonal runway collections inform our spring and fall trend reports; but beyond what we see during fashion month, our shopping editors are on the ground attending weekly market appointments to discover new brands and learn about upcoming drops. We strive to give options across a range of price points and style sensibilities—from luxury designer finds in our New Arrivals edit, to the best fashion you can buy under $300. The best style is a mix of high and low, after all.

For items where function and/or fit is the priority—think activewear or petite-friendly denim—testing may include: wearing (and washing!) items over extended periods, size consistency, comfort and quality, fabric feel and performance, and of course, price per wear (girl math!). We’ll usually call in samples to test, shoot, and return, or if it’s something we already own, will speak to it first-hand.

Vogue editors, writers, and contributors independently select every hotel and Airbnb property. Our experts all have backgrounds in travel writing, extensive knowledge of each destination, and, more often than not, the ability to tell you exactly where to snag the best dinner reservation in whatever city you are visiting. We incorporate first-hand notes of a stay whenever possible and regularly update travel recommendations to prioritize insider experiences year-round.

We aim to include a mix of buzzy boutique gems, luxury heritage spots steeped in history, and under-the-radar (at least, for now) new stays within each destination guide, so you have a variety of hospitality options to peruse. Elevated design is always a priority—we have been guilty of booking a hotel based on its beautiful tiles alone—and hotels are further evaluated with price point, location, and service all top of mind. The goal is to incorporate a wide range of locations that suit an equally wide range of travel styles; you’re likely to find a stately grande dame in the same edit as a cozy six-bedroom inn.

Every product featured is independently selected and vetted by our editors—we’d never recommend something we wouldn’t add to our own shopping carts—however we may earn commission when you shop with us.

Our content is created by a team of shopping-obsessed editors, writers, and contributors who bring expertise across fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, and home. Get to know—and shop with—us.

• Executive Shopping Director: Libby Page
• Shopping Directors: Talia Abbas, Madeline Fass
• Shopping Editor, Beauty: Kiana Murden
• Shopping Editor, Lifestyle: Elly Leavitt
• Shopping Market Editors: Minty Mellon, Andrea Zendejas
• Senior Shopping Writer: Cortne Bonilla
• Shopping Writer, Beauty: Conçetta Ciarlo
• Marketing Production Manager: Kasey Busiel
• Associate Producers: Alexandra Ditch, Fred Sahai

For more information about the Vogue editorial team, please visit our masthead.