During ECRM's Euro Beauty and Men's Grooming Programs last month in Barcelona, we saw a great display of brands and products within the beauty, cosmetics, face, hair and personal care categories. While there were many great product innovations among the participating suppliers, four in particular were selected as our Buyers Choice winners.

For the Beauty category, Instant Effects took the first place with its Triple Complex Eye Serum. Second place was shared between SWATI with its fashionable cosmetic lenses and Skinnies with its Innovate Suncare gel. In the Men's Grooming category, there is only one winner selected, and the award went to Slikhaar for its styling routine product line. 

Dozens of entries were displayed in the hospitality area of the pregram, which is where buyers and sellers checked in and where they sit and get refreshments in between their private, pre-scheduled meetings. Buyers cast their votes based on product innovation and packaging. Following are the winners.

Euro Beauty Buyers Choice Awards

1st Place: Instant Effects 
Instant Effects is an independent British beauty brand at the forefront of scientific and technological research with a reputation for ensuring that every claim and promise is independently clinically tested and proven to deliver real and visible results in minutes. 

Triple Complex Eye Serum is a must-have skin saviour in a world where pollution wreaks havoc on skin. Triple Complex Eye Serum is the first, true anti-pollutant eye serum that’s clinically proven to stop air pollutants in its tracks before they can cause damage to our skin.

A powerful, intense and highly concentrated eye serum that offers unrivalled results. Ten times as effective as conventional eye serums, it reduces fine lines and wrinkles by 36% in five minutes, effectively protects against environmental pollution, diminishes dark circles & puffiness and provides long-lasting hydration. 

2nd Place (tie): Skinnies 
Skinnies solves the problem people hate with white and greasy sunscreen and is on its path disrupting the sunscreen category. Developed by New Zealand husband and wife team, Martha and Olly Van Arts, because they wanted a sun-care range that was quick and easy to use for both them & their kids, while being better for the environment.

With Skinnies less is more, it’s not diluted with water, so you use a pea size blob for your face, neck and ears. With Skinnies, a little goes a long way meaning a 500ml pump bottle is the same as a 100ml Skinnies tube, making it more efficient to use with less wastage. 

Skinnies Sungel SPF30 is an innovative alternative to typical sunscreen. The soft spreadable gel, almost like a coco-butter in texture, forms a layer that bonds to the top of your skin holding the UV filters in place so it won’t evaporate or sweat off. It’s also not white, so this means it’s ideal for all skin types and skin colours, as often darker skinned people avoid sunscreen altogether because of the after colour affect and sticky feeling on skin. Because it’s made with minimal ingredients for maximum efficacy it’s suitable for sensitive skin from children through to adults.   

2nd Place (tie): SWATI 
SWATI is a Swedish beauty brand founded by Vishal Nanda and Swati Verma with offices in Stockholm and Dubai. It develops innovative cosmetic lenses that allow people to express their own kind of beauty, whether by matching an outfit or completing a specific look. SWATI lenses work with the eye's existing color to create a natural-looking shade unique to the user.

The lenses are made of polymacon and have 38 percent water content for 6-month lenses and 42 percent water content for 1-month lenses and have a diameter of 14.2 mm and a base curve of 8.7 mm to fit most eyes. They are available in eight natural colors and are CE marked (Europe). 

Men's Grooming Category 

Winner: Silkhaar
Slikhaar is a Danish brand made in Denmark and Sweden. For 10 years the main goal of SLIKHAAR’s main goal to inspire men around the world to be the best version of themselves. With a passion for hairstyling and grooming, SLIKHAAR set out to gain acceptance in male maintenance, giving all men out there the confidence to start caring about their appearance and ultimately look their best. 

At the Beauty Awards Slikhaar presented the whole line of products as a 4-step styling routine; 1 wash, 2. pre-styling, 3. styling and 4.