05.28.10
Cosmoprof Bologna Bound
Those who made it to the largest international beauty exposition—despite the volcano—were rewarded with innovative products and an optimistic outlook for the future. And thanks to Iceland’s ash cloud, many relished the opportunity to walk the aisles for more days than originally planned.
When Cosmopack—the portion of Cosmoprof that focuses exclusively on packaging and which opens a day earlier than the rest of the five-day international beauty show in Italy—commenced at the Bologna Exhibition Center on April 15, exhibitors expressed great optimism that conditions in the industry had turned around and were headed for a sunny future. In fact, many suppliers told Beauty Packaging’s publisher, Jay Gorga, and me, that they were having trouble keeping up with new orders and were juggling clients’ demands to meet deadlines. Inventories had been depleted, some told us, and brands were re-ordering with frenzy.
During that first day of the show, the cloud of ash that was settling over Western Europe from the volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland, and wreaking havoc with all in attendance—as well as those who were traveling to the show—was still secondary news to the innovative packaging that was premiering in the aisles.
In beauty, as in the entertainment business, the show must go on, and those who triumphantly arrived at Cosmopack and, subsequently, Cosmoprof, were greeted with an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm spreading throughout the multiple, massive pavilions rambling across Bologna’s outskirts.
While much of the conversation over the next few days transitioned from caps and color to disrupted travel plans, extended stays at hotels, hiring private cars, bribing concierges for train tickets or even booking ocean passage to get back home, there was more than enough activity at the show to keep attendees happily engaged.
While a few suppliers complained that they were doing more sitting than usual due to light crowds, others announced they were having their best show ever. One supplier even reported business was so good, it was like “an embarrassment of riches.”
As the show progressed, the always wildly popular nail and hair pavilions teemed with visitors eager for the latest developments in these at-home treatment areas in which sales are skyrocketing.
Cosmoprof Stats
Were the crowds really sparser than in previous years? According to Cosmoprof management, the 43rd edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna drew strong attendance, up nearly 5% from 2009, with an increase of more than 6,800 visitors. Of these, 23% were classified as foreign, while the majority (which also had easier access via local trains and private cars) accounted for 77%.
Exhibitors, too, were up in strength, according to Cosmoprof, with 2,254 in attendance, an increase of 0.26% over 2009. Foreign exhibitors accounted for 59% of total exhibitors, while Italian exhibitors comprised 41%.
Many would-be attendees, such as Kirsty Fenella Smith, director of Langton Howarth, personal care and beauty recruiters in the UK, contacted me to share their frustrations in being kept from the event due to travel problems. “My colleague and I were due to fly on the Thursday morning, but unfortunately we couldn’t get there at all! Cosmoprof is predominately a networking event for us as a lot of my client base showcase there, so I can tell you that a lot of my UK-based contacts were grounded and never even made it!” she wrote.
But for those who were fortunate enough to arrive by air—or via 23-hour adventures, diversions and multi-transportation journeys—Cosmopack and Cosmoprof did not disappoint.
Nica Lewis, head consultant, Mintel Beauty Innovation—and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors, found her time at the show well-spent. “Cosmoprof is an ambitious event, and it’s hard to cover it all in three days,” she said.
Lewis said she also appreciated some of the new events and features the organizers had added this year (L’Unique fragrance, Vanity Fair pavilion, Discover Beauty), “all with an Italian flair for design.”
She said Mintel spotted some cool new brands and product launches. “It was exciting to meet some of the packaging companies behind some of today’s best innovations in prestige beauty,” she commented.
Innovative Packaging
Cosmopack’s Halls 19 and 20 were filled with optimism and products bursting with innovation.
“I think this year’s going to be better,” enthused Toly’s head of marketing and business development, Dorien Bianco, of the Malta operation. Bianco said that Toly always strives for innovation, and products showcased at Cosmopack proved the point. Our favorite was the Toly bangle bracelet, still in its model stage, which was introduced at the show. The jewelry-inspired accessory holds a number of pans for color cosmetics from lipgloss to eye shadow, and operates with a dial configuration. Just turn the bracelet’s cover to reveal the cosmetic product you’d like to apply. Truly cosmetics at a flick of the wrist!
Additional introductions from Toly’s diverse product line included a rotating mascara that automatically switches off after 90 seconds, an airtight compact, luxury droppers and refillable jars, “which are seeing more of a demand now,” according to Bianco.
At Tecnocosmesi, a contract manufacturer of color cosmetics and skin care products, compacts were a true work of art and indeed, the Italian company received a silver sphere Design Beauty Award 2010 from Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna and Architectural Digest for its face powder compact with a Gustav Klimt Tree of Life design.
At Geka, it was almost as if Barbie accessories (and body parts) had come to life as cosmetic packages. In collaboration with Ancorotti Cosmetics, the innovative German company revealed two new cosmetic lines, one for custom applications (Geka Prime) and one with stock items (Geka Style) available to a wider audience of brands.
