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Above: CEW’s UK honorees at the Hilton Park Lane.

Subtle solutions

BEAUTY CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) announced their best beauty products for 2019 at separate events in London and New York. We look at some of the winners and key trends

 

 

 

Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) holds beauty awards on both sides of the Atlantic each year, with the London event at the Hilton on Park Lane, and the New York one at the Midtown Hilton. Each has a celebrity host: radio presenter Lucy Horobin in London, and twin DJs Angel and Dren in New York.

It’s at this event that the industry body decides which products can display the cew Beauty Awards seal in these markets, and different products are selected from entries in each country.

The British awards see nearly 300 entries in 31 categories, while the US one has over 1,000 entries in 46 categories.

What was apparent in both countries was growth in social responsibility along with the wellness movement. The Handmade Soap Company won the UK Responsible Beauty Award, sponsored by Givaudan, and scooped two other awards: Best Hand or Food Product—Mass and Prestige; and Best New Brand—Mass. In the US, a notable trend was the consumer push toward transparency.

Also Stateside, new categories for Beauty Wellness Supplements and Aromatherapy were added, recognizing the industry shift. A growth in vegan and all-natural elements were part of the wellness movement.

The democratization of the industry continued, too, with 13 per cent of CEW US’s members being independent companies.

‘After 25 years, the cew seal of approval continues to help consumers navigate the beauty aisles to make informed purchase decisions. As the only awards’ programme selected by industry insiders, we provide winners with credibility and have become the industry’s most important recognition,’ said Carlotta Jacobson, CEW’s US president.

The UK’s best
The Handmade Soap Company of Ireland won three awards at CEW’s UK ceremony this year, with its Lemongrass and Cedarwood Hand Wash named the best hand or food product (for the mass-market and prestige sections). It is made with essential oils and natural ingredients for cleansing and skin protection. Rituals Cosmetics’ cleansing balm—or more specifically, the Ritual of Namasté Purify Radiant Glow cleansing balm—was judged best new skin prep (mass) in the UK. It starts as a gel, and when massaged into skin, becomes an oil, then into a cleansing lotion. It helps remove impurities and can fight against environmental stress.

Repair and brighten
Balance Me’s Vitamin C Repair Serum was CEW UK’s Best New Skintellectual for the mass market. Just as the trends suggest, it’s a natural product (98 per cent). It helps hydrate, plump and brighten complexion and evens skin tone. It uses vitamin C, a known antioxidant that helps skin and reduces wrinkles; hydrolysed hyaluronic acid to boost what’s already naturally found in skin; Melavoid: a bio-active ingredient extracted from the roots of a tropical plant, boerhaavia diffusa, to help even skin tone; and Zincite, a zinc-rich active to help keep skin elastic and firm.

Cleaning up
Kopari’s Coconut Shower Oil also won a Bath and Body—Prestige award at CEW’s New York awards. Launched online, its organic and squalene oils attract impurities without stripping the skin’s natural oils. The bottle delivers the residue without any sulphates. The result: cleaner skin with a softer finish.

The classic
Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II—that’s its official title—shows that if you get the product right, a generation later, you can still pick up awards for it. Launched in 1982, CEW’s US professionals felt that Estée Lauder’s night repair cream was deserving of the Iconic Beauty Award for the prestige category. Estée Lauder’s ChronoluxCB ingredients reduce the look of key signs of ageing and boosts the skin’s natural night-time renewal process—literally a product that works while you sleep. The brown bottle protects the ingredients from light degradation.

Hydrate
Rodan & Fields Enhancements Active Hydration Body Replenish, available in a 200 ml bottle, was one of the products winning the Bath and Body—Prestige category at CEW’s New York awards this year. The formulation works on glycerin and hyaluronic acid to help moisturize the skin, and visibly diffuses skin perceptions and evens skin tone. •

 

 

 



 

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