Soufiane Abeddaa
Project Manager, Beauty and Wellbeing
Dmitrii Bachukin
Project Lead, Beauty and Wellbeing
This year’s theme at BEAUTY FORUM Festival in Munich, “Feel Ageless – Beauty & Beyond,” reflected a broader shift from traditional anti-aging toward health, vitality, and longevity. This direction was evident across the exhibition floor, from the growing presence of exosomes and PDRN to microneedling sold as a treatment protocol, ingestible beauty next to topical ranges, and a visible mass of devices and equipment. Meanwhile, regulatory changes, including the EU’s TPO ban on nail care products and Germany’s NiSV rules on light-based devices, are increasingly influencing how brands position their offerings.
Here are the key observations from the event:
- Longevity is Now the Organizing Principle, Not a Trend
A dedicated Longevity Hub ran its own full-day program exploring how longevity is changing the beauty industry, with sessions on key topics such as hormones and skin aging, as well as collagen science. One of the sessions touched on what the face reveals about life expectancy, drawing on 27 peer-reviewed studies.
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2. Exosomes and PDRN Have Reached the Shelf
Two ingredient stories dominated the professional skin care stands, and both have crossed from conference slide to purchasable product.
- CNC Skincare, marking its 40th year, promoted a MED HYAL exosome serum and mask featuring biomimetic exosome technology “developed for the professional skin care of the new generation”.
- KLAPP featured its Exo|Gen Triple Action Restore Age Defense Cream, which was nominated for the BEAUTY FORUM Stars Award 2026 in the Skin Care category. The product reflects the growing focus on skin regeneration and longevity within professional skin care.
- être belle advertised collagen vegan peptide ampoules combining “peptides, exosomes, and niacinamide in perfect synergy”.
- Arkana showcased its PDRN Triple Fusion line alongside Longevity 90.
The commercial implication for brands is that exosome and PDRN claims are becoming table stakes. Instead, differentiation is shifting toward treatment protocols, the device that delivers the active, and the evidence a brand can put behind it.
Another noteworthy observation related to claim substantiation: one of these advertisements carried a visible “AI-generated” mark on its imagery, a disclosure that was not previously observed as standard in professional beauty advertising.
3. Beauty from Within Moved into the Professional Channel
Ingestible beauty is no longer confined to a wellness corner, but it was integrated into the professional halls and sold with the same clinical vocabulary as topical ranges. For instance, collagen supplements sat alongside creams on multiple stands.
- hu’care presented a “daily all-in-one” drink with more than seventy nutrients, made in Germany, blended live on the stand.
- MenoAloe addressed menopause directly with its FLOW range – a segment the German professional channel has historically under-served.
- Biogena and Acibadem Healthcare Group have also brought a clinical nutrition framing into the hall.
Supplements are becoming an expected adjacency for professional skin care brands as well as a straightforward way for a salon to raise basket value without buying another device.
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4. Microneedling Became a Category, Not a Treatment
Microneedling was among the most visible treatment modalities across the professional halls, and it has clearly matured. It is now sold as a system – device, consumables, pre-care, and post-care – rather than as a standalone service.
- Norel Dr. Wilsz promoted MesoXR ampoules explicitly positioned “for microneedling and after RF needling care”, carrying a Beauty Forum Stars Award 2026 Poland marking.
- MezoPen sold a premium set pairing an automatic microneedling device with twenty cartridges and a full ampoule protocol.
- The Beauty Stage hosted a live demonstration by HYDRAFACIAL and SkinStylus of microneedling and nano-needling, while the professional workshop program featured a session titled “Microneedling 360°: prepare, treat, regenerate”.
- Just as telling was the counter-positioning. SU SKIN took stage time for an algae peeling treatment marketed as bio-microneedling – “microneedling rethought: effective skin renewal without needles, devices, or acids”. When a category is large enough that brands build propositions specifically around avoiding it, it has stopped being a trend and become a segment.
5. Equipment and Robotics Claimed the Aisles
One of the most noticeable changes compared with the previous editions was the increased presence of equipment and treatment technologies across the exhibition floor. Lasers and light systems were everywhere: CVM Professional promoting laser hair removal, radiofrequency, and anti-aging systems with financing offered as part of the pitch. Other exhibitors included Asclepion Laser Technologies, DEKA, Mtech Laser, and LPG. Treatment technology also occupied significant exhibition space, including IONTO-Comed‘s PinkPeel launch, the Skin OXYmizer oxygen device, body-contouring, and diagnostic skin scanners.
Equipment manufacturers also showcased developments beyond traditional treatment devices. Gharieni Group presented its spa and medical equipment under the banner “cobotics innovations”, bringing collaborative robotics into treatment furniture, while BAEHR filled a large footprint with podiatry chairs and workstations.
As salons’ capital budgets are finite, purchases of a device, particularly when supported by financing options, can compete directly with a year of product orders. Financing terms displayed on stand banners were a recurring sight this year.
6. “NiSV-Free” – Regulation Turned into a Marketing Claim
Germany’s NiSV ordinance governs the non-medical use of non-ionizing radiation on people. Since December 31, 2022, operators using lasers and intense light sources for cosmetic purposes have been required to hold a certificate of expertise (Fachkundenachweis), valid for five years. Manufacturer device training does not substitute for this certification. For smaller studios, this means additional qualification costs, periodic renewals, and compliance requirements.
KLAPP advertised its stand demonstrations under a repeated “NiSV FREI” flash (NiSV-free) and carried the same wording onto the Beauty Stage, presenting “modern exosome technology combined with innovative, NiSV-free device technology”.
7. Nail Care: Life After the TPO Ban
The nail care segment is navigating a significant regulatory change following Europe’s ban on TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide), a photoinitiator widely used in UV gels. Effective on September 1, 2025, the ban followed TPO’s classification as a CMR category 1B substance under Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/877. Previously permitted in professional artificial nail systems at concentrations of up to 5%, TPO was prohibited without a grace period or sell-through allowance for existing stock.
A year on, reformulation has become a key marketing message. Maica Germany displayed “Shellac TPO-frei” and “Farbgele TPO-frei – professionelle Qualität” across its stand, pairing the compliance message with a “no file” builder gel launch and a five-plus-one volume offer.
The implications extend beyond nail care: a hazard-based CMR reclassification can remove a workhorse ingredient from the professional channel with no transition window, and the brands that recover the fastest are the ones that turn the reformulation into a quality claim.
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8. Big Brands Are Sharing Space and Rethinking Route to Market
One notable example was the shared stand of OLYMP Beauty Division and BABOR. OLYMP Beauty Division, a supplier of treatment couches, changing-room, and locker systems, hosted BABOR within its own footprint, where the brand presented DOCTOR BABOR PRO as “the exclusive line for professionals”. A major German professional skin care name appearing as a guest on an equipment supplier’s stand signals closely that product and equipment propositions are now being sold together.
9. The Show Floor is a Shop
The event has always had a cash-and-carry character, but discounting was particularly prominent across the exhibition halls this year.
- Essential Therapy London built a full retail wall of ampoules under repeated “SALE – EUR 5.00/BOX” headers, against shelf cards showing EUR 10 and EUR 15 for the same category.
- QU PRO offered up to 70% off with three units for EUR 100 against a EUR 179.66 reference price.
- Maica Germany promoted a five-plus-one on polishes and gels. Open “SALE – REDUZIERT %” dump bins stood in the aisles of the nail and make-up areas, with one make-up stand offering lip gloss from just EUR 1.
