The beauty category is one of the most innovative spaces that continues to attract consumers. Whether shoppers are on the hunt for new skin care products, cosmetics, personal care/grooming items or products that have gone viral on social media, there’s something out there for everyone.

Drug Store News is recognizing some of the most notable names in the beauty and personal care space that are continuing to innovate and change the category in various ways. Without much further ado, here are this year’s Retail Excellence Awards — Beauty.

Rimmel London   Building on its color cosmetics, Rimmel London kicked off the year with its new Kind & Free mascara, which is its first clean, vegan and cruelty-free line. Although the line launched with mascara, the brand has plans to continue to expand its Kind & Free product line with new additions to release later this year. 

Another notable line from the beauty brand is its Lasting Finish 25-Hour Foundation with Comfort Serum, which helps users obtain a perfect complexion that feels great and stays put from morning to night. The foundation blends seamlessly and instantly into skin to conceal dark circles and imperfections while delivering hydration and vitamin E for additional skin protection.

Lastly, its Wonder’Serum, which is now part of the Wonder family, is a revitalizing lash and brow treatment that is ideal for beauty mavens looking to lengthen, strengthen and thicken their natural lashes and brows with a gentle and nutrient-rich formula. 

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Urban Hydration   Known for its clean and plant-based skin, hair, and bath and body products, Urban Hydration began as a natural sugar scrub brand with a charitable arm. 

The certified women- and minority-owned company, co-founded by Psyche Terry, donates 1 gallon of water to a community without access. The company also formulated an aloe glycerin bar soap that is designed to help conserve water. 

This year, the brand is working to launch a collection of products focused on scalp care and “backne” care to round out its head-to-toe personal care offerings that are powerful yet gentle for every hair, skin and body. It also debuted products with an array of fragrances including mango, lime, peach, papaya and vanilla.  

TruSkin Offering a wide range of affordable, clean skin care products that help nourish, TruSkin’s portfolio of products includes cleansers, toners, moisturizers, serums and eye creams. In 2021, the brand added a Vitamin C Night Cream, as well as expanded online and in-store locations. 

In 2022, TruSkin is growing its Tea Tree family line by launching a Tea Tree Super Cleanser, which compliments its Tea Tree Serum as a gentle solution for acne-prone and oily skin. The product helps cleanse and clarify skin without stripping. 

TruSkin also is working to build on the previously mentioned Vitamin C collection in the second quarter of this year.

E.l.f. Beauty   Featuring brands designed to disrupt industry norms, shape culture and connect communities through positivity, inclusivity and accessibility, E.l.f. Beauty launched its flagship brand E.l.f. Cosmetics in 2004. Since then, the company has expanded its roster to include E.l.f. Skin, pioneering clean-beauty brand Well People and Keys Soulcare, a lifestyle beauty brand created with Alicia Keys.

E.l.f.’s brand mission is to make the best beauty products and make them accessible to every eye, lip, face and skin type. It accomplishes this with natural, plant-powered, high-performance clean ingredients and modern skin science.

In 2021, E.l.f. teamed up with Chipotle on a collection that sold out of its first product in 44 minutes and the entire line in just three days. Other ventures include entering the gaming world with a channel on Twitch named elfYou to empower the diverse community, a TikTok movie to celebrate the holiday season and the launch of Keys Soulcare with nearly 20 product offerings. 

This year, the company launched Power Grip Primer, Camo Powder Foundation in 30 shades, Brow Lift and an accompanying Brow Lift Applicator, Glossy lip stains, the Pure Skin line and the Well People skin care collection. 

CoverGirl   CoverGirl is continuing to innovate in the beauty space with a wide range of cosmetics, including its Clean Fresh line, designed to help users achieve a natural look and glow with products containing a clean formula; Simply Ageless, a line of skin-care-meets-makeup items that help treat the signs of aging; Exhibitionist collection, featuring bold and pigmented hues; and Lash Blast mascaras that provide length and volume to lashes. 

In 2018, CoverGirl became Leaping Bunny approved by Cruelty Free International, or CFI, and the brand has continued to create products that are cruelty-free. Last year, the brand launched its first clean, 100% vegan and cruelty-free mascara, Lash Blast Clean Volume, as well as Clean Fresh Skincare.

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In 2022, the brand is rolling out its Stretch & Strengthen Mascara product, which is part of the Exhibitionist line and is infused with biotin, peptides and provitamin B5 to strengthen and protect lashes against breakage. Other product launches on the horizon include the Exhibitionist Eyeliner, which features a vegan and waterproof formula. 

Reserveage Beauty (Twinlab)   Originally hitting shelves in the supplement space with products to support collagen, keratin and resveratrol, Reserveage Beauty continues to expand its retail footprint and grow its offerings. Over the last six months, the brand has expanded into the skin care market, establishing its inner and outer beauty portfolio. 

Last year, Reserveage Beauty launched its Pro-Collagen Boosting skin care line, which features a proprietary technology targeted and designed for the whole body. The products offer an exclusive technology incorporating microencapsulated copper peptides, which are absorbed into the skin more effectively and without oxidation. In addition, the company created specialized formulas to address the most visible areas, including face, eyes, neck, décolleté, hands and feet, the brand said. 

