Apply Now: The Business of Beauty Global Awards 2025

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Last year, we debuted The Business of Beauty Global Awards, spotlighting three exceptional entrepreneurs from around the world. At BoF, we are privileged to discover so many exciting, fresh new businesses, brands and founders, and wanted to create a space where we can honour and give a platform to some of the new voices who are shaping the future of the beauty industry.

Last June, we brought nine finalists to our Global Forum in Napa Valley, CA., where we saw first-hand how powerful and meaningful it was for our finalists to connect with our global community to build rich new relationships. The judging process was meticulous, with no shortage of spirited exchanges.

We were thrilled to award Australia’s Conserving Beauty, India’s D’you and the US’s Fara Homidi with awards for Positive Impact, Business Innovation and Creative Execution from amongst almost 100 applicants from around the globe.

Today, we’re pleased to announce The Business of Beauty Global Awards 2025, honouring six entrepreneurs shaping the future of the global beauty industry, selected by BoF’s expert editors and a jury of top industry leaders.

Two Award Tracks

Based on learnings and feedback from last year, we are introducing two application tracks recognising beauty founders at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

THE EMERGING TRACK will honour founders whose companies have generated a minimum of USD $250,000 and a maximum of USD $2 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in revenue in the last 12 months. Your company must not have raised more than USD $5 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in funding since founding. If you have not raised any funding, you are still eligible to apply.

THE BREAKTHROUGH TRACK will honour founders whose companies have generated a minimum of USD $2 million and a maximum of USD $10 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in revenue in the last 12 months. Your company must not have raised more than USD $10 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in funding since founding. If you have not raised any funding, you are still eligible to apply.

Three Award Categories

CREATIVE EXECUTION: Entrepreneurs with unique brand concepts based on the creative execution of their products, packaging and marketing strategies, creating a demonstrable source of competitive advantage.

BUSINESS INNOVATION: Entrepreneurs with innovative business models, demonstrating clear business momentum supported by strong financials.

POSITIVE IMPACT: Entrepreneurs that have demonstrably started conversations with positive impact, creating dialogue and provoking fresh ideas and ways of thinking.

Early Entry Deadline is 17:00 GMT on Friday 31 January 2025 — $500 application fee, saving of $299

Final Entry Deadline is 17:00 GMT on Friday 28 March 2025 — $799 application fee

Why Enter

Access BoF Professional: All applicants will receive complimentary 12-month access to analysis and advice from The Business of Beauty, valued at $270.

Attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum: Finalists will be invited to join our programme of talks, interactive workshops and intimate lunches and dinners at The Business of Beauty Global Forum in Napa Valley, California from June 8-11, 2025. (Tickets to the The Business of Beauty Global Forum are invitation-only and valued at $7,500.) Finalists will have the opportunity to introduce their business on the Global Forum stage and participate in the special exposition to share their business and products with our prestigious community of attendees.

Create Brand Awareness: Winners will be announced at The Business of Beauty Global Forum. The winners will also be featured in an interview on The Business of Beauty and across the BoF ecosystem, including our social media channels with more than 7 million followers.

Expert Mentorship: Winners will be paired with a member of our jury of top industry leaders for 6 months of mentoring.

Scale with BoF Careers: Winners will receive complimentary 12-month access to BoF Careers including a company page on BoF and unlimited job postings, valued at $4,200.

Eligibility Criteria

Annual Revenues:

THE EMERGING TRACK: Your company must have generated a minimum of USD $250,000 and a maximum of USD $2 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in revenue in the last 12 months.

THE BREAKTHROUGH TRACK: Your company must have generated a minimum of USD $2 million and a maximum of USD $10 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in revenue in the last 12 months.

Fundraising:

THE EMERGING TRACK: Your company must not have raised more than USD $5 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in funding since founding. If you have not raised any funding, you are still eligible to apply.

THE BREAKTHROUGH TRACK: Your company must not have raised more than USD $10 million (or equivalent in other currencies) in funding since founding. If you have not raised any funding, you are still eligible to apply.

Market Stage:

Your company must already be selling products in at least one active distribution channel:

• DTC through your company’s website
• In your company’s own retail store(s)
• Through wholesale accounts

Product:

Your company must be a consumer brand selling a topical product in at least one of the below categories:

• Makeup (colour cosmetics applied to the skin and removable at home with standard products)
• Skincare (topical skincare products and devices)
• Hair care (topical products, styling tools and devices, including scalp care)
• Body care (topical products, sexual wellness, devices, tools)
• Fragrance (eau de parfum, body mists, fragrance oils or solid perfumes)

We cannot accept ingestibles, spa products or professional machines.

Applying founders must be over the age of 18 as of December 12, 2024.

