Most Wanted
When judging this year’s haul of nonfood Editor’s Picks entries for our own annual “most wanted” list, Progressive Grocer editors were struck by the way certain products were designed to work together, making them co-winners in a sense: Eucerin Diabetics’ Dry Skin Relief Body Crème and Foot Crème are obvious examples of this, as are Nivea Men Sensitive Cooling Shaving Gel and Post-Shave Balm.
Other trends of note, many carrying over from years past, include convenience (CN Smokeless Co. LLC Klondike Premium Moist Tobacco 6-Pack Tub), foodmaking at home (Roaring Brook Dairy Ricotta and Cottage Cheese DIY Kit), eco-friendliness (Canberra Corp. JAWS Just Add Water System Glass and Hardwood Floor Cleaners and Oasis Brands Fiora Ultra Soft Bath Tissue), multifunctionality (Energizer Personal Care Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Razor), pet pampering (Freshpet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe and Nestlé Purina PetCare Purina Beyond Natural Pet Food), and superior aesthetics wedded to high performance (Prepara Evak Food Storage).
Price points for certain items are admittedly on the high side, but our editors felt that in those cases, the products’ originality and usefulness made them worth the extra expense.
Once more, nonfood products made up just a fraction of total Editors’ Picks submissions, so please, CPG companies, keep sending them in for our consideration. We want to make sure items in these underrepresented categories receive their due recognition.
Beiersdorf AG Eucerin Diabetics’ Dry Skin Relief Body Creme and Dry Skin Relief Foot Crème
$8.59 (body crème); $5.99 (foot crème)
www.eucerinus.com
These two products can be used in tandem to ease diabetics’ often extremely dry skin. Gentle enough to use every day, both cremes are clinically proven to provide 24-hour moisture to dry, rough skin, leaving skin healthier looking. The foot creme is specially formulated to smooth dry, scaly heels and feet. Free of fragrance, dyes and parabens, the nongreasy cremes are enriched with alpha hydroxy to gently exfoliate, urea to moisturize intensively, and dimethicone to soften rough skin.
Beiersdorf AG Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion
$7.99
www.niveausa.com
Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion enables users to moisturize right in the shower. Formulated with a higher level of lipids than a regular body lotion, the product creates a lattice-like layer that traps moisture when applied to wet skin. The moisturizing and skin-conditioning agents are absorbed by the skin, and remain after rinsing and drying off, so users will experience soft skin for 24-plus hours, with no sticky feel.
Beiersdorf AG Nivea Men Sensitive Cooling Shaving Gel and Post-Shave Balm
$3.49 (shaving gel); $6.49 (post-shave balm)
www.niveamenusa.com
Developed in response to research revealing that 70 percent of men admit to having sensitive skin, these two products can be used in concert. The shaving gel provides a close, extra-comfortable shave, while the post-shave balm immediately calms and soothes any irritations and leaves skin feeling cool. Both products contain chamomile and seaweed extracts, without the addition of drying alcohol.
Blu PLUS+ e-Cig Rechargeable Kit and Xpress Kit
$42.99 (Rechargeable Kit); $14.99 (Xpress Kit)
www.blucigs.com
Employing cutting-edge technology, the Rechargeable Kit features a pre-filled Blu PLUS+ Tank, which holds more e-liquid and delivers more consistency from drag to drag, along with a new flavor formulation combining taste and nicotine strength. The battery is larger, lasts twice as long and rapidly recharges, and the pack sports a rubberized smooth matte-black finish that not only looks good, but also fits well in a user’s hand. Including the redesigned PLUS+ Tank, new flavor formula and extended battery life, but omitting the recharging pack to provide consumers with a lower-priced option, the Xpress Kit offers two tanks in the Classic Tobacco flavor, one PLUS+ battery and one USB charger.
Butler Home Products Gain Scented 90 Layer Lint Roller
$4.99
http://gain.cleanerhomeliving.com/lint.html
Now consumers can keep their clothes lint-free longer while infusing them with the popular scent of Gain, thanks to the Butler Home Products Gain Scented 90 Layer Lint Roller, available at a value price.
Canberra Corp. JAWS Just Add Water System Glass Cleaner and Hardwood Floor Cleaner
$4.99 (each variety)
http://canberracorp.com/jaws-just-add-water-system
This product line features a pod refill system to deliver ultra-concentrated cleaning solutions for use with refillable, reusable bottles and sprayers. The refill pods contain nontoxic, biodegradable formulas. The bottle is sold full of cleaner with a refill pod attached. After the bottle is used up, a consumer simply fills it with tap water, places the refill pod in the neck and twists the sprayer back on to release the concentrate, with no measuring or pouring necessary. JAWS bottles are reusable up to 26 times, reducing the amount of plastic bottles tossed into landfills, and the refill pods, sold two per pack, take up much less shelf space than a full bottle of cleaner. The streak-free glass cleaner, formulated without ammonia or alcohol, can be used on most home surfaces, including granite, stainless steel, and smartphone and tablet screens, as well as HDTVs. Featuring a subtle lemon-lime scent, the hardwood floor cleaner quickly cleans sealed hardwood, ceramic, linoleum and natural stone floors without leaving behind a hazy residue or streaks. Both varieties come in a recently redesigned spray bottle.
CN Smokeless Co. LLC Klondike Premium Moist Tobacco 6-Pack Tub
$4.99
www.cnsmokeless.com
These six pre-packed cans of fresh, high-quality smokeless tobacco in one value-priced tub eliminate the time-consuming, messy process of filling cans with loose tobacco. The item is available in Long Cut Wintergreen flavor.
