Consumable items accounted for almost half of the 2018 Product of the Year Award winners.

NEW YORK — Product of the Year USA recognized 31 products from across the consumer packaged goods market with its 2018 Product of the Year Awards.

This year’s 2018 Product of the Year Award winners were announced at Thursday evening at the Edison Ballroom in New York City during the annual Product of the Year Awards Show. The event, held by Product of the Year USA in partnership with women’s lifestyle digital outlet SHEfinds, was hosted by comedians Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer and featured an after-show party sponsored by Heineken.

Among the 2018 winners, the consumables category led the way with a 13 products, followed by health and beauty care with eight winners and cleaning products with seven winners. Of the winning companies, Procter & Gamble Co. took home five Product of the Year Awards, followed by Aldi Inc. with three.

Product of the Year winners are determined by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a national representative study conducted by consumer research firm Kantar TNS. The winning products, announced each February, get the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years. Product of the Year USA noted that its red seal is proven to boost product sales, distribution and awareness, making it a compelling merchandising program for CPG marketers.

The 2018 Product of the Year Award winners, by category, were the following:

HEALTH & BEAUTY CARE

Beauty: Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage Mask (Henkel)

Feminine Care: U by Kotex Fitness (Kimberly-Clark)

First Aid: Curad SoothePlus (Medline Industries)

Health & Wellness: Pure Protein Super Food (Nature’s Bounty)

Men’s Hair Care: Just For Men Control GX (Combe)

Pain Relief: PROcure Epsom Salt Gel (Profoot)

Personal Care: Nature by Canus Fresh Canadian Goat Milk Soap (Canus)

Women’s Grooming: Finishing Touch Flawless (Ideavillage Products)

CONSUMABLES

Bakery: Duncan Hines Perfect Size for 1 (Pinnacle Foods)

Beer: Heineken Cooler Pack (Heineken USA)

Better-For-You Snack: Aldi Elevation by Millville High Protein Bars (Aldi)

Breakfast: Sandwich Bros. Breakfast Sandwiches (Sandwich Bros. of Wisconsin)

Candy Bar: Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar (Mondelez International)

Convenience Meal: Imagine Super Soups (Hain Celestial)

Frozen Entrée: Cooked Perfect Fire Grilled Chicken (Home Market Foods)

Frozen Side: Green Giant Veggie Tots (B&G Foods)

Ice Cream: Skinny Cow High Protein Packed Low Fat Ice Cream (Nestlé)

Ready-to-Drink Cocktail: Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer (Diageo)

Snack Cup: Aldi Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt Tilts (Aldi)

Spreads: Aldi Little Salad Bar Guacamole (Aldi)

Sugar Confections: Toffifay (Storck USA)

HOME CARE & GENERAL MERCHANDISE

Air Care: Febreze One (Procter & Gamble)

Car Care: Valvoline Easy Pour Bottle (Valvoline)

Cooking: Copper Chef Deep Square Pan (Tristar Products)

Dish Care: Cascade Platinum (Procter & Gamble)

Dishwasher Cleaner: Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Cleaner (Procter & Gamble)

Home Cleaning: Purell Multi Surface Disinfectant (Gojo Industries)

Laundry Booster: Purex Crystals Botanicals (Henkel)

Laundry Pacs: Tide Pods Plus Downy (Procter & Gamble)

Liquid Laundry: Gain Botanicals (Procter & Gamble)

Pet Care: Turtle Wax Power Out! Carpet & Mats Heavy Duty Cleaner (Turtle Wax)

For more than 30 years globally and 10 years in the United States, Product of the Year aims to aim to help consumers identify top new consumer products by honoring companies for product quality and innovation.

“Product of the year answers an essential question: ‘How do I find great new products?’ With so many launches, so many claims, how do you find the best? This year, a record number of products entered to compete for the winning spot in their respective categories,” commented Mike Nolan, chief executive officer of Product of the Year. “With the help of 40,000 consumers nationwide, we are excited to champion these winners as they have achieved that validation. Product of the Year’s distinctive red seal of approval continues to help shoppers find the best new products on the shelves and give the winners a well-earned competitive advantage.”

For the annual awards, Product of the Year takes entries from CPGs launched within the previous year that demonstrate advancement within their industry. Product nominations are put into categories — including beauty, personal care, household essentials, car care, food and beverages, and pet care — and are evaluated on seven key measures. One product is named the winner of each category, based on the results of the consumer study.