Episode 27: Reviewing Indie Beauty Trends & Events

There is no better time to take stock and review indie beauty trends and events than the start of a new year; nor is there a better time for a change. So, in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations podcast we see a role reversal with host Gemma in the hot seat as our interviewee, while school director Lorraine asks the questions.

This is one of our longer podcasts as Gemma does an extensive, insider round-up of the value of attending, as a visitor and as trade, both Indie Beauty Expo, which had its inaugural European debut with its London show late last October, and Stylist Live which took place at Olympia, London, in November. Gemma describes Stylist Live as “indie brand heaven” as it combined beauty with a range of lifestyle, homes’ style and wellness sectors to offer a really great day out.

Just as exciting are the indie beauty trends that Gemma noticed emerging at these events which ranged from brands offering varying levels of product customisation to those promoting a more holistic, wellness view of outer beauty.

What struck Gemma as she took on her roving reporter role was the number of Formula Botanica students and graduates whom she met at these two major UK events, both as brands exhibiting and as visitors doing market research and simply having a great day out and a meet-up. Among those we connected with were Susanna Laine, Veera Brückler and Kati Partanen of TwistBe online store for holistic high-performance skincare, who had flown in from Finland to attend IBE (see our selfie photo with them below).

Above all, what we and everyone we know who attended both IBE and Stylist Live noticed was the overriding atmosphere of collaboration and genuine eagerness to move the global green beauty movement forward together. As Gemma says: “Both shows had a feeling of indie entrepreneur collaboration. Stall holders, though technically in many ways in competition, showed real kindness to each other.”

To conclude this episode, our duo focuses on two of last year’s major achievements for the school: the Formula Botanica 2018 conference – our largest and most successful to date – which took place in London in early November; and the Cosmetic Executive Women Award Ceremony which saw Lorraine receive the Digital Achiever Award sponsored by Google. Both events were remarkable for bringing pioneering people in the beauty industry together to network and forge opportunities.

In this episode, key indie beauty trends you’ll hear about include:

• The noticeable growth of crystal-infused beauty products either made with or containing crystals in various forms and offering a holistic concept of beauty;
• Part-customisable skincare using pre-made bases which give consumers the option to choose their own active and other ingredients, such as fragrance, to tailor products;
• The boom in natural make-up brands keen to demonstrate that all-natural cosmetics can be high performance too; and
• Ingestible beauty and food supplements that work hand in hand with topical cosmetics to help provide a holistic approach to beauty and wellness.

Our key take-outs about attending indie beauty events include:

• First, define your trade or consumer show objectives. Work out your goals in attending, whether market research, sales, networking or meeting prospective retail buyers. Do your homework on events and shows to see if they are a good fit for you.
• Indie Beauty Expo (IBE), which is set to expand further into Europe, is primarily a trade show aimed at getting your brand before retail buyers, distributors and so on. There is a consumer ‘Shop Indie’ evening, but otherwise it’s mainly a trade opportunity.
• Stylist Live has a real buzz to it and is a three-day consumer show. It offers a great opportunity to get your brand before potential customers and gain all-important feedback.
• You will need stamina to exhibit at either event!
• If you exhibit, do ensure you have your marketing and brand collateral on point and in an easy format for customers to pick up and take away. You may be too busy to chat to everyone, so ensure your give-aways send out a clear message about your brand, products’ differentials and so on.

Both IBE and Stylist Live are annual events in London, with IBE set to appear in other European cities, such as IBE Berlin (22-23 March, 2019).

You might be interested in listening to our podcast Why beauty tradeshows are good business with guest Paula Francis of SuperFoodLx.

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