iBE Recap

It’s a week later, and we’re still riding the high from exhibiting at Indie Beauty Expo (iBE), "a day devoted to independent beauty brands and the people who love them. The first of its kind event, it provides buyers and consumers an opportunity to connect, experience and buy from the best independent beauty brands in a vibrant and interactive environment."

We can easily say that this wasn’t a traditional trade show. It had a feeling of warmth and an energetic atmosphere. The environment itself located at The Altman Building, was absolutely gorgeous with violet coloured lights, shear fabric panels lining the aisles and the pulse of upbeat music all set the tone for an exciting show.

If you missed it, make it a MUST for next year's event!

Press Breakfast & Trade Portion

We were thrilled with the turnout of the event (100+ members of the press, 250+ buyers, 300+ consumers and ~300 other industry professionals); and, we were truly amazed that it was SO fast paced, all day long. We had no idea at the time, but we heard that people were lined-up for 2 blocks just waiting to get in!

The media presence from well-known magazine publications (print & digital) and beauty bloggers was incredible! Delegates who attended the buyer portion of the day included large retail chains, skincare clinics, estheticians, suppliers and reps from luxe e-commerce sites... did we miss anyone?

It was a thrill to educate people about the benefits of our Clarifying Cream. We heard, "That makes so much sense!" A lot. All seemed eager to learn more about the science behind our product; and agreed, that it’s straight forward and elegant approach to skincare was very exciting.

We were pleasantly surprised when one lady walking by suddenly stopped and exclaimed, “ZYDERMA! Oh my God, you're here!” She’s a wellness professional from New York who'd been researching us online before the show. A great connection was made in that moment.

Since the show, we've been catching up with people we met, connecting via social media and responding to inquiries from those who were not in attendance, but had been following the media buzz. Lots of great press!

Panel Discussions

The panelists and speakers of the event: @ShenBeauty @OylandWater @kahinagivingbeauty @jeanniejarnot @lotuswei @redflowernyc @marcizaroff @IntelligentNutr @5gyres @Farmaesthetics @RahuaBeauty @SWBasicsofBK @GinaCarney @KristenArnett1 @WellandGoodNYC all shared their passions with the crowd.

Ethical clothing, the environment, making conscious decisions about the products we use, the impact of media & social expectations affecting the perception of ourselves, and how to rise above it all were just a few of the hot topics discussed. All were thought provoking and each had an inspiring call to action.

Consumer Portion

The consumer portion was no less exciting! It was interesting to hear people’s immediate reaction to the Clarifying Cream. Comments like these were heard most often, "It's so light and smooth"; "Oh! My skin is so soft"; "I love that it has no scent"; "I feel clean just knowing that the nasties are gone, lol!"; and, “I can use this under my make-up? Great!”

An observation we made throughout the day is that when people came to our booth they were excited and always said, “Oh, what do you have here!?” When we explained how our product works, their excitement grew as they got serious about skincare. These weren’t just professionals and enthusiasts curious about what was on our table top, but real people suffering from acne-prone and problem skin. Now they wanted to know more about how our product could actually work for them, or for someone close to them.

Many became emotional as they told us their skincare stories and all that they have endured. Some folks were so thrilled to learn about our product they were adamant about taking it to their favourite skincare clinics and dermatologists. LOL! please do!

Walking away from our booth, people felt like they had a skincare product they understood; and, were confident in it.

Connecting with Amazing Brands

For months before the show, we'd been connecting with some of the other amazing iBE brands via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Social media really makes the world seem so much smaller. While we'd never actually met until the day of the event, we felt as though we already knew a lot of people, like Joanne & Greg Starkman from Innersense Organic Beauty, who is another clean-rated ThinkDirty brand!

On the day of the event we made many new connections too! We just wish we'd had the presence of mind to snap pics with everyone! The day was so incredibly busy that sadly we didn't have time to meet everyone; but, the brands we did connect with were gracious and inspiring. All brought their own unique vision to skincare and wellness. Such a diverse and creative group!

A pleasant surprise was the potential collaboration with other brands and businesses whose goals toward skincare are aligned with our own. We look forward to exploring these connections and seeing where they lead.

Thank you!

This may sound cheesy but we’re willing to risk it. Like the 1000+ attendees, we left feeling loved and well taken care of. This won't be a shock to anyone who attended because with so many passionate brands focused on well-being how could you not come away feeling a little bit better about yourself?

So with that, we must extend a sincere and heart-felt “Thank You!” to Jillian Wright & Nader Naeymi-Rad for inviting us to be a part of this spectacular event and taking us along on a memorable journey!

Thank you too, to the volunteers who were amazing! They were professional and treated all the exhibitors in a caring manner. We could see the excitement in their eyes during the show too!

If you were one of the great people who visited our booth at the inaugural New York, Indie Beauty Expo, we’d love to hear from you! Send us your questions and feedback to info@zyderma.com

All the best,

Kelly & Rick, and the whole Zyderma Team!

#weareindiebeauty

PS - A personal side note from Kelly… It was fun to have people tell me how much they loved my Canadian accent! I didn't know I had one? LOL!