As this was my first ever exhibition, let alone my first exhibition in the cosmetics industry, I was very excited to see the ins and outs of the world’s foremost personal care ingredients event. In-cosmetics Global brings together ingredient suppliers and manufacturers who are looking to network, discover new products and learn about future trends. There were also various talks organised across the three-day event on a variety of topics, from sustainability based discussions to talks about product innovations, to demonstrations of some of the newest and coolest products. I was very lucky to be able to head down to London last week with Oat Cosmetics to help them on their stand, and to experience the show for myself. Here are some of my highlights from the event!
Out with the old, and in with ‘in-cosmetics’
We arrived at the ExCeL in London the day before the event was due to start to help put the finishing touches to our stand. I was expecting to see the venue hall completely finished, with just the final pieces being put together, but when we arrived, most of the work was still being done! On several stands, cabinets were still being made and painted, light fittings were still being put in place and the carpet hadn’t yet been laid. I soon found out that there had been a different exhibition going on the day before, and so the contractors had to quickly pull down the old stands to make way for in-cosmetics Global. By the next morning, although there were still a few things being put in place, the venue was complete, the pink carpet had been laid out across the whole of the venue hall and everyone looked ready for the exhibition to begin! I was very impressed with the speed with which the ExCeL turned from an empty venue hall into a bustling cosmetics event.
The Sustainability Corner
It was great to see sustainability as one of the key focuses of this year’s in-cosmetics Global exhibition. For many people, the terms ‘cosmetics’ and ‘sustainability’ do not go together. In fact, the industry has often been criticised for being far from environmentally friendly, and perhaps at one point this was a correct assumption. However, it seems that the industry is moving towards a greener and more sustainable future. Whether this is of its own volition or due to growing consumer awareness of how the beauty products consumers buy affect the environment, I was thrilled to see in-cosmetics Global embracing the growing pressure to ‘go green’. The Sustainability Corner at this year’s show allowed various companies to showcase their ingredients and their commitments to environmental and social sustainability. There were also several presentations organised to help inform and educate visitors on different sustainability aspects, from Fairtrade and community empowerment, to sustainable supply chains and ingredients. It was an excellent addition to this year’s event, and one that I hope will return next year.
Oat Cosmetics
Of course, one of my biggest highlights was working with the team at Oat Cosmetics throughout the event and helping them to engage with potential new manufacturers and engage with existing distributors. The Oat Cosmetics stand looked great this year and I loved being able to talk about the company, the power of oats, and the company’s commitment to selling ingredients that are sustainable and beneficial for the skin. Since I’d only joined Oat Cosmetics the week before, I had to quickly learn as much as I could about each ingredient and what made them such great additions to product formulations, but it was an exciting challenge and a real highlight for me!
Going all out
In-cosmetics Global is one of the few events in the industry’s calendar where companies can go all out, and this year was no different. Walking around the show, I loved seeing how each company had designed their stand, what techniques they were using to attract visitors, and what concepts they’d implemented to help market their ingredients. Light boxes seemed to be very popular, with most stands incorporating at least one to help advertise their products. There were some amazing stands at this year’s event, with some of the biggest companies going all out on their designs. Here are just a few examples of the different stands at in-cosmetics Global 2017!
