Indie Beauty Expo continues global expansion, opening in Berlin

08-May-2018 - Last updated on 08-May-2018 at 17:24 GMT

In 2019, IBE will host its first event in Berlin, Germany, bringing together independent cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance brands; beauty entrepreneurs; retail buyers, media, investors, consumers, and industry allies for two days of business and shopping.

The announcement was made at this week’s Beauty X Summit in Dallas, Texas, an educational event for entrepreneurs in cosmetics and personal care that’s produced by the IBE team.

IBE got its start in August 2015 with a single show in New York City that featured just over 50 independent beauty brands. Since then, the event has grown rapidly to keep pace with the indie beauty movement. In the States, IBE now puts on shows in New York City; Los Angeles, California; and Dallas, Texas.

According to the show site: “IBE’s mission is to provide a platform to recognize, showcase and celebrate independent beauty brands and to support the growth and success of the entrepreneurs behind them.”

That mission is rightly leading the event into new markets. The Indie Beauty Expo will to take place in Europe for the first time, later this year: on October 24th and 25th the show will be in London, England. And now, a Berlin show is scheduled to take place on March 29th and 30th, 2019.

Being everywhere at once

IBE co-founders Jillian Wright and Nader Naeymi-Rad selected Berlin as an IBE city for several reasons. “Europe is a diverse market and German-speaking countries are a discrete opportunity within that market, representing over 100 million consumers spread among some of the best performing economies in the region,” explains Naeymi-Rad, in a media release. “Furthermore,” he says, “German retailers have been steadily expanding their reach across Europe and now represent some of the most desirable wholesale channels available to brands. We want to make these markets and channels accessible to more independent brands.”

The indie beauty movement is advancing entrepreneurship, speeding innovation, and changing retail. “The practice of going to a trade show once a year to do a buy is becoming obsolete. Consumers can now find new brands online at a click of button at any time. So buyers are now 'always buying',” says Wright.

“With five shows across two continents,” she’s confident that “IBE will offer retailers a continuous stream of new innovations, from around the world, throughout the year to help them maintain their competitive edge.”

---

Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.