Carlotta Jacobson, President, Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), welcomed attendees to a virtual presentation of CEW’s Beauty Creators Awards Finalists on July 13th—hosted by Brooke Shields. 

The newly named event highlighted beauty market trends and innovations, as well as the creators, industry insiders, and beauty connectors that bring products to life. Jacobson said that the new name and seal for the recently reimagined CEW Beauty Awards, reflect the evolving state of the industry.

“Today, the beauty consumer has evolved, and so have the Beauty Awards. As we embark on the first reimagined CEW Beauty Awards, we’re bringing together a mix of some of the industry’s most trusted names – from beauty execs to experts, entrepreneurs and influencers. These insiders provide behind-the-scenes access to the newest products, latest trends, and most coveted beauty secrets the consumer craves,” said Jacobson.

The event showcased finalists in 29 beauty categories, selected from 1,300 submissions, and more than 600 brands, and were chosen by CEW Beauty Awards Ambassadors.

In addition to such categories as Fragrance, Bath & Body, Hair Care, Skincare, and SPF, Jacobson noted the inclusion of two new awards, the Iconic Beauty Award and the Social Trend Award, saying that for the first time, in partnership with Cheddar News, consumers can cast their vote for these two awards.

Member voting for all categories would begin directly following the event, and winners will be announced at the CEW Beauty Creator Awards celebration on November 3rd, 2021.

Jacobson thanked event sponsors, Firmenich, CVS Pharmacy, Financo Raymond James, QVC, Satisfyer, Presperse, Nielsen IQ, NYSCC, Badger & Winters, Beauty Inc, Cheddar News, Perfect Corp./You Cam Makeup, Consultancy Media, Fairchild Media Group, Suite K, Kaplow Communications, The NPD Group, and Ernst & Young; and introduced host, Brooke Shields, actress, author, and entrepreneur, who moderated the announcements, panel presentations, and brand stories showcased throughout the event.

Honoring the Creators

Brooke Shields said that the past year was “less about hair styles, and more about care, in particular, how we treat our skin.” She cited the unique format of the event, which consisted of networking, panels, and a wellness interlude. “Beauty is much more than cosmetics, and today we’re honoring all of your creative energy,” said Shields.

Finalists for the Iconic Beauty Award kicked off the list of categories.

Iconic Beauty

• Calvin Klein – Eternity for Men
• Clinique – Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm
• Dolce & Gabbana – Light Blue Eau de Toilette
• First Aid Beauty – Ultra Repair Cream
• La Mer – Créme de la Mer
• La Roche-Posay – Anthelios 60 Melt-in Milk Sunscreen
• Nars Cosmetics – Orgasm Blush
• Urban Decay – All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

Eye Product

• bareMinerals – Strength & Length Serum-Infused Mascara
• Danessa Myricks Beauty – Twin Flames
• Ilia Beauty – Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint
• Item Beauty – Lash Snack
• Lancôme – Lash Idôle Mascara
• Lawless Beauty – The Baby One Eyeshadow Palette
• Too Faced Cosmetics – Born This Way The Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
• Undone Beauty – Flawlush Brow Liner

Face Product

• Covergirl – Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation
• Ilia Beauty – Blue Light Mist
• L’Oréal Paris – Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation
• Nars Cosmetics – Soft Matte Complete Foundation
• Ogee – Sculpted Face Stick
• Rare Beauty – Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
• Shiseido Americas – Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation
• The Ordinary – Concealer

Lip Product

• Beauty Counter – Beyond Gloss
• Bobbi Brown Cosmetics – Crushed Oil Infused Gloss
• Hourglass Cosmetics – Confession Lipstick Red 0
• House of Sillage – Disney x House of Sillage Beauty Playful Nude Diamond Powder Lipstick
• It Cosmetics – Pillow Lips Solid Serum Lip Gloss
• Lawless Beauty – Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Gloss
• Maybelline New York – Color Sensational Ultimate Slim Lipstick
• POParazzi – PH Reactive Lip Balm

