Gatineau Beauty Advent Calendar 2026 review: “A strong buy for existing fans, but 12 days feels short”

RRP at time of testing: £98 | Buy now from Gatineau, Face the Future or Very

What Mumsnet users say

My verdict

Gatineau’s calendar makes the most sense if the brand is already in your bathroom cabinet. You get 12 skincare products, six of them full size, covering almost every stage of a routine. The products are neatly presented, the box feels premium and the £98 price is far less alarming than the £355 claimed value.

The snag is the 12-day format. After opening calendars with 25 days and 30-plus products, it does feel a little stingy. The line-up repeats itself too, as single-brand beauty Advent calendars tend to do. If Gatineau is new to you, you also lose the lucky-dip appeal of discovering several brands.

I wouldn’t buy it for myself because I’m not already a Gatineau fan. My beauty-obsessed cousin tells me Gatineau used to be “the thing” before Elemis stole its crown, apparently. Though that’s one girl's bathroom history, not scientific fact, but it sums up the appeal neatly: loyal customers will get far more from this calendar than curious newcomers.

How I’ve tested

I opened all 12 compartments to check the packaging, product condition, sizes, selection and claimed value. I’ve also used the Age Benefit Night Renewal Cream as the final step in my routine every evening since the calendar arrived. These are first impressions, not a verdict on long-term results.

My skin is dry and sensitive, so I judged the remaining products by one simple test: would I actually use them? There’s no point pretending every pot and bottle is destined for my bathroom shelf.

My colleague Charlotte has also tested this year's edition. She opened all 12 compartments too and assessed the sizes, selection and value. She has previously used the Golden Glow Gradual Tan, Golden Glow Face Serum, Collagene Expert Hydra Essence and Melting Cleansing Balm, so she's more familiar with the brand than I am, admittedly.

What’s in the Gatineau Beauty Advent Calendar?

The calendar contains six full-size products and six deluxe minis. Ten calendars bought directly from Gatineau also contain a golden ticket for a pair of Loel gold tassel hoop earrings. Lovely if you find one, but I wouldn’t factor such a remote chance into the value calculation.

My top picks from this year’s calendar

1. Age Benefit Night Renewal Cream

This has gone straight into my evening routine. I use it as the final step every night and my skin feels soft the next morning. That’s the sort of inclusion I want from a calendar: something useful enough to earn a permanent place beside the sink, not a miniature I’ll forget in a drawer.

2. Defi Lift Peptide Lip Treatment

I do use lip treatments, so this is more appealing to me than another small face cream. It can be worn alone, with lipstick or as an overnight mask, which gives it a fair chance of being finished.

3. Collagene Expert Melting Cleansing Balm

A cleansing balm is an easy fit for dry skin and a sensible first step in an evening routine. The 30ml size is enough for a trip or a meaningful trial, although not long enough to judge dramatic results.

4. Collagene Expert Hydra Essence

Hydration is always welcome on my dry skin. This slots between cleansing and serum, although Gatineau’s many similarly named Collagene Expert products did send me to Google more than once to work out the correct order.

5. Collagene Expert Restore & Protect Hand Cream

Hand cream isn’t the most thrilling Advent reveal, but it’s useful, full size and likely to be finished. In December, that counts for more than another novelty product.

And my least useful products

The Golden Glow Gradual Tan and matching Medium/Dark Face Serum aren’t for me. I embrace my natural colour, even when it’s whiter than my bedsheets. They account for two of the 12 days, so non-tanners lose a fair chunk of the calendar immediately.

This is the clearest point of difference between Charlotte and me. She has used the full-size Golden Glow Gradual Tan for years and rates its natural, buildable finish. She also likes the matching face serum because it builds gradually without turning orange or settling noticeably into pores. What looks like two wasted doors to me is the headline attraction for her.

I’d also approach the PHA + BHA Glow Tonique cautiously because my skin is sensitive. That doesn’t make it a bad product, but I’d introduce it slowly rather than launching straight into daily use.

First impressions of the Gatineau Advent calendar

The box looks expensive in person, although it doesn’t scream Christmas. Its beauty-counter styling will please anyone who has had enough of snowflakes and cartoon robins. I’d still have liked a little more festive cheer from something that’s going to sit out through December, though.

