Skip to content
The highest-scoring natural and organic products at the Beauty Shortlist Awards are revealed today (02 March), alongside the winners of this year’s brand new Eco Lifestyle Awards.
Weleda, REN Clean Skincare, Dr Hauschka, Tisserand and Elemental Herbology are among 2021’s main brand winners.
Evolve Organic Beauty scooped the Best Skincare Brand (UK) and Spanish brand TWELVE Beauty was named Best Skincare Brand (International).
Retreatment Botanics by Olivia Newton-John (Australia) was crowned Best Vegan Brand (International) while the UK’s d’still was named 2021’s Brand To Watch.
Weleda won the first Eco Lifestyle Award, a new category for 2021’s awards. The clean beauty pioneer was named Best Eco Brand for the company’s 100-year anniversary pledge to plant a million trees.
Awards for planet-friendly packaging went to Dr Jackson’s and SBTRCT, a new 100% home compostable solid skincare brand.
The first ever Beauty Shortlist Eco Awards offer a fresh opportunity for planet-positive companies to showcase new approaches to sustainability and focus on eco packaging and zero waste, ocean protection, recycled ocean plastic and ‘buy-a-product, plant-a-tree’ campaigns.
‘These Awards are every bit as much a celebration of nature as they are of every single one of this year’s much loved nature-inspired award winners.
‘During the pandemic, nature has been our greatest comfort so it’s a real joy to see the winning products reflecting nature’s beauty and health benefits.’
FIONA KLONARIDES
Founder of The Beauty Shortlist Awards
Flower remedies, CBD chocolate, natural fragrances, aromatherapy, Ayurvedic supplements, 100% plant-powered serums and products with completely home compostable wrapping were praised by the global panel, which included My Green Pod co-founder Katie Hill.
Key themes this year include resilience, self-care, better sleep, immunity and mood-boosting beauty.
Meanwhile, sales of organic products have accelerated significantly over the past 12 months, easily outpacing non-organic across the beauty, self-care and food sectors.
Top trends from the 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards include:
1. Comfort, self-care, soothing
High quality CBD oil, balms and tinctures, flower essences (for grief, anxiety, low mood, better sleep), dark CBD chocolate, nut butters, jelly domes and CBD coffee are gaining popularity.
2. Hidden affirmations ‘Hidden’ affirmations are appearing inside product boxes, reinforcing self-worth, inner strength, hope, focus or peace of mind, to create a deeper connection with consumers looking for comfort in a fast-changing world.
3. ‘Zero trace’ beauty
Key niche brands are referencing the past with retro, easily recycled glass bottles or tapping into mushroom power (eg mycelium boxes) for compostable chic, while recycled ocean plastic (REN Clean Skincare), less plastic and less packaging overall were very noticeable this year.
Among the 100% zero trace and 100% home compostable winners are new British brand SBTRCT and BIODE (Australia).
4. Crystal power
More holistic, spiritually-centric brands are adding sparkle and crystals to formulations like moonstone-infused night serums or rose quartz face oils to enhance natural ingredients with a gemstone uplift.
5. Low-key, biodegradable packaging
Less is the new more – and low key is the new glam: more brands are reducing waste and utilising recycled card and biodegradable materials.
6. Inclusive beauty
Boutique and black-owned brands driving inclusivity forward is one of the most important trends and biggest priorities in the beauty industry overall, currently, and winners include Best Inclusive Makeup Brand winner PÜR (USA).
PÜR’s 4- in-1 Love Your Selfie Longwear Foundation comes in 100 universal shades. In addition, brands like Trepadora, Flora & Curl and Imbue excelled in the Inclusive Beauty Hair Categories.
7. Fresh skincare stars, straight from nature
Paracress, snow mushroom and Bidens pilosa feature among this year’s star ingredients, while butterfly pea flower takes on blue tansy’s mantle as 2021’s skincare ingredient of the year.
This renewing cream for normal to dry skin contains natural peptides, argan oil and natural hyaluronic acid.
Made with all-natural ingredients and plant oils. All over multi-tasking cream for face and body.
Simplifying your skincare routine can have a big impact on your health, wellbeing and the planet.
Weleda pledges to plant a million trees to mark its 100th birthday in 2021.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Weekly ethical news, offers, comps and a free digital mag (quarterly) – what’s not to love?
