It is that time of year again. With all the new releases and time-tested formulations, Men’s Folio is pitting the industry’s best in the grooming category against each other to see which holds up in the scopes of ease of use, claim to fame and sustainability. Judged by a panel of local experts, this year’s iteration honours grooming routines — in all its steps and processes. From insider interviews with TCM scalp care label Jing Botanics to a professional’s opinion on laying the foundation for a dependable makeup routine, here, Men’s Folio presents the 2025 edition of our annual Grooming Awards.
Best Toner: Allies Of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist
Our winning toner is pre-built for travel, perfect for use on the go, as and when your skin needs hydration, brightening, and some microbiome-boosting nutrients. Allies of Skin’s Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist is supercharged with a heavy, anti-evaporation water molecule that clings to the skin’s surface for longer-lasting hydration. Every spritz delivers a dose of soothing actives and restorative nutrients like Silver, Silk Amino Acids, and Ergothioneine. With continued use, the mist will refine the look of pores, and counteract the effects of jet lag and fatigue in the short and long term.
Best Serum: Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate Serum
Shiseido’s Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate Serum has top votes for best age-defying serum. Deeply hydrating, it has a rich and dewy texture that envelops the skin with microcapsules designed to quickly penetrate, plump, firm, and fill cells with a beaming radiance. Powered by the resilience of the Japanese camellia, the serum aids the skin’s protection against dehydration and damage, slowing the ageing process and enhancing one’s glow from within.
Best Cleanser: KRAVEBEAUTY Matcha Heartleaf Hydrating Cleanser
You can tell the quality of a product by how little it takes to do a good job. KraveBeauty’s Matcha Heartleaf Hydrating Cleanser is a clear model of this motto. Gentle and jelly-like to the touch, this cleanser contains Heartleaf extract and antioxidant-rich matcha to lift away makeup, excess oil, and impurities while soothing inflammation and irritation at the same time. Another tell is how fresh, dewy, balanced and clean your skin feels after.
Best Sunscreen: Paula’s Choice 5% Vitamin C Sheer Moisturizer SPF 50
A treatment moisturiser with sunscreen properties? That’s our winner for the sunscreen category. This weightless, sheer, multi-active SPF concoction protects your inherent bright tone while brightening it even further, thanks to the inclusion of three types of highly stable vitamin C — which brightens dullness, evens tone and supercharges the SPF for advanced sun protection — while algae-derived amino acids and ginger-derived omni-antioxidant acetyl zingerone reduces and helps prevent environmental damage, and discolouration.
Best Moisturiser: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream
Sulwhasoo has now reformulated its cult-favourite Concentrated Ginseng Renewal Cream, promising greater efficacy and a delicate new scent. Packed with more GinsenomicsTM compared to its predecessors — the key ingredient that helps boost collagen by tackling 18 key signs of ageing — the soft cream has bested itself by maintaining its holy grail status. It now comes with a light ginseng flower fragrance instead of the old ginseng root scent — an indulgent finishing touch that elevates the experience.
Best Primer: Dolce&Gabbana Beauty Bergamot Glow Primer
Softened texture? Check. A luminous skin finish? Check. A skin-boosting formula that feels featherlight? Check. The Dolce&Gabbana Beauty Bergamot Glow Primer checks all the boxes and then some, making it a top contender in the Best Primer category. Boasting a hyaluronic acid composition and 24-hour staying properties, the primer wins against dry and dull skin, laying the foundation for any long-wearing beat, and against any of the toughest environmental conditions.
Editor’s Pick: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Magic Cream
There are few creams that you can deem magical in their make and mould, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Charlotte’s Magic Cream is undoubtedly one of them. Smooth, firm, plump and prime, all in just one step. Offering peptide-induced plumping, brightening from vitamin C & E, hydration from hyaluronic acid, and the brand’s Signature Cushion and Lift Mesh Technology — a “magic” blend of rosehip oil and alpha-glucans from calming oat extracts — this is a multi-pronged revival spell you will want on your skin. The best part? It also comes with SPF 15.
Photography Zantz Han
Styling Manfred Lu
Photography Assistant Peng Sheng
Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our June/July 2025 issue.