in-cosmetics North America returned to New York from October 23-24, with the region’s major beauty brands joining their indie counterparts in sourcing the latest personal care ingredients and learning about the trends that are set to shape the future of the sector.
Among the high-quality visitors from leading cosmetic brands attending this year’s event was Chaz Hudak, Manager of Origins Research and Development at The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. He commented: “What I like most about the show is being able to connect with my suppliers and learn about new technologies. In just a few hours I’d met a handful of new contacts, while the free educational program was extremely beneficial.”
Innovation galore on the exhibition floor
Over the two days that in-cosmetics North America came to town, dozens of new innovations were on show to inspire the next wave of cosmetic creations. From novel color cosmetics and sensory enhancers to the most advanced active and functional ingredients available, the event was the perfect place for beauty and personal care creators to find out about the latest ingredients and suppliers.
This year, visitors benefited from meeting local businesses Acme-Hardesty, Alzo International, Delfin, Grant Industries and Integrity Ingredients Corporation, who joined international organisations including Japan’s ICHIMARU PHARCOS CO, Brazil’s Chemyunion, China’s KingPowder Technology and South Korea’s AT Lab Co. Ltd.
Speaking about the ability to source new ingredients, Alex Bliziotis from Blue Sun International, commented: “I head up an applications lab and came to the event looking for inspiration and the hottest ingredients. The makeup of in-cosmetics North America means it is easy to find the best products and meet directly with the suppliers.”
Designed to help visitors to discover the latest launches and map out their time at show, the Innovation Zone brought together a variety of ingredients that had been launched in the last eight months including Mibelle Biochemistry’s Black BeeOme, which picked up a top prize at the event’s Award ceremony on October 23. Additionally, the Sensory Bar and Make-Up Bar areas presented attendees with an easy way to locate formulations that showcase trend-setting color cosmetics and textures.
Moving from behind closed doors, this year’s exclusive Speed Networking session took place on the show floor, giving suppliers a five-minute window to pitch their beauty innovations to some of the fastest growing indie brands as well as leading R&D teams from major cosmetic businesses. Diane Dabkowski, Manager at AVON Products, was one of those taking part: “in-cosmetics North America is the only event I’ve been to that has a speed networking event. It’s an energetic and dynamic session that presents both brands and suppliers with a tremendous opportunity.”
This year also saw the launch of a brand-new Indie Tour, complimenting the show’s popular Fast Track Marketing Technology Tour. The new, free-to-attend indie program – introduced following feedback from Indies who wanted to easily access relevant suppliers – was incredibly well received by all those that attended.
A platform to learn from the experts
Another major draw of the fourth edition of in-cosmetics North America was the Marketing Trends theater, which featured exclusive presentations from a host of international experts, including representatives from Mintel, Euromonitor International, GlobalData and Seymourpowell.
Kicking off this year’s seminar program, Kayla Villena, Senior Analyst at Euromonitor International, provided invaluable insights into how consumers are shopping for beauty products. She identified which channels are coming to the fore and explained how brands can capitalize on those that are growing the fastest.
Meanwhile, during the highly informative Technical Seminars, eight leading personal care suppliers provided cosmetic chemists with a unique opportunity to learn more about their novel ingredients. They were joined by Ithos Global and UL who helped attendees discover new ways to manage metrics during the commercialization process and how to navigate global cosmetics compliance requirements, respectively.
Another part of the free education program was the eagerly anticipated Formulation Lab which was curated by Mark Chandler from ACT Solutions Corp – the show’s new Official Technical Advisor. The interactive training sessions gave R&D professionals a chance to work with Univar Solutions’ team to develop a cold process primer to achieve a haute look. In another session, EMD Performance Materials helped chemists create a serum that infuses skin with powerhouse moisture, while also providing impactful, skin enhancing aesthetics.
Ruth Lee, Product Development Coordinator at Cosmax commented: “I’m constantly looking for new trends and have clients that are actively seeking innovative, sustainable packaging. I’ve been able to find a list of new vendors from visiting the show and think it’s perfectly set up to cater to cosmetic manufacturers’ needs.”
Step up for the awards
The 2019 show also saw the best in the industry recognized for their achievements. In addition to Mibelle Biochemistry’s Innovation Zone Award, SEPPIC’s Sunshine & Pixie Dust SPF30 – an easy-to-apply suncare emulsion – picked up the Sensory Bar award whilst Natura-tec’s DIY Super Glow frosted metallic eye shadow took home the coveted Make-Up Bar award.
But it was Swiss American – one of the US’s leading contract manufacturers – that stole the headlines by rising to the challenge and fighting off stiff competition from Johnson & Johnson and previous winners Colgate-Palmolive and Shiseido to win the Formulation Challenge – a competition to create a novel beauty product for a specific target audience in just 90 minutes.
Amid jubilant scenes at the in-cosmetics North America Awards Ceremony, the judges remarked that Swiss American’s Wise Beyond The Years serum for the face, neck and hands was perfect for its mature male target audience.
Moving to New Jersey in 2020
As the in-cosmetics brand continues to grow in North America, it was also revealed that for 2020, the event will move to New Jersey, the beauty industry’s heartland – closer to the major R&D centers. Taking place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus from October 21-22, the show is expected to attract even more exhibitors and visitors in its fifth year.