This year the deadline for nominations is September 28th, and members of the association can make their nominations by clicking on this link and making their votes for products in each of 8 different categories and 20 separate sub categories.
The sub categories define specific products within the primary categories, including acne, anti-aging scrubs, lip and eye products within the skin care category, as well as eye, lip and face products within the make-up category.
The primary categories include:
- Mass and prestige Fragrance
- Bath & Body
- Skincare
- Men’s Grooming
- Make-up
- Men’s and Women’s Scent
- Nail
- Inside Beauty Award (independent companies)
The association has clear submission criteria, which includes that the product was available in US retail channels at any time in 2012, that it is a brand new product, brands are limited to one entry per product category and that collections cannot be submitted as one entry.
On top of the product categories, there are also two categories specific to the cosmetics and personal care business, the Eco Beauty Award and the Best Seller Award.
Eco Beauty and Best Seller Awards
The Eco Beauty Award is for products that have made serious steps towards sustainability. This category encompasses any product lines that have been launched in the US retail market in the past three years.
The criteria for this award are outlined by the association’s The Natural Step program, and each individual product entry will be scored on a basis of 1 – 5 according to each product cycle stage.
The Best Seller Award acknowledges the entry with the highest sales growth from any of the categories in mass and department stores in the United States.
The final candidates for the awards are chosen by the CEW board and then the vote will go to a ballet for CEW members that opens on February 27th 2013 and closes on March 30th 2013.