CEW Beauty Awards

Let the product buzz begin.

By Mary Clarke, Cosmetic Executive Women

Think of it as Oscar season for beauty products, as the industry gears up for the 2011 CEW Beauty Awards. Known for honoring the most innovative products of the year, the awards are voted on by beauty-industry professionals—key insiders.

“A CEW Beauty Award is valuable because it is recognized by the consumer and drives sales at retail,” says CEW president Carlotta Jacobson. “For the 2011 Awards, our goal is to continue to bring relevance to the awards with a brand new award that’s important for the industry.”

New this year is the Eco Beauty Award, sponsored by Givaudan. The award will recognize a product or line that has moved toward the goal of sustainability—by eliminating substances such as phthalates, for example, or adopting biodegradable packaging. The winner in this category will be voted on by a dedicated Eco Beauty Award Voting Committee. CEW Beauty Award finalists are voted on by CEW members, with the CEW Board of Governors determining the winners. All voting is done online, and is tabulated by Ernst & Young.

The event gets underway with the CEW Beauty Awards Demonstration on March 9 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. The sampling extravaganza puts each entry in the spotlight, and gives voters a chance to see, feel, sniff and otherwise engage with the products. Participating entrants have the option to further showcase their entries by providing samples for attendee gift bags.

This year saw over 600 entries in 26 categories across mass and prestige. Winners will be announced on May 20 at a luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

Visit cew.org for more information

Below are some of the 2010 winners, listed by category.

Acne Treatment (La Roche Posay), Anti-Aging Prestige (Lancôme), Bath/Shower Product Prestige (Fresh), Body Treatment Prestige (Origins), Cleanser & Scrub Prestige (Shiseido), Eye Product Prestige (Lancôme), Face Product Prestige (Living Proof), Hair Coloring Product Prestige (ColorMetrics), Hair Styling Product Prestige (Living Proof), Lip Product Prestige (Guerlain), Men’s Scent (John Varvatos), Sun Product Prestige (Bare Escentuals), Women’s Scent Prestige (Coty Prestige).