Market research firm BrandSpark International has unveiled the 2021 winners of the BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards for everyday consumer product brands. The winners were chosen according to a survey of nearly 18,000 U.S. shoppers who shared which brands they trust the most and why.
“With the pandemic and fragile economy, consumers are more cautious than ever about what they are bringing into their homes,” said Robert Levy, president and CEO of Toronto-based BrandSpark. “So, right now, building a bridge of trust is more important than ever for brands. The BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards seal has been a visual reminder of that trust for eight years. It underscores that other shoppers trust the brand and helps build trust with new consumers to ultimately drive purchase.”
For the second consecutive year, BrandSpark has joined forces with news magazine Newsweek to help raise awareness of the winning brands.
According to BrandSpark, Americans continue to be more loyal to the brands they trust, with 47% saying they are loyal to brand names compared with 44% a year ago and 40% in 2017 and 2018. Unsurprisingly, Americans are also doing a lot more shopping online, where they’re finding new brands to stack up against old favorites. BrandSpark found that 32% are making online purchases at least once a week, versus 27% a year ago, which the firm noted can lead to increased brand switching.
The awards, which have been awarded annually since 2013, were presented this year in 167 consumer product categories, 87 of them new (as denoted by a star):
BABY & KIDS
Baby Laundry Detergent: Dreft
Baby Lotion: Johnson’s Baby
Baby Monitor: VTech
Baby Probiotics: Culturelle
Baby Toys*: Fisher Price
Baby Wash/Shampoo: Johnson’s Baby
Breast Pump: Medela
Children’s Allergy Medicine: Benadryl
Children’s Cough Medicine*: Tylenol
Children’s Learning Toys*: Fisher Price / LeapFrog (tie)
Children’s Thermometer: Braun
Children’s Vitamins: Flintstones
Diaper Bag*: Skip Hop
Diaper Rash Cream: Desitin
Diapers: Pampers
Dolls*: Barbie
Nipple Cream*: Lansinoh
Nursing Pads: Lansinoh
Nursing Pillow*: Boppy
Playpen/Playard*: Graco
FOOD & BEVERAGE
All-Purpose Flour*: Gold Medal
Alternative Flour (Non-Wheat)*: Bob’s Red Mill
Artisan Flatbread: Stonefire
Avocado Oil*: Chosen Foods
Better-For-You Frozen Dessert*: Halo Top
Butter: Land O’Lakes
California Wine*: Robert Mondavi
Canned Seafood*: StarKist
Chocolate: Hershey
Chocolate Chips*: Nestlé
Cocoa Powder*: Hershey
Coconut Oil (Cooking)*: Nutiva
Coconut Water*: Vita Coco
Cooking Oil Spray: Pam
Cooking Stock/Broth*: Swanson
Dairy Free Cheese*: Daiya
Eggs: Eggland’s Best
Flavored Water Enhancer*: MiO
Frozen Fruit*: Dole
Frozen Pie Shells*: Pillsbury
Frozen Potato Products: Ore-Ida
Frozen Vegetables*: Birds Eye
Honey*: Sue Bee
Hot Sauce: Frank’s RedHot
Iced Tea*: Lipton
Instant Noodles*: Nissin
Jerky: Jack Link’s
Lunch Kits*: Lunchables
Mustard: French’s
Non-Alcoholic Beer*: Heineken
Non-Dairy Yogurt*: Silk/Chobani (tie)
Oat Milk*: Oatly
Pasta Sauce: Ragú
Pickles*: Vlasic
Plant-Based Meat Alternatives: Beyond Meat/Morningstar Farms (tie)
Ready-to-Drink Smoothies*: Naked
Reduced Calorie Beer*: Bud Light
Salad Kits*: Dole
Salsa*: Pace
Steak Sauce*: A.1.
Taco Kits*: Old El Paso
White Vinegar*: Heinz
Yogurt Drink*: Yoplait/Chobani (tie)
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Acne Treatment System: Neutrogena
Allergy Eye Drops*: Visine
Allergy Nasal Spray*: Flonase
Anti-Aging Skin Care Products: Olay
Back Pain Relief: Tylenol / Aleve (tie)
Blood Glucose Monitors*: One Touch/Accu-Chek (tie)
Blood Pressure Monitors: Omron
Cold Sore Remedy: Abreva
Contact Lens Solution: Bausch & Lomb
Denture Adhesive: Fixodent
Denture Cleanser: Polident
Diarrhea Medication: Imodium
Ear Pain Relief*: Hyland’s
Eczema Cream*: Aveeno
Eye Cream*: Olay
Fiber Supplement: Metamucil
Foot Antifungal Products*: Lotrimin
Hair Regrowth Products: Rogaine
Hair Removal: Nair
Hair Root Touch-up: Clairol
Hand Sanitizer: Purell
Hemorrhoid Treatment*: Preparation H
Insect Bite/Sting Treatment: Off!
