Beauty Connect LA: Glimpse on industry trends, retail solutions and showcasing innovations

03 Nov 2023 --- Key industry players are gearing up to present industry solutions and developments at the upcoming Beauty Connect LA, US show next week, held on Monday to Wednesday. Personal Care Insights speaks to the event organizers who spotlight sessions, trends and what business professionals can expect from the show.

With over 500 attendees and 50 speakers, Beauty Connect LA brings together a global audience, 65% coming from America, 30% from EMEA and 5% from APAC.

“Beauty Connect focuses on facilitating partnerships, building connections, and developing lasting relationships with industry players across the supply chain through tailored workshops, private and public pitching opportunities, scheduled 1-2-1 meetings and meet and greet sessions,” shares the event organizers.

“Attendees can expect to mingle with over 500 industry players across three full days of content, networking and social events, meeting with some of the hottest up-and-coming indie brands within the beauty, wellness, and personal care space. With more content than ever before, attendees can curate their time at the event with interactive workshops running alongside our mainstage sessions.”

Brands will have an opportunity to contribute to anticipated gift bags. “A hit every year, our gift bags are an opportunity to get your product into the hands of investors, M&A and strategic partners,” highlights the event organizers.

“Something we’re looking forward to this year is a brand new interactive audience experience in our Product Pop-up. Think pop-up shop, an opportunity for our audience to trial new and exciting products throughout the three days.”

B2B-focused sessions to enhance strategies
Furthermore, the Beauty Connect LA organizers underscore that every session is designed to help industry professionals improve their business strategies.Every session is designed to help industry professionals improve their business strategies.

One of the highlights include a session with Ulta Beauty, SpaceNK and CosBar, where attendees will learn about the intricate process of getting their products onto the shelves of top beauty retailers and identifying opportunities to fill gaps in the market. 

In another session, experts from skin care brand Beautystat and Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop will share insights into the journey from product concept to becoming a best-seller, drawing on their experience with iconic beauty brands. 

L’Oréal and PFS will address the need for a watertight growth strategy to handle surges in demand and achieve long-term success. For indie brands, the CEO & Founders Forum will offer a space for leaders to exchange experiences, challenges and advice “in a casual and intimate setting.” 

The event will also feature an Investor Meet & Greet with prominent investment firms, offering attendees the chance to build connections and explore potential investment opportunities.

In a roundtable talk on the changing regulatory landscape in the US held on Tuesday, attendees can learn about the new MoCRA beauty bill’s direct impact on brands.

Industry-specific challenges
Event organizers of Beauty Connect LA underscore the diversification and saturation of the beauty market at large as a focal point for indie brands.

“For emerging brands in particular, capital raising is incredibly difficult due to wider economic challenges and an oversaturated beauty landscape,” they note. “At Beauty Connect, our mission is to continue to facilitate and accelerate indie brand growth, so throughout our three-day program, we are covering all bases for helping brands with financing, innovation, capital raising and scaling their business.”

Akash Mehta, CEO and co-founder of Fable And Mane, shares: “The retail landscape has been tough for brands recently. Retailers are launching lots of brands, and it’s tough to find your voice when retailers have to give every brand their moment and space without crowding the customer or their channels. It’s hard to stand out today without investing a lot – whether through exclusivity or marketing – as a small brand, if you don’t invest a lot, you don’t get much back.”

Apart from sustainability and circularity challenges, Chris Payne, CEO at Jane Iredale, adds: “Both online and in retail is a battleground, with a sea of brands that are hard to navigate and decipher one from the next, causing a lot of confusion and making it difficult for the consumer to find the product that is right for them.”Beauty Connect brings together over 500 attendees and 50 industry speakers.

Furthermore, Angela Caglia, co-CEO at Angela Caglia Skincare flags the presence of brands that include “ingredients that are not beneficial for the skin, such as dimethicones, which are occlusive. Another problem is the prevalence of marketing claims that lack scientific evidence.”

Exploring innovations and technologies
Furthermore, the Beauty Connect LA organizers highlight that innovations and technologies will be explored through specific sessions. 

At one of these sessions, brands will pitch their innovative beauty product concepts on the main stage, with each hand-picked from the selection committee.

Another session is “Investing in Beauty: Understanding the industry’s growth catalysts” — where Investors from True Beauty Ventures, L’Oreal’s venture fund BOLD and more will discuss where they continue to see white space and innovation in the beauty industry. 

The event will host a session on “Driving innovation with Biotechnology; Skin meets Science: Finding Success in Dermatological Beauty and Blurring Beauty into Wellness.”

They event organizers highlight the attendance of key industry players: Amika, Pacifica, Hourglass Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, Cos Bar, Hero Cosmetics, The Lip Bar, Shiseido, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, Beekman 1802, Goop, Dermalogica, SpaceNK, True Beauty Ventures and L Catterton.

By Venya Patel