Imagine for a moment that you had lived somewhere so remote, and for so many years, that you were unacquainted with the output and vocabulary of the cosmetics industry. Imagine that you have arrived at a large department store and decided to try some of these exotic-sounding products. Where on earth would you begin?

Even those of us kept up to some sort of speed by endless e-mails, press releases and products to try have trouble sifting through the masses of lotions and potions that descend, wave upon wave, on to the shelves. Each has some apparent — and, of course, unique — merit, each is calculated to answer some niche need. Mastering the language alone takes some doing: retinoids, alpha-hydroxy acids, Cellex-C, tyrosine, liposomes . . . it’s enough to confuse someone with a PhD in chemistry (and probably physics, too, for all I know).

A good place to start would be a list of winners of the annual beauty Oscars — to wit, the awards given to beauty products after careful scrutiny by members of the Cosmetic Executive Women.

The appeal of these awards is that they are given by people who really know what they are talking about, and that they cover not just classic or iconic products but mass-market ones, too. What’s more, most of them can be bought online from www.boots.com, so you can obtain them even if you live in the depths of the countryside, or simply can’t be bothered to do battle with the traffic. You can order online and collect from your nearest store, or have them home-delivered.

This year’s awards have just taken place. They offer a reminder of some wonderful old standbys (most beauty junkies have one of Elizabeth Arden’s eight-hour creams in the armoury — this year’s winner in the “iconic” category was Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant) and bring to our attention innovative brands that might otherwise pass us by.

Take, for instance, Tri-Aktiline, Estée Lauder’s new-ish anti-ageing range. Unless you are a close follower of the beauty business you may have missed its arrival on the scene. Its first product, Tri-Aktiline Instant Deep Wrinkle Filler (£25.44), won two awards, one for best new anti-ageing skincare product in the mass category, and one for best new brand. Testimonials to its wrinkle-filling abilities are abundant.

So democratic are these awards that some winning products come from near the bottom of the economic heap. There’s Soap and Glory, for instance — a brand that I already love. Started by the wonderful Marcia Kilgore of Bliss fame, its motto is “you shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to moisturise one”.

Its existing hero products are a body moisturiser called The Righteous Butter (£10) and a lipgloss called Sexy Mother Pucker (£8). The products that triumphed this time, though, were Scrub Actually (£6.50), a body scrub that won Best New Bath & Beauty Product, and Glow Job (£7.82), a moisturiser that includes tiny bronze beads to give radiance.

It would be nice to think that you could trawl through the list and sort out all your body needs but, alas, no foundation or cleanser was singled out. Here, however, are a few other winners that may help you.

For suncare, Sisley’s Sunleya Age Minimizing Sun Care SPF 15 was the best in the prestige category. Sisley is a fabulous brand but expensive. The product costs £114 and (perhaps not surprisingly) is not available at Boots, so call 020-7591 6380 for stockists. But there is always the winning mass-market alternative — Nivea Sun DNAge Cell Protection Anti-Ageing Face Sun Cream SPF 30 (I don’t know why the beauty industry gives everything such long and unmemorable names, Soap and Glory being the honourable exception) at £16.90. For concealer — a must in every make-up bag — Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer (£14.68) won Best Classic Beauty Product.

Finally, if there is one pick-me-up that women will be rushing to buy, it’s Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (£10.99), which took the Best New Make-up award. One of its advocates is the exceedingly glamorous Marigay McKee, beauty and fashion director of Harrods, who pops down the road to Boots to buy hers.

Lucia van der Post

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