Now in its third year, our annual celebration of the best in beauty is back for 2026. Which people, products and brands will reign in this year’s awards? Keep your eyes fixed on Viva.co.nz.
New Zealand’s biggest celebration of beauty is back for another year, propelled forward by an
As we enter our third year, the Viva Beauty Awards 2026, presented by Glow Lab, sets out to champion the products shaking up routines, the people who step boldly into new territory and practices that truly stand out. It’s a vibrant celebration of our local and international beauty and wellness scene.
We’ve added five additional categories to the line-up this year. We’re proud to introduce the Hall of Fame Award, which recognises the long-standing contribution of a local beauty brand to the industry. The new Spa or Clinic of the Year Award welcomes nominations from all day spas, skin therapists, body contouring, and grooming clinics.
As for product categories, we’ve introduced Best for Acne to spotlight the cleansers, serums and treatments that support a clear complexion, added Best Beauty Gadget for the beauty tools, masks and devices to elevate at-home beauty rituals, plus Best for Curls or Coils to celebrate products that are designed to care for curly, kinky or coily hair (hair types 3 and 4).
To kick things off, we’re calling on industry experts to nominate the products they think deserve to be awarded in each of our 35 categories, spanning skincare, makeup, hair care, body care, fragrance and wellbeing.
Our trusted panel of judges will then narrow down the nominees to a list of finalists for each category, before Viva readers are invited to vote for the products and people to take out the top spots. Scroll down for everything you need to know about this year’s awards.
How to enter
Have a product you want to nominate? Here’s what you need to know.
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Advertise with NZME.If you work in New Zealand’s beauty industry, we invite you to nominate the products you think are worthy of winning in each relevant category. Eligible submissions may include existing and newly launched products with a cut-off on-counter date of April 15, 2026. Products with planned launch dates from April 16 onwards are excluded from this year’s awards but welcome to enter next year.
To enter, fill out all required fields in the entry form below, including a 100-word explanation as to why you believe this product, person or brand is a standout in its respective category. This information will be shared with the judges to be used during the panel discussion as part of the shortlisting process.
View the full list of our 2025 Viva Beauty Award winners here.
The categories
Person or Brand
Brand Founder Of The Year | The founder of a New Zealand beauty brand that has demonstrated leadership excellence in all areas to achieve success on a local and global scale.
New Zealand Beauty Brand Of The Year | The New Zealand brand that has disrupted the local beauty landscape over the past 12 months.
Innovation Award | The beauty brand that has pioneered change in its respective field, whether that’s through a sustainability initiative or by implementing new technologies.
Sustainability Award, presented by Ecoya | The beauty brand striving to reduce its environmental impact thanks to its ongoing focus and commitment to circularity and/or sustainability.
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Advertise with NZME.Hall Of Fame Award | NEW | An award that recognises the longstanding contribution of a local beauty brand to the industry (minimum entry requirement: 10 years-plus).
Breakthrough Brand Of The Year, presented by Pure Mama | The emerging beauty brand that has experienced growth and success in the past 12 months.
Makeup Artist Of The Year | The makeup artist who continues to demonstrate creativity and excellence in their field.
Hairstylist Of The Year, presented by Beautiful Environment Ltd (Davines NZ) | The hairstylist who continues to demonstrate creativity and excellence in their field.
Beauty Therapist Of The Year | The beauty therapist who continues to demonstrate excellence in their field.
Spa or Clinic Of The Year | NEW | The day spa, skin therapist, body contouring, or grooming clinic that couples visible results with outstanding customer care.
Makeup
Best Base Product | The makeup products that help you ace your base – foundation, concealer, pressed powder and more.
Best Pop Of Colour | Awarding the bright and the beautiful – bold eyeshadows or eyeshadow palettes, punchy lip products and more.
Best In Glow | The glow-getting products – highlighters, complexion perfectors, and more.
Best For Lips | The products to make you pucker up – lip balms, tints, stains, glosses, lipsticks and more.
Best For Lashes Or Brows | The products that love lashes or are best for brows – mascaras and eyeliner, or brow gels, tints and waxes.
Skincare
Best For Cleansing | The skincare that helps to deep clean your dermis – foams, oils, micellar waters, creams and more.
Best For Hydration | The skincare that leaves skin hydrated and soothed – from nourishing serums or eye creams to cosseting moisturisers.
Best For Overnight | The skincare that does its best work while you slumber.
Best For Mature Skin | Skincare tailored to suit the needs of mature skin types.
Best For Acne | NEW | The cleansers, serums, treatments and more that support a clear complexion.
Best SPF | The broad-spectrum SPF that fends off harmful UV rays and keeps skin protected.
Best Beauty Gadget | NEW | The beauty tools, masks and devices to elevate at-home beauty rituals.
Hair care
Best For Your Scalp | The product designed with the unique needs of the scalp in mind.
Best Shampoo & Conditioner Duo | The haircare duo that cleanses and conditions hair to perfection.
Best Hair Styling Product Or Hair Treatment | The hair styling or treatment product that is a must-have in any haircare routine.
Best For Curls Or Coils | NEW | The product that is specifically designed to care for curly, kinky or coily hair (hair types 3 and 4).
Best Hair Tool To Try | The hot styling tool that has experienced widespread success or pioneered new technology in its field, and gets great results every time.
Body care
Best Body Wash or Scrub | The body wash or scrub that is sure to elevate any shower ritual.
Best Body Moisturiser | The body care product that nourishes from top to toe – think body creams, serums, oils and more.
Best For Hands & Nails | The products that care for hands and nails – think hand creams or cuticle oils.
Fragrance
Best Signature Scent | The personal fragrance that leaves everyone asking: “What perfume are you wearing?”
Best Home Fragrance Scent | The home fragrance that uplifts and inspires – candles, diffusers, oil burners, plug-ins and more.
Extras
Best Supermarket Buy | Awarding the accessible beauty brand that demonstrates excellence in its field but without the designer price tag.
Best For Travel | The portable beauty product that is perfect for toting in your carry-on.
Best In Wellbeing | The ingestible beauty product, supplement or tincture that has experienced widespread success.
Meet the judges
Ashleigh Cometti | Viva beauty editor
Stacey Fraser | Cosmetic chemist and design practice teaching fellow for the School of Product Design at University of Canterbury
Tallulah McLean | Freelance makeup artist and Viva Beauty Award Makeup Artist Of The Year 2024 winner
Kelly Manu | Founder and director of hair salon UNA, session stylist and educator
Varsha Reddy | Fashion and beauty content creator @varshaslife and @browngirlcertified
Rachel Soo Thow | Former beauty development executive, literature, fashion and beauty content creator @thelitlist__
Our process
Selecting the best in beauty requires a team of industry experts to lead the discussion around which products have that wow factor.
Together, our panel of experts – including leading professionals in beauty journalism, cosmetic chemistry and hair artistry – will narrow down all entries to determine the top five finalists for each category.
Our finalists will be announced on May 13. The winner for each category will be determined by a public vote, to put our valued Viva readers at the heart of our awards.
Nominate your favourites below
CREDITS
Photography | Babiche Martens
Beauty editor | Ashleigh Cometti
Styling | Troi Atkins
Styling assistant | Chloe Hulme
Hair and makeup | Leisa Welch
Makeup assistant | Nicole Willemse
Models | Crystal Lim from 62 Management; Omari Vigille and Sydney Johnson from Unique Model Management.
Each model’s skin was prepped for our shoot using a combination of products from Glow Lab, including the new Vitamin C skincare range.