Makeup Tools

• COVER FX – Custom Application Brush
• e.l.f. Cosmetics – Putty Primer Applicator
• Eco Tools – BioBlender
• Eylure London – Line & Lash Adhesive Pen
• Grande Cosmetics – GrandeLASH-LIFT Heated Lash Curler
• LoveSeen – Cate Lash
• Luminess – Breeze Airbrush System Kit
• Sephora – Total Coverage Original Sponge

Nail Product

• butter LONDON – Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly Preserve Strengthening Treatment
• Clutch Nails – Pink Ombré Press On Nails
• Essie – Expressie by essie in crop top and roll
• KISS – Majestic Nails
Nails Inc London – Plant Power
• OPI – Nail Lacquer in “Complimentary Wine”
• Pretty Smart Innovations – Stimunail
• Sally Hansen – Spa Collection Peel-Off Nail Mask

Women’s Scent

• Burberry – Her London Dream
• Clean Beauty Collective – Clean Reserve Lush Fleur
• Gucci Bloom – Profumo di Fiori Eau de Parfum
• House of Sillage – Mickey Mouse the Fragrance – Disney x House of Sillage
• Marc Jacobs Fragrances – Perfect Marc Jacobs
• Molton Brown – Milk Musk Eau de Parfum
• Skylar Fragrances – Vanilla Sky Eau de Toilette
• Valentino Beauty – Voce Viva Eau de Parfum

Men’s Scent

• C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries – Elixir Black Cologne
• DOLCE & GABBANA Fragrances – K by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Parfum
• Gucci – Gulity Pour Homme Eau de Parfum
• House of Sillage – Men’s Gentlemen’s Collection – The Contemporary Parfum
• Hugo Boss – BOSS Bottled Eau de Parfum
• John Varvatos – John Varvatos XX
• Ralph Lauren Fragrances – Polo Deep Blue Parfum

Sustainable Ingredients

Shields alluded to the history and mystery of fragrance, noting that innovation is happening on every level of fragrance creation, particularly in the area of sustainable ingredients. She welcomed Frank Voelkl, Principal Perfumer, Firmenich and Jill Scalamandre, President, bareMinerals, Buxom, and CEW Chairwoman, to discuss sustainability and ethics in ingredient sources and development.
     
Scalamandre began by asking Voelkl to address the sustainability question as it relates to consumers today. Voelkl said the subject of sustainability is huge today, adding that in recent years Firmenich created an approach to “Create for Good,” which seeks to combine the best of nature and science, to be clean, and eco-friendly. It is based on three pillars, namely, climate change, preserving nature, and caring about people.

“The whole sustainability issue is definitely a huge buzz word and something close to our heart at Firmenich. Carbon impact, responsible sourcing, biodegradability, and transparency are key. Consumers want to know how ingredients are sourced, where they are harvested, who made them. It’s all about transparency. All of these details which people didn’t pay attention to many years ago are now extremely important,” said Voelkl.
 
“The farmers we work with abide by strict rules of conduct and all the products they farm have to be traceable, harvested and produced in such a way that they have a positive impact on the social fabric,” said Voelkl. 

Scalamandre asked, “What is Firmenich strategically doing to win in the natural space?” Voelkl replied, “As a perfumer we have a program at Firmenich called Naturals Together, which was created in 2014 by Dominique Roques, who had a genius idea. He chose farmers that were on board with our idea of sustainability and created a platform with 28 partners in every continent, with very high standards, willing to work in the same ethical and sustainable way together.”

“Environmentally friendly and really beautiful, we work with them as a group, having meetings with all the global partners, during which we can share experiences. For example, in Morocco, we work with the orange flower pickers, and we empower the women there locally; and we have created a school in Madagascar, as well as a partnership in India, with jasmine farmers. Every farmer drops off their jasmine flowers, and it is a very beautiful system. I was able to experience it myself on a trip to India several years ago,” said Voelkl.

He also had the opportunity to go to Guatemala and work with the producers of cardamom. “Basically, cardamom for the families in Guatemala, is the currency that their families live on. We had a town hall meeting in the middle of nowhere with the growers, and we know that every time we use cardamom from Guatemala, we have a direct impact on their lives,” he said.

