For the first time, we are honoring promising student work. Inspired by the fresh thinking and enthusiasm of the interns who rotate through our office, we decided to add a student category to our 2026 BeautyMatter Awards. This will mark the first of what will become an annual spotlight for standout student projects.
"We believe that bridging the gap between academics and industry signals that the next generation matters, and their voices are worth taking the time to listen to,” Kelly Kovack, BeautyMatter founder and CEO, shared. “We’re proud to offer students a platform that helps them showcase their vision, build confidence, and gain early career exposure."
The criteria for submission requires that work must be created by an individual or a group of students for academic purposes or as part of portfolio development and is limited to work by people currently enrolled in academic programs.
Reviewing the submissions confirmed something we suspected: The next generation of talent isn’t waiting for permission to innovate; they’re already doing it. These students tackled real industry challenges with the kind of clarity and creativity of seasoned professionals.
Kovack continued, “Recognizing student talent doesn't just celebrate what they've built; it pushes the whole industry to think differently.”
This is just the first of what will become an annual spotlight for standout student projects. Respect the work. If you’re as inspired by the students as we are, remember this work is their intellectual property, so please do not infringe. Reach out to us, and we will be happy to connect you.
Future Founder: Recognizes a student(s) who has developed a differentiated business concept that would live in the beauty and wellness sector. The project should exemplify strategic rigor, clear market relevance, and potential to launch and scale.
Kyli Corder–Michigan State University—advertising management with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation
Ekos–Positioned as a premium technology brand built specifically for modern beauty professionals, the brand combines luxury aesthetics with intelligent workflow design to create software that feels elevated, intuitive, and deeply aligned with the salon experience. Customer experience is central to the concept. Every part of the platform is designed around reducing operational stress while helping beauty professionals feel more confident and in control of their businesses.
Jackie Maciuszek–Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)—bachelor of fine arts degree in business of beauty and fragrance
Ciao For Now–A skin-first bodycare brand reimagining the way we talk about and experience body hair. Its hero product, SEE YA, SOFTLY, is a hair-diminishing body moisturizer designed to gradually make body hair appear softer, finer, and less noticeable over time with consistent use. The brand serves younger consumers beginning to navigate body hair, as well as those with sensitive skin, PCOS-related hair growth, Accutane-related restrictions, or irritation from shaving, waxing, and depilatory creams. It's for anyone who wants smoother, calmer-looking skin without feeling pressured to remove every hair or compromise their skin health.
Veronica DeMornay-O'Neal–NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study—pursuing a self-designed concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship
All's Well–An interview journalism platform covering the beauty and wellness industry without paywalls or sponsored content. Interviewing founders, estheticians, and marketers and delivering both product/treatment efficacy insight for consumers as well as honest career guidance for the next generation entering the field. Unlike paywalled competitors, All’s Well treats access to expertise as a public good.
Saumya–Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)—bachelor of fine arts degree in business of beauty and fragrance with a minor in fashion marketing and management
KAIA–A therapeutic fragrance and wellness system designed for the complete arc of movement (activation, endurance, reset, and recovery). The brand is built around a simple belief: movement is medicine. And every movement session has a before, during, and after. Most brands live in one of those moments. KAIA was built for all four.
Tinley Peters–Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)—studying the business of beauty and fragrance with a minor in package design
GLOSSA–A beauty‑coded oral care brand designed for Gen Alpha, a generation raised on sensory discovery, digital play, and self‑expression. Instead of treating oral care as a daily chore, GLOSSA reframes it as an exciting, identity‑building routine through flavorful, innovative formulas with playful sensory packaging—taking the modern beauty approach into oral care.
Emerging Marketer: Recognizes a student(s) whose campaign, branding, or growth strategy reflects deep consumer understanding and creative thinking. The project should articulate a clear brief, demonstrate strategic rigor, and deliver executional excellence.
Ria-Jasmine Ladva––Parsons School of Design (The New School)—master of professional studies degree in fashion management
MAKE SOME NOISE– An integrated brand campaign designed to reposition Fenty Beauty from a brand known for inclusivity to a cultural platform for self-expression. The strategy leverages a hypothetical Rihanna album launch as a cultural catalyst, using music to spark conversation before seamlessly connecting the momentum to beauty.
