BANGKOK—in-cosmetics Asia 2011 welcomed 3,865 people from 53 countries over the course of three days. A total of 2,825 visitors came from Thailand and 1,040 traveled from across the globe, undeterred by the floods which led to the postponement of the original event.
Visitors gained exclusive access to 266 companies from 29 countries, representing an increase of 13 percent on the number of exhibitors at the 2010 show. The 2011 lineup was also the biggest in the event’s history, occupying 3,329m2 at Bangkok’s International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC).
“in-cosmetics Asia has been a great experience," said Hussein Kalla, R&D health and beauty, Amka, who traveled from South Africa to attend the show. "The suppliers have been fantastic and have contributed to an informative and exciting exhibition. I attended in 2010 as well, 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."
Following on from its success at the previous show, the Innovation Zone returned for the second year and proved even more of a success in 2011. 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. Companies including Bioland with BIO-FRGE, an extract of Korean Red Ginseng fermented by Kimchi Lactobacillus for anti-aging; Brenntag Specialties Inc., who introduced Soft Sphere LL 8210 - Lauroyl Lysine Modified, a spherical shaped fine silica powder that imparts a smoothness and fine touch to cosmetics; and Rhodia, who introduced Rheomerâ33, a rheology modifying polymer for personal cleansing solutions, all used in-cosmetics Asia as a platform to launch their new products.
This year, the organizers partnered with SPC Asia to introduce the new Innovation Zone Best Ingredient Award. The award recognizes the development of a novel active or functional ingredient that combines 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 on Dec. 15, 2011. Lonza Ltd. won the Gold with ReGeniStem Red Rice, a sustainable anti-aging active derived from Himalayan red rice cultivated in a bioreactor. It claimed the top spot for its high material efficiency, sustainability and innovation. Silver prize went to Lipotec with Adifyline™, a novel hexapeptide that allows consumers to achieve a younger looking appearance; and Bronze to Unipex with Capixyl™, a unique active complex designed to prevent and stop the hair loss process and stimulate hair growth.
This year’s show also introduced a series of 30-minute ingredient demonstrations from exhibitors, including 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 ‘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 Program proved as popular as ever this year, with both the Formulation Workshops and Marketing Trends Presentations drawing large crowds, with half the attendees coming from Thailand. Amongst the highlights was Formulating with Fragrances, which provided an insight into how companies can create and market desirable scents, a session which was extremely well attended.
A series of theoretical and practical Innovation Seminars delved into subjects such as: Five Years Younger in 4 weeks – Is that Possible? from Barbara Obermayer, product manager cosmetic actives, RAHN AG; and New Options in Optimizing Sun Care Product Performance, delivered by Dennis Wong of Lubrizol Advanced Materials Asia Pacific Ltd. Attendance was strong, providing further evidence of the show’s growing appeal to international visitors.
Plans are already underway for in-cosmetics Asia 2012, which will take place at BITEC in Bangkok on Nov. 6 to 8, 2012.