BeautyMatter 2023 NEXT Awards Finalists Announced

Our BeautyMatter NEXT Awards aim to raise the bar and define the future of beauty. Our intention with the awards is to create a level playing field, from the largest multinationals to high-growth indies, retailers, agencies, service providers, and suppliers.

With everything we do, our first goal is bringing value to our community, and our second objective is to find whitespace either in opportunity or approach. There is no shortage of awards for brands, and for products that are well executed. Hopefully, we’ve carved out a space merging innovation, impact, and design that creates space for change and growth.

We made a foundational commitment that judging would be transparent and done by a panel of independent judges selected for their diversity of experience, deep category knowledge, and insatiable curiosity. The judges also agreed to recuse themselves from any awards they have an affiliation with to maintain the integrity of the process.

We received 400+ entries for over 50 awards across 7 categories. The finalists represent businesses from the entire beauty ecosystem. Our judges had a difficult task reviewing each entry to determine the finalist. In some cases, the submissions were so good, we had some ties.

VISIONARIES

Changemaker of the Year: A person who has profoundly changed the business of beauty by bringing about positive change linked to equity, health, climate, or sustainability.

Ari Bloom, Co-Founder and CEO of A-Frame Brands
Laura Geller, Founder of Laura Geller Beauty
Carly Stein Kremer, Founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals
Edwin Neill, President of Neill Companies
Pritika Swarup, Founder and CEO of Prakti Beauty
JuE Wong, CEO of OLAPLEX

Entrepreneur of the Year: An entrepreneur who has built a business that matters through inspired innovations, demonstrated vision, leadership, and success.

Jasmina Aganovic, Founder and CEO of Arcaea
Amy Errett, Founder and CEO of Madison Reed
Enrico Frezza, Co-Founder and CEO of Peace Out Skincare
Éva Goicochea, Founder and CEO of maude
Sandra Velasquez, Founder and CEO of Nopalera
Ju Rhyu, Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics
Suveen Sahib, Co-Founder and CEO of K18 Biomimetic Hairscience

Innovator of the Year: Person who has made meaningful contributions to the business of beauty by pursuing and executing novel thinking, challenging the status quo, and moving the industry forward.

Candace Mitchell Harris, Founder and CEO of Myavana
Liz Whitman, Founder and CEO of Exponent Beauty
Ming Zhao, Co-Founder and CEO of PROVEN Skincare
Sir Fraser Stoddart, Founder of Noble Panacea
Susan Goldsberry, Co-Founder and CEO of Ina Labs
Lucy Goff, Founder of LYMA

AGENCY

Best Public Relations Agency: Recognizes agencies for developing and executing best-in-class communication strategies across media and content platforms.

Creative Media Marketing
Foundation
Factory PR

Best Design + Branding Agency: Recognizes agencies responsible for crafting brand strategies and execution of design services.

1r Agency
Free The Birds
Front Row

Best Digital Agency: Recognizes agencies that provide best-in-class strategic direction, creative design, and technical development for screen-based products and services.

Iced Media
Rebel360

Best Social Media + Influencer Agency: Recognizes agencies responsible for developing social media strategies, campaign execution, content creation, and connecting influencers with brands.

Red Ant Asia
Creatable

DESIGN

Best Beauty Brand Launch: Recognizes design, content, strategy, and execution tied to brand identity, website, packaging design, etc.; can be a new-to-market brand or relaunch.

ARKIVE Headcare
Current State
Futurewise
KIKI World
Native
Perfumehead

Best Wellness Brand Launch: Recognizes design, content, strategy, and execution tied to brand identity, website, packaging design, etc.; can be a new-to-market brand or relaunch.

Bartlett Brands (Playground)
Being Frenshe
Richelet
Uni
Utu
Vella Bioscience

Best Collaboration: Recognizes unique partnerships or collaborations between any two or more brands, businesses, individuals, or organizations.

CREED x ROBBi
Dior Powered by Hydrafacial
Goody Tru
Lottie London x Vampire Diaries
IPSY x Bailey Sarian
Dr. Squatch x Alex Honnold

Best Product Packaging Design (Brands): Recognizes unique concept and execution tied to packaging design, including concept, componentry, material selection, and decoration for a finished product; can be a new-to-market brand or relaunch.

ARgENTUM apothecary
Michal Morrison
Nopalera
Prakti Beauty
Subtl Beauty
Wrinkles Schminkles

Best Sustainable Packaging Design (Brands): Recognizes unique concept and execution tied to packaging design that address the full life cycle of the product, carbon footprint, and material selection/reduction; can be a new-to-market brand or relaunch.

