Thanks to an increasing amount of indie brands that are launching, a trade show called Unfiltered Experience is taking place to help brands prepare for wholesale expansion.
Held in Las vegas on July 26 and July 27, the first day will be dedicated to professional meetings between brands and influencers, while the second day is designed specifically for consumers.
Pitting itself as a more affordable Beautycon experience for brands, the show is set to feature 35 influencers, as well as between 35 and 40 beauty brands. Brands will be able to connect with influencers for partnerships, gain social media followers and generate brand awareness to prepare them for talking to retail buyers.
“All [retailers] look at brands from a unique point of view, but they all want to see whether the brand fills a white space and where it’s showing up on Google search,” Unfiltered Experience founder, Daniela Ciocan, said. “And they want to see their social media engagement to see if it has legs and a consumer connection. [Unfiltered Experience] is about preparing them for a retail environment.”
According to Ciocan, the event is structured around four themes that are currently shaping the beauty industry: CBD beauty and wellness, socially responsible beauty, diverse and inclusive beauty, and personalised beauty. However, she says these themes will change at each Unfiltered Experience event.
A number of other beauty conferences have also been re-thinking their strategies amid an increasingly saturated space. Itsy, for example, is this year launching activations that are smaller than its main Gen Beauty event. BeautyCon also introduced a rotating Pop series in November 2018, while Indie Beauty recently eliminated its consumer-facing Shop Indie event after brands claimed it did not allow sufficient time to talk to consumers and meet with influencers and buyers.
