If you care about what goes into your beauty bag as much as how it makes you feel, this year’s Conscious Beauty Brand of the Year finalists at Beautyworld Middle East are well worth knowing. The category showed just how much the industry has shifted, with brands embracing everything from regenerative ingredients and time-honoured botanicals to refill systems, low-waste packaging and greater transparency.
What we loved most was the variety. Some labels are rooted in ancient rituals, others are led by science and smart innovation, but all share the belief that beauty should be kinder to our skin and the planet.
In this edit, we shine a light on the winner LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, the finalists — Eartheories, ìdemo, Le Jardin Retrouvé and MOREGANICS — plus a few conscious contenders that deserve a spot on your radar.
Meet the Finalists
Eartheories
Born in Malaysia, Eartheories celebrates the beauty and healing power of Southeast Asian botanicals. The brand blends traditional wisdom with modern, conscious formulations, growing many of its ingredients on its own farm and working directly with rural farmers and cooperatives to ensure fair pay and full transparency. Everything is made in small batches using slow, low-waste methods, and the packaging stays planet-friendly with recyclable materials and refill options rolling out across markets.
What makes Eartheories especially inspiring is its heart-led approach: the brand creates employment and skills training for members of the deaf and mute community, single mothers and underprivileged youth — proving beauty can lift others up too. With recognition such as the Food Systems Change Maker Award, and partnerships with Malaysia Airlines and the Hajj pilgrimage in Madinah, Eartheories shows that wellbeing can be luxurious, thoughtful and socially meaningful.
Idemo
Founded in Malaysia and inspired by a life-changing journey to the Himalayan foothills, Idemo has carved out a thoughtful space in the conscious beauty world. The brand centres its skincare around one star ingredient, organic Himalayan apricot oil, sourced through fair-trade partnerships that support mountain farming communities. Certified 100 per cent vegan, halal and cruelty-free, its formulas are created as true ‘skin food’, designed to nourish rather than just sit on the surface.
Idemo’s values run through every detail. Single mothers are offered employment and training, packaging comes in recyclable glass with soy-based inks, and many formulas are water-saving, swapping aqua for organic floral distillates for extra skin benefits. It’s a gentle, nurturing approach to beauty that cares for people and the planet in equal measure. With recent wins including the Beauty Shortlist Award and the GHP Best Vegan Skincare Award, Idemo is definitely one to watch.
Le Jardin Retrouvé: A Heritage Pioneer Reimagined
Marking its 50th year, Le Jardin Retrouvé is often referred to as the original niche perfume house. Founded in 1975 by perfumer Yuri Gutsatz, the brand was lovingly revived in 2017 by his son Michel and artist Clara Feder, who set out to honour its heritage while bringing it into a more sustainable future. Today, the fragrances stay true to Yuri’s creative spirit, but with cleaner formulas, think 90–99 per cent natural origin, vegan, cruelty-free and Credo Clean certified, using organic alcohol and refillable glass bottles topped with eco-minded bakelite caps.
Transparency is a core value too, with ingredient traceability and clear percentages of responsibly sourced materials shared through partnerships with Givaudan’s sustainability programmes. A proud member of 1% for the Planet and winner of the 2024 ELUXE Award for Best Sustainable Home Brand, Le Jardin Retrouvé shows us that a heritage maison can evolve without losing its soul.
Lush: The Ethical Trailblazer (The 2025 Winner)
Since its founding in 1995, Lush has redefined what it means to be a conscious beauty brand. From inventing the iconic bath bomb to pioneering packaging-free formats like shampoo bars and toothpaste tabs, Lush has consistently challenged industry norms with innovation rooted in ethics. Today, nearly half of its global product range is sold without packaging, while the rest uses recycled or recyclable materials, including Prevented Ocean Plastic™ sourced within 50km of coastlines. In 2024 the brand surpassed Ð 500 million in charitable giving, supporting grassroots groups in human rights, animal welfare, and environmental justice.
Regionally, Lush is just as ambitious. The Dubai-based manufacturing hub now sources fresh produce locally and works with The Waste Lab to turn organic waste into compost, helping regenerate soils in the UAE. Meanwhile, the launch of the Lush Forest—with 1,000 mangroves planted in Jebel Ali Marine Reserve—demonstrates the brand’s regenerative mindset in action. With over 850 shops in 50 countries, Lush has the reach of a multinational but the soul of an activist collective.
