The B-to-B beauty industry was keen to see what was going on at the new show, and a preponderance of the 2,000 + in-cosmetics attendees came through the doors in the first few hours of the show’s opening on Wednesday 7 September.
A good venue at a good rate is hard to come by in the city. So, it’s not surprising that this first in-cosmetics event in New York had its difficulties with access to transportation, climate control, and food options. But organizers responded to these realities as quickly as possible and produced a quality shown nonetheless.
Launch pad
Not many exhibitors used the event as a platform to debut new ingredients. Many simply highlighted their signature portfolios and showed what had already been seen earlier this year at in-cosmetics Paris.
New Jersey–based Ashland was an exception, launching ChromoHance 113 polymer technology at in-cosmetics North America. Cosmetics Design sat down with the Ashland hair care team at the event to learn about the new ingredient. By creating a hydrophobic surface on the hair, this patent-pending ingredient for shampoo and conditioner formulations is meant to help oxidative color-treated hair maintain its color longer.
“ChromoHance 113 is the latest and greatest technology,” David Popplewell, global marketing manager of hair care for Ashland, tells Cosmetics Design. The ingredient is “more effective on long-lasting and permanent dyes” than competitive options, he says. And, it has “50% more efficacy than the market standard.”
Industry response
Many exhibitors and attendees that Cosmetics Design spoke with at in-cosmetics saw the show as a good an opportunity for suppliers to reach the Americas market but remarked on several prominent companies that were notably absent as exhibitors, like Univar and BASF.
Event organizers gathered feedback on the show too. Evonne Lau, a scientist with Unilever, says, “in-cosmetics North America stands out as a truly international event. The Innovation Seminars were one of the highlights of the event. The high profile speakers and the topics were spot on, answering the questions that companies like ours are asking.”
And Elizabeth Thomas, the director of regulatory affairs for L Brands, states, “We travelled to in-cosmetics North America to source new raw materials for our future products. The quality conversations we had with suppliers in attendance were extremely useful to us and will help manufacturers create some unique products.”