Every week, new lines hit the beauty market. But often it’s the products that have been sitting unassumingly on the shelves for years that are still causing a stir – the must-have items that outlive seasonal trends.

“In order for a product to become a cult classic, it has to be timeless, sophisticated and continually offer that feel-good factor which consumers seek,” explains Hannah Phillips, beauty buyer at Harvey Nichols.

“Skincare is more of a loyalty product, so as long as it produces results, it will remain in a person’s regime.”

Whether you’re an aficionado to just one or crave them all, these long-standing cult classics are standing the test time.

YSL TOUCHE ECLAT
Brightening faces for 20 years, Touche Eclat, now £25, is the magic gold pen that makes early mornings (and late nights) easier to bear. The go-anywhere highlighter launched in 1992 with just one colour. But now new shades are being introduced.

ESTEE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR
Thirty years ago nobody had heard of a face serum – and then Night Repair, now £41, broke beauty boundaries. The first skincare product to use Hyaluronic Acid, the container was designed to look like an old-fashioned pharmacy bottle. The word ‘Advanced’ was added in 1991 when the solution was reformulated.

CHANEL COCO MADEMOISELLE
Big sister Chanel No.5 may have been a permanent fixture in the best seller lists, but Coco Mademoiselle, from £45, is currently basking in the sweet smell of success. Created by Chanel’s in-house perfumer Jacques Polge, Coco Mademoiselle first launched as an EDP in 2001, and out-ranked Chanel No.5 in Harvey Nichols’s top five sellers list for the first time ever this year.

ELIZABETH ARDEN EIGHT HOUR CREAM
Every 30 seconds in the UK, a tube of this multi-tasking cream, £25, flies of the shelves and into a handbag. But the successful formula is changing for the first time in 82 years, as some people aren’t keen on its distinctive smell.

VASELINE
Taking the prize for the oldest cult product, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, now from £1..45, was first introduced in 1870. By 1874, it was being sold at the rate of a jar a minute. The foolproof formula is a mixture of mineral oils, paraffin and microcrystalline waxes.

CLINIQUE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT MOISTURIZING LOTION
The hero of moisturising products, Dramatically Different, now from £16.50, was launched along with Clinique’s now famous 3-Step System when the brand started in 1968. Today, one Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is sold every four seconds somewhere in the world.

CLARINS BEAUTY FLASH BALM
Flash Balm, £28, is famed for its quick-fix transformative qualities. Olive and witch hazel extracts help smooth the skin’s surface, minimising lines and wrinkles, while soothing bisabolol helps restore skin’s youthful glow. It’s has worldwide success despite rarely being advertised since its 1980 launch.

L’OREAL ELNETT
As far as hairsprays go, Elnett – from £2.56 – nicknamed the ‘Golden Goddess’ – has a firm hold on the market. Its secret? A famous fragrance and unbeatable formula, unchanged since its launch in 1961.

NIVEA CREME
Nivea Creme is now 101 years old and still a bathroom shelf staple with a formulation that has remained virtually unchanged. The famous blue pot, £1.99, was first sold in a yellow tin.