The Indie Beauty Expo has returned to New York City’s Pier 94 to celebrate its fifth anniversary with the biggest show yet. Innovations were abundant with over 250 cutting-edge beauty, wellness, personal care, and lifestyle brands on display. Year over year, recurring trends like feminine wellness and CBD have dominated the indie beauty space, and while those movements are too big to ignore, we highlight the emerging macro-trends (aside from the obvious CBD and fem-wellness) spotted at the 2019 Indie Beauty Expo in New York.
Fem-hygiene heavyweights like Blume, Dame, and Knours continue to push the boundaries of feminine personal care, while newcomers like Quim and Kegelbell offer next-level solutions. Taking on toxic tampons, brands like Hello Cup and Saalt are addressing the feminine hygiene category with menstrual cups that are friendlier to the environment (and women’s needs). Vagina-centric wellness brand Quim coined the term “vag-forward” to draw attention to their vaginal health solutions. Described as “eye cream for your vagina,” Quim’s Happy Clam Everyday Oil moisturizes, while Night Moves Intimate Oil intensifies sensation and supplements vaginal health.
CBD is too big of a movement to ignore, but the mainstay ingredient has slightly evolved as more brands embrace radical transparency. Launching just last week, La La Leaf combines high doses of premium CBD with active botanical formulas. They believe in complete transparency and include a QR code on the back of every box, so consumers can verify third-party lab reports. Other CBD-infused brands that caught our eye include The Good Patch, I + I Botanicals, Switch 2 Pure, and Asutra.
From moon cycle skincare to blue light protection, we round up 5 of the emerging macro-trends at the 2019 Indie Beauty Expo.
High-Performance Clean Cosmetics
Elvis + Elvin | Ace Beauté | Honeybee Gardens | Clove + Hallow
Natural makeup is typically associated with a natural look, however, indie beauty brands are elevating it with improved color payoff and longer-lasting formulas. Clean is no longer enough as the industry has become oversaturated with an assortment of clean beauty offerings. The use of naturally-derived ingredients paired with cutting-edge technology has opened up the clean beauty space for color cosmetic companies to thrive.
Floral Liquid Lipstick, Elvis + Elvin — A lipstick infused with sodium hyaluronate and flower wax for a hydrating effect, which imparts comfortable wearing and a subtle velvety sheen. The advanced formulation of brassica alba sprout extract helps increase blood micro-circulation and reduce fine lines for full smooth lip makeup.
Ace Beauté — This brand offers high-quality beauty products that empower individual beauty regardless of age, gender, skin color, religion or socio-economic status. Products are cruelty-free, vegan, and feature a highly pigmented formula that provides maximum staying power.
Bellissima Volumizing Mascara, Honeybee Gardens — Crafted in Italy, Bellissima Volumizing Mascara is formulated with Italian Olive oil, bayberry wax, and jojoba, for a natural mascara that coats each lash in rich, sultry color. Robust lashes with a featherweight feel that won’t smudge, clump, or flake.
Liquid Skin Tint, Clove + Hallow — Breathable, buildable foundation that provides medium coverage and a demi-matte finish. It is 100% PETA-certified, cruelty-free, and vegan.
Reduce, Refill, Recycle
Croon | Ethnique | Hickey | Blessed Moon
The beauty industry, like every other industry, has made sustainable advancements, but nothing mainstream enough to truly align with consumer expectations. Refillable, reusable, plastic-free packaging options cut back on single-use plastic. Sustainable packaging (+79% to LY) has become a key focus for brands as eco-conscious consumers embrace a circular packaging system.
Reusable Microfiber Wipes, Croon – Reusable microfiber wipes ditch the chemicals, remove makeup, exfoliate, and cleanse with JUST water. The machine-washable wipes are designed to be reused over 200 times, saving you and the planet from over 400 wipes.
Plastic Free Packaging, Ethnique — An entirely solid personal care range, Ethnique concentrated hair and body products last 2–5x longer than their traditional bottled counterparts and produce zero consumer waste.
Refillable Lipstick Accessory, Hickey — A long-wearing lipstick formula that comes in a refillable and interchangeable case. Sold with both a black ribbon and a gold chain, the lipstick can be transformed into a necklace or bracelet to take on-the-go.
