Angela Shepherd – Cosmetic & Fragrance Category Manager, Malouf Pharmacies/Ramsey, is renowned in the industry for having a strong instinct for discovering fledgling brands, for sniffing out a sure-fire success and evaluating international trends for her Australian customers. Recently she scoured the booths at world-leading trade show – CosmoprofAsia 2017. Here she shares with esprit’s readership her personal key take outs and trends.
SKINCARE TRENDS
Beauty Food, masks, stem cell, Vitamin shot/ampoule, fruit-based skincare, anti-pollution, dermo cosmetics, whitening, natural skincare – most skincare trends are still coming from Korea and Japan – with the exception of Natural – which is coming out of Australia.
The single biggest trend, I say, is Beauty Food – supplements and powders to support inner health for outer beauty. Most were Marine Collagen based. The best supplier I saw was an Australian supplier called Vida Glow. Beautiful packaging. Lots of drinks and even food with added beauty boosters.
Skincare Diagnostic Devices and other electronic devices – small hand-held devices that connect to any portable device that did a quick skin analysis across six different skin concerns – hydration, lines, firmness, pigmentation, pore size and wrinkles. I had it done on my skin and it was fantastic. Very easy to train consultants to use. I also saw a lot of cleansing brushes and systems and even hand-held portable diffusers. Electronic toothbrushes are also going to the next level with toothbrush bristles that open and hug the tooth.
Masks – as per last year there were literally hundreds of suppliers and manufacturers of masks – from all over the world – from sheet to silk, to mud to Bio Cellouse – masks for feet, breasts, neck, chin – cooling masks, heating masks…BUT this year, masks have evolved and I saw a lot of 3D masks – as well as masks with added vitamin ampoules or shots. Charcoal peel-off masks are still big news.
Plant Stem Cell skincare – again this was a big trend, but hard to do in Australia due to our tight controls around ingredients.
Fruit Based skincare – this seemed to be an emerging trend, with more presence at the fair this year. I saw one brand that I fell in love with but I’m keeping quiet on the details! BUT beautifully packaged and well-priced.
Whitening – still very big with the Asian consumer and I saw some machines designed to whiten the skin.
Anti-Pollution – this was a very key trend. Again, a hard sell in Australia – we just don’t have the level of pollution that they do in Asia.
Dermo Cosmetics – not so much represented at the fair – but VERY evident out in the Asian beauty arena – lots more choice than in Australia and pharmacy in HK & China is devoting large amounts of space to this. Hydration is a big trend in Asia.
Natural – there seemed to be a big presence of Australian natural brands wanting to get their product into Asia. Natural is very BIG in Asia and is only going to get bigger – from skincare, supplements, toothpaste (HUGE) shampoo, baby products, sanitary products, sunscreen – there is a natural alternative to everything.
Cleansing Tissues – mix with a little water and they dissolve – lathered up well but NO soap! – completely portable with very good cleansing properties…I’m in love with this concept.
MAKE UP TRENDS
The fair was definitely geared more towards skincare – there was not a huge amount of colour cosmetics but what I saw was generally unknown brands trying to break into the Asian market. Lots of US makeup brands.
Most colour innovation was coming out of Japan and Korea – very cute packaging – geared incredibly young – the beauty stores are jammed with very cute Japanese beauty products. A la Hello Kitty.
Brushes – once again, there is a plethora of brushes to choose from and the biggest trend was the mermaid brush and the round flat brush. You can have any brush you can dream of at Cosmoprof.
Beauty Blenders – thousands of beauty blenders to choose from…the biggest trend – the Gel Egg blender.
Cosmetic Bags – one of my favourite things was the amount of beauty cases available – compartmentalised and very practical –cosmetic bags are going to the next level with new finishes and designs.
Colour Correcting – a very big trend – something already playing out on the beauty stage, but will continue to grow.
Nail Printer – very exciting for Nail Salons – they can print any design straight onto your nail (from a photo or an image).
OTHER TRENDS
Lashes – Lash growth serums had an added presence this year. These serums are also used on the brow to encourage growth – I saw this a lot at the fair.
Skincare supplements – vitamins for lightening or brightening the skin, tightening and clearing the skin.
Natural Toothpaste – this was a very key trend this year. Moving away from the charcoal trend and branching out into different types of toothpaste.
Cryotherapy & Steam Therapy – freezing fat, heating fat and steaming hair, steaming the face. Spa – I saw the most beautiful spa brand from India – but quite high end.
Luxe cleaning products – laundry powder, liquid, surface spray, air freshener – all in ultra-luxe packaging.
Niche & rollerball fragrance – we don’t often see fragrance at Cosmoprof other than manufacturers – but I’m love with one brand I saw that made beautiful rollerball fragrances.