Geka Prime’s Sexy Lady line features a variety of dressed-up mascaras, lipglosses and liners. From a blow-molded, curvy leg-shaped mascara tube flaunting a fishnet stocking and a red high heel to a mascara decorated with a black lace bustier, special hand-applied decorations and screen-printed techniques can gussy up any woman’s prestige cosmetic tools.
The Geka Style line takes its cues from precious jewels, with cosmetic packages that provide eye-catching bling. A tube dressed in a smoking jacket with jeweled buttons and lipgloss with glued-on bows contribute just-right accessories to makeup bags that make the grade.
Geka also showcased a number of new applicators, based on what marketing manager, Pilar Gonzalez, said, was brands’ desire to have a bigger applicator for lip products.
At Megaplast, COO Lucyna Silberstein showed us the company’s double-wall airless containers; they’d added the outer shell, she said, to create more of a luxury look. A second upgrade added a metal shell around the outside for a cool touch. To smooth unwanted cellulite, Silberstein showed us a new massage applicator cap perfect for body care products.
Bomo Trendline, a German company, premiered its Severa skin care packaging line, which can be enhanced with a variety of decorative methods. A two-part cap allows for simultaneous shiny and matte finishes. Caps can also be printed and topped with a plastic overcap. Bomo Trendline’s Spacy French manicure pens and Spacy Art pens, in shades ranging from orange to gold, feature a new freeing system, for professional-looking nail tricks that are just a flick away.
Faber Castell offered, among many things, organic nail care, in compliance with ECOCERT; packaging is made with a minimum amount of 25% polypropylene.
Kum offered biodegradable cosmetics pencil sharpeners, which, under normal composting conditions, disappear back into the earth; the blades can be removed and recycled.
Single Servings
One general sustainability trend noted was refillable packaging, with more pouches and refillables in cosmetics and skin care as well as fragrance and body care.
Fruits and vegetables were common ingredients in beauty products in the body care and spa pavilions, but we also picked out a number of appealing choices in the packaging pavilions. Joycos International Ltd. of Seoul, South Korea, was one of several suppliers offering all-plastic, fruit-shaped jars and caps, including kiwi, pumpkin, pepper and avocado varieties. A glass jar is in the works.
Talk about healthy doses. Lameplast Group represented innovation in sampling in strip monodose packaging. With strips holding 0.3- to 10ml, varieties included tubes and sticks that are reclosable, non-reclosable, multi-dose, oval or round. Silicon applicators with various heads, including smooth and bristles, add texture and function. Also available: bottles with tamper-evident caps and calibrated droppers.
“Whatever your single-dose requirements are,” Lameplast’s sales area manager Diego Bulgarelli, told us, “we will work it out.”
His sentiments echoed the willingness we heard from all Cosmopack suppliers eager to comply with their customers’ demands.
If only Eyjafjalla had been as willing to please.
Those who made it to the largest international beauty exposition—despite the volcano—were rewarded with innovative products and an optimistic outlook for the future. And thanks to Iceland’s ash cloud, many relished the opportunity to walk the aisles for more days than originally planned.
When Cosmopack—the portion of Cosmoprof that focuses exclusively on packaging and which opens a day earlier than the rest of the five-day international beauty show in Italy—commenced at the Bologna Exhibition Center on April 15, exhibitors expressed great optimism that conditions in the industry had turned around and were headed for a sunny future. In fact, many suppliers told Beauty Packaging’s publisher, Jay Gorga, and me, that they were having trouble keeping up with new orders and were juggling clients’ demands to meet deadlines. Inventories had been depleted, some told us, and brands were re-ordering with frenzy.
During that first day of the show, the cloud of ash that was settling over Western Europe from the volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland, and wreaking havoc with all in attendance—as well as those who were traveling to the show—was still secondary news to the innovative packaging that was premiering in the aisles.
In beauty, as in the entertainment business, the show must go on, and those who triumphantly arrived at Cosmopack and, subsequently, Cosmoprof, were greeted with an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm spreading throughout the multiple, massive pavilions rambling across Bologna’s outskirts.
Business was brisk at the Baralan/Arrowpak booth. Roland Baranes, Baralan (L), and Jim Slowey, Arrowpak. |
While a few suppliers complained that they were doing more sitting than usual due to light crowds, others announced they were having their best show ever. One supplier even reported business was so good, it was like “an embarrassment of riches.”
As the show progressed, the always wildly popular nail and hair pavilions teemed with visitors eager for the latest developments in these at-home treatment areas in which sales are skyrocketing.
Cosmoprof Stats
Were the crowds really sparser than in previous years? According to Cosmoprof management, the 43rd edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna drew strong attendance, up nearly 5% from 2009, with an increase of more than 6,800 visitors. Of these, 23% were classified as foreign, while the majority (which also had easier access via local trains and private cars) accounted for 77%.
