January 16th, 2012
in-cosmetics Asia Hailed a Success
2011 saw Thailand remain undeterred by the floods to stage the postponed in-cosmetics Asia and welcome 3865 visitors from 53 countries to celebrate all things personal care. Overcoming adversity to exceed previous editions of the event and register a 13% increase in exhibitor numbers compared with 2010, it was also literally the biggest in-cosmetics so far, occupying 3329 m2 at Bangkok’s International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC).
Hussein Kalla, research and development for health and beauty at Amka, travelled from South Africa to attend the show and commented: “in-cosmetics Asia has been a great experience; the suppliers have been fantastic and contributed to an informative and exciting exhibition. I also attended in 2010, but have got even more out of this year’s show, especially through the features offered in the marketing trends and innovation seminars. The session on “How to Promote Your Cosmetic Brand Using Social Media” by David Liem from Happy Marketer was particularly pertinent and very enjoyable.”
Banjaporn Yongka-Uksorn, manager in the sourcing department at ILC Thailand, added: “This year I’ve been very impressed with the number of exhibitors in the hall, who together represent an excellent mix of new and existing contacts for my business. The show provides us with a fantastic insight into new product innovations, in addition to numerous networking opportunities.” Following its success at the previous show, the Innovation Zone returned for a second year and proved even more of a success. A new format, which utilized more than 30 display boxes to highlight the very latest ingredients, from well-established brands to exciting newcomers, helped to make the feature more popular than ever. A range of companies that included Bioland, Brenntag Specialties Inc — who introduced a spherical shaped fine silica powder that imparts a smoothness and fine touch to cosmetics — and Rhodia, who showcased a rheology modifying polymer for personal cleansing solutions, used in-cosmetics Asia as a platform to launch their new products.
Last year, for the first time, the organizers partnered with SPC Asia to introduce the new Innovation Zone Best Ingredient Award, recognizing the development of novel active or functional ingredients combining science and product features that demonstrate benefits to manufacturers and end-users when compared with existing ingredients. Eight finalists were announced before the show, with three winners being selected by a panel of industry experts and announced to a packed audience. Congratulations to Lonza Ltd for winning gold with ReGeniStem Red Rice, a sustainable antiageing active derived from Himalayan Red Rice. The 2011 show also introduced a series of 30 minute ingredient demonstrations from exhibitors such as DSM Nutritional Products, Galaxy Surfactants, Indena and Merck, who presented their products in more detail. Mintel Beauty and Personal Care also organized daily demonstrations around the topic of “Air, Water, Earth — Beauty Innovation and the Elements,” where visitors could touch, feel and try the latest beauty products incorporating oxygen, carbon, water and other earthly elements as ingredients.
The educational programme proved as popular as ever this year, with both the formulation workshops and marketing trends presentations drawing large crowds, half of which were natives of Thailand. Among the highlights was “Formulating with Fragrances,” an extremely well attended session that provided an insight into how companies can create and market desirable scents. A series of theoretical and practical innovation seminars was another important feature that proved popular with Thai visitors, with one in four attendees coming from the local region. The Seminars delved into subjects such as “Five Years Younger in 4 weeks – Is that Possible?” from Mrs Barbara Obermayer, product manager of cosmetic actives at RAHN AG, and “New Options in Optimizing Sun Care Product Performance,” delivered by Mr Dennis Wong of Lubrizol Advanced Materials Asia Pacific Ltd. Strong attendance provided further evidence of the show’s growing appeal to international visitors.
As one of the event’s 60 first time exhibitors, Meena Lee, R&D manager from Kat Personal Care Manufacturer, Malaysia, remarked: “The show has exceeded our expectations. There were many visitors, distributors and suppliers in attendance, enabling us to generate good business leads from countries all over the world, including China, Egypt, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Turkey and Uganda. It is the first time we have exhibited at the show but we have already booked for next year and will use a bigger booth to attract even more visitors.”
Laurent Schubnel, operational marketing manager, Gattefosse s.a.s, France, added: “We have exhibited at in-cosmetics Asia every year and have consistently increased our presence to maximize our impact at the show. This year we have met with R&D professionals and formulators from numerous countries and had some good discussions about technical products and solutions. The show is always a wonderful experience, enabling us to meet customers and share knowledge with other personal care ingredient professionals.”
Commenting on the success of the event, in-cosmetics Asia event director Sarah Gibson concluded: "The terrible flooding in Thailand significantly affected business throughout the entire region and provided us with a unique challenge to overcome at the 2011 show. We would like to extend our gratitude to all exhibitors and visitors who contributed to the rescheduled event: without their commitment it would not have been possible to provide such a productive programme of events. We’re delighted that so many visitors ended 2011 on a high by sharing the future of the personal care ingredients sector.”
in-cosmetics Asia 2012 will take place in at BITEC in Bangkok from 6–8 November. Companies wishing to make a reservation are advised to contact Sue Brown on sue.brown@reedexpo.co.uk as soon as possible.
More information
www.in-cosmeticsasia.com
