More than 75 formulation, ingredients and packaging suppliers, makeup demos and a dozen educational conferences highlighted the 4th edition of MakeUp in NewYork, which took place September 23-24 at the Center548 in Chelsea (548 West 22nd Street New York, NY). A nail bar and a curated exhibition of fabulous vintage compacts were additional features.

Newly designed black booths added to the visually stimulating backdrop on the show floor, as brand executives from purchasing, marketing and R&D met with formula, packaging, full-service, accessories and ingredients suppliers to develop successful product strategies. Participating exhibitors spanned the globe, including the U.S., France, Italy, Korea, Brazil and China.

Sandra Maguarian, co-manager of MakeUp in New-York, reported that 2,163 attendees walked the show during the two days.

Exhibitors voiced favorable reviews, saying the quality of the attendees was of a superior level.

Attendees, too, welcomed the format of the show, the quality of the exhibitors and the opportunity to meet in small groups to discuss projects and experiment with the products.

John Downey, vice president of technology driven supplier innovation, global supply relations, The Estée Lauder Companies, made the trip downtown on both days of the event. He told Beauty Packaging: “Sometimes packaging people go to a product show, sometimes product people go to a packaging show. It’s nice to go to a show where you see both. At the end of the day, it’s all about the product.”

A supplier we spoke with said visitors to his booth were “key and relevant customers, action-oriented customers, not just people researching—but those who have an intent.”

Maguarian told Beauty Packaging that she was so pleased with both the attendance and the satisfied comments from exhibitors. “This 4th edition of MakeUp in NewYork reflected the dynamism and recovery of the American beauty market,” she said, adding that 2015 will mark the fifth anniversary of the show—“with a lot of surprises.”

On the Show Floor

Just as the seasons were morphing outside the exhibit space, with yellow and red leaves falling from the trees, inside, the vivid cosmetic colors also indicated change—not only in the hues themselves, but in how they were being developed for manipulation by consumers.

Beauty Packaging noted that in some instances, cosmetics have taken on more of an old-time, apothecary feel. Consumers can take a more personal role by customizing, mixing, blending and formulating for “just the right shade or texture.” Wet to dry. Nude to colored. Matte to shiny. Whether through mixing colors or skincare solutions, using a dropper or shaking to blend, the consumer has gained a new level of control.

Lending themselves to personalized, artistic strokes, pencils of all kinds seemed more popular than ever. And with consumers’ penchant for both value and multitasking, double-ended and multifunctional packages appeared at booths throughout the show.

Following are some of the packs and products that caught our eye within the three levels of exhibitor space.

Packaging

Fusion’s new Mod stock range takes a modern-looking approach to airless. It features a unique actuator that is ergonomically designed with the end consumer in mind. The airless pump system provides precision dosing, and features a metal-free product path to protect the formula, making it the ideal package for organic and natural ingredients.

Yonwoo/PKG featured an extensive range of standard and custom packaging, from airless tubes to injection molded compacts. The Swivel Pact compact is available for eye or lip (or both) products. Pull the pan out and flip, to choose from a full selection of three colors on each side.

ABA displayed a wide array of stock packaging options, including bottles, jars, caps, rollerballs, airless bottles, treatment dispensing packages, pumps, droppers, vials and more. The supplier also highlighted the latest innovations in mascara brushes, lip-gloss applicators and packs—plus, an innovative airless lipstick package.

At 3C, Inc., Lou Della Pesca, president, showed attendees twist-up pens, and mascara packages, which are available in a wide range of different types of brushes, with both traditional wire bristles and silicone styles.  

Sussex IM offers both stock and custom options (especially for compacts), and does everything in-house. Ed Fabiszak, vice president sales and marketing, said manufacturing domestically means shorter lead times and on-time delivery. Digital in-mold labeling, a specialty, provides many design options.

Airtight compacts, droppers and applicators were standouts at Samwha Plastics, where overseas marketing manager Ryan Jo showed Beauty Packaging several innovative products. The company specializes in airless bottles and jars. One jar has what looks like a button in the lid, but upon pressing, a small spatula pops out.