Relationships with suppliers and the people of their land continues to be an important part of the collaboration.

Scalamandre concluded with a question about technological innovation in fragrance development.  “We have been working with biotechnology ingredients,” said Voelkl, who cited a “hot off the press” technology, published in June, called Feel Good, which is a new technology to extract biomass.

“Firmenich started working on it a couple of years ago in the south of France. We have three new ingredients now in our palette, a pear, ginger, and a bell pepper. We’re able to go to the farmers market and can take the essence of the pear, ginger or bell pepper and extract it without the use of any solvent or high heat. We basically extract the water within the biomass and extract the odorant component out of the water. There is not a lot of alteration when you do this. It’s very low energy consumption, organic, and it’s highly sustainable because you don’t need a lot of biomass to get the product,” he said.

“What does the consumer smell? Anything different?” asked Scalamandre. “The consumer will see that it smells like it was in nature, like holding the fresh pear, ginger or bell pepper in your hand. That’s how real to nature it is. People don’t always realize that when you smell a rose extract it doesn’t smell like the rose itself, but this is the essence of the fresh pear or ginger,” said Voelkl. “It sounds like you’re getting kinder and closer to nature and I’m excited for the future,” concluded Scalamandre.

Specialty Categories

Shields announced the Sustainability Excellence Award presented by Firmenich, saying that this award makes sustainability a priority, and it includes ingredients, recyclability, and packaging, as key elements of a brand’s mission. According to Nielsen IQ, 43% of customers are willing to pay more for products with recyclable packaging. Here are the finalists in the Sustainability Excellence Award category.

Sustainability Excellence Award

• Ace of Air
• Aveda
• Cheekbone Beauty
• Eva NYC
• Grove Collaborative
• Mustela®
• Noble Panacea
• Unwrapped Life

QVC Beauty Quest Award

• + LUX  Unfilterd
• Bouclème
• Danessa Myricks Beauty
• Droplette
• Glo Skin Beauty
• Gussi
• Layers Skincare
• Mother Dirt

Bath & Body

• Boscia Papaya and Pomegranate Enzyme Exfoliating Body Cleanser
• C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries Herbaal Comfort Soak
• Dove Cream Oil Intensive Body Lotion
• MUTHA Body Butter
• Nécessaire The Body Serum
• Sally Hansen Spa Collection Hydrating Hand Mask
• Supergoop! Glowscreen Body
• Vaseline® All-Over Body Balm Jelly Stick

Sun Product

• CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Sheer Tint
• Dermstore Collection Daily Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40
• Dr. Brandt Skincare Liquid Sun Shield™ SPF 50
• SOL by Jergens Sunless Tanning Water Mousse
• NEUTROGENA® Invisible Daily Defense Face Mist SPF 50
• Sun Bum Original SPF 45 Sunscreen Face Mist
• Supergoop! Glowscreen
• TULA Skincare Protect + Glow SPF

Men’s Grooming

• 18.21 Man Made Beard, Hair, and Skin Oil
• Bevel 2-in-1 Exfoliating Toner Pads
• Burt’s Bees® Men’s Conditioning Beard Balm
• Head & Shoulders Shaping Pomade
• KeepItAnchored Hair Anchoring Essence for Men
• Oars + Alps Everyday Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer with SPF 37
• SheaMoisture Men Avocado Butter & Manuka Honey Deep Conditioner
• Skinbetter science Solo Hydrating Defense

CBD Beauty

• Burt’s Bees® Full-Spectrum CBD Facial Oil
• e.l.f. cosmetics 5 MG CBD Lip Oil
• Flowerkist NUTRIENT-RICH BEAUTY OIL WITH CBD
• Hempz CBD Eye Candy Revitalizing Eye Crème
• Honey Buz Queen Bee Probiotic Superfood Caffeinated Face Moisturizer
• Melach 33 Luxe CBD Body Butter
• SAINT JANE BEAUTY The C-Drops
• VEGAMOUR GRO+ Advanced Hair Serum

