Styling Brand of the Year

Open to independent professional styling brands with products actively used within salon environments. This category is for brands offering styling ranges that support creativity, innovation and performance across all hair types and styling services, while maintaining the health and condition of the hair throughout the styling process.

Winning this award positions your brand among the styling products professionals rely on every day, reinforcing performance, creativity and professional trust within the salon environment. It gives brands and salons a strong platform to promote products across digital, retail and in-salon campaigns while helping strengthen visibility and credibility across the professional industry. Winners will also be invited to join the judging panel for The Indies - Salon & Stylist Awards UK.

• A written submission outlining product performance, professional positioning and relevance within salon services

• Evidence of professional use or stylist adoption.

• Supporting materials including styling work, campaigns, education or product content relevant to the eligibility period. Future direction and plans for continued growth, innovation or industry impact may also be included.

• All activity must relate to the period 1 May 2025 – 30 April 2026

How This Category Will Be Judged

Entries will first be reviewed based on the written submission, supporting evidence and overall professional relevance within the styling industry. Judges will consider innovation, performance, hair health, professional trust and the way the range supports real salon styling work across different hair types and services.

Shortlisted brands may then move into professional product testing and evaluation carried out by selected industry professionals. Judges may assess performance, ease of use, reliability, finish, hair feel and the overall experience of using the products within real salon environments.

To keep the process fair and independent, written entries and practical testing stages may be reviewed by different judges. Product testing requirements and judging formats will be discussed directly with shortlisted entrants depending on the range entered and the most suitable way to assess the products professionally.

Product Submission Requirements

Shortlisted entrants may be required to submit selected products from their styling range for professional testing and evaluation. Requested product quantities, testing requirements and judging formats will be confirmed directly with shortlisted entrants once judging allocations have been finalised.

This category may be tested during one of our in-salon judging days with active stylists from our judging panel. Products may be assessed through professional salon use, styling performance, hair feel and overall salon experience within real working environments. Products submitted for judging will not be returned unless agreed otherwise in writing.

This category is not open to conglomerate-owned or publicly listed companies. Venture-backed brands are permitted, provided the brand operates independently within the professional market. Brands without active professional salon distribution or products not designed for professional styling use will not be considered.

To protect the integrity of the awards, all judges are required to declare any professional, commercial or personal relationships with entrants prior to scoring. Any judge with a declared conflict of interest will not be permitted to review, discuss or score the relevant entry or category.

Entry Recommendations

Strong entries should clearly demonstrate how the styling range supports real salon creativity, performance and day-to-day professional work. Judges are looking for products professionals genuinely rely on for consistency, reliability, hair health and performance for all hair types.

Supporting imagery, salon usage examples, styling results, educational content, testimonials and evidence of professional industry support are strongly encouraged.

Entry Deadline

Final entry deadline for this category is 6 September 2026.

Shortlisted entrants may be contacted directly regarding additional judging stages, product submission requirements or further supporting information where applicable.