Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ranking Every Nominee of the 98th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Welcome to another year of the Academy Awards Project here on Films Fatale! We rank all of the nominees in each category every day.
I remember when I used to dread the nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, because you would often find some of the worst films in this category; from cheesy and typical blockbuster action films and by-the-number costume dramas, to atrociously mediocre (or awful) horror, science fiction, or fantasy flicks. Sure, the occasional great film would squeeze in every so often, but this was usually a category that found itself attached to substandard cinema. Now, I am not sure what has happened in the past few years, but this branch of the Academy has gradually become one of my favourites. Somewhere along the line, these voters either changed or expanded their tastes (this may have something to do with the Academy expanding the amount of nominees from three to a standard five). Now you will find flourishes of international cinema, more than most other branches that are not explicitly affiliated with films from across the world; the Makeup and Hairstyling voters have done their homework, as they have been for a little while now. I now look forward to this category each year because it has become a haven for underappreciated works that, yes, do happen to have strong makeup and hair within them. This year is no different; there is one mediocre film that still warrants a spot in this category, two underseen gems from 2025, and two Best Picture hopefuls. I will be looking for believability, creativity, and the importance of these designs and executions to their respective films. Here are your nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, ranked from worst to best.
5. Sinners-Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
I had to pick a last place nominee, and it sadly has to be Sinners. The other four films just featured makeup far more often, but when Sinners has to whip out its practical effects and make vampires a reality, it does quite a great job; as I discussed in my Best Visual Effects article, Sinners blends CGI with special effects makeup so well during its final act. You can look at all of the gore effects as another strong point within this category (not to mention the dazzling, period-appropriate hairdos that are to die for). We usually may find one horror film in this category, and we actually have three (!) this year; thank goodness they aren't bottom-of-the-barrel nonsense.
4. The Smashing Machine-Kazuo Hiro, Glen Griffen and Bjoern Rehbein
I actually think that Sinners has a bit more going on for it than The Smashing Machine when it comes to this category, but I have given Benny Safdie's biopic the slight upper hand because of how frequently it uses makeup to disguise Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr (basically the entire film). The makeup team did an incredible job transforming Johnson here, and I do feel — without getting too critical — that this illusion does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to believing that this is Kerr. Toss in any wounds developed in the ring, and you have yourself a sizeable nominee for this category that anyone could see coming from a mile away. However, this is not just a makeup category, and I do think that — all things considered — The Smashing Machine is the weakest nominee when it comes to the hairstyling component (it's standard and not anything particularly impressive, but The Smashing Machine doesn't really call for much there, either).
3. The Ugly Stepsister-Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
One of the two great shoutouts in this category is Emilie Blichfeldt's satirical body horror romp The Ugly Stepsister: a retelling of the story of Cinderella in a completely new and mortifying way. The complicated hairdos are fascinating the entire film (we are meant to be amongst members of high society here, after all); there wasn't really a traditional costume drama that you'd usually find here this year, and The Ugly Stepsister oddly checks that box in its own way. However, that is not the main reason why this film has been nominated, for that would be the makeup work. No, I don't mean the traditional, cosmetic makeup (although that is well done here as well). I mean the disturbing horror effects; our lead character slowly getting more and more disfigured as the story progresses. By the end of the film, we reach peak levels of effects wizardry (that will be etched in your nightmares for years to come); this one is for fans of David Cronenberg, Julia Ducournau, and The Substance.
2. Kokuho-Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
My, what a splendid film Kokuho is. This epic about a Kabuki theatre performer spans decades; the hair department is consistent with each era's styles (and the makeup team as well). There isn't much in way of gore (like, well, literally every other nominee here), but Kokuho does something else that you won't find elsewhere in this category: an evolution of cosmetic design in the arts. The early Kabuki examples are purposefully blotchy and obvious (although still stunning); you can easily tell that wigs are being worn, too. However, as we traverse through the history of Kabuki theatre all the way to the present, that illusion becomes a reality and you see how transformative, believable, and advanced makeup and hair techniques become; by the very end, you may take a second glance to ensure that we are even looking at our protagonist under all of that work. As if that wasn't impressive enough, the aging and de-aging of our characters is tasteful and realistic, showing a true mastery of these crafts is at play. Other branches don't necessarily honour the lesser-known films that should be competing in categories they excel at, but the Makeup and Hairstyling voters knew what they were doing when they honoured Kokuho.
1. Frankenstein-Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
In ways, I think that Kokuho is the strongest candidate overall. So, why did I place Frankenstein first? Sure, the cosmetic makeup and hairdos all go the extra mile and look quite great, but I still find Kokuho more impressive. Well, there is the amount of violence and gore that you will find in a standard Guillermo del Toro affair, and his films always nail how realistic his wounds (and other far-worse outcomes) look. This still isn't the reason why I have Frankenstein first, and it's clearly obvious by now that I am referring to Dr. Frankenstein's creature. At the screening of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival that I attended, del Toro and his team described how they approached making the creature by stating that many other adaptations of Frankenstein make the doctor's creation look like a reanimated corpse that they found on the side of the road, as opposed to a body that has been assembled together by separate parts (as is the case in Mary Shelley's novel). Del Toro's film nails this assignment with a gorgeous version of the creature that looks like he has been stitched together by the hands of a mad scientist; his slowly growing hair over time is a nice, extra touch. Toss in the many people — and creature — who are weathering the worst of winter, and you've got yourself a film that is going above and beyond with its makeup and hair magic.
Who I Want To Win: I do think that Frankenstein deserves this, but I also am so in awe of films like Kokuho and The Ugly Stepsister that I am rooting for these underdogs.
Who I Think Will Win: I think Frankenstein has this one in the bag. From the creature being a marvel of this craft to the film being a Best Picture contender (so is Sinners, I suppose, but the film doesn't rely nearly enough on its special effects makeup to be able to compete here), I think this one is a no-brainer.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.