Wellness, Beauty Wellness Supplements, Aromatherapy, Sexual Wellness

• CORA Period Balm
• Goli Nutrition Ashwagandha Gummies
• NeoCell Overnighter Collagen
• Nutrafol Stress Adaptogen
• OLIKA Hydrating Hand Sanitizer
• Skin Inc Mask Liner
• The Honey Pot Company Organic Moisturizing Lubricant with Strawberry Flavor
• ZitSticka BLUR POTION

Hair Shampoo/Hair Conditioner

• Carol’s Daughter Wash Day Delight Aloe Shampoo
• Fekkai Shea Butter Intense Mask
• Living Proof Curl Shampoo
• Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
• Oribe Hair Care Moisture & Control Deep Treatment Masque
• Rahua by Amazon Beauty Inc. Rahua Hydration Shampoo
• Sol de Janiero Triple Brazilian Butter™ Hair Repair Treatment
• TRESemmé Keratin Repair Shampoo

Hair Style/Hair Care

• Briogeo Hair Care Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Oil
• Bumble and bumble Bb. Curl Defining Cream
• Drybar Liquid Glass Miracle Smoothing Sealant
• Goldwell Curls & Waves Soft Waver Lightweight Wave Liquid
• IGK Hair Care Good Behavior 4-in-1 Prep Spray
• Olaplex No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment
• Oribe Hair Care Bright Blonde Essential Priming Serum
• SheaMoisture Wig & Weave Tea Tree & Borage Seed Oil Flyaway & Wrap Mousse

Hair Coloring

• Bouclème Color Toning Drops
• dpHUE Root Touch-Up Stick
• Goldwell Dualsenses Color Revive Color Giving Conditioner
• Hally Color Cloud
• L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss
• Madison Reed Color Therapy
• Moroccanoil Color Depositing Masks
• Schwarzkopf® Simply Color

Hair Tools

• Amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush
• Conair InfinitiPRO by Conair® Smoothwrap™ Hair Dryer
• Dyson Corrale™ Straightener
• Hot Tools Signature Series One-Step Blowout Detachable Volumizer and Hair Dryer
• Kristin Ess Hair NANABLOCK 1” Pivoting Wand
• L’ange Hair Le Styliste Luxury Salon Dryer
• TANGLE TEEZER Scalp Exfoliator and Massager
• Wetbrush Original Detangler

Anti-Aging

• BeautyStat Cosmetics Universal C Skin Refiner
• CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
• Clinique Even Better Clinical™ Radical Dark Spot Corrector + Interrupter
• Drunk Elephant Protini™ Powerpeptide Resurf Serum
• Farmacy Filling Good Hyaluronic Acid Plumping Serum
• La Mer The Concentrate
• Paula’s Choice CLINICAL Niacinamide 20% Treatment
• Philosophy nature in a jar reset serum with bakuchiol

Eye Treatment

• Freeman Beauty Micro-Darts Pro Under Eye Patches
• Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask
• Mario Badescu Skin Care Caffeine Eye Cream
• NEUTROGENA® Rapid Firming™ Peptide Multi-Action Eye Cream
• Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Eye Cream
• Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C™ Power Brightening Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
• StriVectin Peptight 360 Tightening Eye Serum
• Youth To The People Dream Eye Cream

Lip Treatment

• Burts’ Bees® Rescue Balm
• COOLA Classic Liplux® Organic Hydrating Lip Oil Sunscreen SPF 30
• Eos The Hero Extra Dry Lip Treatment
• Fresh Rose Petal-Soft Lip Cream
• ILIA Beauty Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask
• Lawless Beauty Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Gloss
• Three Ships Beauty Buttercream Lip Mask
• Too Faced Cosmetics Hangover Pillow Balm Lip Treatment

