The 2026 NEW YOU Beauty Awards Editors’ Choice Winners represent the visionaries, innovators, and tastemakers shaping the future of beauty, wellness, and style. From groundbreaking technology and luxury formulations to influential voices redefining modern glamour, this year’s honorees embody excellence, creativity, and cultural impact. Together, they define what it truly means to be a NEW YOU.
LG CHI Color Master Factory
The LG CHI Color Master Factory is honored as a winner for Best AI Beauty Innovations, recognizing its groundbreaking fusion of artificial intelligence and professional hair color technology. By delivering personalized, data-driven color solutions with unmatched precision, LG CHI is setting a new standard for the future of smart beauty in salons worldwide. LGCHIcolormaster
Fraz Kader Parfums – Spartacus
Fraz Kader Parfums – Spartacus is celebrated as the winner for Best New Fragrance, honoring a bold, powerful scent that embodies strength, luxury, and modern sophistication. With its commanding notes and unforgettable presence, Spartacus makes a striking entrance into the fragrance world and sets the tone for a new era of statement-making perfumery. FrazKader.com
Jeannie Mai
Jeannie Mai is honored as the Health and Beauty Trailblazer, celebrating her fearless authenticity and influence at the intersection of wellness, beauty, and culture. A longtime media host, style icon, and advocate for self-confidence, Mai continues to redefine what it means to lead with purpose, empowering audiences to embrace holistic beauty from the inside out.
Courtney Noonan
Courtney Noonan is named Influencer of the Year, celebrating her authentic voice, undeniable influence, and impact across the beauty and lifestyle space. With a powerful connection to her audience and a talent for turning trends into meaningful conversations, Noonan exemplifies the modern influencer shaping what’s next. @kerrently
Jessi Draper
Jessi Draper is celebrated as the recipient of the Editors’ Choice Award for Elevated Hair Extensions, honoring a standout innovation redefining luxury, confidence, and hair transformation. A trailblazing entrepreneur, investor, and media personality, Draper is known for championing female-founded brands through Halogen Ventures and bringing modern beauty and business together with her signature visionary edge. jzstyles.com
Alexia Nepola
Alexia Nepola is honored as the Beauty and Style Tastemaker, celebrating her effortless glamour, confident individuality, and undeniable fashion authority. A standout media personality and entrepreneur, Alexia consistently sets trends with a signature style that blends timeless elegance with a bold, modern edge.
Dara Levitan and Carly Rivlin
Dara Levitan and Carly Rivlin are celebrated as Beauty Podcasters of the Year, honoring their insider expertise and fresh perspective shaping the modern beauty conversation. As the influential voices behind a must-listen beauty podcast, the duo brings industry access, trend authority, and authentic dialogue to an audience redefining how beauty is discussed, discovered, and decoded. FiveMoreMinutesPod.com
Briana Cisneros
Briana Cisneros is honored as Celebrity Hairstylist of the Year, celebrating her unmatched artistry and influential presence behind some of today’s most iconic looks. Known for her precision, creativity, and trend-setting vision, Cisneros continues to elevate the beauty industry with styles that command attention on red carpets and beyond.
Runway by Christian Siriano
Runway by Christian Siriano is honored as Skincare Innovator of the Year, celebrating a bold expansion of the iconic designer’s vision into the world of elevated skin wellness. Fusing runway glamour with cutting-edge formulations, the brand redefines skincare as a powerful extension of self-expression, confidence, and modern luxury. RunwayReady.com
Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe is honored as Style Icon of the Year, celebrating her lasting influence on fashion, beauty, and modern glamour. As a legendary stylist, designer, and cultural tastemaker, Zoe has shaped red carpet style for decades while inspiring a signature aesthetic that continues to resonate across fashion and beauty.
Patrick Ta
Patrick Ta is honored as Brand of the Year, celebrating a beauty empire that has redefined modern glamour through innovation, inclusivity, and undeniable artistry. Built by celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta, the brand merges red-carpet expertise with consumer-forward luxury, setting the gold standard for confidence-driven beauty worldwide. PatrickTa.com
Farouk Shami
Farouk Shami is honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his extraordinary legacy as a visionary innovator and icon of the professional beauty industry. As the founder of Farouk Systems and creator of globally renowned brands including CHI, Shami’s groundbreaking technology, leadership, and commitment to education have transformed haircare worldwide and inspired generations of beauty professionals.