FS Korea showed visitors a new package for luxury skin-care, in which the consumer plays a role in mixing and coloring the formulation. Squeeze the dropper to release a second formula into the first; then shake, and voilà—a mixed formulation in a third color appears.

Leather-look components and a heated mascara were popular items at Korea-based Jeong Hun Company, Ltd. A new mascara with a AA battery-operated heater applies sumptuous color after 10 seconds of warming time, and features an easy grip.

A partnership with a sustainable materials company has enabled CSI to offer a new line of cellulose-based products, including a range of double-walled jars, which the packaging supplier can run in its existing molds. The packaging also has a very natural, organic, fibrous look to it, according to Alexi Smith.

Full Service/Turnkey

A number of exhibitors at MakeUp in NewYork offered full service/turnkey services for cosmetic brands.

At its constantly crowded booth, HCT Group featured its many solution-driven concepts and approaches to products and packaging. The supplier says its key products have innovative ingredients to target all skin types. Plus, its multifunctional products and unique componentry have been designed to simplify “the art of application.” Angela Umelo, director of product innovations, HCT Group, said, “We’re focusing on the basic elements of beauty—and a return to the simplistic rituals of makeup application and skincare.”

Verla International, a private label manufacturer and contract packaging and filling company with more than 40 lines each for nail polish and color cosmetics, personal care, creams, lotions, fragrances and perfumes, engaged attendees with its complete turnkey options.

Topline Products’ new Dressed or Undressed collections express the trend toward consumers’ fine tuning cosmetics to suit their individual needs of the moment. These palettes give users the flexibility for a naked look—or enable them to customize color by blending shades together.

Sensorial, visual, textural…full-service contract manufacturer Cosmax offered visitors a wide array of skincare and color cosmetics formulations, from hot-poured lip rouge to multi-pressed shadows. A spongy, jelly powder foundation was appealing, and the texture is also available in blush and eye shadow versions.

CTK’s airtight loose powder case prevents leaking, and the new shape of its sifter makes it easy to use.

Chemicos, a contract manufacturer with facilities in Korea and Japan, provides both formulation and packaging. A new item, a double-ended automatic pencil/eyeliner, can combine any two eye products together.

SeaCliff Beauty Packaging showcased its patent-pending airtight compact and turnkey system, BeautiLock, as well as newly developed, innovative formulations.

B.Kolormakeup & Skincare showed off its new collections, which include new “themes,” created by its team of researchers, graphic designers and artists. The contract manufacturer produces finished products and packaging, and offers bulk supply.

CSR Cosmetic Solutions introduced a new Tightening Line of color and skin-care products, with anti-aging benefits—all offered as full turnkey solutions.

Color Cosmetics

Color Cosmetics formulations, at the heart of the show, did not disappoint as products took on new life with brilliant color, a variety of effects and sensual and textural appeal.

Matte finishes were popular at the show, and Strand Cosmetics featured its Matistick—a lipstick with a matte texture.

Weckerle’s lipstick innovation was a one-handed lipstick. The top opens and the bullet pops out.

Jelly eye shadows were a hit at Classic Cosmetics. The supplier developed this new formulation in its lab, and says it will last without creasing.

Among many products, contract manufacturer Cosmetic Group USA, Inc., unveiled its new Baked Powder Eyeshadow Pencil. Used dry, it has a creamy full coverage; used wet, it transforms into a metallic long-lasting eyeshadow or eyeliner.

Faber-Castell’s new fall collection included high-impact colors and formulas designed to last. New products included Gleam Dream, a 16-hour shimmer shadow and Brow Wow, a 12-hour HD pencil.

NUCO Creative Color Solutions, a private label cosmetic manufacturer, was featuring its baked powders, which were stamped with a variety of eye-catching decorations.  

Ingredients

This edition of MakeUp in NewYork was the first to include ingredients suppliers, and, as at the Paris show, it was a hit.

