12 Beauty Products That Defined the Early 2000s

Turning back the clock to a time we weren't worried about wrinkles.

By Allie Hogan, Senior Beauty Editor · Published: Feb 29, 2024

Teens and tweens these days are well-versed in skin-care ingredients and makeup trends in a way millennials cannot relate to. Growing up in the early 2000s, we had the most fun, unserious beauty products, and we certainly weren’t concerned about looking like a glazed doughnut sans wrinkles. We’re here to take you on a ride, much like cleaning out your closet at your parent’s house, filled with nostalgia and all the beauty products that defined the early aughts.

Iconic early 2000s beauty products

1 / 12

Hair Crimper

From Tyra Banks to Christina Aguilera, all the biggest stars tried their hand at crimped hair in the early 2000s, so naturally, so did everyone at home. I so fondly remember my baby blue hair crimper. I can’t imagine the damage it was doing to my strands, but I felt like a pop star when all was said and done. The crimpers of the early aughts walked so that the triple-barrel mermaid wavers of today could run.

2 / 12

Maybelline Great Lash ($8.50)

This pink and green bottle was the height of luxury to me. I remember receiving my first mascara ever and being overjoyed that it was the same as the one I’d watched my mom use for years. After all this time, the product still hits.

BUY NOW – $8.50

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara — Maybelline

3 / 12

Hairagami

The Hairagami commercials were awe-inspiring, and always on. It seemed you could “fold, wrap and snap” your way to the perfect bun every time.

4 / 12

Lancôme Juicy Tube ($25)

Lancome Juicy Tubes made a comeback in 2020 after living in the shadows for years. I credit these lip glosses for this generation’s obsession with all the expensive lip products of today.

BUY NOW – $25

5 / 12

Butterfly clips

Every teen star had their hair bespeckled by butterfly clips from time to time, including Hillary Duff, Brittney Spears and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Butterfly clips have made a comeback in the past couple of years, riding on the wave of early 2000s trends reappearing, and we’re here for it.

6 / 12

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation ($8.50)

Foundation formulas have come a long way, but in the early 2000s, this matte mousse was everything. I can still feel it against my skin now, thick and wet and entirely too tan for my skin tone.

BUY NOW – $8.50

7 / 12

CHI Straightener ($100)

Was CHI collectively all of our first legitimate straighteners? Pin-straight hair was on trend, and CHI products were responsible for a majority of it. CHI saw us at our worst—missing many spots in the back before heading to school.

BUY NOW – $100

8 / 12

Victoria’s Secret Love Spell ($17)

Before I was old enough to fill out the bras in Victoria’s Secret, I was ogling over the beauty products. The entire locker room after practice always smelled of this sweet concoction.

BUY NOW – $17

9 / 12

Sun-In

Sun-In promised natural highlights and lighter-looking hair with just a few spritzes and a couple of hours outside. It was the next step up from squirting lemon in your hair and a far cry from expensive highlights, but it did the trick.

10 / 12

bareMinerals Loose Powder Foundation ($39)

This stuff was like magic fairy dust in the early 2000s. Early to the clean beauty trend, bareMinerals swore this foundation was natural enough that you could fall asleep in it without waking up to a breakout.

BUY NOW – $39

BareMinerals Matte Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 — BareMinerals

11 / 12

Bath and Body Works Roll On Body Glitter

Glitter was everywhere in the early 2000s, including stuck to couches and impossible to get off of sweaters. Bath and Body Works Roll on Body Glitter was the most fun way to get glittery from head to toe.

12 / 12

Lip Smackers Liquid Lip Gloss ($13 for 5)

Lip Smackers are nostalgic in general, from the pink lemonade flavor to the coveted Dr. Pepper tube. I mean, who among us didn’t lick it off their lips occasionally? However, I remember the lip gloss having even more of a chokehold on me.

BUY NOW – $13

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