The Sephora advent calendar 2026 is back for another year, with the retailer giving The Independent an exclusive first look at its 25-day festive beauty haul. While Sephora is keeping most of the contents under wraps for now, I managed to muddle out nine products from its obscured first-look image, and the retailer has since confirmed seven of the items within. There’s a slight crossover between that initial image and this new info, but the total number of known products has now reached 12 (of a total 41 items).

With heaps (more than 30 !) of the best beauty advent calendars already having landed for 2026, Sephora joins the likes of Harvey Nichols, Space NK and Cult Beauty in revealing its contents through the summer. The line-up includes some major names, too, with Medik8 and Makeup by Mario among the brands confirmed so far.

The 25-day calendar will be worth more than £1,000, putting it in the same value bracket as some of this year’s other premium beauty countdowns. Sephora’s calendar, formerly known as the Sephora favourites advent calendar, has also sold out for four consecutive years, so if you’re hoping to get your hands on one, it pays to keep an eye on the key dates. I’ll be updating this guide with every new reveal, from the remaining products to the pre-order and launch details.

Read more: Everything we know so far about Cult Beauty’s 2026 advent calendar

Sephora may have tried to keep the contents of its beauty advent calendar 2026 under wraps, but its blurred first-look image gave me plenty to investigate. I managed to identify eight of the nine obscured products (see below), while a handful of social creators have since confirmed that the one I couldn’t quite decipher is Huda Beauty easy primer.

Now, in an exclusive reveal to The Independent, Sephora has officially confirmed seven products from the 41-product haul. There’s some crossover with my original detective work, but the new information adds three products I hadn’t been able to identify, bringing the total number of reveals to 12. They are as follows:

• One/Size on 'til dawn mattifying waterproof setting spray – now confirmedby Sephora as afull-size
• Discotheque Lola at the coat check candle – now confirmedby Sephora as afull-size
• Phlur vanilla skin eau de parfum – size TBC, looks like 9.5ml mini
• Mac lipstick – size and shade TBC, looks like a full-size
• Makeup by Mario ethereal eyes palette – now confirmedby Sephora to be the moonlight edition,full-size
• Kayali eau de parfum – size and scent TBC. looks like 5ml and social media users have guessed at the fragrance being Eden juicy apple
• Sephora Collection lip tint felt liner – now confirmedby Sephora as afull-size
• Kosas shiny objects wet glisten powder in opaline – size TBC, looks like a full-size
• Huda Beauty easy primer – size TBC, looks like a full-size
• Sol de Janeiro body wash, in Brazilian play, bom dia bright or beija flor – new reveal, confirmed by Sephora to befull-size
• Medik8 niacinamide peptides – new reveal, confirmed by Sephora to befull-size
• Dr Sam's flawless cleanser – new reveal, confirmed by Sephora to befull-size

If you ask me, there’s plenty to like from these latest reveals, particularly the full-size Medik8 niacinamide peptides and Dr Sam’s flawless cleanser, the latter of which has something of a cult following among skincare fans. Sol de Janeiro may have passed its viral peak (around 2023), but I’d still take a full-size body wash from the brand over yet another Rituals mini any day. Likewise, eyeshadow may have found itself on beauty’s unofficial blacklist, but Mario Dedivanovic has somehow made his Makeup by Mario ethereal eyes palette the exception. Plus, with 29 products still to uncover, there’s plenty of scope for Sephora to keep the good stuff coming.

Year-on-year, Sephora has matched the number of products nestled within its 25 drawers, but has dropped the number of full-size items by three. This seems to be a recurring theme between retailers, with Harvey Nichols also lowering the quantity of cosmetics in its calendar. For me, this is a good thing, as brands hopefully move their focuses away from creating the biggest advent calendars and towards well-curated, high-performing beauty rosters. Then again, Sephora has also dropped the worth of its calendar by £19 since last year – though, in the grand scheme of things, this figure is practically negligible.

The waitlist is officially open now, so if you’re hoping to secure a Sephora advent in 2026, I’d get your email down, pronto.

What to know

• Price:Not yet confirmed (£225 in 2025)
• Worth:£1000+
• Number of products:41 (27 full-sizes)
• Advent calendar highlights:Medik8 niacinamide peptides, Discotheque Lola at coat check candle, Phlur vanilla skin eau de parfum
• Available:Not yet announced, waitlist open now

Read more: An honest review of the £270 Harrods beauty advent calendar