Green Christmas Gift Ideas Hi everyone!
In the last blog we looked at ideas for shared family Christmas presents as well as experiences and days out as alternatives to gifts. Today I’m thinking more about how we can give ‘Green’ gifts. You may already know from my previous blogs that I’m a big supporter of businesses that not only seek to make their products in an environmentally friendly way but go beyond that, carefully choosing suppliers with similar values and ensuring that their business practices in general align with the ethos that they are promoting. Similarly, it makes sense that if we are trying to live more greenly ourselves, this may extend into the gifts that we choose for others. I sometimes think about how much progress Greta Thunberg had made, forcing world leaders to discuss the environment even though some of them clearly didn’t want to or at best paid lip service to caring about the health of the planet and its future. Yet, just as it felt like we were really turning a corner we were hit first by the Covid pandemic, then by the Ukraine conflict and now the living costs crisis. It sometimes feels like the governments once again pushed the Green Agenda to the bottom of the scrapheap so it's reassuring to work on the Green Global Makeup Awards and be able to see that despite current challenges, green companies continue to stick to their environmental principles. If you are in need of inspiration for green gifts this Christmas, then look no further than the winners list from the 2022 Global Green Beauty Awards. This year there were over 400 entries, so you’re guaranteed to find something that will be cherished to whoever you give it to. Here are the Top Editor's picks but check out our full winners list to find the winners in each specialist category! Editor's choice are the Editor's favourites from the 2022 Global Green Beauty Awards
Well, those are today’s thoughts! Thanks again for joining me and I hope to see you again soon! Ciao for now Dan
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Hi everyone!
As I’ve mentioned a few times before, I really enjoy working on the Global Green Beauty Awards and I can’t wait for this year’s! In my last blog I talked about four silver winners from last year’s awards. Today, I want to continue on this theme, writing a little more about those previous winners. Provacan were Silver Winners for Best Salt Based Products with their CBD Bath Salts 100mg. Founded by Clifton Flack who moved from the UK to Israel in 2005 where he swiftly became recognised as an expert in consumer and corporate marketing. He became particularly interested in CBD as an ingredient and applied his ability to really listen and react to customer feedback to develop Provacan into an industry leading brand with a reputation for customer responsiveness. They take great pride in their transparency and their science led process which ensures that all their ingredients are independently lab-tested to make sure they are from the highest-grade certified organic EU hemp. Another of my favourites is the MOST INNOVATIVE 'GREEN' PRODUCT GOLD WINNER which went to The Cheeky Panda with their marvallous Biodegradable Bamboo Facial Wipes. First of all, these guys have the cutest little logo featuring, unsurprisingly, a cheeky little panda! These guys understand how by using toiletries responsibly we can also reduce our impact on the environment and how bamboo is an ideal resource for making an important difference! If you still need convincing, these guys have some numbers to back up their claims! By using bamboo we will use 65% less carbon emissions than by using tree based products. Bamboo also releases 35% more oxygen, and absorbs 30% more carbon than trees. BRONZE WINNER from the same category was awarded to The Soap Loaf Company for their Cosmeti-Craft Solid Deodorant Crafting Kit. These guys are really exciting because they offer the unique opportunity to go into their workshops at any time during opening hours and make your own bath bomb, scrubs, body butters, moisturiser, lip balm, solid deodorant, solid perfume, foot lotion, shower fizzers and shampoo bars. They have tutorials available in the workshops and also take bookings for groups and parties! How fun! The company is also committed to running an environmentally friendly business and uses 100% recycled packaging as well as re-using and recycling all the plastics and other materials which arrive from suppliers. Those were three very different companies and products, all three had their own distinct styles yet they were all winners at the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards in recognition of not only their super products but also their dedication to clean beauty and the steps they made towards making their businesses and clean as possible while demonstrating a commitment to continual improvement! Thank you again for joining me today! It’s really great to be able to share the stories of winners with you and learn more about the inner workings of the companies which enter the awards! I’ll be back again soon with a focus on some more of my favourite brands! Until then… Ciao for now! Dan
