At this year’s ECRM Euro Beauty Week, which was held in Budapest and consisted of three sessions -- European Cosmetics, Fragrance and Bath EPPS, European Skin, Personal, Hair and Sun Care EPPS, and European Premium Beauty Care EPPS – beauty and personal care buyers from European retailers and distributors had the opportunity to meet with suppliers from around the world.

“Our business relies heavily on new product innovation in order to keep competitive and add value to our customer choices,” said Peter Mudahy, CEO of Pak Cosmetics, a multicultural beauty retail chain based in London. “ECRM gives us an amazing opportunity to develop key relationships with many valued suppliers — at one time, in one location — and adds amazing value to our growth.”

During the sessions, held at the Marriott Budapest – right across the Danube from the beautiful Buda Castle – attendees had the opportunity to meet with ECRM’s new European team, consisting of several multi-lingual sales and account managers based in our new International HQ in Utrecht, The Netherlands. During their meetings with suppliers and retailers, they discussed what’s hot in the beauty and personal care categories, and here are some of the key trending areas that were of particular interest to them:

Natural & Eco-Friendly Beauty Products
Products with natural and organic ingredients continue to be in demand, but now many suppliers are taking this trend a step further with ingredients aimed at delivering specific results, particularly dead sea salts and minerals, charcoal, infused oxygen, and turmeric. In addition, they are seeking ingredients that are vegan, sustainably-made, and cruelty-free. There were also many natural feminine hygiene products, such as Nice Day USA’s sanitary pads, as well as makeup brushes, like those from So Eco, that are made from sustainably-sourced bamboo.

Bright Colors – Especially for Kids
Color cosmetics are becoming even more colorful, shiny, metallic, with a hint of glitter thrown in, particularly with cosmetics aimed at young girls. Indeed, the Unicorn and Mermaid effect is still going strong!

Bath Bombs
Bath bombs have exploded in popularity, and are not only appealing for their moisturizing benefits to the skin (as well as for providing an excuse to take a long hot soak in the tub), but the colorful swirls and bubbles of these products – some of which change as the bath bomb dissolves – make them truly Instagram-worthy. Indeed, the hashtags #bathbomb and #bathbombs bring up approximately 2.3 million results on the social media platform. Lots of opportunities for social media engagement here.

Masks – Metallic, Men, Hands & Feet
While retailers and suppliers have cited facial masks as a popular trend over the past couple of years, these products continue to evolve and now are available in many options, including those with natural ingredients like activated charcoal, and metallic facial masks, which are among the newer trends. Now, men want in on the action, too, and growing demand has led many suppliers to develop masks for them. Additionally, the effectiveness of facial masks has driven demand for applications that can be used on other parts of the body, such as the feet or hands.

Men’s Grooming
And speaking of men, other men’s grooming products, such as skin care, beard/hair care products were highlighted by many suppliers, who have expanded their lines of products due to increased consumer demand. Men’s grooming kits, in particular, were a hot item at this session.

Gift Sets
Cosmetics, skin care, and fragrance gift sets especially those that are beautifully and creatively packaged like the one in the photo below. These are great for holiday merchandising displays, and provide a bit of décor to a consumer’s home.

Multicultural Beauty
Skin and hair products aimed at the particular beauty needs of ethnic consumers. These products are becoming increasingly mainstream, and include hair treatments, color, skin care, and cosmetics.

Check out the video testimonial from Look Beauty below, as well as the photo gallery. And click here to see a quick video showcasing the meeting experience!

DON'T MISS OUT ON NEXT YEAR'S EURO BEAUTY WEEK -- CLICK BELOW TO REGISTER!
European Premium Beauty Care EPPS
2/3/2019 - 2/5/2019 (location to come)
European Cosmetics, Fragrance and Bath EPPS
2/3/2019 - 2/6/2019 (location to come)
European Skin, Personal, Hair and Sun Care EPPS
2/3/2019 - 2/6/2019 (location to come)