CEW Honors Top Indie Beauty Brands at Indie65 Awards

CEW’s Indie65 Awards were created to celebrate the most interesting, impressive and noteworthy indie brands.
CEW’s Indie65 Awards were created to celebrate the most interesting, impressive and noteworthy indie brands.

At its first-ever Indie65 Awards, Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) celebrated "the most interesting, impressive and noteworthy indies" of 2019. 

Held on October 22, 2019, the awards, which coincide with CEW's 65th anniversary, honored 65 independent beauty businesses ranging from $1 million to $1 billion in size. The list of brands was curated by an advisory board comprised of CEW board members and additional key industry stakeholders such as retailers and financial advisors, CEW explained. 

CEW president, Carlotta Jacobson, stated, "For more than six decades, CEW has served as a resource for the beauty industry at large, helping brands and individuals gain access to invaluable business information. We’ve observed the indie brand segment within CEW membership grow exponentially and are proud to continue serving as an industry resource—providing support to drive their businesses forward."

According to CEW, indie brands currently represent 15% of its membership, up from 6% three years ago. As a way of spotlighting indie brands, CEW has created The Indie65 Report.

Honored brands include:

Under $5 million

  • Alchimie Forever
  • Alpyn Beauty
  • Lawless Beauty
  • Loli Beauty
  • Pinrose
  • Saint Jane
  • Sara Happ, Inc.
  • Uma Oils
  • Unsun Cosmetics
  • Yuni Beauty

$5 million to $10 million

  • Aquis
  • Augustinus Bader
  • Dose of Colors
  • Hey Honey
  • Jouer
  • Kjaer Weis
  • Mented Cosmetics
  • One Love Organics
  • Urban Skin RX*
  • Youth to the People

*A company representative claims that the brand's revenue numbers now place it in the $10-20 million category.

$10 million to $20 million

  • Dermaflash LLC
  • Dr. Barbara Sturm Skincare
  • Makeup Geek
  • Patchology
  • Summer Fridays
  • The Honey Pot
  • Winky Lux

$20 million to $50 million

  • Briogeo
  • Farsáli
  • Frank Body
  • Grande Cosmetics
  • Invisibobble
  • Milk Makeup
  • Nudestix
  • Ofra Cosmetics
  • Ouai
  • Peach & Lily
  • Prai Beauty
  • Raw Sugar Living
  • RMS Beauty
  • Rodial
  • Wander Beauty

$50 million to $100 million

  • Amika
  • By Terry
  • Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
  • Coola/Bare Republic
  • Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
  • Tata Harper
  • The Balm

$100 million to $150 million

  • Beautyblender
  • Drunk Elephant
  • Glossier
  • Olaplex
  • Pacifica
  • Pixi Beauty
  • Sunday Riley

$150 million to $200 million

  • Chantecaille Beauté
  • Josie Maran

$250 million to $300 million

  • Caudalie

$300 million to $350 million

  • Beautycounter

$400 million to $450 million

  • Revolution Beauty

$500 million to $1 billion

  • Huda Beauty
  • Kylie Jenner Cosmetics
  • Sisley

More than $1 billion

  • Rodan + Fields

During the awards, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shared key trends in the beauty industry spurring the growth of indie brands. 

According to BCG, top consumer trends include:

  • Social influence;
  • Personalization and curation;
  • Health and wellness ("better for you" products);
  • Multicultural beauty;
  • Experience and engagement; and
  • Convenience.

Retail trends include:

  • The continued rise of digital;
  • The transformation of the physical store; and
  • Multi-channel growth. 
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