Best of Indie - Readers' Choice Awards 2015 Winners: Part Two (Bath & Body and Fragrances)

Hey everyone! This is Part Two of the Best of Indie - Readers' Choice Awards 2015 winners. If you missed it, I posted Part One of the winners, focusing on the Cosmetics categories. This is focusing on the Bath and Body and Fragrances category. I hope you find something nice to pamper your body and to smell nice with. I did want to say that I greatly appreciate everyone's support this year, we got twice as many responders (over 1000!) and the votes for each category was even closer than last year. I hope you enjoy reading the winners for both the Cosmetics and Bath & Body and Fragrances categories.

Brand Overview Winners

We had a lot of changes this year with the brand winners. A lot of new brands made it up in the ranks for first, second, and third place!

Best Established Indie Perfume Brand

Solstice Scents. Solstice Scents is a shop selling both perfumes and body care products and they're based out of Florida. I always get a big Fall/Autumn vibe when I scope their site and they're very well known for their Autumn collection! I believe they ship internationally. 

Solstice Scents won with 12.8%, Alkemia came in second with 12.6%, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) came in third with 11.7%.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Best Up & Coming Indie Perfume Brand

Sixteen92. Sixteen92 is now a two-time winner for this category. Sixteen92 (a reference to the year 1692 and the Salem Witch Trials) has risen in popularity for their perfumes and bath and body products. Their samples are also very generous so you get your money's worth if you want to try them out. I hear great things about their Lolita and Toasted Marshmallow scents if you're not sure where to start. They're based in Texas, and they do ship internationally. 

Sixteen92 won with 47.6%, Smelly Yeti came in second with 20.4% of the vote, and Ten Three Labs came in third with 12.3% of the vote. 

Previous Winner: Sixteen92 (2014)

Best Established Indie Bath & Body Brand

Haus of Gloi. Haus of Gloi is now a two-time winner for this category. Haus of Gloi, an Oregon-based vegan brand, is an immensely popular fragrance and bath and body company. They specialize in unique and artisan blends (with very poetic descriptions to boot). Not only do they offer a core line of perfume oils, they also have limited edition collections available. Their bath and body products also include different scrubs and lotions and butters. They do ship internationally.

Haus of Gloi won with 27.3% of the vote, second place goes to Cocoa Pink with 10.7% of the vote, followed by Solstice Scents with 9.8%. 

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Best Up & Coming Indie Bath & Body Brand

Sixteen92. Sixteen92 is now a two-time winner for this category. Sixteen92 won with 39.8%, Sunset & Seas came in second with 15.1%, and Southern Comforts came in third with 14.5%.

Previous Winner: Sixteen92 (2014)

Recommended Brand for Beginners to Indie Perfume

Solstice Scents. Solstice Scents won with 14.9%, followed by Alkemia Perfumes with 14.2%, then Haus of Gloi with 14% (a difference of just one vote between 2nd and 3rd!).

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Recommended Brand for Beginners to Indie Bath & Body

Haus of Gloi. Haus of Gloi won with 30%, followed by Cocoa Pink in second place with 11.3%, and Fortune Cookie Soap rounding out the list with 9.5%.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Bath and Body Products Winners

Best Body Lotion

Haus of Gloi Body Emulsion. Haus of Gloi Body Emulsion won with 33.2%, followed by Sixteen92 Hand and Body Lotion in second place with 22.5%, and Cocoa Pink Body Lotion is rounding out third place with 13.7%.


Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi Body Emulsion (2014)

Best Body Butter

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter won with 48.4% of the vote, Solstice Scents Body Ganache came in second with 14.1%, and Cocoa Pink Voluptuous Body Butter rounds out third with 10.9%.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter (2014)

Best Body Scrub

Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub. Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub won with 29.1% of the vote, Haus of Gloi Emulsifying Scrub came in second with 15.8%, and Villainess Smooch! got third place with 11.9% of the vote.


Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Best Body Oil

Solstice Scents Burnishing Glace. Solstice Scents Burnishing Glace won with 36.6% of the vote, followed by Haunt Skin Glossing Oil with 15.6%, followed by Cocoa Pink Dry Oil Spray with 15.3%.


Previous Winner: Black Violet Glow Body Oil and Solstice Scents Burnishing Glace (2014)

Best Bar Soap

Haus of Gloi. Haus of Gloi won first place with 22.8% of the vote, followed by Villainess with 16.5% of the vote, and Future Primitive rounds out third place with 14.5% of the vote.


Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Best Jar Soap

Haus of Gloi Whipped Soap. Haus of Gloi Whipped Soap won with 34.8% of the vote, followed by Solstice Scents Whipped Soap with 18% of the vote and Future Primitive Whipped Soap rounding out third with 11.4% of the vote.

FYI Haus of Gloi Whipped Soaps are available in their Seasonal Collections and Solstice Scents' whipped soaps are a limited edition product so they may not be available right now.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi Whipped Soap (2014)

Best Hair Product

Haus of Gloi Hair Oil. Haus of Gloi Hair Oil won with 38.5% of the vote, followed by Cocoa Pink Ends with Argan Benefits with 17% of the vote, and Sixteen92 Hair Oil with 14.8%.

