Brand Innovation

Are multifunctional grooming products the key to men’s skin care?

CD Buzz Video

Are multifunctional grooming products the key to men’s skin care?

By Deanna Utroske

Jesse Jimz made its industry debut at Cosmoprof North America last month. And the new premium men’s skin care brand is all about multitasking products that men are already using in their grooming routine, like an aftershave that doubles as a moisturizer,...

D’Alchémy: a natural skin care brand inspired by medieval chemists

CD Buzz Video

D’Alchémy: a natural skin care brand inspired by medieval chemists

By Deanna Utroske

Polish beauty entrepreneur Anna Mamczur is on a mission to build a brand with the best anti-aging product in the world. She founded Phenome Organic Skincare in 2009 and D’Alchémy just 2 years ago. At Cosmoprof North America last month, Cosmetics Design...

My Magic Mud: the indie beauty brand using dirt to get people clean

CD Buzz Video

My Magic Mud: the indie beauty brand using dirt to get people clean

By Deanna Utroske

This week, My Magic Mud is exhibiting at the Indie Beauty Expo in New York City. But Cosmetics Design caught up with CEO Jessica Arman last month in Las Vegas, Nevada, to learn how this dirt-based beauty brand that launched with a single product—a tooth...

Indie Beauty Profile Jasmine Lawrence, EDEN BodyWorks

Indie Beauty Profile

Jasmine Lawrence, EDEN BodyWorks

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Jasmine Lawrence, Founder of EDEN BodyWorks, shares insights and highlights about the hair care brand she launched 15 years ago this month. She’s grown the brand in that time to some nine product lines (including body care...

Beauty Tech Launch: the Atolla Skin Health System hits the market

Beauty Tech Launch: the Atolla Skin Health System hits the market

By Deanna Utroske

This week the Brooklyn-based beauty tech venture headed up by Meghan Maupin and Sid Salvi officially launched. The new personalized skin care system makes use of an at-home testing kit, mail-order custom serums, and machine learning to document and adapt...

HERgonomics: 3 women reinventing the gestures of beauty

HERgonomics: 3 women reinventing the gestures of beauty

By Deanna Utroske

Skin care tools, makeup applicators, and cleansing devices are fairly commonplace in consumer beauty routines. And when something is common and familiar it can be difficult to imagine things differently. But that’s exactly what beauty entrepreneurs Angela...

5th annual IBE NY event attracts indie beauty brands from around the world

Editor's Spotlight

5th annual IBE NY event attracts indie beauty brands from around the world

By Deanna Utroske

This year’s New York City edition of the Indie Beauty Expo will take place August 21 and 22 at Pier 94 on Manhattan’s West Side. And, brands from nearly every continent will be exhibiting at show – more than 225 of them, all hoping to capture the attention...

Indie Beauty Profile Michele Gilfoil, Planet Botanicals

Indie Beauty Profile

Michele Gilfoil, Planet Botanicals

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile Michele Gilfoil, founder of Planet Botanicals, describes building an accessible personal care brand with sustainably sourced natural ingredients. And, while sharing her story and advice of entrepreneurship, she notes that building...

Yubi Beauty: because there’s more than one way apply makeup

CD Buzz Video

Yubi Beauty: because there’s more than one way apply makeup

By Deanna Utroske

Adiya Dixon Wiggins has reinvented the most common of beauty tools: the makeup brush. “Yubi slides onto your fingers to become an extension of your hand,” explains Dixon Wiggins in this video interview with Cosmetics Design, filmed at the recent Cosmoprof...

3 beverage industry trends inspiring beauty product development, seen at Cosmoprof North America 2019

3 beverage industry trends inspiring beauty product development

By Deanna Utroske

Snacks and drinks and dietary trends regularly influence consumer expectations and new personal care and cosmetics product launches. At Cosmoprof North America last month in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cosmetics Design noticed this selection of beverage-inspired...

Indie Beauty Profile Michèle Evrard, Cosmetics 27

Indie Beauty Profile

Michèle Evrard, Cosmetics 27

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Michèle Evrard, Founder and CEO of Cosmetics 27, describes how she intentionally evolved her career in and beyond corporate beauty to become a successful entrepreneur. And she explains how a single skin balm grew in to a simultaneously...

Cosmoprof North America 2019, in photos

Cosmoprof North America 2019, in photos

By Simon Pitman

The biggest B2B beauty industry event in the Americas closed its doors on Tuesday, and here we bring you some of the highlights of the show in photo gallery form, including the discovery seconds, the new Cosmopack section, the Cosmoprof Factory and some...

