The Clean Beauty Awards are an annual celebration of some of the best and brightest in the green, clean, and natural beauty space. The awards are hosted by CertClean here in Toronto, but products and judges come from all over the world. This was my third year on the judging panel, and I’m so excited to share a little more about the experience now that the 2020 finalists have been revealed.
Over 370 products were entered for 2020, with the first round of judging taking place from August to December 2019. With up to 50 products in some categories, it’s impossible for each judge to try them all, so we were each sent a “jury box” of products in one or more categories, and after every product is tested and scored by several independent judges, the ones with the highest average scores are carried through to Round 2 as finalists.
For Round 1, I judged Face Wash, the perfect category for me since cleansers are one of my very favourite products to try out. Only one product from my jury box made it through as a finalist, but I still want to share my personal top three from those I tried.
I’d been curious about Biossance for quite some time, so I was excited to see this as a entry! Recommended for oily and acne-prone skin, the Cleansing Gel creates a light lather and offers a super deep clean. Personally, I find it leaves my skin a little too clean to use on an everyday basis, but I love it as super clarifying wash once or twice a week, and it garnered high marks from me for that reason. Dry skin types may want to steer clear of this one entirely.
Elevé African Red Tea Age Defying Cleansing Treatment
I have an intense love for gentle gel-type cleansers and the Age Defying Cleansing Treatment fits that bill perfectly. The ingredients, which include prickly pear, white lily, and African red tea extract, offer antioxidant and antiaging benefits, and the cleanser leaves my skin feeling soft, clean, and nicely refreshed. It has no noticeable lather, but glides across the skin easily and smells delicious, like the sweet rooibos tea in its name. I’m genuinely surprised this one didn’t make it through to Round 2, as I, for one, am thoroughly enamoured with it.
Vanessa Megan Prebiotic + C Skin Polishing Exfoliator
Vanessa Megan Prebiotic + C Skin Polishing Exfoliator
Made from rice flour, kaolin clay, yogurt enzymes, baking soda, and grapefruit extract, the Skin Polishing Exfoliator is a finely milled powder that offers customizable exfoliation. It can be mixed with just water for a stronger scrub or buffered with a creamy cleanser or balm for a much gentler experience. Using more or less powder will also alter your level of exfoliation. I like mixing it with other products, and am a big fan of both the salt shaker-type top that dispenses the powder easily and the twist cap closure that keeps it fresh when not in use. Another top notch discovery and one I'm happily keeping in regular rotation!
Congratulations to all this year’s finalists! You can find the complete list of finalists on the Clean Beauty Awards website. I’ve also got a Round 2 judging box en route to me now, so stay tuned for more on that in the future. More current updates and news can be found on my Instagram!
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