The Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors association (known as ICMAD) has been the US-based trade organization serving independent beauty businesses of every size since 1974. And in 1994, the association launched its annual awards program to recognize the people, brands, and businesses that excel in this industry.
Until recently the ICMAD awards were known as the CITY Awards (CITY stood for Cosmetic Innovator of the Year). Just last year the awards were renamed as the Indie Beauty Innovators Awards, a name meant to be more in line with the current indie beauty movement and the current moment in the cosmetics and personal care industry.
The honor and the options
“ICMAD's IBI Awards recognize the most cutting-edge, game-changing product launches and brands in the independent beauty industry,” according to last week’s media release. “Earning an IBI Award represents one of the highest honors of the profession, a gold-standard award for breakthrough beauty products and companies.”
This year’s award categories for products launched to retail sometime between retail from February 28, 2019 and April 1, 2020, comprise skin care, hair care, color cosmetics (makeup), men’s, bath and body, fragrance, nails; and accessories, tools, and brushes.
For stewardship, the 2020 IBI Awards categories are: innovator brand of the year, green innovator brand of the year, best financial partner, charitable company, inclusive innovator, supplier of the year, and entrepreneur of the year.
The deadline and the details
This year’s IBI Awards winners will be announced at an evening reception June 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada (where the international industry tradeshow Cosmoprof North America will also be taking place that week).
The entry deadline is May 8, membership is not required, and all submissions will be judged by on originality, innovation, design concept, and more. “Submissions are reviewed by a panel of industry judges that include product development, branding, package design, marketing specialist, leading media and social influencer experts,” according to the ICMAD media release.
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Deanna Utroske is a leading voice in the cosmetics and personal care industry as well as in the indie beauty movement. As Editor of CosmeticsDesign.com, she writes daily news about the business of beauty in the Americas region and regularly produces video interviews with cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and packaging experts as well as with indie brand founders.
Deanna will be traveling next to the Personal Care Product Council’s annual meeting; if you’ll be there too and have beauty business news to share, feel free to contact her at deanna.utroske@wrbm.com