12 Beauty Books Worth Adding To Your Reading List

Discover our round-up of beauty bibles to lose yourself in

By Ashleigh Cometti

Friday Feb. 5, 2021

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The New Beauty by Kari Molvar (available from May 2021)

It's worth adding this book to your reading list for the painterly cover alone. Bold, bright and visually led, Kari Molvar’s The New Beauty takes a contemporary look at beauty in the context of culture and fashion, and takes the reader on a visual journey into the past, present and future of self-expression. The American beauty and lifestyle journalist explores how the art of transformation is no longer a superficial act, and shares unique insights into how beauty practices challenge gender, build communities and usher in a new era of self-care.

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Skinformation: A Clean Science Guide To Beautiful Skin by Terri Vinson, $31

Written with skin-savvy readers in mind, Terri Vinson’s Skinformation unpacks common skin conditions and quashes the hype surrounding fix-all, miracle products. The Australian cosmetic chemist and founder of Synergie Skin brings with her a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the science of clean beauty, but breaks things down in layman’s terms for an easily digestible read.

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The Beauty Brief: An Insider’s Guide To Skincare by Katie Service, $45

Katie Service has a CV that reads like a list of dream roles for many a beauty obsessive. She’s been the editorial beauty director at Harrods, and worked alongside world-renowned makeup artists and beauty brands including Charlotte Tilbury, Chanel and Tom Ford. Her insider’s guide reveals on-the-job tricks she’s learned over the years, shines a light on skincare ingredients to adopt or avoid, offers tips on how to build the right skincare regime for your skin type, and decodes symbols printed on the back of products.

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Skin Deep by Bee Shapiro, $45

As a beauty writer for the New York Times, Bee Shapiro has access to some of the most photographed celebrities in the world. Skin Deep is a collection of more than 40 entertaining celebrity interviews penned by the author, which lifts the lid on some of the most intimate beauty rituals, skincare regimes and beauty philosophies of the likes of Emma Roberts, Kylie Jenner, Natalia Vodianova, Martha Stewart, Gwyneth Paltrow, Priyanka Chopra and Anna Kendrick. Her columns are peppered with applicable beauty advice from some of the biggest names in the industry, including hair royalty Christophe Robin and makeup maestro Patrick Ta.

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The Scandinavian Skincare Bible: The Definitive Guide To Understanding Your Skin by Johanna Gillbro, $31

Award-winning skin scientist Dr Johanna Gillbro brings with her 15 years of expertise in skincare when penning this comprehensive guide to glowing skin. She dives into the latest skincare research, and explains the impact hormones, genetics, diet and environment play on how we care for the body’s largest organ. The Scandinavian Skincare Bible includes a surprising list of do’s and don’ts (her surprising opinion on natural skincare may shock you), and lifts the lid on clever marketing tactics that have us adding to cart.