Skincare Tools

• Cleanlogic Bath and Body Exfoliating Body Gloves
• FaceGym Multi-Sculpt High Performance Gua Sha
• Joanna Vargas Skin Care Magic Glow Wand
• NuFACE FIX Line Smoothing Device
• OPTE Precision Skincare
• ReVive Skincare RéVolve Contouring Massage Roller
• Shani Darden Skin Care Facial Sculpting Wand
• Vanity Planet LEDA Red – Anti-Aging LED Sonic Facial Brush

Ingredients and Formulation (NYSCC Suppliers Award)

• Actera Ingredients FOLLICIN
• BASF Corporation PeptAlde™ 4.0
• Eastman Chemical Company Eastman GEM™ retinyl sunflowerate
• EverCare Mineral Body SPF 50 Sunscreen
• Geltor, Inc. HumaColl21®
• Grant Industries Inc. Granpowder BBP-700
• Mana Products Inc. Clean Screen Mineral Serum SPF 50
• SurfactGreen CosmeGreen ES1822+

The Future of Skin Care

Dermatologists, Dr. Corey L. Hartman, Dr. Josh Zeichner, and Hee Jeong Son, Innovation Team Leader, Presperse, addressed the future of skin care in a panel discussion moderated by Andrea Nagel, VP, Content, CEW. As lockdown restrictions have lifted, more consumers are seeking skin care treatments and services. While at-home and DIY treatments soared during COVID, consumers are returning for in-person treatments. According to Dr. Zeichner, “In terms of procedures post-COVID, I’ve never been busier. People want to look and feel their best,” he said, adding that he has seen growing interest in injectables, fillers, and resurfacing lasers to address redness and brown spots.

Dr. Hartman said, “Patients haven’t stopped coming in since we reopened in May of 2020. When masks were in full force, the upper face was the area of treatment. But now that the lower face is revealed again, we’re starting to see an interest in tightening the skin on the jaw line, so we’re using a lot of radiofrequency micro-needling, and injectable treatments to tighten the skin on the jawline, as well as injectable fillers to help shape the lower face, jaw line, chin, and the profile. Those are the top treatments that patients can’t get enough of.”

He noted that virtual interactions were commonplace throughout COVID, which brought about a new sensibility and awareness. “The Zoom boom was definitely a thing because it forced us to interact with ourselves and watch ourselves and our expressions and it gave us a different perspective about how we felt about those things,” said Dr. Hartman.
 
Dr. Zeichner addressed the spike in at-home skin care, particularly in the area of devices, with at-home devices growing in popularity. He said, “There are some great devices on the market, but they don’t take the place of what we offer in terms of professional services. But, they are a great maintenance or bridge for patients who come in.” Within skincare, facial exfoliators were the top gaining sub-segment in 2020, and panelists addressed their usage, particularly during the pandemic.

“Exfoliation is one of the bedrocks of good skin care regimens,” said Dr. Hartman, “and people who were at-home had a chance to educate themselves about exfoliation with mechanical and product exfoliation.” Zeichner said, “We’re living in a society of over-exfoliators,” noting that while many patients turned to in-home products and devices they may have been over-exfoliating and irritating the skin. Hee Jeong Son, Presperse, agreed, and recommended products to exfoliate twice a week and not to break the surface barrier, which is how you get irritation. “We offer encapsulation and natural silicas, which offer the benefits of gentle exfoliation.”

Serums have also seen a rise among consumers, with 77% growth seen in the category, since 2018. According to Dr. Zeichner, serums are important, but also misunderstood. “They are simply a skin care product that delivers a high concentration of ingredients to the skin. They can hydrate, tighten, brighten, and exfoliate.

The key is to look at the targeting of the ingredients that are specific to your need,” said Zeichner.” Hee Jeong Son added, “For hydrating, the number one item is hyaluronic acid, and at Presperse we offer 4 different molecules from film forming to building collagen and hydrating. Jeong Son added that Presperse is also developing a new ingredient acid that holds 5 times more molecular weight than hyaluronic acid, as part of their advances in hydration.
    