Ogechi Onyeukwu–Duke Fuqua—pursuing a degree in management and strategy with a marketing concentration at HEC Paris
Beauty Beyond the Promotion–Addresses a key insight: While women invest significantly in beauty products and services to feel confident and prepared, many still face barriers when advocating for themselves professionally, including asking for promotions, negotiating compensation, and pursuing leadership opportunities. The campaign moves beyond traditional transformation narratives and positions beauty as a catalyst for personal and professional confidence. Through research, storytelling, and community engagement, the campaign connects beauty rituals with measurable career actions.
Emerging Science Innovator: Recognizes a student(s) advancing beauty and wellness through innovation in formulation, R&D, sustainability, or materials. The work should demonstrate a clear brief that balances technical performance and execution.
AJ Addae–UCLA—PhD candidate in chemistry
Zinc oxide (ZnO) tetrapod UV filter dispersion–For use in sunscreen formulations, it reduces white cast and improves stability of sunscreen formulas. ZnO tetrapods are micron-sized, four-armed ZnO particles produced through a flame-synthesis method, yielding a highly uniform size and shape. The tetrapod geometry naturally creates networks where neighboring particles hold each other at a fixed distance, reducing the aggregation that causes sunscreen’s white cast. These particles form a structure that reflects visible light more specularly, meaning the light bounces off in a more directional way rather than scattering diffusely, which is what causes sunscreen to have a white cast. The result is a warmer, more skin-toned finish.
Amari Ford–University of Alabama in Huntsville—PhD candidate in chemistry
OptiK–An advanced software platform that computes the exact quantities of compounds required in a mixture to achieve absolute transparency. The main objective is transforming suncare R&D by eliminating the multibillion-dollar white cast dilemma and bypassing biased in vivo testing. The vision is to scale this computational software across color cosmetics, skincare, and emulsion science, entirely replacing traditional, wasteful trial-and-error benchwork with digitized, mathematically optimized product formulation.
Alara Kilic–Rutgers University—master of business and science degree in personal care science; University of Massachusetts Amherst—bachelor of science degree in biochemistry
Sustainable Controlled Release Lip Care System Using Upcycled Antioxidants–This concept addresses several challenges within the intersection of sustainability and cosmetic formulation science. Although agricultural byproducts are rich in valuable bioactive compounds, many remain underutilized and are not widely available as cosmetic ingredients despite their functional potential. By exploring the recovery of carotenoid lycopene, ferulic acid, and vanillic acid from agricultural byproducts, this project demonstrates how these materials can be reimagined and repurposed for cosmetic applications.
Elysa Loraine Lebig–University of California San Diego–Society of Cosmetic Chemists— pursuing a career in cosmetic science, with a focus on color cosmetics
Scalable Lip Gloss Formulation for the Collegiate Market–Developing a lip gloss engineered specifically for the collegiate community made by college students, built around iterative, consumer-driven testing rather than internal assumption. The process advances the category by treating direct feedback as the design input, not a validation step after the fact, proving that products made for Gen Z are strongest when they're also made with Gen Z. This matters because Gen Z has become one of the most influential forces in the beauty market yet is often studied from the outside rather than included as an active participant in product development.
Brianna Navarro–Rutgers University—master of business and science degree in personal care science; UC San Diego—bachelor of science degree in pharmacological chemistry
Azul Cooling Stick Serum–The innovation reimagines sunscreen as a high-performance skincare experience by making sun protection feel effortless, refreshing, and desirable. The product incorporates the newly FDA approved BEMT filter for enhanced photostable broad-spectrum protection. It integrates advanced cooling technology with a smooth, gliding texture to deliver a refreshing sensory experience and encourage consistent reapplication. It features hydrating ingredients, such as menthyl lactate, panthenol, and vitamin E, to differentiate as a premium product in the growing suncare market.
Winners will be announced live on December 7, 2026, at our live BeautyMatter Awards Ceremony.