MOREGANICS
Rooted in Ayurveda and India’s ancient farming sciences, MOREGANICS takes a radically holistic approach to conscious beauty. Founded by siblings Deepa and Dr. Vishwanath Subramanian, the brand was born from a mission to revive time-honoured agricultural wisdom, from Vrikshayurveda to Rishi Krishi and cow-centric farming, and pair it with global regenerative practices such as permaculture, biodynamic and pranic farming. The result is the brand’s own More Than Organic™ model: a biodiversity-rich, sustainable agro-forestry farm where plants, animals, birds and humans coexist in harmony.
MOREGANICS uses a gentle extraction method designed to preserve the full potency of each botanical. Formulas are created in small seasonal batches, using only fresh, high-active plant extracts rather than synthetic boosters.
Other Standout Contenders in Conscious Beauty
Asteri Beauty
As the region’s first B‑Corp–certified beauty brand, Asteri meets the highest global standards for environmental and social responsibility. Their award-winning A-Beauty makeup offers protective skincare properties and high-performance colour, designed for extreme desert weather and a diverse range of skin types. Vegan, microplastic-free and cruelty-free, they also only use sustainable palm oil. All their formulas are made without any nasties such as mineral oil, parabens, sulphates, known carcinogens, carbon black and many more. Over 50 per cent of its packaging is made with post-consumer recycled materials, some of its products – lipstick and brow pencils – are designed to be refillable, and its cartons are FSC-certified.
DAY+
Founded in 2018 by Claire Despagne, DAY+ has created skincare and supplements that deliver real results without compromising on responsibility. With 34 clinical studies across just 15 products, the brand brings a rare level of scientific rigour to the independent beauty world. Everything is 100 per cent made in France, using short supply chains, local partners, and ingredients like red algae sourced in Brittany for its cult hydrogel eye patches. Beyond sustainability, DAY+ champions social impact and supporting causes from cancer research at Gustave Roussy to humanitarian work with EliseCare. Recognised by Galeries Lafayette’s Go for Good initiative, DAY+ has also built remarkable customer loyalty, with 75 per cent of buyers returning thanks to results-driven formulas.
DE MOI
Founded in Switzerland by Philippine born Demee Koch, DE MOI products are cruelty-free, vegan, and clean, balancing Swiss science and natural botanicals. The brand insists on zero-waste production, recyclable packaging, and ethical sourcing partnerships including fair-trade collaborations in the Philippines. What makes DE MOI exceptional is its commitment to social impact. Every purchase helps fund women’s empowerment projects, scholarships, and humanitarian work, extending its reach far beyond skincare. This has earned DE MOI global recognition, including the Global Excellence in Sustainable Fashion, Film, and Art Award 2025.
Jijide: Perfume as a Language of Dialogue
Founded in Italy and shaped by both Italian and Chinese influences, Jijide takes a thoughtful approach to modern perfumery. The brand’s sustainability credentials run through its entire design. All fragrances are VeganOK certified and made in Italy, with a focus on responsible sourcing and reduced environmental impact. Jijide blends natural ingredients with select safe synthetics to avoid pressure on endangered botanicals. Its packaging is lightweight Bormioli EcoLine glass, refillable screw caps, FSC-certified wooden stoppers, glue-free and plastic-free cartons, and recycled-PE labels that embrace visible imperfections as part of waste recovery.
Liht Organics
Founded in 2019 by Nerissa Polke, Liht Organics was born from a personal journey with adult acne and the realisation that conventional makeup often harms more than it helps. Determined to create a healthier alternative, the brand now offers high-performance makeup made with up to 90 per cent USDA-certified organic ingredients, all of which are vegan, cruelty-free, and free from nanoparticles, parabens, and synthetic chemicals. With awards like Best Foundation (Clean Beauty) 2025 and recognition at the Travel Retail Awards 2025, the brand is carving out its space in clean cosmetics, proving that beauty can be bold, effective, and kind to both people and planet.
Kaaral
Italian haircare house Kaaral has a global reputation for pairing professional-grade performance with sustainability. Its flagship line, Maraes, is 100 per cent vegan and ICEA-certified, formulated with ethically sourced ingredients such as Monoi de Tahiti Oil, while steering clear of parabens, silicones, and sulfates. The key ingredients in the Maraes range—Monoi de Tahiti Oil, Macadamia Oil, and Linseed Oil—are all sustainably harvested. Beyond its products, the brand’s eco-conscious commitment runs deep: its Italian production facility is powered by renewable energy, uses closed-loop water systems, and prioritises recyclable, refillable packaging. By uniting salon-quality innovation with clean beauty principles, Kaaral is setting new standards in conscious haircare.