Other topics of interest for the panel included the effects of blue light (light with an invisible spectrum that penetrates the skin and may lead to hyperpigmentation) and LED bulbs on the skin; the use of tinted sunscreens with iron oxide pigments in sun care products to minimize the penetration of blue light getting into the skin; and the use of Vitamin C serums and stabilized retinol. Iron oxide pigments that give the sunscreen their tint will help to minimize penetration. The Vitamin C ingredients and antioxidants come in to minimize the damage.
    
Innovations include increased stability in ingredients. “Ingredients like retinol and Vitamin C are highly unstable and the latest generation of products are giving us stabilized forms of these ingredients that can be combined with other actives,” said Zeichner. Hartman said, “Retinol is one of the most important in skin care, but can be irritating, so some of the newer products have stabilized the ingredient and allowed patients to use it without irritation.”
    
Trends across categories included the use of ingredients like Retinol, Vitamin C, and Niacinamide in skincare; as well as ingredient solutions to combat acne. Sales of facial skincare appliances were up 32.6% in the past year, according to NielsenIQ; and the DIY hair trend saw the biggest growth in hair color remover. Sales of hair color remover grew 28.5% this year, according to NielsenIQ.
    
In the area of sustainability, 43% of consumers are willing to pay more for recyclable packaging, according to NielsenIQ; fragrance sales were up 6.3% this year, Nielsen; and the ingestible trend continued with searches for supplements and vitamins seeing huge growth with collagen, apple cider vinegar, and zinc trending as top ingredients. Sustainability also had a big impact in the Bath and Body category, with searches for eco-friendly body products up 74%, compared to last year, according to Spate.

Moisturizer (Face)

• Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream Upgrade
• COOLA The Great Barrier Cream™ Fortifying Moisturizer
• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Firming Collagen Cream
• L’Oréal Paris REVITALIFT Triple Power Anti-Aging Moisturizer Fragrance Free
• Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Moisturizer
• ReVive Skincare PERFECTIF NIGHT EVEN SKIN TONE CREAM Retinol Dark Spot Corrector
• Summer Fridays Cloud Dew
• Versed Skincare RECOVERY MODE Advanced Night Cream

Cleanser and Scrub

• Buttah Skin by Dorion Renaud Cleanser
• Nudestix Lemon-Aid Detox & Glow Micro Peel
• Omorovicza Cosmetics Thermal Cleansing Balm
• RoC Skincare MULTI CORREXION® Revive + Glow Gel Cleanser
• The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser
• Three Ships Beauty Refresh Papaya + Salicylic Acid Cleanser
• Urban Hydration Bright & Balanced Aloe Vera Leaf Face Wash
• Yes To Avocado Fragrance-Free Daily Cream Cleanser

Face Masks

• BELOVED Cherry Blossom & Tea Rose Sheet Mask
• Buttah Skin by Dorion Renaud Charcoal Detox Mask
• Elvis & Elvin Inc Rose Stem Cell Treatment Mask
• Florence by Milla Hit Reset Moisturizing Pearls
• Freeman Beauty Deep Cleansing Powder-To-Clay Mask
• Immunocologie Lava Mask
• Urban Hydration Pink Clay Facial Whipped Mud Mask
• Youth To The People Superclay Purify = Clear Power Mask

Indie Skincare

• Alchimie Forever LLC Kantic light clarifying cream
• BeautyBio Glass & Gloss Megawatt Glow Pro-Facial
• Beekman 1802 Bloom Cream Daily Probiotic Moisturizer
• Codex Beauty Bia Skin Superfood
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
• Indeed Laboratories Inc. Bakuchol Reface Pads
• Irene Forte Skincare Pistachio Face Mask
• Lilah b. Aglow Cleansing Butter

Indie Brand

• Briogeo Hair Care
• Ellis Brooklyn
• Glow Recipe
• ILIA Beauty
• Nécessaire
• Olive & June
• Sky Organics
• The Lip Bar

The presentation concluded with a look at each one of the Indie brand finalists giving a one- minute overview of the essence of their brands; and a thank you from Brooke Shields for the opportunity to join with CEW in celebrating beauty in body, mind and spirit.