Welcome to mbg’s 2018 Beauty Awards! For more of our favorite products of the year, check out the rest of the awards here.

Before the fragrance category started to go green, there were essential oils and there was the fragrance section at Sephora—not much in between. Fragrance is an especially tricky category because when legislature was put into place making it mandatory by law for companies to disclose a list of every ingredient in cosmetics in the 1960s, the industry lobbied to conceal ingredients that were key to establishing a perfume’s signature scent. In other words, it’s totally legal for companies to list the word “fragrance” to conceal “trade secrets” they claim are part of the cocktail that makes their scent special. READ MORE

During my first few months living in New York City, I was confronted with an influx of cystic acne and blackheads. The new blend of air pollution, humidity, and sticky subway rides on top of the now-needed arsenal of foundations and concealers, which are packed with chemicals and hormone-disrupters, left me with more acne than I’d ever had before. 

My first instinct was to mask my skin’s symptoms under a mask of makeup, but a little voice in my head told me that packing on the products wasn’t the solution. In fact, it only exacerbated the problem. READ MORE

Some of the greatest things about a new year is reflecting on the past year! We’ve had some astounding before/after results and Molly S. is one of our favorites! #SleekskinAZ#Before#After