For the first time in over 20 years the CEW Beauty Insider Awards were not held at the Waldorf Astoria. (The historic hotel closed at the start of March for 2 years of renovations.) This year the luncheon was hosted by the New York Hilton Midtown, where the space for both the cocktail reception before the ceremony and for the luncheon itself were larger, and attendees were optimistic about the change of scenery.
Regardless of where the celebration takes place, the awards are a credential of sorts for the winning products. “It’s challenging for consumers to choose among the thousands of new beauty products and brands launching each year,” Carlotta Jacobson, president of CEW, explains in a media release about the annual event. “The winners of the CEW Beauty Insider Awards are selected by industry experts, giving consumers a ‘seal of approval’ they can trust for making purchase decisions.”
Indie beauty evolution
It’s no secret that indie beauty is big business these days. In fact, more than 700 of CEW members are from independent brands. And, the organization “has been supporting these emerging brands with its Indie Brand Beauty Award for over a decade,” notes the release.
This year, to keep pace with the indie boom, CEW added three new categories dedicated to indie brands to the Beauty Insider Awards program: Indie Fragrance, Indie Makeup, and Indie Skincare. At the awards luncheon last week, the awards for independent beauty and fragrance brands were all presented by Vennette Ho, managing director and head of beauty and personal care with the boutique investment bank Financo (as if to remind everyone in attendance just how pertinent partnerships and acquisitions are in the beauty business).
The 85 indie beauty brands in the running for awards this year represented nearly 10% of the total entrants. In her opening remarks at the award luncheon, Jill Scalamandre, president of Shiseido Americas Global Makeup Center of Excellence and chairwoman of CEW pointed out that indie entries were up 50% over last year, a stat “evident of the dynamic indie segment,” she says.
Beauty Insider Award winners
Here is the full list of the 2017 CEW Beauty Insider Award winners:
- New Game in Town (Indie Brand Beauty Award): Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
- New Game in Town – Fragrance (Indie Fragrance Award): Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Scent of a Dream
- New Game in Town – Makeup (Indie Makeup Award): Milk Makeup Holographic Stick
- New Game in Town – Skincare (Indie Skincare Award): Farmacy Beauty Honey Potion
- Does A Body Good (Bath and Body Mass): Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Yogurt Vanilla and Oat
- Does A Body Good (Bath and Body Prestige): Origins Post Workout Paradise Warm Down Warming Lava Scrub
- Blemish Busters (Acne Treatment): Clinique Acne Solutions Acne + Line Correcting Serum
- Turn Back Time (Anti-Aging Mass): Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Concentrate
- Turn Back Time (Anti-Aging Prestige): GLAMGLOW GRAVITYMUD Firming Treatment
- Keep It Clean (Cleanser & Scrub): Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-boosting Face Mask
- Eyes on the Prize (Eye Treatment): IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Eye Cream
- Lip Service (Lip Treatment): Fresh Sugar Cream Lip Treatments
- Bring On The Sun (Sun Product): Shiseido Cosmetics America Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ for Sensitive Skin and Children
- S.O.S. – Save Our Skin (Moisturizer Mass): LANEIGE Water Bank Soothing Gel Mask
- S.O.S. – Save Our Skin (Moisturizer Prestige): GLAMGLOW GLOWSTARTER Mega Illuminating Moisturizer
- Device Advice (Skincare Tools): Clarisonic Mia FIT
- Dying For Color (Hair Coloring Product): TEMPTU Airbrush 24-hour Root Touch-up & Hair Color
- The Mane Attraction (Hair Shampoo/Hair Conditioner): Drybar Detox Dry Conditioner
- Hair-spiration (Hair Style/Hair Care): Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast
- DIY Style (Hair Tools): Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
- All Eyes On Me (Eye Product Mass): Sonia Kashuk Instant Smoke Stick
- All Eyes On Me (Eye Product Prestige): Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics
- #NoFilter (Face Product Mass): L'Oréal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation
- #NoFilter (Face Product Prestige): NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint
- Seal It With A Kiss (Lip Product Mass): NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie
- Seal It With A Kiss (Lip Product Prestige): NARS Velvet Lip Glide
- Man Made (Men’s Grooming): Clinique For Men 2-in-1 Skin Hydrator + Beard Conditioner
- Male Attraction (Men’s Scent): Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme Ultime, Perfumer International Flavors & Fragrances
- It Makes Scents (Women’s Scent Mass): Vera Wang Embrace Marigold & Gardenia, Perfumer Givaudan
- It Makes Scents (Women’s Sent Prestige): Dior Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming, Perfumer Christian Dior
- Nailed It (Nail Product): Essie Gel Couture in Fairy Tailor
- Tools of the Trade (Makeup Tools): IT Cosmetics Heavenly Skin CC+ Skin-perfecting Brush #702
- (H)appy Beauty (Best Beauty App Award): GLAMSQUAD
- Most Buzzed About Beauty Collaboration Award: BECCA Cosmetics Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection
- Sustainability Excellence Beauty Award: Teadora
- QVC Beauty Quest Award: Hey Honey
- Best Seller Award, Mass: L'Oréal Brow Stylist Definer
- Best Seller Award, Prestige: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette
- Iconic Consumers’ Choice Beauty Award, Mass: Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Moisturizer SPF 15 Fragrance-free
- Iconic Consumers’ Choice Beauty Award, Prestige: Clinique Clarifying Lotion