Harvey Nichols beauty advent calendar 2026 is here – but I’m not convinced

It's been two months since the Harvey Nichols beauty advent calendar 2026 first made an appearance, well ahead of the rush for this year's best beauty advent calendars. But somewhere between then and now, all mention of the calendar disappeared from the retailer's website, leaving beauty fans wondering what had happened.

Well, it's finally here. The £250 countdown is available to pre-order (Harveynichols.com), with all 29 products revealed just as the rival Harrods calendar sells out. Fortunate timing, perhaps, for shoppers who've missed out.

It’s worth noting that Harvey Nichols has also recently been acquired by the Frasers Group, although it's unclear whether the takeover had anything to do with the delay. Regardless, having seen the lengths retailers such as Sephora and John Lewis have gone to with their calendars this year, I can't help feeling Harvey Nichols has played things a little too safe with its product selection.

I'm expecting my sample shortly, but having scrutinised the full line-up, I've already spotted some rather dated inclusions. Below, I'll explain why this year's offering hasn't quite won me over.

Harvey Nichols beauty advent calendar 2026

Rating: 4/5

Price: £250

Worth: £1,000+

Number of days: 25

Number of products: 29 (16 full-sizes)

Advent calendar highlights: Bamford geranium hand + body wash, Davines OI conditioner, Goop microderm instant glow exfoliator

Available: For pre-order now

Why we love it

Lots of high-value individual items
Almost a full skin-care line-up, from cleanser through to lip oil

Take note

Products don't feel current
Some filler items

Now that Harvey Nichols has revealed all 29 products, I have mixed feelings. There's no disputing the value here – £250 buys you more than £1,000 of beauty, including 16 full-size products – and the Jacky Marshall-designed packaging is among the most sophisticated I've seen this year. But having covered beauty advent calendars for three years, I can't help feeling I've seen much of this line-up before.

Caudalie's beauty elixir was a viral sensation back in 2016, Color Wow's dream coat had its moment in 2024, and Vyrao was one of the stars of last year's advent calendars. That's not to say they're bad products, but I'd hoped for more surprises. Interest in brands such as Oskia and Omorovicza also seems to have quietened, while Charlotte Tilbury's pillow talk mascara feels like a missed opportunity when the brand has launched more exciting products of late, including its unreal blush. Even Oribe, one of my favourite luxury haircare brands, is represented by a thickening spray rather than something from its much-loved gold lust range or newer hair alchemy collection.

That said, I’ll give credit where credit’s due, as there are some excellent inclusions. La Mer, Sisley and a whopping £120-worth MZ Skin eye cream give the calendar seriously premium credentials, while the full-size Bamford hand wash will be sure to please Daylesford devotees. I'm particularly pleased to see Bob Beauté, a newcomer to Harvey Nichols this year, included too. The tweezers and miniature nail file, on the other hand, feel like filler.

For someone building their luxury beauty collection, this is still a very tempting proposition and the savings are substantial. But seasoned beauty enthusiasts may find themselves wishing Harvey Nichols had taken a few more risks with its curation for 2026.

What’s in the Harvey Nichols beauty advent calendar 2026?

Granado esplendor eau de parfum, 25ml
Bob Beauté the brow gel, 4.5g
Goop microderm instant glow exfoliator, 15ml
Cellcosmet hydra-soothing mask, 50ml
La Mer moisturising soft cream, 15ml
Jo Loves pomelo a votive, 70g
Isamaya eyeliner ink, 0.6ml
Reome three suns revitalising cleanser balm, 30ml
Reome hydra-plasma veil bio-cellulose mask, 1 pack
Caudalie beauty elixir, 30ml
Omorovicza the elixir, 5ml
Rodial lip oil with collagen in sugar coral, 4ml
Rodial salmon DNA jelly eye patches, 4 pack
Dermalogica special cleansing gel, 50ml
MZ Skin soothe & smooth eye cream, 14ml
Joonbyrd sunday sofa body butter, 30ml
Charlotte Tilbury pillow talk push-up lashes mascara in black, 10ml
Color Wow dream coat, 50ml
Trinny London flush blush in schmoogie, 4g
Oribe thick spray travel, 75ml
Manucurist huile verte, 15ml
Manucurist duo mini nail file & buffer
Davines oi conditioner, 75ml
Harvey Nichols tweezers
Oskia liquid mask lactic acid micro-peel, 30ml
Vyrao ludatrix hand cream, 30ml
Bamford geranium hand + body wash, 250ml
Vyrao ludatrix eau de parfum, 10ml
Sisley Paris floral toning lotion, 100ml

Buy now £250, Harveynichols.com

Harvey Nichols 12 days of fragrance advent calendar 2026

Rating: 2.5/5

Price: £175

Worth: £700+

Number of days: 12

Number of products: 16 (four full-sizes)

Advent calendar highlights: Matiere Premiere radical rose, Thameen the Cora, Granado amazonico EDP

Available: For pre-order now

Why we love it

Features brands only true fragrance obsessives are familiar with

Take note

Doubles up on four fragrance houses
Filler items

Much like Harvey Nichols's main beauty advent calendar, I can't help feeling some of the curation decisions here were rushed. Year on year, the fragrance offering has dropped from 20 products to 16, although four are now full-size, compared with none last year.

My biggest gripe is the lack of variety. Four fragrance houses appear twice, which seems an odd choice for a calendar centred on perfume discovery. Harvey Nichols stocks Creed and Parfums de Marly, both featured in rival calendars, so why not include them? The atomiser and blotters feel like filler, too.

There are some excellent inclusions, particularly Thameen's the Cora, which will undoubtedly have niche fragrance enthusiasts sitting up and taking notice. The same goes for Matiere Premiere.

Still, with so many exciting fragrance calendars available these days, from John Lewis to Lookfantastic, I'd struggle to recommend this calendar over its more varied competitors.