Immune System Support*: Emergen-C
Laxative: Dulcolax / RestoraLAX (Miralax) (tie)
Lice Treatment*: Nix
Men’s Body Wash: Dove Men+Care
Men’s Skin Care: Dove Men+Care
Micellar Water: Garnier
Mouthwash: Listerine
Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements*: Nature Made
Pain Relief Patch*: Salonpas
Probiotic Supplements: Culturelle/Align/Nature’s Bounty (tie)
Salon/Professional Shampoo (Over $10)*: Biolage/Redken/Paul Mitchell (tie)
Sensitive Toothpaste: Sensodyne
Snoring Aids*: Breathe Right
Sore Throat Spray*: Chloraseptic
Sunscreen: Coppertone
Teeth Whitening: Crest
Toothpaste for Gum Health*: Crest
Topical Cough Suppressant*: Vicks VapoRub
Topical Pain Relief Cream/Gel: Icy Hot
Upset Stomach Relief: Pepto Bismol
Wart Removal*: Compound W
Women’s Body Wash*: Dove
Yeast Infection Medication: Monistat
HOME GOODS
Barbecue Grill: Weber
Beard Trimmer*: Wahl
Blender: Ninja
Cast Iron Skillets & Pans*: Lodge
Computer Monitor*: Dell
Electric Kettle*: Hamilton Beach
Electric Shaver: Philips Norelco
Electric Toothbrush: Oral-B
Food Processor*: KitchenAid/Cuisinart (tie)
Golf Clubs*: Callaway
Hair Clipper*: Wahl
Mattress: Sealy
Oven/Range: GE
Rice Cooker*: Aroma
Robot Vacuum*: Roomba by iRobot
Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot
Stand Mixer*: KitchenAid
Washer / Dryer: Maytag/Whirlpool (tie)
Wet Dry Vacuum*: Bissell
Windshield Wipers*: Rain-X
HOUSEHOLD & PET
Air Freshener Spray*: Febreze
Antibacterial Soap*: Dial
Bath & Shower Cleaner: Scrubbing Bubbles
Cat Food: Purina
Cat Treats*: Temptations
Dental Chews For Dogs*: Greenies
Dishwasher Detergent: Cascade
Disinfecting Wipes*: Lysol/Clorox (TIE)
Dog Treats: Milk-Bone
Drain Cleaner: Drano
Dryer Sheets: Bounce
Fabric Refresher*: Febreze
Fabric Softener: Downy
Flea & Tick Prevention: Frontline
Food Storage Bags: Ziploc
Food Storage Containers: Rubbermaid
Glass Cleaner: Windex
Insect Control: Raid
Insect Repellent: Off!
Laundry Detergent: Tide
Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin: Tide
Laundry Scent Booster (In-Wash): Downy
Laundry Stain Remover: Shout
Laundry Wrinkle Protection: Downy
LED Light Bulbs: GE
Mop And Bucket*: O-Cedar
Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Cleaner: Lysol
Plug-In Air Freshener*: Glade
Premium Adult Dog Food*: Purina (ONE, Pro Plan)
Premium Puppy Food*: Purina (ONE, Pro Plan)
Shoe/Boot Polish*: Kiwi
Shoe/Sneaker Protector*: Kiwi
Sponges*: Scotch Brite
Stainless Steel Cleaner*: Weiman
Toilet Bowl Cleaner*: Lysol
Toilet Paper: Charmin
Water Filtration (Pitchers & Bottles)*: Brita
Wood Surface Care: Pledge
Cincinnati-based CPG powerhouse Procter & Gamble garnered the most brand awards, with 21 total and seven wins just in laundry categories.
Seventeen thousand, nine hundred and ninety American shoppers determined the BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards winners for 2021 through their responses for categories in which they shop. The results were ranked based on the greatest volume of mentions as the most trusted brand in the category. Ties were declared if the margin of victory was within 3%.