Hi again everyone, Today I would like to finish the run of blogs on the Global Green Beauty Awards with a look at some great winners from the hair care categories. Firstly, we have Sóley Iceland whose Graedir Shampoo won Gold for BEST 'GREEN' SHOWER PRODUCT. Drawing heavily from Iceland’s largely unpolluted and undeveloped natural beauty, Solely are able to use top-quality ingredients. Their website has a wonderful video that shows the richness of plantlife there and how in summer, the blossoms provide a huge natural pharmacy. These ingredients are integral not only to their products but to their whole ethos! They consider their star ingredients to be the hand-picked herbs which are used in all of their products! Do check them out! Two brands shared the Gold Award for BEST NATURAL SHAMPOO. The first was BAMBeautiful for their Hair Thickening Shampoo. This company specialises in products which treat hair loss and independent studies have confirmed fantastic results. They make their products in England and are committed to being a cruelty-free and vegan-friendly brand. The joint winner was Bruns for their fabulous no1 Shampoo. Founders Johanna and Cecilia are two hugely experienced hairdressers from Sweden. They had seen some of the nasty side effects which customers had experienced after using products which were full of harsh chemicals and had a vision to combine their hair expertise with a commitment to improving the customer experience while working in a sustainable fashion and avoiding chemicals. A big part of their success story is the inclusion of Johanna’s 75 year old father in the business. He is fascinated by the composition of the raw materials and is integral to the formulas which make the cut. Founded in 2014, Brun also put out a wonderful magazine (see here) with further information on their green journey as well as some very useful pieces of hairstyling and info on their new journey into skincare! Finally we’ll take a look at the Gold Winner for BEST ETHICAL HAIR PRODUCT which was Zenz Organic for their Oil Treatment Pure no. 97. Zenz, like Bruns, also come with a rich history in hairdressing, although their founder is from Denmark. They focus on making hair products which are loved by professional hairdressers and their background means they know exactly what the industry veterans are looking for. They share the Scandinavian ethos of sustainability and have a passion for natural ingredients and eco-friendly practices. Wonderfully transparent ,their website gives full details on all the ingredients used in their products and details how they work to achieve 12 of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. So, that's it from me for now. However, the Global Green Beauty Awards will be back next year so I’m already excited to be working on that again. In the meantime, enjoy this lovely early Autumn period and do check out the companies I’ve mentioned today, all of whom were worthy winners and deserved recognition for their great work both in creating hair products and in their commitment to green beauty! Ciao for now! Dan
ALTERNA - winner in the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards It’s all about shine & smoothness this summer season... Our top product picks for creating the smoothest & glossiest locks The warmer weather can have damaging effects on our hair and can cause it to look dull and dry, as well as frizzy due to the humidity! With that in mind, we’ve put together our top product picks from ALTERNA Europe in order to achieve the healthiest looking locks this summer, which are free from frizz and flyaways and that are smooth with optimum shine! The kind of hair we all lust over! Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp and a good quality shampoo and conditioner are a must to help gently moisturise your hair and scalp.
