Behind the Scenes in Berlin: The Moment NASH Was Named “Product of the Year 2026”

A few days ago, we drove to Berlin. Of course, we were hoping to come home with an award. But when you’re a young company sitting at an awards ceremony like that, waiting to see if your name will be called, it suddenly feels very different. And then it actually happened: NASH.

To be honest: We didn't know what to expect in Berlin

We headed there with rather mixed feelings. We were looking forward to it. We were hopeful, of course. But we also had this question: Will it really be enough to win an award in the end?

The awards ceremony took place at STATION Berlin as part of the BIG BANG AI Festival. There, you find yourself sitting among established companies, new brands, and people from a wide variety of industries, waiting for your category to be called.

And the closer that moment gets, the less relaxed you suddenly feel.

Then the name NASH came up.

The NASH razor was named “Product of the Year 2026” in the personal care category.

And suddenly, you're holding this award in your hands

The award was presented to us by Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister of Economics and current Chair of the Advisory Board of the German Institute for Service Quality.

That was one of those moments when you briefly think: Okay. This is really happening right now.

But who actually decides what gets named “Product of the Year”?

Of course, that's exactly what we wanted to know, too.

The award is organized by the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) and the news channel ntv. The idea behind it is quite simple: in a market with an ever-increasing number of products, the goal is to highlight which solutions make a real difference for customers.

Companies were able to submit their products from February through July 2026. Entries were evaluated based on three criteria: What is truly different about it? What specific benefits does it offer the customer? And how significant is the impact of this difference?

The decision is made by a 12-member jury. And this is not a group consisting solely of people from a single industry. It includes experts from academia, retail, trend research, and market research. Among others, there are people from the marketing department at the University of Hamburg, the SINUS Institute, the retail sector, and consumer research.

ntv is also involved from a technical standpoint. Catja Stammen is the editorial director of ntv’s business magazines. It was precisely this mix that we found exciting, because it allows the product to be viewed from a wide variety of perspectives.

What Impressed the NASH Jury

What we found particularly interesting was the reasoning behind the decision. After all, the award wasn't given for just any single feature of the razor. The jury evaluated NASH as an overall concept.

So that's exactly the synergy we've been working on since day one.

Not just one trick, but the whole package

The jury highlighted several things: skin-friendly shaving products, modern materials, and our direct sales channel.

Or to put it more simply: It's not about completely reinventing shaving.

It's all about improving the things that really matter when you shave every morning.

When it comes to grooming, we rely on natural shaving products without synthetic additives. For our razors and packaging, we use materials such as liquid wood and grass paper to reduce unnecessary plastic waste.

And we sell directly—without going through the traditional chain of intermediaries. This results in a price advantage, which the jury specifically highlighted as reasonable.

That exact combination was our idea from the very beginning: a better shave, a reasonable price, and modern materials—without requiring you to completely rethink your morning routine.

Why This Award Really Means Something to Us

Of course, we're delighted to receive the award. Very much so, in fact.

But for us, the exciting part is something else entirely.

NASH started out with a pretty simple question: Why do we put up with things while shaving that have been annoying us for years?

Expensive replacement blades. Unnecessary plastic waste. Personal care products that we wanted to make differently ourselves. And a market where you quickly get the feeling that a lot of things are the way they are simply because they’ve always been that way.

We didn't want to tinker with some wild new shaving concept. We wanted to make the things men do every morning anyway a little better, step by step.

So it feels pretty good that an independent jury is now recognizing this very package.

And yes: This award belongs to you, too

That might sound like the usual acceptance speech, but I really mean it.

No matter how well-designed a product may be, if no one is willing to give a young brand a chance, nothing will happen.

Every first order made a difference. Every piece of feedback showed us what works and what we need to improve. And every recommendation led to someone else giving NASH a try.

That's why, for us, that moment in Berlin wasn't just about, "We won an award."

It was more like this: An idea has actually turned into something that more and more men are using every morning. And now, all of a sudden, it says “Product of the Year 2026” on it.

That's pretty crazy.

NASH Conclusion

We drove to Berlin without knowing exactly what to expect. We came back with the “Product of the Year 2026” award for the NASH razor in the personal care category.

We're proud of that. But what matters even more to us is why NASH received this award: not because of a single gimmick, but because of the idea behind it. A better shave, modern materials, and a clear price advantage thanks to direct sales.

That's exactly what we're continuing to work on.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.