Exponent Beauty
Hairstory
Uni

Best Ad Campaign: Traditional Design: Recognizes unique concept, design, and execution of an ad campaign incorporating print, TV, radio, out-of-home, or direct mail.

Hero Cosmetics – Pimple, Meet Your Mighty Patch campaign
Malin + Goetz – For All The Ways We Live campaign

Best Ad Campaign: Digital Design: Recognizes unique concept, design, and execution of an ad campaign incorporating email, SMS, display native, video, or social media.

ARgENTUM apothecary – Les Parfumes Infinis campaign
Babo Botanicals – Reef Safe? anti-greenwashing campaign
Dr Dennis Gross Skincare – DermInfusions Fill + Repair Serum campaign

Best Spatial Design: Recognizes unique concept, design, and execution of a physical space, such as a retail store, salon, or spa.

Biologique Recherche – Los Angeles flagship spa
Malin + Goetz – Brand retail store on Columbus Avenue and 72nd Street, NYC
Space NK – Liverpool, UK store

IMPACT

Best Impact Initiative: Companies involved in creating, marketing, and selling beauty and wellness products or services that implement initiatives that impact DEI or ESG.

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute – DEI initiative to end the modern-day segregation of salons.
Beekman 1802 – The creation of a kindness ripple effect.
BrainTrust Founders Studio – A membership-based platform designed specifically for Black founders of beauty and wellness companies.
CTZN Cosmetics – Code Red collection was created to combat the period poverty crisis.
Prados Beauty – Prados Promise. Putting money, time, and mentorship back into Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.
Tower 28 – Clean Beauty Summer School BIPOC grant and mentorship program.

Best Sourcing Breakthrough: Recognizes breakthroughs in the procurement and use of more sustainable materials, including new materials, improvements to conventional materials, improvements to sourcing practices, and novel uses of materials in challenging applications.

Babo Botanicals – Upcycled Passion Fruit Seed Oil from family-owned farms in Peru.
Blue Lagoon Iceland Skincare – Microalgae and silica sustainably sourced, cultivated, and harvested from the Blue Lagoon.

Best Impact Facilitator: Technology provider (app, platform, SAAS) that provides tools to manage programs, enable transparency, quantify impact, or validate claims related to DEI or ESG initiatives.

The Eco Well

MARKETING

Best Product Launch Campaign: Recognizes design, content, strategy, and execution tied to a product launch; can be a new-to-market brand or relaunch.

Beekman 1802 – Potato Peel campaign
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare – DermInfusions campaign
Dr. Squatch – Campaign spoofing traditional cologne advertisements.
Iced Media (Flower Beauty) – Drew Barrymore TikTok tutorials for Gel Crush driving to CVS.
Protéger – Editorial-style sizzle reel anchored by 44-year-old supermodel Karen Elson.
Space NK – Drunk Elephant Bouncy Bright Facial UK launch

Best Live Event: Recognizes the concept and execution of a live event as an extension of a brand or business.

Dr. Squatch – Stagecoach Music Festival campground activation
Fable & Mane – Live event titled “MahaMela” for Nykaa launch.
Hydrafacial – GLOWvolution traveling experiential program.
INNOCOS – Immersive destination B2B gatherings
Space NK – Get Party Ready” Salon by Space NK
Womaness – Menopositivity Tour, a multimarket live event in partnership with ULTA Beauty.

Best Content Activation: Recognizes unique concept and its execution tied to the creation of a new content initiative by a brand or business to engage or communicate with their audience.

HEAR ME RAW – On the street in a campaign called “Mike on the Mic”
HigherDOSE – Hot Seat interview series
Vella Bioscience – #StopFakingIt, a monthlong social media campaign

Best Community Engagement: Recognizes the building, nurturing, and activating of communities attached to brands or businesses.

Hair Proud
INNOCOS
The INKEY List

Best Use of Social Media: Recognizes strategy, initiative/activation, content creation, and execution tied to the use of social media.

Artisan Council (belif) – #FORO – The fear of running out
K18 Biomimetic Hairscience – Sofia Richie Grainge campaign
OLAPLEX – #OLAFLEX campaign

Best Metaverse Activation: Recognizes unique concept or initiative and its execution creating new experiences, services, and products in the metaverse/Web3.

CULT – Metaverse Beauty Week
göt2b – Partnered with Ditch the Label to raise awareness of cyberbullying.

Best Influencer Partnership: Recognizes unique relationships, effective partnerships, or initiatives in the creator economy.

