From thousands of entrants from right across the nation, just 57 have made the Beauty industry Finalists Lists of the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – a prestigious and comprehensive programme that celebrates the growing number of Australia’s most inspiring and influential women in small business.

The only national annual awards programme of its kind created specifically to shine a spotlight on the rising economic and social contributions of women in small business – spanning all capital cities as well as rural, regional and suburban towns – the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is arguably the most diverse in terms of the breadth of represented industries and sectors.

Now in its second consecutive year, the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards features more than 65 categories, judged by an independent panel of representatives who have relevant experience or an understanding of the operations of small business.

Among this year’s most competitive categories, Beauty Product, Beauty Services, Brows & Lashes and Cosmetic Specialist are proving among the most challenging categories to judge, says Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.

“The quantity and quality of entrants in the Beauty categories in particular is truly remarkable and so the ultimate selection of this year’s finalists has by no means been an easy feat.

“When the Champion Judges evaluate entries, they consider all aspects of a small business: its strategies, innovative initiatives, customer service, vision, growth, charitable and community support – to name but some of the judging criteria.

“We’re simply blown-away by the incredibly high calibre of Australia’s female-led small businesses in the Beauty sector and – while it’s certainly a welcome challenge – the next round of judging is bound to be even more challenging, as we continue to nut-through the impressive finalists to reach one category winner,” adds Mr Loe.

The seven Beauty Product finalists are:

Enbacci Skincare (VIC), Fresh Face Skin (VIC), KYK Hair Care (VIC), Lust Minerals (QLD), Rise With You (NSW), Roccoco Botanicals (QLD) and Tangled Hair Care (SA).

The 25 Beauty Services finalists are:

Bare Beauty House (NSW), Beauty in the Woods (QLD), BellaBody Clinics (NSW), Bloom Brows & Body (ACT), Brows by Willow (NSW), Coastal Day Spa (NSW), Cronulla Skin Sanctuary (NSW), Elysian Therapies (NSW), Exotic Skin Co (NSW), Face and Body Clinic (NSW), Face to Face Skin and Body Care (NSW), Flaunt It Hair and Beauty (NSW), HB Beauty Palmwoods (QLD), Illuminate Skin and Body (NSW), Laila's Beauty & Laser (NSW), Le Beauty Affair (NSW), LILI Skin Co (ACT), Lush Skin + Laser Clinic (VIC), Michal Gabriel Beauty and Brow (NSW), One Stop Beauty 21 (NSW), Sheryne Skin (NSW), Skin Correctives (NSW), Spa Mosman (NSW), Stellar Aesthetics Spa (WA) and Studio Beautique (WA).

The 16 Beauty- Brows & Lashes finalists are:

Antares Beauty (NSW), ARCH BEAUTY (VIC), Beaches Lash Co (NSW), Beautique Mandurah (WA), Confidence Lashes and Beauty (VIC), Glam r us face and body (NSW), Jackie Lash Co (VIC), Jen's Lashes Academy (NSW), Kobie Lee Brow Studio (NSW), Locks Lash (VIC), Rhiannon Rose Beauty (NSW), Scout Beauty (NSW), shaniicelashes (WA), The Natural Brow Co (QLD), vlachbeauty (NSW) and Whip Lashed Lounge (NSW).

The nine Cosmetic Specialist finalists are:

Art of Aesthetics (NSW), CosMedic Collective (NSW), Cosmetic Injectables by Lorna (VIC), Erin Louise Aesthetics (VIC), FJK Aesthetics (NSW), Hands-On Laser Cosmetic Clinic (VIC), Laserclear Cosmetic Clinic (NSW), Oi Cosmetic Studio (QLD) and The Aesthetic Lounge (VIC).

In addition to honouring business category winners, the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards also showcases the achievements of four individual category winners – Young Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged 30 and younger), Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged over 30), Australian Small Business Champion Influential Woman and Australian Small Business Champion Icon.

“The success of female-led small businesses in this country is absolutely on the rise, especially during the past decade and even during the current challenging economic climate,” says Steve Loe.

“Since our inception more than 40 years ago, Precedent Productions continues to present a multitude of state and national award programmes, so we’re generally in-tune with the country’s best performing business operators.

“We simply could not look past the spiking number of female small business trailblazers – such as this year’s Beauty industry finalists – and so deemed it only appropriate to present a standalone awards programme that really celebrates our nation’s women in small business,” adds Mr Loe.

Free-of-charge, entries closed on 21 July and the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is sponsored by Nine Plus, CUB, NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, Xcllusive Business Sales and Big Clean.

Winners of the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards will be announced on Saturday 23 September at National Presentation Evening Gala Event.

With a mounting reputation as the ‘Logies’ of small business, the red-carpet event will be hosted by accomplished journalist and popular broadcaster, Deborah Knight, at the newly-built Western Sydney Conference Centre at Penrith in NSW.

For more information including a full list of the 2023 finalists, visit: womensbusinesschampions.com.au.