Refillable Makeup Kit, Blessed Moon — With convenience in mind, Blessed Moon created pocket-sized kits that feature a refillable concealer, blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow, as well as on-the-go eyeliner and brushes. Every product is interchangeable, which allows you to create your perfect customized kit.
Digital Age Defense
Kakadu Dream | Higher Education Skincare | Alkemie
If preventing premature aging is top of mind, you’re not alone: there are nearly 17,000 average weekly searches for anti-aging. Protection from UVA/UVB rays is no longer enough, as evolving research confirms that blue light emitted from digital devices is just as bad for your skin. Acting like a shield from digital pollution, blue-light-fighting (+158% to LY) formulas aim to support the protective barriers of the skin, neutralize threats, and inhibit damage.
Blue Light Protection, Kakadu Dream — Night Light is an ultra-luxe formula for normal, sensitive, or dehydrated skin. The modern nighttime formula works to restore barrier layer resiliency against blue light damage to decrease signs of aging.
Melanin-Infused, Higher Education Skincare — Higher Education offers lightweight, off-white hydrating lotion loaded with vitamins A, C, and E for antioxidant protection. Added melanin helps protect the skin from damaging blue light emitted from digital devices.
www.highereducationskincare.com
Digital Rehab, Alkemie — Digital rehab is a highly concentrated booster of ingredients that restore the skin’s vitality and balance for those who spend a lot of time in front of screens and monitors.
High Vibration Beauty
The Lifestyle Co. | Little Moon Essentials | Cosmedix | Honeybee Garden
The beauty industry had its first lesson on spiritual-backed beauty in 2017 when crystal-infused formulas reached mainstream status. As astrology continues to grow in popularity, we look to lunar beauty rituals and zodiac-inspired products for the next evolution of intentional beauty. Brands like Little Moon Essentials infuse ingredients under the new moon to best transfer ingredients’ healing powers, while The Lyfestyle Co. takes personalization to the next level with life number perfume oils that balance out your energy.
Life Path Number and Zodiac Balancing, The Lyfestyle Co. — Depending on your zodiac sign or life path number, The Lyfestyle Co. has a perfume oil to balance out your energy and enhance your positive attributes. The crystals in each bottle are infused during the full moon for more positive vibrations.
Mood Cycle Production, Little Moon Essentials — During the new moon, base oils are infused with herbs for a richer process. Throughout the next two weeks as the waxing moon moves to full, the moon’s gravitational pull extracts the medicinal properties out of the herbs and into the oil. On the full moon, herbs are filtered out of the oil and healing powers have successfully transferred into the oil.
Liquid Crystals, Cosmedix — Cosmedix uses liquid crystal technology to provide deep, lasting hydration. Created with a 90% pure liquid crystal base, the brand’s new Lumi Crystal Lip Hydrator plumps the look of fine lines and delivers a burst of hydration with a high-shine finish. The Opti Crystal Eye Serum and Eye Doctor High-Potency Eye Treatment are created with the same technology.
Crystal-Infused Body Oils, Honeybee Gardens — Each oil is infused with the healing vibrational powers of genuine crystals like amethyst, garnet, peridot, rose quartz, and clear quartz. The non-greasy, quick-absorbing oils clear your chakra and promote well-being.
Multi-Tasking Hero
Banila Co. | Knours | Solesence
After years of fast-paced innovation that catered to consumer demand for more personalized offerings, the beauty industry has eased up and scaled back to prioritize products that do more for less. Multi-tasking beauty products do double-duty in the skin and makeup department and help you save both money and time while prioritizing convenience.
3-in-1 Balm Cleanser, Banila Co. — A 3-in-1 cleansing balm that removes makeup, cleanses the skin and hydrates all in one simple step. The smooth oil-like balm is designed to do the duty of a double-cleansing routine.
Double Duty Mist, Knours — Naturally split into two layers, the Double Duty Mist transforms to give your skin what it needs. The refreshing bottom layer contains aloe vera water to clarify and soothe your skin, while the oil-rich top layer features jojoba oil and botanical extracts to nourish and moisturize your skin.
SPF + Highlighter, Solesence — Combining the knowledge of makeup and the power of sunscreen, SPF highlighter-in-a-stick leaves a delicate trace of shimmer with added sun protection.
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