Indie Beauty Expo 2016 outdoes itself
The independent beauty category is thriving, growing, and influencing the beauty industry to an impressive degree. And, Cosmetics Design was at IBE last week to take it all in.
Every age and stage
It can be tempting to think of indie beauty as farmers’ market beauty or startup beauty, but brands exhibiting at this year’s IBE in New York City were both well-established mass market brands, like Pacifica (which launched in 1997), and new luxury market players such as Violets are Blue, a company that got its start within the past three years and sells products originally created for women undergoing cancer treatment. Violets are Blue donates products to patients at Mount Sinai hospital here in New York City, and retails the same luxury skin care online as well as in boutiques and yoga centers.
Indie brands span every cosmetic, personal care, and devise category imaginable. Truth Vitality Lux Renew was on hand at IBE, showcasing light therapy technology. London Brush Company, a favorite of professional makeup artists, showed a full selection of impeccably designed brushes.
Skin care, hair care, and body care were well represented at the expo by brands like TruFora, Hydro Hair, and Emmaus Beauty. Pour le Monde and Sigil Scent were among the fragrance brands at this year’s IBE. While other noteworthy brands exhibiting include wipe maker Box Naturals, KPS Essentials, and Pomade Divne from London.
And numerous other brands came from around the globe to connect with peers, the media, and broker business deals for the future.
A quick look at trends
The show revealed too many trends to mention here, but some worth tracking include bacteria and the microbiome, beauty from within, effective color cosmetics, assorted natural deodorants that stand up to real life sweat, and coffee in every form as a compelling ingredient.
Mother Dirt, a biotech innovator selling bacteria-based skin care to finance research on the microbiome, stood apart from the crowd in that category. And among the beauty-from-within brands standing firm at IBE this year were GilSODin Skin Nutrients, FatCo Skin Care Products, and Vital Proteins. That last company sells ingestible collagen powers that can be blended into any hot or cold beverages and contain 20 grams of collagen per serving—a higher dose than any competing brand, as company representatives tell Cosmetics Design.
Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on at IBE and the three expos planned for Los Angeles, California; Dallas, Texas; and New York City in 2017 promise to be very relevant beauty industry events.
