World famous detergent brand Sunlight led the pack of winners at Product of the Year South Africa 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa with a total of five awards including best dish washing liquid, best handwashing powder (heritage) and best laundry bar.
Tech giant Samsung followed through with four awards in total, including best smart TV, best smart watch for the Galaxy Watch 4 and best cellphone for the Samsung S22 Ultra.
Phillips, not surprisingly, won in the highly-anticipated best air fryer category, while Hisense scooped best entertainment system.
Product of the Year is South Africa’s largest independent consumer-voted survey which focuses specifically on product innovation.
Established over 30 years ago in France, Product of the Year currently operates in over 40 countries with an effort to guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation.
2022 year marks the 14th edition of the awards in South Africa, which comes just months after the appointment of globally revered businesswoman, Margaret Hirsch, as the ambassador.
“Globally we are seeing consistent engagement from market leaders as well as challenger brands. South Africa is an emerging market, and we are excited to see the growth of electrical appliances in the categories. We know the trading environment has been exceptionally difficult and 2022 is a brighter more exciting time to enter, showcasing all innovation,” said Mike Nolan, CEO of Product of the Year Management.
And the rest of the winners for POYA South Africa 2022 are:
| Category | Winner | Company |
| Refrigerators | LG InstaView Door-in-Door | LG |
| Smart TV | Samsung 65″ Frame TV | Samsung |
| Large Smart TV | Samsung Neo Qled 8k TV | Samsung |
| Confectionery i.e. Sweets, Biscuits and Chocolates | Ferrero Rondnoir T14 | Ferrero |
| Vape Devices | VUSE EPOD Device and Kit | BAT |
| Hand Washing Powder – Heritage | Sunlight Spring Sensations 2-in-1 Hand Washing Powder | Unilever |
| Dishwashing Liquid | Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid Full Range | Unilever |
| Multi-Purpose Cleaner | Sunlight Pine Gel 1l | Unilever |
| Cellphones | Samsung S22 Ultra | Samsung |
| Machine Dishwashing Tablets | Sunlight 5-In-1 Auto Dish Machine Dish Washing Tablets (90s) | Unilever |
| Laundry Bars – Heritage | Sunlight Laundry Bar | Unilever |
| Kitchen Appliances | Hisense Smart Front Loader | Hisense |
| Entertainment System | Hisense Sound Bar U5120G 5.1.2CH Dolby Atmos | Hisense |
| Smart Watches | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 | Samsung |
| Auto Washing Liquid – Laundry | Sunlight Summer Sensations 2-in-1 Auto Washing Liquid 1,5l | Unilever |
| Airfryers | Philips XL Essential Connected Airfryer 6,2l | Philips |
| Tablets | Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra | Samsung |
| Baby Cereal – Hertiage | Cerelac Regular Range | Nestle |
| Growing Children – Heritage | Nestle NIDO 3+ Powdered Milk For Growing Children | Nestle |
Kantar oversees the independent research of Product of the Year South Africa to over 2,000 hourseholds around the country. “Their team has been absolutely amazing! Congratulations once again to all the winners in their respective categories and we are so excited to see all their advertising with the red seal,” stated producer Edith Venter.
