Six reviewed picks for the colleague who gets you through the week, all easy to give at work.
The best co-worker gift is small, unpersonal in the right way and useful at a desk — hand cream, a candle set or a coffee upgrade. Most office budgets sit between $15 and $30.
Work gifting has one rule: it should be openable in front of other people without anyone feeling awkward. That rules out anything sized, scented-for-the-body or too expensive. Everything below clears that bar and still feels like it came from someone who knows her.
Filtered by skincare & beauty. Show all 6 picks
$3.97
Thick enough to matter in air conditioning, quick enough to absorb before the next email. Vanilla cashmere is warm rather than sweet.
It's the most-used desk gift there is, which is why it's first on this list rather than filler at the end.
Readers ask
Between $15 and $30 for a work friend, and whatever the draw sets for Secret Santa. Spending noticeably more makes the exchange awkward for everyone.
Something desk-usable: hand cream, a candle set, a frother for office coffee. Avoid clothing, body products and anything that needs her size.
Anything sized, anything intimate, alcohol unless you know she drinks, and jokes that only land with part of the team.
Five of the six picks here sit under $25 — hand cream, the candle set, the desk hook, the frother and the eye masks.