GALA SPA AWARDS 2015: New Judging Panel Members and New Category "Organic Concepts"

HAMBURG, Germany, February 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Nominees for the international beauty and spa award have been confirmed

Glamorous 19th award ceremony with celebrity guests takes place in Baden-Baden on March 21

The GALA SPA AWARDS is one of the most renowned international beauty and spa awards and has a long tradition. The award ceremony takes place for the nineteenth time this year with a couple of new elements. In addition to a stylish new and modern staging concept for the GALA SPA AWARDS, a newly assembled judging panel will award first-rate care products and spas in the seven proven categories plus a new category for the trendy section of organic cosmetics called "Organic Concepts". This category rewards holistic care concepts focusing on best practice with regard to raw materials produced in an environmentally-friendly way, fairness, sustainability and environmental protection. The new judging panel comprises ten members whose high level of expertise has served them well in evaluating the products and spas. New members include Dr. Barbara Sturm and Prof. Volker Steinkraus, as well as stress and leisure management coach Susanne Preiss.

As in previous years, only first-class care products and spas that meet the holistic approach of the GALA SPA AWARDS "sanus per aquam - healthy through water" reach the final selection. Companies from 30 countries were given the chance to submit their spa locations and luxury hotels as well as innovative beauty products and unusual treatments. In GALA magazine issue 10/15, available at newsstands from today, the expert judging panel presents the nominees in the eight categories. The winners will be honored at the glamorous award ceremony at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden on March 21. Television presenter Barbara Schöneberger will host the evening.

A total of 161 care product lines comprising more than 250 products, as well as 123 hotel and day spa concepts took part in the competition.

In the "Luxury Concepts" category, the following products made the final selection:

La Mer - The Lifting and Firming Mask

La Prairie - Cellular Eye Essence Platinum Rare

Dior - Capture Totale Dreamskin

Nominees in the "Innovation Concepts" category include:

Lancaster - Total Age Correction Retinol-in-Oil

Skin Ceuticals - Resveratrol B E

Clinique - Smart Custom-Repair Serum

The following concepts were nominated in the "Cult Concepts" category:

Speick - Thermal Sensitiv-Linie

Liz Earle - Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream

The "Men Concepts" category comprises the following products:

Kiehl's - Oil Eliminator Refreshing Shine Control Toner

Ambuja - Wanderlust Elixir

Tom Ford - Men's Fine Grooming Collection

Nominees in the new category "Organic Concepts" include:

Annemarie Börlind - Beauty Pearls Anti-Pollution & Regeneration Serum

Neoeva - Natural Serum

Santaverde - Age Protect-Serie

The nominees in the "Treatment Concepts" category are:

Pharmos Natur - Anti-Stress Treatment

Panpuri - Siamese water - journey to the senses

Clarins - Pro La Méthode Clarins Deluxe Intensiv

This year's nominees in the "Luxury Hotel City/Resort" category are:

Corinthia in London, UK

Chedi in Andermatt, Switzerland

Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt in Rottach-Egern am Tegernsee, Germany

Nominees with a chance to win the prize in the "Innovative Spa Concepts" category are:

Vabali-Spa in Berlin, Germany

Spiritual Spa at Hotel Klosterbräu in Seefeld in Tyrol, Austria

Nordic Spa & Fitness at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, Sweden

As a special highlight, this year's "Beauty Idol" and the winner of the "Special Prize" will be announced on the evening of the award ceremony itself. Features that distinguish the "Beauty Idol" as a spa personality are an attractive appearance, vitality, a positive attitude and a health-conscious lifestyle that corresponds to the spa concept. Previous award winners include Karolina Kurkova, Alek Wek, Julie Delpy, Vanessa Redgrave, Joseph Fiennes, Ornella Muti, and Iris Berben. With the annual "Special Prize", the judging panel honors people who have realized, added to and promoted the spa concept in an outstanding and professional manner. Previous award winners include Johan Ernst Nilson, Philippe Cousteau, and Benny Adrion, among others.

Premium people and lifestyle magazine GALA awards the GALA SPA AWARDS together with co-initiator Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in conjunction with event partners Basler, Sidroga, Moroccanoil, as well as Und Gretel, Fabletics, Lacoste and Pommery.

More information about the nominees can be found in the current GALA issue (10/15, available at news stands from today) and at http://spa-awards.gala.de/.

About the GALA SPA AWARDS 

The GALA SPA AWARDS is one of the most important international beauty and spa awards. Only first-class care products and hotels/locations that meet the holistic requirements of the GALA SPA AWARDS are honored. The judging panel comprises the following members: medical aesthetics physician Dr. Barbara Sturm, dermatology professor Prof. Volker Steinkraus, stress management coach Susanne Preiss, television presenter Judith Rakers, dermatologist and cosmetic science professor Dr. Martina Kerscher, CEO Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa Frank Marrenbach, stylist and publisher Armin Morbach, GALA editor-in-chief Anne Meyer-Minnemann, head of the GALA beauty department Frie Kicherer, and GALA beauty editor Ariane Häusler.

Press contact
GALA
PR / Communication
Andrea Wagner
Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG
Tel.: +49-40-3703-2980
E-mail: wagner.andrea@guj.de
http://www.gala.de