The Elev8 beauty show is taking place at the gallery event venue White Space Chelsea on 25th Street in New York City. And, the format for this new industry event could be described as cocktail-party-meets-tradeshow.
Art is on display during Elev8, and champagne and hors d'oeuvres are being served.
The concept
Elv8 is a relatively intimate event showcasing natural skin care and beauty products for buyers, makeup artists, industry experts, and editors.
The event site explains that it’s “a chance for the industry to step inside the green bubble on non-toxic beauty without stepping outside of the luxury world.”
Natural and organic products remain popular with consumers, especially those factoring the environment and personal wellness into their purchasing decisions. And, green beauty is no longer a counter culture category. Brands like Kahina Giving Beauty, the first certified organic skin care on the shelf at Bergdorfs, are making it accessible and appropriate for luxury consumers too.
The brands
Only 30 brands are exhibiting at Elev8. Most of those are independent, natural skin care brands, like Privai Skincare, Osmia Organics, and Nouri . Others are fragrance, nail color / care, and color cosmetics companies.
Luxury nail brand Adesse New York is at today’s event. “We chose to exhibit with Elev8 because their mission resonates with us,” Suzanne Roberta, founder of Adesse New York, tells Cosmetics Design.
“From the inception of the Adesse brand; we had a singular vision to create an archetype in the beauty industry….Our goal was to give customers clean, non-toxic products that are safe to wear and a luxury to experience” –a widely shared sentiment among brands showing at Elev8.
The eco chic niche
“Eco chic” is the term Elv8 organizers are using to embody the values and experience of the beauty show.
And it’s something the industry is starting to embrace. The natural cosmetics and personal care space is a mix of legacy brands and newer independent companies. In fact, iBE, a larger green beauty event that’s getting independent brands in front of buyers, press, and influential consumers, has expanded into 2, two-day events (one on each coast) for 2016.