The ALTERNA My Hair. My Canvas. Me Time Everyday Shampoo and Conditioner are the perfect duo for your summer hair care routine, helping to gently moisturise whilst enhancing shine, adding smoothness and improving manageability (which we all need more help with during the warmer months!). Switching your conditioner with hair mask every couple of days is a great way to give your hair further nourishment and conditioning too. Our ALTERNA My Hair. My Canvas. Cool Hydrations Nourishing Masque works to provide replenished strands with deep hydration, reducing breakage, frizz and static and improving the overall look and feel of the hair. For if your hair is feeling extra parched and is severely damaged due to pollution and environmental over- exposure, add in some of our My Hair. My Canvas. Jelly Fix Repair Booster in to your mask to help reduce future damage, prevent breakage and to strengthen hair and improve manageability. Do you suffer with a lot of frizz over the summer months? The My Hair. My Canvas. Easy Does It Air-Dry Balm is one of our favourite products for frizz. A frizz-control balm, this product is great for helping enhance natural styles without heat application (which we all love to experiment with during the summer months!). It’s also lightweight and won’t weigh your hair down. This product is also a handy staple to have in your handbag to fix your hair throughout the day/night if needed! If your hair does start to feel built up with products in the summer months, you can use a product like our My Hair. My Canvas. Meltaway No-Rinse Micellar Cleanser to absorb oil and sweat from the hair and break down product residue to make your hair feel shower clean! For shine our go to product is the My Hair. My Canvas. Shine On Defining Foam. This foam adds radiance, smoothness and manageability to heat or air- dried styles and is the perfect finishing product for your summer hair care routine. Alternatively, you can add our My Hair. My Canvas. Glow Crazy Shine Booster into your regular conditioner or hair mask to provide your hair with moisture, smoothness, manageability and an incredible high shine! There’s nothing well all want more in summer than Instagramable, super smooth, soft and silky hair that’s easy to manage! The judges loved this winning product range in the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards. https://www.alternahaircare.eu/ https://www.feelunique.com/brands/alterna https://www.douglas.de/de/b/alterna/b2203 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND AWARD WINNING BEAUTY BRANDS FROM THE 2021 GLOBAL GREEN BEAUTY AWARDSHi again everybody,
As you know, the 2021 Global Green Awards are an international affair, the clue is the name, right? Even so, we were delighted to have had so many winners from Australia and New Zealand; today I’d like to take a closer look at what makes those brands tick! First of all we have P’URE Papayacare who won two GOLD awards. They were judged to be number one in the BEST NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCT category for their P’URE Papayacare Skin Food and also took GOLD for BEST NATURAL BODY PRODUCT with their P'URE Payacare Papaya Renew Cream. This wonderful New Zealand brand was started by a group of Naturopaths (I love this word!!!) who had a brand ethos of being Natural By Nature. They strictly use food grade ingredients and are passionate about avoiding any kind of ingredient which could be harmful, especially chemical ingredients. As the name implies, they use Papaya ingredients due to their vitamins, minerals and healthy enzymes. Meanwhile, Australia’s Founders Formula took home Gold for BEST VEGAN SKINCARE PRODUCT for their Phyto-A+ Australian Native Tobacco Serum. Founded by anthropologist Dr Annie Holden who used her scientific knowledge to identify that Australian plants have some amazing properties which they have evolved due to the isolated nature of the country and these powerful adaptations to living in the extreme Australian climate mean they can be excellent ingredients for the skin. Even more interestingly, there are still thousands of plants which are yet to be studied so there is potential for even more exciting news in the future. Definitely a company to keep an eye on! Editor’s Choice Gold Winner at the Global Green Awards was TE WAI ~ 'The Water' from New Zealand. Founders Brooke & Carrick Graham spent 3 years doing their research before providing us with an incredible hydrating fine-mist face spray that they feel does justice to New Zealand’s breathtaking natural beauty and wild freshness. Experienced travelers, Brooke & Carrick clearly have huge pride in their homeland and a strong desire to promote it to the rest of the world. With TE WAI they have created a product which really makes anyone who uses it feel the desire to visit New Zealand! GOLD WINNER for MOST INNOVATIVE 'GREEN' PRODUCT went to Sensori FRESHIELD™ Mask Sanitiser Byron Bay Breeze 2481. A Brilliant idea, especially in these covid times, where the product sanitises your face mask, and also helps provide a fresh scent and prevent mask acne! SENSORI+ was created by three very different individuals with three very different expertise yet a shared passion for wellbeing and sustainability. They state their raison d’etre is to “anticipate and provide the latest wellbeing solutions whilst being the positive force behind the evolutionary changes across