Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna has always been the perfect stage for the latest trends and the most innovative products of the beauty universe, being a reference point for professionals and specialists of the sector.
This year, the show brought together about 2,000 exhibitors and more than 200,000 visitors around the world. Over 90,000 square meters of exhibition space were dedicated to the various sectors of the beauty industry, including perfumery, natural cosmetics, packaging and contract manufacturing, beauty salons and spas, hair, nails.
Cosmoprof Bologna continues to be a major international “hub” for the professional beauty sector. The show is a great place for skin care and hair care manufacturers to showcase new product launches and treatments. Moreover, it is suitable for displaying various hairstyles, as well as to find and meet with domestic and international distributors.
Several of the largest Italian professional hair and skin care manufacturers were present at the show, including Davines/Comfort Zone, Screen (Nuova Fapam), Barex Italiana, Lisap, Fuente, Nashi Argan, H.Zone, Elgon, Bioline, Kaaral, Medavita, Vitely’s, FarmaVita, and Alter Ego Italy. The Davines/Comfort Zone and Alter Ego Italy booths, in particular, continue to stand out the most and attract a sizeable amount of visitors. However, a trend that has continued for some of the largest professional skin care and hair care foreign brands suggests there were fewer brands for the fourth consecutive year. For instance, Babor and MoroccanOil have not attended for the first time in five years.
In terms of new launches, for both skin care and hair care, a major focus this year was on product repackaging and the reformulation of products to remove unwanted ingredients, such as parabens and formaldehyde. This was the case when Coiffance Professionnel, re-launched their entire product portfolio with new packaging in 2014.
Launches this year in the hair care sector have emphasized the hair care and hair styling categories. Keratin continues to make its way into shampoos and conditioners as a vital ingredient as exemplified with the launch of Elgon’s new Keratin Care line.
With the launch of several lines such as Keratin Complex Color Therapy, Coiffance Professionnel Color, and Elgon’s Color Fix lines, hair care designed for colored hair also continues to be a predominant trend and remains a vital component of the hair care market.
Despite losing its momentum from 2013, the hair chalk trend seems to be the apparent driver in the hair coloring category. Furthermore, most launches following this trend have originated from low-cost brands or private-label manufacturers, which have been prevalent in the 2014 edition of Cosmoprof.
A relatively innovative launch in the hair coloring category was made by Italian brand Phair, who created a color line that combines both bleach and color. The line lifts up to six levels and colors with several nuances.
Italian brands Alter Ego, Fuente, and Screen extended their natural positioned lines in 2014. This year is also opportunistic for organic brands and “hair oil purists,” such as Nashi Argan, Silver Tree, Or & Argan, Argan, and Argan de Luxe, to extend their product portfolio into other categories, including skin care. Moreover, Argan and PhilipMartin’s have launched their own respective products, penetrating the skin care market in 2014.
Furthermore, skin care manufacturer Sothys Paris has been seen moving into other product categories. The Cosmoprof show provided the opportunity for the brand to showcase their first makeup line, which launched in 2014. The line offers a range of 80 products and has been beneficial for the manufacturer during the year.
Foot care also seems to be a growing trend in 2014. A large number of skin care manufacturers specializing in treating feet concerns were also present at the show. These included brands such as Gehwol and Podocare.
On the other hand, for both hair and skin, a sizeable number of brands showcased product lines targeting babies and children, such as Little Green, Sophie La Giraffe Baby, and Elgon Kids.
This year re-confirmed that Cosmoprof is a tremendous opportunity for smaller up and coming brands to develop their business in Italy and internationally. Several brands caught our attention. For example, Amika, the U.S. brand professional hair care line. Amika entered the European market in 2013 and already has a presence in Russia, France, and Germany. With its colorful display and original design, Amika attracted a number of visitors who became enamored with the brand. Its popularity is similar to the attention Morroccanoil had at the show in 2010/2011, which saw the brand growing exponentially following the event.
Italian hair care brand Mash Up is another brand that caught visitors’ attention this year. Instituted in 2012, Mash Up began exporting their products around mid-2013. The line currently offers shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products and is looking to add a hair coloring line by 2015.
In the professional skin care sector, several brands also caught our attention. French brand Neomist, from SCM Cosmetiques, was launched in 2013 and introduced to the Italian market in 2014. A hybrid between a serum and a moisturizer, Neomist holds several patents on treating various signs of aging. The product is sold through spas and beauty institutes as well as through retail stores at a retail price of EUR 150.00. Neomist is currently the only product offered by the brand, but the brand intends to extend the line in 2014/2015 with a new hand cream and body serum. Other notable newly launched brands include Italian brand ON and Korean brand A-True.
Cosmoprof 2014 also provided an opportunity for at-home and professional devices manufacturers to show their latest innovations. One that really caught our attention at the show was Foreo’s new electric silicon tooth brush called Issa; although presented for the first time; Issa is very elegant in design and introduces new product attributes to the toothbrush market. The silicon bristles are believed to be more hygienic than traditional toothbrush bristles. The product also has a long-lasting rechargeable battery that needs to be recharged once a year. The product comes in two formats: one for adults, one for children. The adult version is sold at a retail price of EUR 165.00. Foreo also showcased the professional version of the brand’s Luna at-home devices product called Luna Pro, which launched in 2013.
Cosmoprof was a great occasion for us to meet with our partner ICMAD. ICMAD is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing programs and services to those creative, innovative cosmetic companies to help them succeed in the rapidly changing, highly competitive cosmetics and personal care industries. Again this year, ICMAD organized a reception where U.S. manufacturers can meet and discuss ways to meet the evolving needs of the cosmetics industry.
The cosmetics industry has witnessed a multitude of product innovations that will continue to become more prevalent as technologies and practices become more innovative. Exhibitions across the world are vital to spreading the message of innovation and getting start up brands on the path to success while reinforcing the successes of larger, more established brands in the process.
