IBMG Heralds First-Ever Week Of Independent Beauty

As Indie Beauty Media Group celebrates the five year anniversary of its marquee event, the New York edition of Indie Beauty Expo at Pier 94 on Aug. 21 and 22, the organization has rallied prominent beauty and wellness players to take part in the first Week Of Independent Beauty.

The 15 events and promotions for the Week of Independent Beauty will occur online, as well as at locations across Manhattan and one event in Philadelphia, from Monday, Aug. 19 through Friday, Aug. 24. The week-long celebration will kick off with IBMG’s BeautyX Capital Summit on Aug. 19 and 20 at Convene One Liberty Plaza and encompasses events at—and participation from—many of New York City’s most prominent beauty retail and wellness hubs, including The Detox Market, Follain, CAP Beauty, WTHN, Higherdose, Cedra Pharmacy and recently-opened halotherapy center Salthaus. Promotions include parties, free and discounted beauty services and products and giveaways. “As we celebrate our 5th anniversary in New York, we wanted to expand the reach of our community and actively partner with all the amazing businesses who play such a critical role in the success of indie brands,” said IBMG co-founder Jillian Wright.

IBMG has longstanding relationships with most Week of Independent Beauty participants and several past and present Indie Beauty Expo exhibiting brands can be found on their shelves. The positive reception highlights the appeal of independent beauty brands for retailers and consumers. “CAP Beauty has always been a destination for the curious, and we love that Indie Beauty Expo is a place to dive deeper into exploration,” shares Elise Sokolow, CAP Beauty’s Content Editor. “We are so excited to be a part of this concept and can’t wait to see what we discover.”

Virtual players are joining in on the celebration, too. E-commerce site Verishop, launched earlier this year by husband and wife duo Cate and Imran Khan, alums of Quidsi and Snapchat, respectively, are putting gift cards to their multicategory shop as well as a full size product from Verishop’s newly-launched skincare line, Ghost Democracy, in the expo’s gift bags, given out to select buyers and press. “At Verishop, we’re focused on helping customers discover new brands,” says Ms. Khan, who serves as Verishop’s chief strategy officer. “Our team is excited to both attend this year’s New York exposition and support the Indie Beauty Expo’s celebration of independent brands.”  The Week will also benefit local non-profits, Share Your Beauty, The Shoebox Project and City Girl Beauty Project, by collecting unused beauty products and donating a portion of the week’s sales to these organizations.

For attendees, IBMG has created a guide (see below) and calendar of all Week Of Independent Beauty’s events and promotions such as IBMG’s BeautyX, Uplink Live and IBE. The parent company of Beauty Independent expects IBE to draw thousands of people from around the world to New York, notably representatives from the 250 exhibiting brands,1,000 retail buyers, 500 members of the press and hundreds more industry professionals. Last year’s addition of BeautyX Capital Summit before the expo, which brings key players from the investment community into the fold, and this year’s addition of companion event Uplink Live to the trade show floor has cemented the week of IBE’s New York show as a significant moment for the global beauty and wellness industry. 

IBMG co-founder Nader Naeymi-Rad says the Week Of Independent Beauty aligns with the company’s core mission of facilitating connections between indie brands and other industry players vital to emerging brands’ success. “The Week of Independent Beauty is another tangible demonstration of our commitment to connect retailers and independent beauty brands,” says Naeymi-Rad. “The concept was met with great enthusiasm and we’re looking forward to expanding it to our other destination cities around the world.”