the community”. Finally, Australian brand Three Warriors won Gold for BEST CLEAN BEAUTY PRODUCT with their Face Tan Aqua Mist. Once again Three Warriors have a great back story behind the product. Founder Corbin Halliday openly admits not being too concerned about the ingredients used in skin products or indeed in food before falling seriously ill, realising how many toxins were in everyday products and completely reevaluating lifestyle choices. Consequently, Three Warriors are strongly committed to using natural products and providing a safe and healthy alternative to tanning! I must say I’ve absolutely loved sharing a little bit of background on these Australian and New Zealand companies and wish I could have written more but I do encourage you to visit their websites for a more thorough review of their great stories and admirable business practices! Until next time, ciao for now! Dan Hi again everyone,
In this blog we will continue to look at winners from the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards. Today, we’ll focus on some of the Italian brands who have been recognised for the quality of their products and their commitment towards natural beauty and green beauty. As you may know, while the other members of the Global Makeup Awards are based in London, I live in Italy so this really is a fun topic for me to write about! Let’s first take a look at the Rossano Ferretti Dolce Satin Glow Booster which was awarded Gold for Best Cruelty-Free Beauty Product. Now, as you probably already know, I love a good back-story! Who doesn’t? Well Rossano’s is wonderful and I’ll try to briefly summarise it here although you really should visit the website for the full story. Born in a tiny village near Parma in Northern Italy, Rossina had hairdressing in his blood, his grandfather was a barber who would visit clients by riding about oh his little Lambretta! Rossano had a passion for hair design and architecture and soon after completing his studies (in hairdressing, naturally) he moved to London to further his knowledge, despite not speaking a word of English! Eventually, he travelled the world and learned several languages in his pursuit for knowledge around hair design and later opened his first salon in Parma. He is now hugely influential and very well respected globally for his expertise and contributions to the hair industry, The Gold Winner for Best 100% natural product was Uoga Uoga for their Magic Wand . Launched in 2010 after initially making masks just for themselves and then for friends and family. The company's belief is that natural cosmetics should be affordable and replace every-day cosmetics. In 2015 they were awarded COSMOS Natural certification for some products and they are steadily adding this to all their range.Uoga Uoga are also serious about not testing on animals, using environmentally-friendly packaging and making sure production processes follow an environmental management plan! Liola Cosmetics Moisturising light face cream with anti ageing action took Silver for Best 90% natural product. Liola Cosmetics was founded by a small team of experts with the objective of creating an Italian brand of excellence and making exclusively 100% Made in Italy products. Their large production site is eco-friendly and they recycle 99% of the water which they use while minimizing co2 emissions . Papavero Siero Contorno Occhi Anti-age took Silver for Best Organic Anti-Ageing Product .This company was started by a Sardinian couple, Leyla and Alessandro, both experts in e-commerce. Disappointed with the range of eco-friendly cosmetics products which were on offer and wanted to create something which matched their own standards and needs. This brand also proudly boasts packaging, ingredients and fragrances which are exclusively Made in Italy. So, there you have a little info on the backgrounds of some of our 2021 Green Beauty Awards winners. These companies are all obviously dedicated to creating great products which are environmentally friendly. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about their backstories and hope you’ll check out not only their products but their websites to learn more! Thanks for reading and ciao a tutti! Dan Winners announcement for the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards Hi everyone! We are all super excited here today because today the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards have just been announced! Our awards celebrate green and clean brands - brands which are eco-friendly and which make a real effort to minimise any negative impacts on the environment that their business might have. We had over 400 entries into these awards, such a fantastic sign that the environment means so much to so many fantastic companies! The categories are for vegan, natural, clean, ethical, or with green packaging. You can read the full list of winners from the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards in our online magazine here. In today’s blog I’d like to take a closer look at three of the biggest names in the industry. The first is Molton Brown whose Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel Refillable Glass Bottle took GOLD for Best Zero Waste Beauty Product. Molton Brown has also been one of my personal favourite larger brands. Their shop on Windsor High Street always had the most beautiful aromas and wonderful window displays as well