UNITED KINGDOM: The winners of the 2018 Sustainable Beauty Awards were announced by Ecovia Intelligence (formerly known as Organic Monitor). The awards recognize organizations pushing the boundaries of sustainability in the beauty industry. Approximately 100 international entries were received for the awards, with the winners and runner-ups selected by a jury comprising an ingredient firm, retailer, formulator, media agency, natural cosmetics industry organization and research firm, said Ecovia.

New Sustainable Product: PharmMatt (France) with Frescoryl Toothpaste in Tablet. Launched in 2017, the innovative toothpaste can be used without water and brushing. As well as having low water and packaging impacts, the formulation comprises natural ingredients.

Apivita (Greece) is the runner-up with its Pindos Wild Herbs Body Care range. The socially responsible products help fund literacy projects in the Pindos villages of Central Greece. Other finalists were Aveda Feed My Lips Pure Nourish-Mint Lipstick (USA), Hair O’ Right Goji Berry Lucent Intensifier Serum (Taiwan), and Trash Hero Love Refillable Beauty Products (Switzerland).

Sustainable Packaging: REN Clean Skincare (UK) won for using ocean plastic in its Atlantic Kelp & Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash. Launched in August, the product has 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic bottles that comprise 20% ocean plastic.

Hair O’ Right (Taiwan) is the runner-up for introducing a renewable shampoo bottle pump this year. Its professional hair care products are packaged in renewable packaging materials. Finalists in this award category were Boticario Group (Brazil), L’Oréal Source Essentielle (France), and Plantioxidants (USA).

Sustainable Ingredient: Clariant Active Ingredients (Germany) won for Eosidin. The natural active is extracted from green citrus unshiu from Jeju Island. Eosidin is designed to target atopic-prone skin and hypersensitivity triggered by indoor pollution. Advonex International Corporation (Canada) was runner-up with Entrada. The plant-based materials replace petroleum-based carriers in cosmetic and personal care formulations. Other finalists in this category were Ashland (US) with Harmoniance Biofunctional, Sensient Cosmetic Technologies (France) with Natpure Xtra Grape OP40, and Seppic (France) with EmoGreen.

Sustainability Pioneer: Neal’s Yard Remedies (UK) is the winner for its carbon management and biodiversity programs. The company celebrated 10 years of being carbon neutral this year, and has implemented a number of ethical sourcing projects that support biodiversity. Weleda (Switzerland) was runner-up for developing and implementing the UEBT “Sourcing with Respect” certification scheme. The Boticario Group (Brazil) and Hair O’ Right (Taiwan) were finalists.

Sustainability Leadership: Weleda (Switzerland) is the winner for implementing a range of sustainability initiatives involving raw material sourcing, biodiversity and conservation, green formulations, packaging, CSR and corporate philanthropy, and social impacts. Neal’s Yard Remedies (UK) was the runner-up. The carbon neutral company has a green manufacturing facility, novel sustainable packaging, uses organic ingredients, and is involved in various CSR initiatives. Other finalists were Apivita (Greece) and Symrise (Germany), according to Ecovia.

More info: www.sustainablebeautyawards.com