The winners of in-cosmetics Global 2026 Awards are in, and they map a clear trajectory for where beauty innovation is heading next. Judged by an expert panel spanning L’Oréal, Beiersdorf, Medik8 and others, this year’s awards spotlight breakthroughs across actives, sustainability and sensory-led formulation.
In the Innovation Zone, performance met formulation elegance. PolymerExpert (Solabia) took Gold in Functional Ingredients for ViscoPure, a 100% biobased thickener engineered for robust yet sensorial gels. Seppic secured Silver with Solagum X+, while Evonik earned Bronze for Rheance Soft Go. In Actives, Rahn AG claimed Gold for Calneurin Sense, with Naemos taking Silver and Chemyunion and dsm-firmenich sharing Bronze recognition.
New for 2026, the Taste Bar and Scent Bar Awards brought experiential beauty to the forefront. Parfex won the inaugural Scent Bar Award for Matcha Delight. In nutricosmetics, Symrise AG took Best Beverage for AceRoselle, while Lubrizol led in food formats with Curcushine gummies, signaling the rapid convergence of ingestible beauty and sensorial design.
Emerging innovation also took center stage. Antarka captured the Rising Star Award with its Antarctic-derived enzyme technologies targeting skin repair and longevity. Meanwhile, sustainability remained a defining theme: dsm-firmenich earned Gold in the Green Ingredient category for Alpaflor Neurosooth, followed by Givaudan Active Beauty (Silver) and Ashland (Bronze).
Live judging added energy to the Make-up and Sensory Bar categories. Solabia Group won the Make-up Bar Award for OleoVeil Care, with Lubrizol and JRS - J. Rettenmaier & Söhne taking Silver and Bronze. In Sensory, Alpol Cosmetique led with a next-gen sun care concept, ahead of H&A Pharmachem Co., Ltd and Alchemy Ingredients.
Rounding out the program, the Kenvue Trusted Science Award went to Lucas Meyer Cosmetics by Clariant for Melicica, a honey-powered active designed to support skin repair.
The 2026 results underscore a decisive shift: high-performance actives, biotech-driven sustainability and immersive, multi-sensory formats are the new baseline.