This year, Reserveage Beauty has plans to debut its Resveratrol, Collagen & Keratin Gummies. This new product contains a new source of collagen, as well as a new trending ingredient in one supplement — eggshell membrane and collagen plus astaxanthin.

Kaleidoscope Hair Products Founder and CEO Jesseca Dupart initially launched Kaleidoscope Hair Products with four products via a series of viral social campaigns. Today, the company is quickly growing its reach within the hair care industry, touching categories from washing to styling and everything in between.

In 2021, the brand saw growth from expanding its mass distribution channels into Walmart as well as from the debut of its limited-edition SoulFed Collection, which sold out within a week of launch. In addition, the company was able to exceed its Q1 sales goal by more than 62% despite many production challenges from the pandemic, Dupart said. 

This year, the company released its Miracle Drops Collection, a multiproduct offering that includes shampoo, conditioner, styling and more. Containing a formula designed to nourish and protect strands while promoting healthy hair growth, all products are infused with the original Miracle Drops hair growth oil, as well as coconut milk, aloe vera and castor oil. The company is also relaunching its Therapeutic Collection, which focuses on restorative hair and scalp therapy with relaxation-boosting ingredients such as tea tree oil and peppermint.

Firstline Known for its range of brushes, combs, satin sleep caps, fashionable accessories and other styling tools, Firstline’s full portfolio of brands includes Evolve, WavEnforcer, Camryn’s BFF, DriSweat and Sleek. 

Continuing its efforts to innovate and set trends in the multicultural hair accessory category, the company continues to work on creating high-quality hair care and fashion items that enhance the image, appearance and experience of consumers. This includes working with its Camryn’s BFF line on a licensing agreement with “Karma’s World,” a new animated Netflix series produced by Chris Bridges, otherwise known as the musician Ludacris. The collaboration includes a collection of hair accessories targeted at young girls. 

In 2022, the company plans to highlight its newly launched daytime and nighttime protection products, including Evolve Satin Jumbo Bonnets, Satin Braid Bonnets, Satin Wide Edge Scarves, Wide Edge Stylers, Evolve Satin-Lined Turbans and Loc & Twist Starter Kit. 

Hello Products A natural personal care brand, Hello Products offer consumers a curated line of oral care (paste, brushes, rinse and floss) and personal care (deodorants, lip balms and hand soap) products. Showcasing its innovative spirit and ethos, the brand stands out as an innovator through its “seriously friendly” line of products, which brings a fun twist to key toothpaste benefits supported by ingredients such as tea tree oil, coconut oil and hyaluronic acid.  

New launches from Hello Products included broadening its toothpaste tablet line with kids watermelon tablets, a fun unicorn-themed deodorant inspired by its unicorn toothpaste and a TikTok account that gained 25,000 followers in less than two weeks. 

In 2022, the brand will continue to highlight its “seriously friendly” line and focus on its mission of believing that all brushers should be given opportunities to find fun, thoughtfully crafted, beautifully designed, carefully formulated products, said CEO Rekha Rao. 

Global Beauty Care Focused on offering high-quality, luxurious products with trending ingredients at an affordable price, Global Beauty Care’s SpaScriptions is an inclusive brand that offers skin care products ranging from facial serums, oils, capsules, moisturizers, cleansers, scrubs, cleansing wipes, under-eye pads, nose peels, anti-wrinkle silicone masks and personalized masks. Bath and body care offerings also are available. 

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Throughout 2022, Global Beauty Care is focusing on the launch of its Clinicals by SpaScriptions skin care range, which features products formulated to help moisturize, tighten, smooth and recharge skin. In addition, the company has plans to prominently feature its bath and body care products, including its Hyaluronic Acid Exfoliating Body Scrub with sea salt and cucumber to polish, soften and re-energize skin, and Collagen Detoxifying Body Scrub with charcoal and tea tree to purify, exfoliate and restore.

Billie A body care brand built for women, Billie launched in 2017 with a signature razor designed specifically for the way women shave. Since then, the brand has expanded its portfolio to include body care products that are clean, unfussy and thoughtfully designed.

In 2021, the brand focused on three key areas — distribution, product and brand — according to co-founder Georgina Gooley. The company formed its first retail partnership with Walmart, which began in January of this year, and introduced updates to some of its most loved products, such as its body wash and shave cream. A newly launched handle, Malibu, has become a favorite among customers. 

In addition, Billie worked on a number of campaigns that tackled some of the societal pressures women face beyond body hair, including a “Think of a Woman” campaign for International Women’s Day, which challenged viewers to re-examine their own unconscious biases and consider an expanded definition of what it means to be a woman.  

For what’s to come in 2022, Billie is focused on continuing to deliver best-in-class shaving products through exciting limited-edition launches, such as its Astrology Shave Kit and new products that will round out the full shave routine.

Garcoa Garcoa manufactures hand and body lotion, hair care, skin and complexion, acne, body wash, foot care, feminine hygiene, and pain relief products. In 2021, the brand worked to leverage its experience in trendspotting to study the lifestyle changes that were born out of the pandemic. The end result was introducing items in all of the aforementioned categories that were timely and on trend. 

In 2022, the brand is working on developing items in face and complexion, hair care, feminine hygiene and home care categories that will revolutionize their respective spaces, according to the company.