Indie Beauty Expo is truly ground zero for beauty trends. Take CBD. At the trade show’s Los Angeles edition in 2017, a single CBD brand—Code of Harmony, then called Crave Skincare—constituted the cannabis beauty presence. At the most recent IBE in downtown LA, which took place Jan. 29 to 30 in the Magic Box at The Reef, 20 CBD brands exhibited, and that number doesn’t include brands putting CBD in one or two products. Retailers and editors head to the expo expecting to catch a first glimpse of the movements that will propel the beauty industry forward, and there were plenty of them attending the show in LA last month. Specifically, more than 500 buyers and 200 members of the press popped by from the likes of Dermstore, Cos Bar, Knockout Beauty, Erewhon, Walmart, Whole Foods, Ulta Beauty, QVC, Allure, WWD, Byrdie and PopSugar. Of course, Beauty Independent was in the mix, too, exploring merchandise for clues on what could become the next CBD remaking the market. Here are 12 trends we identified at IBE LA that, while they may not replicate CBD, are certain to pick up momentum in the indie space.
Click here to see the 12 trends that are gaining momentum.