As someone who’s reviewed more than a hundred of the best beauty advent calendars through the years, I’d argue that the Space NK beauty advent calendar 2026 is on track to be this year’s top offering. So far, the retailer has vaguely teased its line-up and opened the waitlist ahead of a full reveal latest this month. However, a leaked image online has actually given me an early peek at the complete contents, so I have a pretty good idea of what could be hiding behind doors one through 25.
Unbelievably for mid-August, Space NK is in already good company and joins Harrods, Cult Beauty and Sephora (plus more) in getting its 2026 countdown into the spotlight early. Previous Space NK calendars have been particularly strong on cult names and buzzy newcomers, with past editions including the likes of K18, Refy and Westman Atelier, so expectations are high for this year's edit.
The team at Space NK are still keeping the official details close to their chest, but brand manager Abbey Parkinson has promised “iconic hero products [and] exciting discovery brands”. The full contents are due to be revealed on 25 August, but I’ve snuck in a few early titbits from the image we weren’t supposed to see... Scroll on to discover everything from the packaging and price to some of the products you can expect to see in each drawer.
I'll be updating this guide as more information is confirmed, including the official on-sale date and full details of the 2026 calendar.
Read more: Everything we know so far about Cult Beauty’s 2026 advent calendar
Space NK beauty advent calendar 2026
Price: £275 (up £15 year on year)
Worth: £1,200+ (up £50 year on year)
Number of days: 25
Number of products: Not yet revealed
Advent calendar highlights: Products announced 7am, 25 August – "iconic hero products with exciting discovery brands" promised
Available: Not yet announced, waitlist open now
At £275, the Space NK beauty advent calendar is £15 more expensive than last year's edition, but the retailer says its contents will be worth more than £1,200 (£50 extra than 2025’s), which still leaves you with an extra £35 of savings up for grabs.
With the full line-up reveal now delayed until 25 August, it's too early to say whether this price and worth increase will definitely result in a higher value product. But a rogue TikTok showing what appears to be a leaked image of the full contents has given us me much better idea of what’s inside – and there are some very tempting picks.
So far, Space NK has only teased a mix of "iconic hero products" and "exciting discovery brands,” and the leaked contents appear to deliver on both fronts. Buzzy newer names including Saltair and Kulfi feature alongside 2026 launches such as Gisou’s hair and body mist and the updated Olaplex no.3-plus treatment. There’s also a bottle of K18 heat bounce, one of my personal favourite heat protectants, plus a good mix of established beauty favourites and newer names, which helps to justify the inflated price tag.
The calendar itself has been given a festive makeover, with pastel pink and blue nutcracker-splashed packaging that's – according to Space NK – also more environmentally conscious. It's made from 100 per cent recyclable FSC-certified paper, printed using vegetable-based inks and designed to be reused or recycled after Christmas.
Whether you’re waiting for the full list of contents or dead set on securing the Space NK advent this December, you’ll want to join the waitlist sooner rather than later. Rather than giving everyone access at once, Space NK has declared that “the sooner you join, the earlier you can shop on preview day,” which implies that links to the live calendar will be sent based on when signees joined the waitlist. So, an earlier place in the queue could improve your chances of getting hold of one before it sells out. And, in my experience, it definitely will sell out.
Buy now £275, Spacenk.com
Read more: I got an early scoop on the Sephora beauty advent calendar 2026, here’s what to know
