75 brands, products, retailers, and people were nominated for IBMG’s new awards program, as Cosmetics Design reported in August. And in an online ceremony on September 30th, this year’s winners across 15 categories were announced.
Independent cosmetics and personal care is all about consumers and innovators
“Consumers are increasingly voting with their dollars for emerging brands that have unique voices, distinctive products and founders with compelling stories,” says Rachel Brown, Beauty Independent Editor in Chief, in her remarks about the inaugural Beacon Awards. And, she points out that “Beauty Independent's mission is to focus on these emerging brands and the Beacon Awards celebrates them.”
While many of the 2020 Beacon Award winners have already made headlines or been quoted on Beauty Independent, the site is now running a series of feature items, focusing on one winner at a time over the course of 15 weeks.
“Many of the most innovative products and visionary leaders in beauty and wellness are to be found among the small startups doing things that larger and more established companies would or could never do,” says Nader Naeymi-Rad, publisher of Beauty Independent and co-founder of IBMG, in a recent press release about the awards.
“These individuals and their organizations are a beacon;” he says, “they are a symbol of possibility, revealing the edges of how far we could go, but daring us to surpass it.”
15 brands, products—including hand sanitizer—and people won 2020 Beacon Awards
The winners of the 2020 Beacon Awards follow:
- Entrepreneur of the Year
- Julissa Prado
- Industry Icon
- Marcia Kilgore
- Brand of the Year
- Kreyol Essence
- Brand Launch of the Year
- Odele
- Product Launch of the Year
- Olive & June's The Studio Box
- Product Development Innovation of the Year
- Touchland's Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer Mist
- Best Packaging
- Kjaer Weis
- Best Social Media
- Hero Cosmetics
- Sustainability Champion
- Axiology
- Inclusivity Champion
- Spktrm Beauty
- Large Indie Retailer of the Year
- The Detox Market
- Small Indie Retailer of the Year
- Inside Outer Beauty
- Online Retailer of the Year
- Verishop
- Investor of the Year
- Unilever Ventures
- Indie Deal of the Year
- Topicals