as fantastic staff. As such, there are always some bottles of their bath and body wash in my bathroom. Founded in London in 1971, Molton Brown products have always been made in England and the ethos has always been around quality, individuality and the world around us “There was this feeling of care. That’s really been the essence of what Molton Brown stood for and why the products developed.” Caroline Burstein, Co-founder and friend of the brand today. This overarching value of care, for staff, customers and the world around us has led to them taking Gold for their Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel Refillable Glass Bottle. The refill pouches boast 80% less plastic use compared to two standard 300ml bottles as well as being Vegan friendly and cruelty free. weDo/ Professional took Silver for best ethical beauty product and their No Plastic Shampoo. The brand was born from the idea of a small team within Wella who wanted to create a new product which would be eco-ethical, natural and Vegan Society Certified. Their mission was to “help people transition to a happier, healthier, & more sustainable lifestyle through acts, not words”. L'OCCITANE took SILVER with their Intensive Intensive Repair Solid Shampoo for the Best sustainable beauty product award. This Natural Beauty brand from the South of France has a strong commitment towards nature and makes sure that they work with suppliers who share their values. In fact, every single drop of their organic immortelle essential oil can be traced to local farmers in Corsica. Other causes supported by L’OCCITANE include planting 15,00 almond trees and producing environmentally-friendly Shea Butter. In fact, they have provided business development training to 10,000 women in Burkina Faso, West Africa who produce this product. Preventable blindness is also something very close to their hearts and may of their best-selling products are packaged with braille. So, there we have some of the larger brands who were winners at the Global Green Beauty Awards! In the next blog we’ll focus on some of the Italian winners! Ciao a tutti! Dan  The 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards are open!
Have you entered your brand yet? Please make a note of these key dates! May 30th 2021 - Awards entries close July 15th 2021 - Winners Announced Online Good morning everybody! It's Dan here and I'm writing from sunny Italy, where I live. Spring has arrived here in Italy and that has definitely changed my mood and it seems the mood of the people around too. Everyone seems a lot happier and I can see the ‘spring’ in people’s steps and the sparkles in their eyes when they say hello. I am excited about this and for a couple of other reasons too! Firstly, my tortoise woke up from hibernation yesterday, I miss his little face over the winter months and I am always a bit worried about him and hoping that he’s OK in his little hole that he digs under the Tea Olive Shrub (this has the most wonderful fragrance every September) and that he doesn’t get too cold. I am also very excited to remind you that this year’s Global Green Beauty Awards are now OPEN! We had a wonderful time doing these awards last year and we can’t wait to do it again! The Global Green Beauty Awards are very close to our hearts as we are passionate about protecting the beautiful world around us and inspiring beauty brands to take that step to becoming greener, cleaner and more eco friendly. Last year we worked with lots of inspiring companies who work so hard to create top-quality beauty products while endeavouring to minimise their effects on the environment though carefully selecting packaging (or lack thereof!), ingredients, suppliers and even distributors. It is clear that these companies are not just paying lip-service to the idea of being environmentally friendly because it looks good. Additionally, we also have categories for vegan friendly products. We understand how important vegan friendly products are to customers for a whole host of different reasons including but not limited to animal cruelty, ethics, health and religious reasons. We understand that it is not easy at all for companies to create beauty products to high standards and remain viable, financially it can be much more difficult to create green products and of course retail price is always a big consideration when choosing how to market products. But the work these companies do is so, so important and we feel it’s essential that they are recognised for these efforts! From a customer’s point of view, it can be very confusing when trying to purchase ethically produced, environmentally friendly products. Unfortunately, there are more than a few businesses out there that are looking to exploit people’s values and misrepresent their efforts to be ‘green’, ultimately misleading people. That’s another reason why we care so much about the backstory of entrants, we really gain a sound understanding of companies' raison d’etre and it becomes clear which are authentic and which are not. The Global Green Beauty Awards are a way to communicate that authenticity to customers who want to be sure about the purchases they make! So, if you haven’t already entered, please do get involved with this year’s Global Green Beauty Awards! We can’t wait to work with you! Until next time! Dan  Global Green Beauty Awards Open Monday 15th March