BrainTrust Agency (Cantu Beauty) – Emmy award-winning hairstylist Angela Stevens

Best Use of Live Streaming: Recognizes strategy, initiative/activation, and execution tied to the medium of live streaming for communication of commerce.

Hairstory – Creation of a two-way interactive commerce channel

RETAIL

Best Pop-Up

Conscious Beauty Collective – A traveling pop-up of 30+ indie brands
K18 Biomimetic Hairscience – Magic Science Bus at the Grove in Los Angeles
Malin + Goetz – Quadrant Arcade rotating experiential space

Best Service Provider

Biologique Recherche
Glowbar
Joanna Czech

Best Retail Activation

ClearForMe – Allure Store
Fable & Mane – Sephora Dubai Mall takeover
Sa Sa – Rexaline launch

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Best Technology Solution Provider: Recognizes companies that provide technology to help beauty and wellness companies run their operations more efficiently.

Accelerated Analytics
BeautyFluent by Landing International
Duel
EYECUE
GlossWire
GlossGenius

Best Logistics Solution: Recognizes companies that provide third-party logistics services as outsourced services having to do with distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment.

ILG
PIMS
PFS

Best Ingredient Supplier: Recognizes companies that provide raw material ingredients used in formulating beauty and wellness products; it may include active ingredient, flavor, or color suppliers.

Makesy
Manuka Bioscience Ltd
Symrise

Best Contract Manufacturer: Recognizes companies that provide services related to the production, formulation, and filling of beauty and wellness products.

Scent Marketing
Solésence Beauty Science

Best Packaging Supplier: Recognizes companies that create and manufacture packaging; may include componentry for primary and secondary packaging.

HCT by kdc/one

INNOVATION

Best Breakthrough Beauty Brand: Recognizes innovation by a beauty brand stemming from creating a product/service, consumer engagement, marketing, or design; can be a new brand initiative from an existing brand or a new-to-market brand launch.

BYOMA
Furcy Botanik
KIKI World
Noteworthy
Pavīse
Relevant: Your Skin Seen

Best Breakthrough Wellness Brand: Recognizes innovation by a wellness brand stemming from creating a product/service, consumer engagement, marketing or design; can be a new brand initiative from an existing brand or a new-to-market brand launch.

Being Frenshe
Luna Daily
Timeline Nutrition
Rael
Uni
Veracity
Wonderbelly

Best Use of Technology (Brands): Recognizes the use of technology (app, platform, SAAS) by a brand or retailer to solve a pain point, create an experience or provide transparency.

Alpyn Beauty – Integration of Jotforms
KIKI World – Onchain collectible marking
Kosas – Integration of Postscript
Myavana – AI system for textured, multicultural hair
Noteworthy – AI and data science personalization quiz
Prose – AI-powered machine-learning algorithm

Best Breakthrough Technology (Ingredient): Recognizes the creation of a new ingredient/technology or innovative use of an existing ingredient/technology associated with the formulation of cosmetic products.

Arcaea – ScentARC
BIOJUVE – Xycrobe technology
Clariant – Aristoflex Eco T
Debut Biotech – Cell-free biomanufacturing
Furcy Botanik – Djon Djon bioferment
Geltor – CAVIANCE
Inolex – AminoSensyl Ultra MB
Michal Morrison – βSTEM6 molecule

Best Breakthrough Technology (Omnichannel): Recognizes the creation of technology (app, platform, SAAS) to enable the execution of omnichannel consumer experiences.

Obsess – AVA by Obsess
Perfect Corp. – AI skin tech
SOS – Smart vending machine and OOH digital advertising platform

Best Breakthrough Supplier: Recognizes innovation by businesses that support brands or retailers and creates a meaningful impact in the beauty ecosystem.

Arcaea
Makesy
SOS

Best Breakthrough Technology (Supply Side): Recognizes the creation of a new technology or the innovative use of existing technology that created a material impact to a part of the beauty and wellness value chain.

FusionPKG – Airless-One and Atmos-One Mono-Material Pump Engine Technology
InFLOWS AI – Chemistry-based generative AI
TOSLA d.o.o. – VELIOUS Masking Technology 2.0

Best Breakthrough Packaging (Suppliers): Recognizes innovation by companies that create and manufacture packaging; may include componentry for primary and secondary packaging, GWPs, gift sets, or sampling.

Apackaging Group

INNOVATION – PRODUCT: Recognizes innovation in a finished product launched to market related to either formulation, delivery system, new format type, use of technology or sustainability.

Best Breakthrough Product (Bodycare)