The Business of Beauty Awards 2025 Timeline

Friday February 14, 2025 at 17:00 EST: Early Entry Deadline — $500 application fee.

Friday March 28, 2025 at 17:00 EST: Final Entry Deadline — $799 application fee.

April 2025: Finalists selected and notified.

Sunday June 8, 2025: Finalists will pitch to our all-star jury at The Business of Beauty Global Forum at Stanly Ranch, Napa Valley, California.

Monday June 9, 2025: Finalists will attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum at Stanly Ranch, Napa Valley, California.

Tuesday June 10, 2025: Finalists will attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum where the awards will be announced at the gala dinner at Stanly Ranch, Napa Valley, California.

The Fine Print

Applications submitted before the Early Entry Deadline of Friday January 31, 2025 at 17:00 EST cost $500.

Applications submitted after the Early Entry Deadline and before Final Entry Deadline of Friday March 28, 2025 at 17:00 EST cost $799.

Submissions must meet all of the criteria listed above as of December 1, 2024.

The application must be submitted by the founder of the business.

All information submitted as part of an application will be treated with confidentiality. By submitting your application you agree to these terms and to allow our third party jury to review your application.

Applicants will be required to send 2 samples (under 50ml each) of one hero product to New York City or London to be reviewed by the selection committee. Please note the costs of shipment will be covered by the applicant. BoF cannot take responsibility for samples that do not arrive. We advise you to use a shipping service with tracking.

Applying founders must be available to attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum taking place at Stanly Ranch, Napa Valley, California from June 8-11, 2025.

The shortlisted finalists will be given complimentary tickets (valued at $7,500) with accommodation to attend the full event.

Travel costs will need to be covered by the applying founder.

Only one complimentary ticket will be offered per entry.

The shortlisted finalists will be announced by mid-May.

For The Business of Beauty Global Awards terms and conditions, please click here.

If you have any further questions, please email beautyawards@businessoffashion.com.

If you are interested in partnership opportunities, please contact our team here.

Early Entry Deadline is 17:00 GMT on Friday January 31 February 2025 — $500 application fee, saving of $299

Final Entry Deadline is 17:00 GMT on Friday 28 March 2025 — $799 application fee

FAQs

What are The Business of Beauty Global Awards?

The Business of Beauty Global Awards honour the entrepreneurs shaping the future of the global beauty industry, selected by BoF’s expert editors and a jury of top industry leaders.

Why should I enter?

Access BoF Professional: All applicants will receive complimentary 12-month access to analysis and advice from The Business of Beauty, valued at $270.

Attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum: Finalists will be invited to join our programme of talks, interactive workshops and intimate lunches and dinners at The Business of Beauty Global Forum in Napa Valley, California from June 8-11, 2025. (Tickets to the The Business of Beauty Global Forum are invitation-only and valued at $7,500.) Finalists will have the opportunity to introduce their business on the Global Forum stage and participate in the special exposition to share their business and products with our prestigious community of attendees.

Create Brand Awareness: Winners will be announced at The Business of Beauty Global Forum. The winners will also be featured in an interview on The Business of Beauty and across the BoF ecosystem, including our social media channels with more than 7 million followers.

Expert Mentorship: Winners will be paired with a member of our jury of top industry leaders for 6 months of mentoring.

Scale with BoF Careers: Winners will receive complimentary 12-month access to BoF Careers including a company page on BoF and unlimited job postings, valued at $4,200.

How are the winners selected?

Each application will undergo extensive research before being evaluated on three key criteria:

CREATIVE EXECUTION: Entrepreneurs with unique brand concepts based on the creative execution of their products, packaging and marketing strategies, creating a demonstrable source of competitive advantage.

BUSINESS INNOVATION: Entrepreneurs with innovative business models, demonstrating clear business momentum supported by strong financials.

POSITIVE IMPACT: Entrepreneurs that have demonstrably started conversations with positive impact, creating dialogue and provoking fresh ideas and ways of thinking.

The shortlist of selected finalists will be invited to attend The Business of Beauty Global Forum and pitch their businesses to our jury. The jury will score each pitch based on the above key factors. The highest scoring entries will be selected as the winners.

Confidentiality

All individuals involved in the judging process will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and will be required to keep all application material confidential. Permission will be sought from winners to disclose any information before publishing.

Who can enter The Business of Beauty Global Awards?

Anyone over the age of 18 may enter.

Can I start my application and finish it later?

Yes, as long as you have registered with your email address you can sign back in at any time at this link.

As part of your application you are required to upload a 60 second video answering the following: why does the beauty industry need your brand and vision? The video must be shot horizontally. You will be required to include a video embed link from a platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Please also ensure you have your payment card ready to submit your entry fee.

Can I edit my entry after I have submitted my application?

No.

When will the finalists be contacted?

Finalists will be contacted by mid-May.