The intention to do good is one thing, but change only happens when intentions are translated into action. More than simply doing good, the BeautyMatter Awards for impact honor businesses that embody change driven by a desire to improve their companies, the industry, and the world we live in.
These brands and businesses in the beauty value chain identify a problem or opportunity to tackle, decide to do something about it, and only stop once they make a difference. The beauty industry constantly evolves from diversity and inclusivity to transparency and sustainability. But there is still more work to be done.
The criteria applied by our judges while evaluating submissions included:
Best Impact Initiative: Companies involved in creating, marketing, and selling beauty and wellness products or services that implement initiatives that impact DEI or ESG.
Cleanlogic “Purchase to Employ” Initiative - A portion of every Cleanlogic purchase helps to employ team members with disabilities and create an inclusive, stigma-free workplace. Cleanlogic’s “Assembled in the USA” is another step in pursuing its mission of equality and inclusion, in which individuals with disabilities assemble its products.
Lush Cosmetics - At SXSW 2025, Bloom a New Day was an immersive experience created in partnership with Change the Ref to address the urgent crisis of gun violence in America. This activation highlighted the devastating impact of school shootings and supported the Lawsuit for Survival, a landmark case filed by Global Action on Gun Violence on behalf of Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting. The lawsuit demanded that the US government take accountability for failing to protect its citizens from gun violence.
MAC Cosmetics - Last year marked the 30th anniversary of MAC VIVA GLAM, a philanthropic campaign created to help members of its community impacted by HIV/AIDS. The 100% give-back model, VIVA GLAM has raised over $534 million for VIVA GLAM’s local charitable partners around the world—more than any other philanthropic campaign in beauty to date.
Pura - The partnership with the K Farmer Dutjahn Foundation (KFDF) and Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils (DSO) is a groundbreaking collaboration that redefines ethical sourcing in the fragrance industry. More than a supply chain innovation, this partnership is a model for Indigenous-led social enterprises, where economic success directly benefits the Martu people, traditional owners of the lands where sandalwood has thrived for tens of thousands of years.
Rahua Beauty - Through dedicated land-rights advocacy and conservation efforts, Rahua has helped protect 1,611,450 acres of Amazon Rainforest and empowered over 5,250 Indigenous artisans. The brand’s ethical production of over 70,000 pounds of Rahua Oil supports biodiversity while fostering fair-trade practices that strengthen local economies. Rahua also reinvests 30% of its profits directly in community-led initiatives focused on education, access to technology, and expanded conservation efforts.
Best Supply Side Impact Initiative: Suppliers that provide goods or services to brands or retailers in the beauty and wellness sector that have rolled out initiatives that provide measurable impact on DEI or ESG.
BASF Inclusive Beauty Accelerator - Supporting early-stage companies in the personal care and beauty industry that are dedicated to creating innovative and inclusive products, the program offered business coaching and nondilutive funding to entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds who are developing products for traditionally underserved markets. Participants selected for the program received a $10,000 nondilutive grant and benefited from hands-on coaching provided by leading executives in the beauty and personal care sectors.
DSM-Firmenich EcoScent Compass - The first digital eco-design tool providing instant, science-based impact assessments across the entire fragrance value chain built on globally recognized methodologies, it ensures credible and transparent sustainability measurement. EcoScent Compass integrates 15+ years of sustainability data, 120+ data points, and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) data across 16 PEFCR based on WBSCD/PACT and PEF methodologies, enabling real-time measurements.
Health Focus Manufacturers Environmental Management Policy - Established in 2018, the policy is regularly reviewed and updated, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.
Best Sustainability 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.
Debut Carmine Bioproduction - Compared to the molecule harvested from the cochineal beetle, Debut’s molecule has the exact same structure and the same spectrographic properties. It is 100% biosynthesized without an organic chemistry lab. The only difference is that Debut’s molecule has zero insect residue and common allergens, and it also has significantly higher purity—more than 95% purity compared to natural carmine’s 10% purity.
DSM-Firmenich SYN-COLL CB - Following Green Chemistry principles, the company redesigned the synthesis process to remove trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), reduce the number of steps, and prioritize bio-based raw materials. Implementing a streamlined five-step synthesis, the manufacturing process is powered by 100% purchased renewable electricity. The result is a collagen-boosting tripeptide that is 99% natural (ISO 16128), readily biodegradable (OECD 301), and suitable for sustainable formulations. This initiative demonstrates that biotech-based peptides can meet high safety and environmental standards without compromising on efficacy, scalability, or performance.
PACT Collective NewMatter - A suite of circular materials that transforms hard-to-recycle beauty packaging collected via PACT's takeback programs into new applications for the industry. NewMatter aims to keep beauty packaging waste out of landfills by repurposing the waste to create closed-loop, industry-wide solutions and applications. By pooling collected material from an industry-wide, brand-agnostic approach, PACT was able to create these resins and solutions much faster (in just three years of operation) and with more impact.
Primient Covation - A joint venture founded in 2004 by Dupont Tate and Lyle Bio Products created with the sole purpose of producing bio-based 1,3-propanediol from the fermentation of glucose derived from industrial field corn grown in the Midwest of the United States, their success has inspired the academic and industrial science community worldwide to invest in industrial biotech.
SURI - A plastic toothbrush can take up to 500 years to degrade, and the average person goes through 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. SURI is helping people reduce that number by challenging the norms of an industry built on disposability. Rethinking the electric toothbrush began with rethinking the materials, taking into account functionality, durability, tactility, production methods, recycling, end-of-life, and more—all while being as light on the environment as possible.
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.
SeeMe Index - A pioneering, AI-driven platform that measures, benchmarks, and celebrates brand inclusivity efforts across all consumer touchpoints. Using responsible AI, the platform evaluates brands’ public ads, websites, products, and brand purpose efforts and measures representation of gender expressions, ages, skintones, sexual orientations, body sizes, and visible disabilities. By quantifying inclusivity with precise, data-driven metrics, SeeMe Index not only reveals disparities in representation but also offers actionable insights that drive opportunities for brand growth.