Fragrances Winners

I was pleasantly surprised at the results of the Fragrances section. Although a few brands won across several categories, the second and third places was generally different and we have a few companies who didn't place last year that ended up winning the category this year!

Best Aquatic Scents

Alkemia Perfumes. A perfume company based out of Massachusetts, they have a great variety of scents in easy to comprehend sections. Probably organized in the best way for someone who is new to indie perfumes. The artwork accompanying each listing is also amazingly gorgeous and a wonderful counterpart to the fragrances. They do ship internationally.

Alkemia won with 16.3% of the vote, followed by BPAL with 15.5%, and Darling Clandestine in third with 14.2%.

Previous Winner: Darling Clandestine (2014)

Best Floral Scents

Alkemia Perfumes. Alkemia won with 18.5% of the vote, followed by Solstice Scents with 12.6%, and Deconstructing Eden with 10.8%.

Previous Winner: Black Violet (2014)

Best Fresh Scents

Alkemia Perfumes. Alkemia won with 16.4%, BPAL came in second place with 13.2% of the vote, followed by Possets with 10%.

Previous Winner: Black Violet (2014)

Best Fruity Scents

Alkemia Perfumes. Alkemia won with 16.6%, Arcana came in second place with 13.7% of the vote, followed by Haus of Gloi with 11.5%.

Previous Winner: Black Violet (2014)

Best Gourmand Scents

Solstice Scents. Solstice Scents won with 17.7% of the vote, Alkemia Perfumes came in second place with 13.3%, and Haus of Gloi is rounding out the vote with 12.8%.

Previous Winner: Solstice Scents (2014)

Best Woodsy Scents

Solstice Scents. Solstice Scents won with 20.3% of the vote, Alkemia Perfumes came in second with 12.9% of the vote, followed by BPAL in third place with 12.7% each.


Previous Winner: Solstice Scents (2014)

Favorite Autumn Perfume Collection

Solstice Scents. Solstice Scents won with 31.4% of the vote, Alkemia Perfumes came in second with18.8% of the vote, Haus of Gloi got third place with 10% each.


Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Favorite Spring Perfume Collection

Haus of Gloi. Haus of Gloi is now a two-time winner for this category. Haus of Gloi won with 31.8% of the vote, BPAL came in second with 21.6% of the vote, Sixteen92 came in third with 18.9% of the vote.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Favorite Summer Perfume Collection

Sixteen92. Sixteen92 won with 26% of the vote, Darling Clandestine came in second with 16% of the vote, and Possets came in third with 10% of the vote.

Previous Winner: Darling Clandestine and Haus of Gloi (2014)

Favorite Winter Perfume Collection

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL). Based out of California, I think BPAL is probably one of the most popular and quintessential indie perfume brands. They have an astonishingly massive catalog of perfumes with many collaborations, you'll be sure to find a perfume to suit your aromatic needs! They do ship internationally.

BPAL won with 23.6% of the vote, followed by Solstice Scents with 23.1%, and Alkemia Perfumes came in third with 17.8% of the vote. 

Previous Winner: Sixteen92 (2014)

Most Unique Scents

Darling Clandestine. I'm also not too familiar with Darling Clandestine but they do seem to get a lot of love for their unique and alternative scents. As far as I can tell, they sell perfumes, solid perfumes, and lip balms. The offerings are a bit limited now but I believe they're prepping for a new March collection. I believe they do ship internationally.

Darling Clandestine won with 52.8%, followed by Smelly Yeti with 12% of the vote, with third place going to Sixteen92 with 11.6%.

Previous Winner: Darling Clandestine (2014)

Best Custom Scents

Haus of Gloi. Haus of Gloi is now a two-time winner for this category. Haus of Gloi won first place with 40.1% of the vote, Alchimia Apothecary came in second with 32.4% of the vote, followed by Black Violet in third with 27.5% of the vote.

Previous Winner: Haus of Gloi (2014)

Thank you so much for reading this post and participating if you did! I hope to have it bigger and better next year! Feel free to leave any comments re: things you would like to see next year.

Also be sure to check out all of the nominated brands below!

Indie Bath and Body Companies

Alchemic Muse
Arcana Soaps
Bath Sabbath
Black Violet
Cocoa Pink
Epically Epic
Firebird Bath and Body
Fortune Cookie Soap
Future Primitive
Haunt
Haus of Gloi
Kheimistrii
Lou It Yourself
Lou Lou's
Luvmilk

OHWTO
Paintbox Soapworks
Queen Bee Apothecary
Savor 
Sixteen92
Soapy Sweet Treats
Solstice Scents
Sunset & Seas
Uponaworld Cosmetics
Villainess
Wholly Hemp

Indie Perfume Companies

Alchemic Muse
Alchimia Apothecary
Alkemia
Arcana Soaps
BPAL
Black Violet
Blooddrop
Cocoa Pink
Darling Clandestine
Deconstructing Eden
Deep Midnight Perfumes
Firebird Bath and Body
Haus of Gloi
Midsummer Dreams Apothecary
NAVA
OHWTO
Possets
Sarawen
Sixteen92
Smelly Yeti
Solstice Scents
Southern Comforts
Sweet Anthem
Sweet Tea Apothecary
Sugar & Spite
Sunset & Seas
Ten Three Labs
Violette Market