It arrived intact, with no leaking products or crushed compartments. The smaller 12-day format makes the box easier to lift, move and display than some of the enormous calendars I’ve tested. Each product sits securely inside its own box and everything opens without a fight.

The main box could be reused for storage. Charlotte also singled out the included product guide as a strength. It explains what each formula does and where it belongs in a routine, which is useful when the similar product names start to blur together. I still needed some extra Googling, but the guide gives newcomers a sensible starting point.

How many full-size products are included?

Six of the 12 products are full size: the night cream, vitamin C serum, gradual tan, gommage, lip treatment and hand cream. That’s a strong proportion and helps compensate for the short countdown.

The remaining six are deluxe minis. Most give you enough product for a holiday or a decent introduction, but don’t expect every skincare sample to last long enough to prove a meaningful change.

Gatineau beauty Advent calendar: are there any fragrances?

No. There’s no perfume or home fragrance inside, which keeps the calendar focused but also removes some of the variety found in multi-brand alternatives.

What about make-up shades?

There’s no conventional make-up. The Original lip treatment is clear and broadly usable, but the Medium/Dark tanning serum is less universal. Anyone who doesn’t self-tan, or who needs another depth, is unlikely to get much from it.

Are there any hair products?

No. This is a skincare-led calendar with a hand cream, lip treatment and two tanning products. There’s nothing for hair, nails beyond the hand cream, or make-up, so the selection feels narrower than a multi-brand beauty calendar.

Is the Gatineau Beauty Advent Calendar good value?

At £98 for products with a claimed combined value of £355, the headline saving is £257, or about 72%. Six full sizes do a lot of the heavy lifting, with the £66 night cream alone accounting for a large part of the price.

That value only holds if you’ll use the products. Existing customers have an advantage because they already understand the formulas and routine. FieldofMusic’s reason for buying it was refreshingly practical: they use Gatineau skincare and know they’ll use everything. Points brought their price down further.

For newcomers, the sums deserve more scrutiny. A high combined RRP doesn’t turn unwanted tanning products or confusingly similar skincare into cash saved. The calendar costs less than many prestige alternatives, but it also gives you half the number of doors.

Charlotte had a different view of the value. She already uses several Gatineau products, saw no obvious filler and could place every item in a skincare or body-care routine. The £257 headline saving works much harder for her than it does for me. Same calendar, but clearly a very different bathroom cabinet.

Who should buy this calendar?

This is for existing Gatineau users and people who want a coordinated anti-ageing routine, not a jumble of brands, makeup and fragrance. It would make a generous gift too, provided the recipient already likes the brand.

Beauty-calendar newcomers could enjoy it, but I’d recommend checking the entire contents first. If you don’t self-tan or enjoy multi-step skincare, too much of the value is tied up in products you won’t use.

Final verdict: is the Gatineau Beauty Advent Calendar worth it?

For Gatineau devotees, yes. It’s well made, easy to open and contains six full sizes for £98. Add loyalty points and the maths looks even better. Newcomers should be more cautious, because a bargain stops being a bargain when half the products sit untouched.

For everyone else, it’s a more cautious four stars. The 12-day format feels short, the selection is repetitive and two tanning products will divide opinion. I’ve found a keeper in the Age Benefit Night Renewal Cream, but I’d still choose a multi-brand calendar for the fun of discovering something new.

Charlotte gave it five stars. She’d buy it herself and called it one of the best skincare calendars she’d opened this year. I’m at four, which says more about our routines than the calendar: she already uses the tanning products and several Gatineau formulas, while I don’t.

A strong buy for existing fans, but 12 days feels short.

About the author

Rebecca (aka Beccy) is a Senior Content Editor and our resident Leeds lass. At Mumsnet, she brings parents content designed to make life easier. After birthing and breastfeeding two babies in two years, Rebecca knows first-hand how hard it can be to prioritise yourself when you become a mother. She’s on a quest to find beauty and fashion products that are practical, useful and worth the money, with help from Mumsnet user recommendations.

Outside work, Rebecca balances life as a working mum of two young boys. When she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a local playgroup, in a nearby coffee shop or walking the dog up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest, independent advice you can trust. We sometimes earn revenue through affiliate links, but this never influences our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.

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