BASF, a raw ingredient supplier, showcased its numerous capabilities and innovative ingredients at the show. The supplier spoke to visitors about the latest trends, which include all things “green.” The products that are in high demand among its customers include eco-certified ingredients, as well as those that are sustainably sourced.

AMA Laboratories said it has added several new cutting-edge procedures in addition to the traditional testing methods it offers, all of which can be valuable for a brand that is developing novel niche cosmetic formulations. The new procedures include: Infrared Protection Factor; In-Vitro Determinations fully In-Vivo Validated; and PolyChrommetrix 3D Modeling.

Nail Delights

Nail polish effects and packaging continue to evolve, as was evident at MakeUp in NewYork. A number of suppliers had developed products that offer the benefits of gel—but are designed for at-home use.

Baralan/Arrowpack showed visitors its innovative nail polish bottle. It’s square, with a matching square overcap, but the overcap is removable. It snaps off to reveal a small, round undercap. The undercap is ergonomically shaped, so users have more control when applying the nail product by using the undercap and its attached brush. The innovative bottle line is called Eleanora.

Keystone/Polychromatic featured its Poly Trio product range, which includes a Polybase coat, Polysuspension base and Polyshield topcoat, which provides “superior hardness for an air dry top coat,” according to the supplier.

Fiabila’s nail polish featured new technology, so the nail polish and topcoat—“meet together for the DIYer.”

Pinkpac, which specializes in deco for nail polish caps, displayed a wide array of choices and capabilities, including plastic caps that looked like wood, but were produced using water transfer printing.

Pencils

Pencils drew lots of attention at MakeUp in NewYork, with a wide variety of portable, easy-to-use options.

Eye pencils were in high demand at Swan Cosmetics de Mexico, a private label manufacturer of color cosmetics. Alfonso Rodriguez Pena, director of sales, told Beauty Packaging that eye pencils in bright neons and shades of green are all the rage this year.

Hwa Sung manufactures a huge variety of pencils, especially eyebrow pencils—including as many as 4-in-one multifunctional designs.

Schwan-Stabilo showcased a range of new pencils, including Jolie, a styling and shaping gel brow liner and Extrasia, a long-lasting, 24-hour eyeliner made for humidity.

Applicators

Brushes for all kinds of makeup were presented at MakeUp in NewYork.

Penillifaro displayed all-synthetic brushes made from dermatologically tested fibers, developed to be hypoallergenic. The family-owned Italian contract manufacturer develops brushes to customer specs as well as offering stock.

Anisa International goes beyond cosmetic brushes, offering accessory solutions for top beauty brands, including patent pending bags, which now go from day to evening. One cosmetic clutch featured a mirror integrated on the outside of the bag. Another design separated the cosmetics section from the one that houses an iPhone and wallet.

Geka featured the latest trends and innovations in color cosmetics, with a focus on its fully finished mascara set called Kingdom of Technology.

SIMP Injection lured show visitors with a wide array of mascara brushes in a variety of shapes and styles. On display at the show were the manufacturer’s new lip applicators, which offer an alternative to flocking.

Sample Packages

With cosmetic sample packs becoming more and more an essential part of a successful marketing and sales campaign, several exhibitors showed attendees the latest trends.

At Livcer, Aude de Livonnière-Fourgous told Beauty Packaging that American brands are now expressing more of an interest in samples. She showed us a number of new thermoformed packages for sampling, including one with small square blisters on a sheet that slides into a cute outer case.

Imagine being able to sample lipstick, solid fragrance, concealer or any wax-based formula in a way that is also hygienic, biodegradable and cost effective. Orlandi says its new TouchUps are an affordable way to combine the environmental appeal of a totally disposable sampling device with branded versatility and customizability. Vegan gelatin capsules have been designed to provide a perfect droplet of product for a single use, ideal for color cosmetics, such as lipsticks, cream shadows or blushes;
facial care, including concealers and topical treatments; and solid fragrance.