Energizer Personal Care Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Razor
$15.79
www.schick.com/brands-women/schick-hydro-silk
The Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor combines the brand’s hydrating Hydro Silk razor with a bikini trimmer, for two-in-one convenience. Featuring five Curve Sensing blades to provide a close shave while reducing skin irritation, the razor, with a mere flip of the handle, turns into a waterproof bikini trimmer that can be used in or out of the shower.
Freshpet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe
$7.99
http://freshpet.com/
Prepared with fresh, locally sourced shredded chicken; garden-fresh carrots and spinach; and antioxidant-rich cranberries, Freshpet Select Fresh from the Kitchen Cooked Chicken Recipe offers a uniquely textured, all-natural, high-protein meal that’s reminiscent of home cooking. Like all of Freshpet’s refrigerated ready-to-serve meals, this latest item contains no artificial preservatives, fillers, byproducts or rendered meals. The item comes in a 1.75-pound package.
Nestlé Purina PetCare Purina Beyond Natural Pet Food
Price varies depending on size
https://www.purina.com/products/beyond
Beyond delivers all of the natural nutrition pets need, with real meat or fish as the No. 1 ingredient, and no corn, wheat, soy, poultry, byproduct meals, or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, in a variety of superfood and grain-free recipes. Nestlé Purina PetCare developed the affordably priced pet food line for the ultra-natural segment, which currently makes up more than 20 percent of total pet food sales and is projected to represent more than 25 percent of the category’s dollar share by 2017, or almost $6 billion. To promote the new product line, Nestlé Purina PetCare created a full 360-degree national support plan encompassing national TV ads, awareness, targeted trial, merchandising vehicles, a separate in-aisle “natural set,” engagement with third-party voices in a digital/social program, paid search and on-pack IRCs.
Oasis Brands Fiora Ultra Soft and Strong Bath Tissue
$4
http://oasisbrands.com/fiora/
Ultra Soft Bath Tissue, from Fiora, the fastest-growing tissue brand in the United States, uses a premium-base paper with softer hand feel, and provides a whopping 250 sheets per roll, giving shoppers greater value with more sheets than even the “double rolls” of leading premium-tissue brands. The product also offers more cotton-acacia fibers in every sheet, making it, according to manufacturer Oasis Brands, “the softest, strongest, most absorbent bath tissue ever.” Ultra Soft additionally bears on-pack certification from the Geneva, Switzerland-based Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) as an assurance of responsible sourcing.
Pharmavite LLC Nature Made Advanced Dual Support Probiotics
$24.99
http://probiotics.naturemade.com
Nature Made Advanced Dual Support provides two high-quality, scientifically studied probiotics to help support regularity and digestive balance. The dairy-and preservative-free product which also features no synthetic dyes or artificial flavors, contains Lactobacillus plantarum 299V and Bifidobacterium lactis SD-5674, both of which can withstand the stomach’s harsh environment to survive in the intestinal tract, where they’re needed. The recommended daily amount is one pair of capsules.
Prepara Evak Food Storage
$24.99
http://prepara.com/collections/evak
Since prolonged exposure to air compromises foods’ freshness, Evak Food Storage simply removes the air. The product’s twin-valve system automatically forces air out when the lid is pushed down; then, to access the food within, the lid can be easily pulled up and removed without bothersome buttons or levers. Ideal for such items as coffee, tea, dried fruits, granola and herbs, the containers are made from high-quality borosilicate glass and stainless steel — the parts that come in contact with food — while the handle is fashioned from durable ABS with LFGB European-grade silicone gaskets inside. All that, and the items are attractive enough to adorn any kitchen counter.
Procter & Gamble CoverGirl UltraSmooth Foundation + Applicator
$12.99
www.covergirl.com
The CoverGirl UltraSmooth Foundation + Applicator imparts a smooth tone and texture to skin, covering imperfections from redness, uneven skin tones and blemishes. Available in 12 medium-coverage shades in easy-open, scissor-free packaging, the innovative foundation contains optical concealers and Olay skin-smoothing serum, while the flexible silicone applicator enables the user to create a natural look. The foundation and applicator come in a clear thermoformed blister pack that provides easy at-a-glance verification of the foundation’s color, while silver hot-foil stamping applied to both the foundation tube and labels provides an upscale appearance and high shelf impact.
Procter & Gamble Downy Fresh Protect
$4.49-$11.99
http://downy.com/en-us
Downy Fresh Protect brings a truly innovative consumer benefit to the brand’s product lineup: wearable odor neutralization. The company’s new Voyager PMC technology is activated as consumers move, neutralizing and protecting against odors for 24 hours. Parent company Procter & Gamble is supporting the launch with more than $10 million in marketing spending for the first year.
Roaring Brook Dairy Ricotta and Cottage Cheese DIY Kit
With do-it-yourself gourmet foodmaking on the rise, the Ricotta and Cottage Cheese DIY Kit includes everything consumers need to make soft, simple cheeses at home in about an hour, with the exception of easily obtainable fresh milk and cream. Including supplies to make four batches of ricotta and four batches of cottage cheese one batch at a time, the shelf-stable kit contains a thermometer, cheesecloth, vegetable rennet, citric acid, and illustrated instruction manuals with a glossary, a troubleshooting guide, recipes and tips. Following the kit’s simple instructions, a PG editor was able to whip up two tasty batches of ricotta, and highly recommends the item as the perfect family project for a rainy day, followed by an evening of lasagna making with the results.