Each year, hundreds of ingredient suppliers put forward their very latest innovations for the chance to be honoured with a coveted in-cosmetics Award. These highly-anticipated and competitive Awards recognise the very best recent ingredient launches in one of four categories – the Innovation Zone Best Ingredient Awards – Actives and Functional, Rising Star Award and Green Ingredient Award.
In 2023, the first two categories alone saw more than 180 entries, with just 20 making the shortlist. In what is a highly competitive category, only three in each category (Active and Functional) can take home the title of ‘Best Ingredient’ – meaning there is just a 3% chance for those nominated to scoop the Gold, Silver and Bronze Award. So, how can exhibitors maximise their chance of success?
The awards invite exhibitors that have secured a place at the show’s Innovation Zone – the very first important step in the path for entry. Those who enter then face the prestigious and experienced panel of industry experts.
For example, this year’s panel saw representatives from L’Oréal, Shiseido EMEA, Johnson & Johnson, La Prairie, and more.
With their sights set on the entrants, the judges are tasked with assessing each ingredient’s technical advancement, scientific merits, as well as benefits to the end user. In the Actives category, the judges look to understand why an ingredient is unique, what innovation it has brought to the industry, as well as the specific product claims – from the efficacy of the ingredient, to how these claims are supported.
Furthermore, suppliers entering their ingredients will need to demonstrate the benefits to end users, how it meets commercial, social, ethical and environmental demands, as well as providing evidence of the regulatory and product safety data available.
Likewise, judges tasked with assessing entries in the Functional category will ask the same and more.
What is the innovative appearance, texture transformation and flexibility of the ingredient? How stable is it? What formation benefits, or challenges can it solve? Functional ingredients will also be assessed on how it performs in formulations, its incorporation rate, as well as how robust and PH tolerant it is.
Far from an easy task, demonstrating innovation that is backed up by scientific evidence and a solid dossier is what makes achieving an award win so important to so many of the worthy suppliers the Awards has honoured over the years.
The complex, inspiring and science-based stories behind these award nominations, paint an inspiring landscape of the future for the personal care and cosmetics industry leading to an inevitably difficult task for those chosen on the judging panel – picking the winners!
Ten judges are each tasked with scoring each nomination under the criteria a score out of 10 – assessing the evidence and often carrying out their own parallel research to give each nomination the best – and fairest – chance available.
And, while the hard work for the judges may have drawn to a close, three weeks out from the show, the nail-biting wait for those chosen to make the list of finalists begins.
What better way to mark the leading worldwide event for personal care ingredients, than bringing ingredients and creators to celebrate together at in-cosmetics Global.
