What’s Next: A sneak peek at Cosmoprof North America 2015
What’s Next is a new feature of DSN written by consumer beauty blogger Lonni Delane. The goal is to help give beauty merchants the cutting edge they need to stay ahead of the latest and greatest beauty trends. Feel free to share your thoughts either here on drugstorenews.com or email senior beauty editor Antoinette Alexander at [email protected].
The upcoming Cosmoprof North America, to be held July 12 to 14 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, is a singular event in the beauty business, an international hub that brings together all facets of the industry and major players from every corner of the globe.
Looking to showcase the up and coming brands and unveil its new plans for the Las Vegas show, Cosmoprof North America recently held the Cosmoprof Rising Stars of Beauty event at Rooftop 48 in New York City.
According to Daniela Ciocan, marketing director for Cosmoprof North America, the key is to be always looking ahead and always finding new ways to make the show a success.
“So many small- to medium-sized companies need financing to grow their business or to get started,” said Ciocan, “So how can we help them?” The answer: Beauty Pitch.
Mark Cuban of NBC’s television show “Shark Tank” was a speaker at last year’s Cosmoprof and Ciocan had the idea to bring him back for the 2015 convention for its very own version of the TV show called Beauty Pitch. Cosmoprof North America received several applications for Beauty Pitch from every segment of the industry and narrowed it down to five finalists. Among them: a company that developed an app for stylists and a prohibition-inspired maker of men’s hair care called “1821 Man Made”. Finalists will duke it out Shark Tank-style to win a one-year mentorship with Cuban. In addition, three investor groups culled through the applicants for those diamond-in-the-rough companies they believe to have potential. Their picks will be announced at the show.
Another feature of CosmoProf is the Boutique Concept, which Ciocan said is the result of her looking at the market and seeing the success of subscription box services and asking herself how that can be brought to a trade show. Unlike your typical swag bag where the products are as random as the people receiving them, CosmoProf has found a way to make it a two-way street. Not only do attendees get to customize their gift but vendors also have the chance to know who is interested in their products. Everyone who participates swipes their badge and is then allowed to choose seven products from 20 vendors. The guests get a box filled with the products they are excited about, and vendors can follow up with them to get a real sense of who the guest is and their reaction to their offerings.
Also during the rooftop event in New York City, up-and-coming beauty brands provided a sneak peek of what products they’ll be highlighting during the Las Vegas trade show. These brands include:
Lamik Beauty
Lamik — or “Love and Makeup in Kindness” — is a brand focused on being user-friendly for the woman on the go who may be intimidated by too much makeup. The line is broken down into seven basic steps. “Beauty is revealed… not applied,” said creator and founder Kim Roxie.
Design Essentials Natural
This is actually a re-branding of a salon-only professional brand that previously focused on products for relaxed hair. For the past five years it has shifted its focus to retail products for natural African-American hair, with its Coconut and Monoi collection being the focal point of the brand.
Ancorotti
Ancorotti is an Italian cosmetics manufacturer that has come to the United States within the past nine months. It focuses on coming up with trends and ideas in color cosmetics and then collaborating with brands to develop eye-catching packaging concepts. It has already worked with such major brands as Too Faced and Make Up Forever.
Raw Spirit Fragrances
Joyce Lanigan, CEO, said she was inspired by working with the Aborigines of Australia on a collaborative art project. One of the artists brought her a bottle with a bit of brown sludge and asked would she help to make it into a fragrance. The “Fire Tree” is native to southwestern Australia and produces an essence that Lanigan describes as “the most amazing scent”. It became the inspiration for this socially conscious, sustainable line of fragrances that seeks to work in harmony with the world’s indigenous communities and give back to them whenever possible.