Hi everybody! Big News! We are so excited to announce that the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards open on Monday 15th March! These awards are really close to our heart as they celebrate companies which make a genuine effort to create products which are friendly to the environment. I saw a Leonardo DiCaprio meme this morning and while I can’t find it again now, the point was that if we all make a difference each week with our behaviour and choices, we will significantly reduce the damage that is being done to our planet. I think this stuck with me because there are moments when shopping where it can be so easy to consciously set aside my own values (especially regarding packaging and ethically sound companies) because I am in a rush or I’m tempted by a special offer. However, I am determined this year to stick to my values 100% and support companies which are making a concerted effort to improve things for everybody! Of course, in addition to being good for the environment, green products inevitably end up being great for clean beauty too and are especially popular with people who have sensitive skin. Our favourite companies are very proud to use natural ingredients and go to great efforts to use them, even when it’s not always the easiest option. We love that commitment to clean beauty and are proud to give the recognition that it deserves. Ethical beauty and natural ingredients go together and as a consequence, buying green also leads to great results in our beauty regimes! So, if you would like to get involved and receive some recognition for your efforts while also helping customers to make an informed choice, go ahead and enter the 2021 global Green Beauty Awards - Entries close May 30th 2021. We will announce the winners on July 15th 2021!!! This is our second Global Green Beauty Awards! Last year was a lot of fun and we discovered so many new great companies with wonderful stories behind their ventures and products. We can’t wait to do it again and build on our existing relationships while creating new ones! Some of the categories which you’ll be able to enter include: Natural Vegan Plastic friendly Ethical Organic beauty products Furthermore, there are no launch date restrictions for products entered We don’t require product certification but brands need to genuinely believe their product fits the category and demonstrate an authentic approach to green values. Some great winners from last year were Weleda, Dome Beauty and Inika organic, Eco By Sonya Driver- You can see a full liist of last years winners here https://www.globalmakeupawards.com/2020-global-green-beauty-awards.html#/ So, as you can see there are so many reasons to apply! Apply now and don’t miss out. Naturally, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch! We are a small team devoted to running these awards and we’d be delighted to hear from you! Take care All of us at the Global Green Beauty Awards  What have we taken away from 2020? Maybe that we are looking to pamper ourselves at home a bit more, and also that we are more aware of our health, wellbeing, body and environment. One product which takes all of that into account, is giving yourself a mini manicure at home with the green and clean brand called S'N'BIO. S’N’BIO’S mantra is one for all of us to remember. We’ve had some of their super nail varnishes on tests and believe us when we say we would have been full of praise for this company just reviewing their products without being aware of the scientific pluses to complement production . First, the product. S’N’Bio Natural Origin intense Gloss Lasting Wear varnish glides on the nail perfectly with each stroke. Some of us can hardly see our toes when applying and yet the end result was a perfectly even application. Top marks just for that. The colours are amazingly complementary, the gloss finish spot on. And it really lasts the course. So that’s the positives on the actual product but the production process really backs it up. One of our favourite shades is the taupe / mink natural shade that is very subtle. Another favourite is a bit more va va voom and is the ruby red shade. HOW IT'S GREEN AND CLEAN This plant based nail varnish is based on a vegan revolutionary formula combining the power of nature with an extremely rich long lasting nail colour. The natural composition is certified 85% vegetable origin ingredient. The double patented formula includes potato, corn, wheat, manioc, sugarcane and cotton. No damage to our nails or cuticles. They won silver in the 2020 Global Green Beauty Awards for best Vegan Hand / Nail Product. The umbrella brand, Safe 'n' Beautiful has more than just S'N'Bio. In fact, we were so impressed by the product that we are going to order their Snails products for our own little Princesses. This is a range of products specifically formulated for use by little ones and also includes a range of beautiful little hair accessories. The packaging is going to be particularly alluring to young beauties. For us this company can do no wrong. |
Danny's updates on the beauty awardsRead more about the great brands who win the Global Makeup Awards and Global Green Beauty Awards. Mostly written by Dan in Lake Garda, Italy! Submit Press Release?
To submit a press release please email with the title "submit press release" and the content in the email to editor@globalmakeupawards.com
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