Exhibitors, too, were up in strength, according to Cosmoprof, with 2,254 in attendance, an increase of 0.26% over 2009. Foreign exhibitors accounted for 59% of total exhibitors, while Italian exhibitors comprised 41%.
Jamie Matusow (L), editor of Beauty Packaging, with Anisa Telwar of Anisa Brush. |
But for those who were fortunate enough to arrive by air—or via 23-hour adventures, diversions and multi-transportation journeys—Cosmopack and Cosmoprof did not disappoint.
Nica Lewis, head consultant, Mintel Beauty Innovation—and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors, found her time at the show well-spent. “Cosmoprof is an ambitious event, and it’s hard to cover it all in three days,” she said.
Lewis said she also appreciated some of the new events and features the organizers had added this year (L’Unique fragrance, Vanity Fair pavilion, Discover Beauty), “all with an Italian flair for design.”
She said Mintel spotted some cool new brands and product launches. “It was exciting to meet some of the packaging companies behind some of today’s best innovations in prestige beauty,” she commented.
Innovative Packaging
Cosmopack’s Halls 19 and 20 were filled with optimism and products bursting with innovation.
Toly’s color cosmetic bangle bracelet |
Additional introductions from Toly’s diverse product line included a rotating mascara that automatically switches off after 90 seconds, an airtight compact, luxury droppers and refillable jars, “which are seeing more of a demand now,” according to Bianco.
At Tecnocosmesi, a contract manufacturer of color cosmetics and skin care products, compacts were a true work of art and indeed, the Italian company received a silver sphere Design Beauty Award 2010 from Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna and Architectural Digest for its face powder compact with a Gustav Klimt Tree of Life design.
At Geka, it was almost as if Barbie accessories (and body parts) had come to life as cosmetic packages. In collaboration with Ancorotti Cosmetics, the innovative German company revealed two new cosmetic lines, one for custom applications (Geka Prime) and one with stock items (Geka Style) available to a wider audience of brands.
Geka Prime’s Sexy Lady line features a variety of dressed-up mascaras, lipglosses and liners. From a blow-molded, curvy leg-shaped mascara tube flaunting a fishnet stocking and a red high heel to a mascara decorated with a black lace bustier, special hand-applied decorations and screen-printed techniques can gussy up any woman’s prestige cosmetic tools.
The Geka Style line takes its cues from precious jewels, with cosmetic packages that provide eye-catching bling. A tube dressed in a smoking jacket with jeweled buttons and lipgloss with glued-on bows contribute just-right accessories to makeup bags that make the grade.
Geka Prime’s Sexy Lady line features a variety of dressed-up mascaras, lipglosses and liners. |
At Megaplast, COO Lucyna Silberstein showed us the company’s double-wall airless containers; they’d added the outer shell, she said, to create more of a luxury look. A second upgrade added a metal shell around the outside for a cool touch. To smooth unwanted cellulite, Silberstein showed us a new massage applicator cap perfect for body care products.
Bomo Trendline, a German company, premiered its Severa skin care packaging line, which can be enhanced with a variety of decorative methods. A two-part cap allows for simultaneous shiny and matte finishes. Caps can also be printed and topped with a plastic overcap. Bomo Trendline’s Spacy French manicure pens and Spacy Art pens, in shades ranging from orange to gold, feature a new freeing system, for professional-looking nail tricks that are just a flick away.
Faber Castell offered, among many things, organic nail care, in compliance with ECOCERT; packaging is made with a minimum amount of 25% polypropylene.
Kum offered biodegradable cosmetics pencil sharpeners, which, under normal composting conditions, disappear back into the earth; the blades can be removed and recycled.
Single Servings
One general sustainability trend noted was refillable packaging, with more pouches and refillables in cosmetics and skin care as well as fragrance and body care.
Fruits and vegetables were common ingredients in beauty products in the body care and spa pavilions, but we also picked out a number of appealing choices in the packaging pavilions. Joycos International Ltd. of Seoul, South Korea, was one of several suppliers offering all-plastic, fruit-shaped jars and caps, including kiwi, pumpkin, pepper and avocado varieties. A glass jar is in the works.
At Mana Products’ gala evening during Cosmoprof, guests at 15th century Palazzo Isolani were treated to Bolognese cuisine, regional wines and traditional Italian music. (L-R) Kathy Podimatis (L’Oréal Paris, US skin care); Dan Maerovitz (Mana); Cindy Lin and Elizabeth Forsyth (Alcan Packaging Beauty); Roseanne Fama (L’Oréal Paris, US). At their booth at Cosmoprof, Mana was focusing on long-wear categories, especially for lips. |
“Whatever your single-dose requirements are,” Lameplast’s sales area manager Diego Bulgarelli, told us, “we will work it out.”
His sentiments echoed the willingness we heard from all Cosmopack suppliers eager to comply with their customers’ demands.
If only Eyjafjalla had been as willing to please.
