Since the launch of its beauty department in 2012, M&S has been a go-to destination for cosmetics – the sort where you walk in “for a look” and leave with a basket full of cult favourites. Over the past decade, its beauty offering has grown from a handy department add-on to a competitive line-up of big-name skincare, make-up and haircare brands, with the retailer’s seasonal drops (and beauty advent calendars) now generating the same kind of hype as competitors like Cult Beauty and Space NK.
Its summer beauty bag is the latest example. Marking ten years since M&S’s first warm-weather bundle, this year’s version pulls together a mix of skincare, fragrance, hair and make-up staples from some of the retailer’s biggest brands, all for £40 (Marksandspencer.com) despite a claimed value north of £230. Demand has already been strong enough for the bag to sell out once before returning to site last week.
I got my hands on it to see whether the contents live up to the numbers – and whether it actually delivers on value as well as excitement.
Read more: Best beauty subscription boxes, reviewed
M&S summer beauty bag
Five of the included items are full-sizes and, I’d argue, it’s the really good ones – Clinique, EL, Sam McKnight, LD and Iconic – that you’re getting in bigger quantities. What’s more, there’s not a stingy sample sachet in site, with all the miniature additions exceeding 10ml.
While some beauty bundles can comprise brands where, either, interest has waned or the retailer has selected the least popular product, this selection from M&S is chock full of cult formulas. From the dramatically different Clinique moisturising lotion which has been growing in popularity since the 1960s, to Color Wow’s viral hair mask, it’s clear someone on the British company’s buying team is clued up on their beauty knowledge.
Don’t believe me? Take beauty expert Ellis Cochrane’s Color Wow review as evidence. After testing the dreaming mask, she wrote, “Not only does my hair look shiny and feel soft, I also noticed a big reduction in the amount of frizz, especially when wearing my hair curly.” Meanwhile, editor Annabel Grossman described how the brand’s colour security shampoo “perfectly preserves the blonde in [her] hair,” in our guide to the best shampoos and conditioners.
What’s more, upon spritzing the Floral Street wonderland peony scent, I deemed it a perfect day-to-night fragrance, with a great balance of sweet notes (pink berries and hazelnut) and bright florals (peonies and violets). Along the same vein, I’m not new to Clinique’s dramatically different moisturising lotion, but upon revisiting the formula within this M&S bundle, I was wowed by how much bang for your buck this time-earned cream has to offer. It’s incredibly stretchy and just a pine nut’s worth of product was able to moisturise the entire back of my hand. It’s instantly comforting to tired, dry skin and I truly feel the included 50ml tube will last you six months, if not more.
I’ve browsed a number of beauty bundles through 2026 so far, including options from Lookfantastic, Boots and Cult Beauty, and I can honestly say this one seems the most enticing. It’s truly rare to see so many current and time-earned brands, with such a generous number of full-sizes, all for less than £50. If I were you, I wouldn’t hang about in securing yours – it’s already gone out of stock once, so who knows how long this second wind will last.
What’s included in M&S summer beauty bag
What to know
Buy now £40, Marksandspencer.com
Is the M&S summer beauty box worth it?
For £40, M&S’s summer beauty box feels unusually generous. Rather than relying on filler products or unfamiliar names (save for one M&S-own brand moisturiser), it brings together a line-up of covetable beauty brands, with several full-sized products that I'd happily buy in their own right. The inclusion of everyday staples alongside a few more indulgent treats makes it feel useful rather than gimmicky. Granted, it’s £5 more than 2025’s bundle, but it’s also worth an extra £20. Plus, when you factor in the £230 value, it's one of the strongest beauty savings I've seen this year.
How I tested the M&S summer beauty box
Alongside unboxing the M&S summer beauty box, I closely examined the size, quality and desirability of each item featured, drawing on my previous experiences with many of the included brands and formulas, as well as acquainting myself with the products I’d not yet used. Specifically, I considered the following components:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As IndyBest’s senior shopping writer, Lucy Smith is well versed in both the latest beauty launches and the formulas that have stood the test of time. As well as heading up the team’s guide to the best beauty advent calendars, where retailers set out to produce a curation of the most exciting products and launches, she’s also covered a number of 2026 releases, such as the new Dyson travel hair dryer, the Laura Mercier colour correcting setting powder and more. As such, she knows when a product is or isn’t worth your while, and was just the person to deem M&S summer beauty box a hit or miss.
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