LATAM companies at Cosmoprof NA, in photos

LATAM companies at Cosmoprof NA, in photos

By Simon Pitman

The massive Cosmoprof North America event attracted beauty companies from all over the world, and in this photogallery we focus on a broad selection of this year's exhibitors who came from the Latin American region.

ICMAD announces 2019 Indie Beauty Innovators Award winners

ICMAD announces 2019 Indie Beauty Innovators Award winners

By Deanna Utroske

At an event Monday evening, held at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Independent Cosmetics Manufacturers and Distributors honored 10 brands in an array of categories as well as 1 individual, recognized at Entrepreneur of the Year.

Anne-Marie Kline shares 5 tips for building a competitive indie brand

Anne-Marie Kline shares 5 tips for building a competitive indie brand

By Deanna Utroske

Speaking at the Indie Beauty Innovators Awards event, hosted by ICMAD, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday evening, the former CMO of Living Proof gave founders in the room her best advice for leading a brand to success in today’s rather crowded cosmetics and...

Inaugural Unfiltered Experience, in photos

Inaugural Unfiltered Experience, in photos

By Simon Pitman

The Cosmetics Design team was at the first ever Unfiltered Experience in Las Vegas this weekend. And we captured some of the highlights from the event in this photo gallery.

Vegan probiotic beauty has arrived, and it’s winning hearts and minds

Vegan probiotic beauty has arrived, and it’s winning hearts and minds

By Deanna Utroske

At Unfiltered Experience, this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Lili Fan was showcasing her newly launched eponymous brand of skin and body care, formulated with lactobacillus—notably, a strain of the microorganism that is not the product of fermented...

An Indie Brand to Watch: SmartyPits, award-winning prebiotic deodorant

An Indie Brand to Watch: SmartyPits, award-winning prebiotic deodorant

By Deanna Utroske

At last night’s Indie Beauty Innovators Awards event in Las Vegas, Nevada, SmartyPits was recognized with ICMAD’s 2019 award for Charitable Company. The brand, founded and led by Stacia Guzzo, donates both product and sales revenue to breast cancer research...

Indie Beauty Profile Victoria Fu and Gloria Lu, Chemist Confessions Inc.

Indie Beauty Profile

Victoria Fu and Gloria Lu, Chemist Confessions Inc.

By Deanna Utroske

In their Indie Beauty Profile, Victoria Fu & Gloria Lu, founders of Chemist Confessions Inc., explain how a chemistry blog on IG became a skin care brand, why that makes for a loyal yet quirky consumer base, and that often times as entrepreneurs,...

Uplink Live opens in New York City this August

Uplink Live opens in New York City this August

By Deanna Utroske

Produced by the Indie Beauty Media Group, Uplink Live is a 2-day event where brands at any stage of business can connect with a wide array of service providers. And prominent industry suppliers—like Gattefossé, Lubrizol, Croda, and Symrise—will be on...

Indie Beauty Brand leaders as product knowledge experts

Editor's Spotlight

Indie Beauty brand leaders as product knowledge experts

By Deanna Utroske

Startup founders and independent brand leaders in the cosmetics and personal care business know what’s been missing in the marketplace and they often keep in close contact with consumers both online and in person, making the beauty entrepreneur’s perspective...

Indie Beauty Profile Shaffali Miglani, Shaffali | ayurvedic and aromatherapy – based skin care

Indie Beauty Profile

Shaffali Miglani, Shaffali

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Shaffali Miglani, Founder of the ayurvedic and aromatherapy – based skin care brand Shaffali, describes the patience and perspective she has gained in over a decade of brand ownership, the value of self-awareness in entrepreneurship,...

Project Beauty Expo moves to Los Angeles, California, for 2019

Project Beauty Expo moves to Los Angeles, California

By Deanna Utroske

Last year, the beauty discovery show and entrepreneur education event, hosted by and for women of color, took place in New York City. For 2019 it’s headed to the West Coast. PBE will take place from September 14 through 16, and a first look at the program...

6 indie brands helping define the mindful beauty movement

6 indie brands helping define the mindful beauty movement

By Deanna Utroske

Mindful beauty is a catchall term that describes the sorts of businesses and brands that conscious consumers want to support. Here, Cosmetics Design takes a look at 6 types of mindful beauty and a small selection of the indie brands that are envisioning...

Indie Beauty Profile Evelyn Subramaniam , BIJA Essence

Indie Beauty Profile

Evelyn Subramaniam , BIJA Essence

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile Evelyn Subramaniam, founder of the luxury wellness brand BIJA Essence, talks about the power of passion in entrepreneurship, and about how her deceptively simple essential oils brand is leveraging another power—the power of...

