The BeautyMatter Awards are grounded in transparency and creating a level playing field. Winners are based solely on the quality of the submission by a group of independent judges. The one exception is The Person of the Year. John Cafarelli, President and co-founder of BeautyMatter, and I have allowed ourselves the guilty pleasure of making this selection.

Somehow, each year, when it comes time to make this decision, someone emerges as the clear choice. This year was no different.

In a year where volatility has taken on an entirely new meaning, our Person(s) of the Year are a breath of fresh air. Alexis Androulakis' and Dr. Christina Basias Androulakis', aka The Lipstick Lesbians, love of beauty is contagious, and their commitment to decoding beauty marketing and educating consumers is good for everyone.

Alexis, a beauty product developer and educator, and Christina, a PhD in digital education and technology, have captivated the beauty industry with their passion while providing brands with a new approach to product storytelling and consumer education. 

In a time when AI drives our decisions and algorithms predict behavior, their concept of beauty literacy has broken through the creator noise with a look behind the curtain on how products go from concept to the shelf. Their content arms consumers with insider knowledge, empowering them to make informed purchasing decisions.

Adroulakis believes,“Elevating beauty literacy helps everybody across the industry. The minute that everyone becomes more educated, hopefully, we’ll begin to see elevated content on more platforms."

The content Alexis and Christina create is a reminder of what a great industry we work in every day.

Learn more about the beauty industry's Bill Nye in an interview by our editor, Cristina Montemayor, and join us for Celebration & Conversation on June 26th on the roof of Spring Studios in Tribeca.