Short answer: Beauty Brand of the Year is a flagship, cross-sector recognition drawing on evidence submitted under any Beauty & Cosmetics category — haircare, skincare, clinics or organic beauty — for the strongest overall brand performance of the year. Free to nominate.
How this differs from the sector categories
Where the haircare, cosmetics, clinic and organic categories evaluate a brand against direct sector peers, Beauty Brand of the Year considers the complete picture — growth, innovation, customer trust and market impact — regardless of sector. Most nominees enter both a sector-specific category and this flagship recognition.
Enter the flagship recognition, free
Best considered alongside a sector-specific nomination, not instead of one.
Not sure this is the right fit yet?
Start with your sector category — Haircare, Cosmetics & Skincare, Beauty Clinics, or Organic & Natural.
What a flagship, cross-sector nomination actually needs
Because Beauty Brand of the Year doesn't sit within one of the four sector-specific criteria sets, a strong nomination here needs to tell a broader story than a sector entry would — not just "our product works," but "this was a strong year for the whole business." That typically means combining elements that would otherwise sit in different sector nominations: growth evidence (revenue trajectory, market expansion, new distribution), innovation evidence (a genuinely new formulation, format or business model introduced during the year), customer trust evidence (retention, reviews, repeat purchase at scale), and market impact (how the brand's positioning or moves affected its category more broadly, where that can be demonstrated).
This is also the category where the four brand sectors most naturally come together for a company operating across more than one — a beauty group with both a skincare line and an aesthetic clinic arm, for instance, might not have a clean single-sector story, but has a genuine case here for a combined, cross-sector year in review. For a brand operating in just one sector, the flagship category is best thought of as an additional, free nomination alongside the sector-specific entry, not a replacement for it — the sector entry gives the jury the detailed, criteria-matched evidence, while this entry gives them the bigger-picture case.
Structuring a year-in-review narrative
The most effective way to organise this kind of nomination is chronologically and thematically at once: a short opening summary of what defined the brand's year, followed by two or three specific highlights (a launch, an expansion, a measurable growth milestone) each backed by a concrete figure or fact, and closing with what's changed for customers or the market as a result. This structure gives the jury a clear narrative arc rather than an unordered list of achievements, and makes it easier to see how the different pieces of evidence — growth, innovation, trust, impact — actually connect into one coherent year, rather than reading as four disconnected claims bundled together.
Beauty Brand of the Year — FAQs
Do I need to also enter a sector-specific category?
It isn't required, but most Beauty Brand of the Year nominees also submit under their closest sector category for the strongest evidence base.
Is it free to nominate for World Salon Awards 2027?
Yes. Submitting a nomination for World Salon Awards 2027 is free. No nomination charge applies.
How is this judged differently from the sector awards?
On overall brand strength across growth, innovation, customer trust and market impact, rather than sector-specific criteria alone.
Can I nominate myself, or does someone else have to nominate me?
Both are accepted. Self-nominations and third-party nominations are welcomed and assessed on the same criteria.
Is World Salon Awards open to salons and brands outside the Middle East?
Yes. World Salon Awards is genuinely global — hair salons, beauty salons, nail studios, barbershops, cosmetics brands and individual professionals from any country are eligible, with categories judged at city, country, regional and world level.
Is the evaluation merit-based, or is there a public vote?
Evaluation is merit-based. An independent jury of beauty industry professionals scores each shortlisted nomination against the published criteria; sponsorship, advertising spend and gala ticket purchases have no influence on jury decisions.
Do I need to attend the gala to win?
No. Winners are notified in advance of the public announcement and receive their recognition package whether or not they attend.
Can a brand operating across more than one sector (e.g. both skincare and a clinic arm) enter here as one combined story?
Yes — this flagship category is specifically well-suited to a cross-sector business whose year-in-review spans more than one of the four sectors.
Is revenue disclosure required to demonstrate growth?
No exact figures are required; relative or indexed growth data (such as percentage year-on-year growth) is acceptable supporting evidence.