2019 Indie Beauty Innovators Awards finalists announced by ICMAD

2019 Indie Beauty Innovators Awards finalists announced

By Deanna Utroske

This week, ICMAD, the Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors association, released its list of 30+ finalist across 11 categories. Winners will be announced at a celebratory dinner later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Indie Beauty Profile Michal Berski, Curlsmith

Indie Beauty Profile

Michal Berski, Curlsmith

By Deanna Utroske

In his Indie Beauty Profile, Michal Berski, CEO of Curlsmith, describes a hair care, treatment, and styling brand developed for people with curly hair—a brand he believes is unlike any other on the market. And he offers advice for other personal care...

5 ways indie brands are approaching microbiome beauty

Editor's Spotlight

5 ways indie brands are approaching microbiome beauty

By Deanna Utroske

Emerging data on the human skin microbiome is changing the way cosmetics and personal care brands of every size approach product development and formulation. It presents opportunities for new benefits and more ways to design for and deliver conventional...

Indie Beauty Profile Sara Monster, Sara Rosalie

Indie Beauty Profile

Sara Monster, Sara Rosalie

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Sara Monster, Founder of Sara Rosalie, describes the Amsterdam-based brand’s sustainability strategy, which extends beyond the environmentally conscious sourcing and processing of lanolin (the brand’s hero ingredient) and...

Does indie beauty move first? a look at trend-driven innovation in 2019

Does indie beauty move first? a look at trend-driven innovation in 2019

By Deanna Utroske

Ours is a notoriously fast-paced industry. Still, everything new has to start somewhere. And there is a fair amount of work to be done educating consumers, integrating novel ingredient tech, capitalizing on new industrial-scale opportunities. Here, Cosmetics...

Indie Beauty Profile Kara Brook Brown, Waxing Kara

Indie Beauty Profile

Kara Brook Brown, Waxing Kara

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Kara Brook Brown, the creative director at Waxing Kara, presents a delightfully well-conceived personal care brand, offers insight into the regulatory challenges of building a consumer goods brand, and explains why hers is...

Athletic apparel maker lululemon launches personal care

Athletic apparel maker lululemon launches personal care

By Deanna Utroske

The Canadian company announced its move into the new consumer goods sector just this week. lululemon’s initial personal care product portfolio is small but carefully targeted to meet the needs of the brand’s active consumers.

The Mink Beauty portable makeup printer is here

The Mink Beauty portable makeup printer is here

By Deanna Utroske

Well, almost here. The 3D-printer that promises to turn digital images into ready-to-wear color cosmetics is available on pre-order and will be in consumers' hands in 2020.

Colombian men's hair care line launched featuring CBD

LATAM Beauty Brand Profile: Barba Roja

Colombian men's hair care line launched featuring CBD

By Simon Pitman

Colombian-based barber and hair care brand Barba Roja was platforming its newly launched new hair care line featuring CBD at last week's Expo Belleza in Medellin. Cosmetics Design caught up with the founder to find out more.

Expo Belleza 2019, in photos

Expo Belleza 2019, in photos

By Simon Pitman

One of Latin America's most vibrant cosmetic and personal care events place took place in Medellin, Colombia, highlighting some of the most dynamic and fastest growing brands from a country renowned for its love of both beauty and fashion.

In Conversation: Cosmetics Design interviews indie brand leaders, PART 2

In Conversation: Cosmetics Design interviews indie brand leaders, PART 2

By Deanna Utroske

One of the best ways to learn is to listen. Last Friday’s Editor’s Spotlight item here on Cosmetics Design was a compendium of 8 video interviews with indie beauty brand founders. Today we’re adding 8 more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators...

In Conversation: Cosmetics Design interviews indie brand leaders

In Conversation: Cosmetics Design interviews indie brand leaders

By Deanna Utroske

Innovative cosmetics and personal care startups have been making headlines here on Cosmetics Design for years. But not all of our conversations with indie brand leaders are included in the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column. To highlight brands and innovations...

Indie Beauty is Everywhere!

Indie Beauty is Everywhere!

By Deanna Utroske

Startup and founder-led brands innovating and selling beauty products can be found on nearly every continent and in nearly every country. Here Cosmetics Design takes a look at a selection of innovative, independent cosmetics and personal care brands from...

3 indie brands bringing muscle care to beauty

3 indie brands bringing muscle care to beauty

By Deanna Utroske

As the wellness movement, active beauty, and alternative pain relief converge, it’s likely that more and more startup brands will get involved in the muscle care category. Here, Cosmetics Design looks at 3 indie brands ahead of curve in this unexpected...