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.
Entrepreneur of the Year: An entrepreneur who has built a business that matters through inspired innovations, demonstrated vision, leadership, and success.
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.
AGENCY
Best Public Relations Agency: Recognizes agencies for developing and executing best-in-class communication strategies across media and content platforms.
Best Design + Branding Agency: Recognizes agencies responsible for crafting brand strategies and execution of design services.
Best Digital Agency: Recognizes agencies that provide best-in-class strategic direction, creative design, and technical development for screen-based products and services.
Best Social Media + Influencer Agency: Recognizes agencies responsible for developing social media strategies, campaign execution, content creation, and connecting influencers with brands.
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.
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.
Best Collaboration: Recognizes unique partnerships or collaborations between any two or more brands, businesses, individuals, or organizations.
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.
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.
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.
Best Ad Campaign: Digital Design: Recognizes unique concept, design, and execution of an ad campaign incorporating email, SMS, display native, video, or social media.
Best Spatial Design: Recognizes unique concept, design, and execution of a physical space, such as a retail store, salon, or spa.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Live Event: Recognizes the concept and execution of a live event as an extension of a brand or business.
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.
Best Community Engagement: Recognizes the building, nurturing, and activating of communities attached to brands or businesses.
Best Use of Social Media: Recognizes strategy, initiative/activation, content creation, and execution tied to the use of social media.
Best Metaverse Activation: Recognizes unique concept or initiative and its execution creating new experiences, services, and products in the metaverse/Web3.
Best Influencer Partnership: Recognizes unique relationships, effective partnerships, or initiatives in the creator economy.
Best Use of Live Streaming: Recognizes strategy, initiative/activation, and execution tied to the medium of live streaming for communication of commerce.
RETAIL
Best Pop-Up
Best Service Provider
Best Retail Activation
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Best Technology Solution Provider: Recognizes companies that provide technology to help beauty and wellness companies run their operations more efficiently.
Best Logistics Solution: Recognizes companies that provide third-party logistics services as outsourced services having to do with distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment.
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.
Best Contract Manufacturer: Recognizes companies that provide services related to the production, formulation, and filling of beauty and wellness products.
Best Packaging Supplier: Recognizes companies that create and manufacture packaging; may include componentry for primary and secondary packaging.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Breakthrough Technology (Omnichannel): Recognizes the creation of technology (app, platform, SAAS) to enable the execution of omnichannel consumer experiences.
Best Breakthrough Supplier: Recognizes innovation by businesses that support brands or retailers and creates a meaningful impact in the beauty ecosystem.
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.
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.
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)
Best Breakthrough Product (Color Cosmetics)
Best Breakthrough Product (Fragrance)
Best Breakthrough Product (Haircare)
Best Breakthrough Product (Men's)
Best Breakthrough Product (Personal Care)
Best Breakthrough Product (Skincare)
Best Breakthrough Product (Tools)
Best Breakthrough Product (Wellness)
