FreeFrom Skincare Awards: winners revealed

Harborist’s Balm-Gel Cleanser took home the Overall Award for Best Free From Skincare Product, making it the standout product for this year’s FreeFrom Skincare Awards - the seventh year it has taken place.

Kirsty Mawhinney, Awards’ Administrator explains: “It contains no beeswax, lanolin, essential oils, typical preservatives, alcohol, or food allergens, making it a great choice for vegans, allergy sufferers and fans of fragrance free.”​

Green People took the Best Free From Brand Award for the first time, while Lyonsleaf’s Zinc and Calendula Balm won the Free From Achievement Award.

Among the other 14 category winners were Neal’s Yard Remedies’ Wild Rose Beauty Balm, SenSpa’s Talc Free Natural Body Powder, Urban Veda’s Purifying Facial Oil and Bloomtown’s Avo Mint Organic Avocado & Peppermint Vegan Lip Balm. The full list of winners is available here​.

Free From: a desirable claim?​

Free-from claims have come under fire from some quarters of the industry for the fear they can provoke in comsumers, turning them away from safe and effective ingredients.

Dr Barbara Brockway, Director of Personal Care at Applied DNA Sciences, has previously commented: “To me, the free-from route is the lazy route. Fear sells a product."​​

With the free-from trend predominantly based on marketing claims rather than scientifically-proven safety concerns, industry experts suggest that brands engaged with it need to be careful that they don’t missell perceived benefits associated with ‘free from’ products.

Jamie Mills, a market analyst with research firm GlobalData, explained to CosmeticsDesign​ last year that a savviness is crucial when it comes to the claims and terms used to promote a brand or products.