BOLOGNA, Italy — Buyers combing the stands at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna last month often turned to nature and the East when it came to beauty finds.Brands were out to make discoveries, too. Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, said she was at the trade show meeting with manufacturers as well as distributors, since her brand has a big international push right now.“In June, we are expanding in Italy . We are trying to expand in Asia,” she said. “The Middle East. We are ready to conquer the world.“I want to see what’s new,” continued the executive, who has been attending Cosmoprof in Bologna since 1995.Anastasia is also broadening its product offering.
Anastasia Soare“We are not a full makeup line yet,” said Soare. “We don’t have lip liners. We don’t have foundations. We don’t have powders. Mascaras — we don’t have. We are probably working on 100 projects, but few of them will come to fruition. Unless we are 120 percent in love with the product, we won’t launch it.”Hayk Sargsyan, founder and owner of retailer Cosmotheca of Moscow, explained he was after “innovative, interesting products” — including basic items “that talk to you but do not take a long time to explain.” Sargsyan said that he was also keen to find some “interesting old heritage brands…not touched by technology, like old brushes or kinds of soap.”
Hayk SargsyanAfter Cosmoprof ended, Shawn Whiffler, portfolio manager for personal care at Clicks, of Cape Town, South Africa, noted: “Overall, the natural theme across nearly all categories was very strong, and I see this growing stronger into the next years.”Below are buyers’ top picks from the trade show, which ran March 15 to 19.Rosanna Corte, head of the beauty department at Coin Italy:
Rosanna Corte
- Ecooking, from Denmark. It’s a nice concept of organic products “food for skin” payoff. It has interesting storytelling, as the brand was born in a kitchen. The founder used ingredients by herself to develop products. Ecooking gave a every unusual experience, with the stand developed like a kitchen. The packaging is essential and minimal. There’s definitely a nice balance between performance and concept.
- Ayres Beauty, from the U.S. A touch of colors from Buenos Aires. It has lovely packaging, four ranges with different colors and smells. The brand has a different interpretation of natural cosmetics linked with culture. It’s nice to be reminded of the typical and unique cultural elements: from music — with a line called Tango — to landscapes — with a line called Patagonia. Ayres has an unusual concept, and gives skin a journey into pleasure.
- Triumph & Disaster, from New Zealand. It’s a nice concept for male grooming developed with fashion and codes. Essential but elegant, the products are developed using local indigenous ingredients with a strong sustainability concept. It is a local brand with a global vision. Its name was inspired by a poem written by Kipling, called “If,” which father gave him when he was young. fantastic mood and storytelling.
Shawn Whiffler, portfolio manager for personal care at Clicks, of South Africa:
Shawn Whiffler
- Vitamasques, from South Korea. Facial masks is a category that is exploding, and I found a brand that is offering a wide range of very innovative masks using South Korean technology that has an offer for nearly every requirement.
- Beardburys by Carobels Cosmetics, from Spain. There are a lot of barber brands out there, but they had two new product lines that were very innovative. The first is a shampoo and a lotion for bald men with a unique applicator that massages your head as the product cleanses and moisturizers the scalp. The second is a range of home-use beard and hair colors for men.
- Apothecary Natural Skin Care by Dr. Botanicals, from the U.K. The skin-care offering is 100 percent natural and 100 percent vegan. The range is split across many variants that are easily identifiable due to simple, bright packaging, which is a play on the scientific periodic table.
Léa Paillard, senior beauty buyer at Galeries Lafayette of France:
Léa Paillard and Samantha Dinet
- Miss Kay, from Israel, and Inuwet In Unicorn We Trust, from France. For their Millennial tone.
- La Canopée, from France. For its natural skin routine.
- Foreo, from Sweden. For its great innovations regarding electro-beauty.
Rossella Di Gregorio, a buyer at Italy’s La Rinascente:
- Jeffree Star Cosmetics, from the U.S. The makeup artist was the real star of this Cosmoprof. We’d really love having the brand in our Annex.
- Vitamasques, from South Korea. South Korean beauty; we loved the “multimasking” and the texture. The sheets are very innovative.
- The Lotus, from South Korea. for the pure and natural ingredients used and the stunning packaging.
Isabelle Sastra Janvlyn, business development manager at Indonesia’s PT Clarindotama Perdana:
Isabelle Sastra Janvlyn
- Ericson Laboratoire, from France. It’s a really innovative medical technology concept with thorough research and development on how to maintain healthy, young-looking skin without needles or procedures on your face. I tried their slim and young skin facial and can instantly see the results with wrinkles in just 30 minutes.
- Mesauda Milano, from Italy. It’s a great range of makeup. They offer lots of new innovative beauty products, since the last time I met them, in professionally designed and , quality material.
- Lavanda del Lago, from Italy. Everything lavender! They had a very attractive booth — I have to say — this year, all covered with homemade fresh lavender ingredients. The product variants are also very complete, and they have big potential to grow.
John Arne Ommundsen, commercial director at Solis of Norway:
John Arne Ommundsen
- Leaders, from South Korea. are the best of two worlds — South Korea and Switzerland. They have fun names that will create interest, like: Too much fun in the sun? and What happened last night? Leaders has a very important target group — Millennials and Generation Z.
- Dr. Botanicals, from the U.K. It’s 100 percent natural skin care. The packaging stands out on the shelves. It has a very important target group — Millennials and Generation Z — and attractive price points.
- Warew, from Japan. It’s J-beauty, and has very strict quality control. Most of its ingredients are natural. The brand has packaging that stands out on shelves.
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