beautyINDIE

GETTING TO KNOW indie beautyTRENDING ingredientsthe stories behind TOP INDIE BRANDS BY american spa

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behind the brand

KM HerbalsOur Rose Collection gently nourishes, tones, and protects with the abundantly hydrating properties of rose petals! Refresh and renew your clients’ springtime regimens with Nourishing Rose Hand & Body Lotion, Rosehips Ultra C Moisture Complex, Rose Petal Crème Cleanser, Radiant Rose Moisturizer, Bulgarian Rose Hydrosol, and Rose Otto Pure Essential Oil. www.kmherbals.com | (707) 878-2980

Eu’Genia SheaEu’Genia Shea is an all-natural skincare line with high concentrations of shea butter, nature’s wonder balm. Soothe post-wax irritation, get clients into the zone with a shea massage, or rehydrate after a facial or chemical peel. No matter the question, Eu’Genia Shea is the answer. www.eugeniashea.com | (301) 655-7441

ImmupureImmupure anti-aging skincare products contain a unique, natural complex obtained from proline-rich peptide colostrum to fight wrinkles and rebuild collagen. www.immupure.com | (866) 234-4589

CelleClé SkincareOur AntiPollution and Tranquility Key Collection addresses the sensitizing and aging effects of pollution, stress, modern lifestyles, technology-induced damage and urbanization. The line detoxifies environmental pollutants, restoring a healthy glow while dramatically reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles, brightening urban dullness, and calming sensitivities, providing modern solutions for modern problems. www.cellecléskincare.com | (888) 731-2525

Indie beauty, which is loosely defined as a beauty company that is

owned at least 50 percent or more by those directly operating it, is

booming. A recent Kline market research report pointed out that while

indie brands only comprise about seven percent of the $43 billion beauty

market, they have grown four times as quickly as other brands in the

past five years. Case in point? Between 2013 and 2014, indie brands

grew at an impressive rate of nearly 20 percent. A 2016 trend study from

Women’s Marketing also tagged indie beauty as noteworthy, because its

popularity is driven, in a large part, by millennial women who are looking

for unique products and brands with an intriguing point of view and

voice. And millennials are proving to be big beauty spenders.

For all these reasons and more, this is a trend that shows no signs of

stopping and one that has caught the eyes of the editors of American Spa. At

trade shows, on spa shelves, and in the press, we’re seeing an influx of new

indie beauty brands. We’ve also noted a variety of events that highlight this

specific demographic, including the Indie Beauty Expo, which debuted in

New York City in August 2015 and takes place this month in Los Angeles.

American Spa takes pride in keeping our readers updated on issues that

are creating buzz in our industry, so we are proud to introduce Indie Beauty

By American Spa to do just that. For spas that might be interested in tapping

into this trend, we help you out by defining the concept in “Independent

Source,” on page 2; pointing out ingredients that are making waves in

“Ingredients of Note,” on page 6; giving you a recap of the recent New York

edition of Indie Beauty Expo, on page 10; and highlighting interesting indie

beauty trends, studies, reports, and more, on page 20. You can also get

to know some up-and-coming indie beauty companies in our Behind the

Brand advertorial section, starting on page 12.

There is more to share about this unique part of the beauty biz, so Indie

Beauty By American Spa will be back again in 2017. Stay tuned for the April

and July issues to learn more about this interesting industry subset.

Best wishes,

Julie Keller Callaghan

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher

jkeller@questex.com

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Julie Keller Callaghan

Executive Editor Heather Mikesell

Freelance Art Director Kara Magliaro

Senior Editor Jennifer Nied

Editorial & Sales Coordinator Darby Radcliff

OFFICE

757 Third Ave., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017; tel: (212) 895-8200, fax: (212) 895-8219

SALES Director, Integrated Media, Eastern Region

Lucy Hugo, tel: (203) 493-1221, lhugo@questex.com

Director, Integrated Media, Western Region

Kristina Panter, tel: (714) 485-5331, kpanter@questex.com

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Indie Beauty By American Spa is published by Questex. Corporate Offices: 275 Grove Street, Suite 2-130, Newton, MA 02466;

Copyright 2017 by Questex. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or

by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

INDEPENDENCE

2 Independent Source Discover why spas are taking note of indie beauty brands.

6 Ingredients of Note Indie experts provide insight

into trending ingredients.

10 Discovery Channel Take a peek at Indie Beauty Expo

New York in our post-show recap.

12 Behind the Brand Get to know an assortment of

indie beauty companies that are making an impact.

20 Indie Insight Delve into interesting

studies, stats, and more.

contents11

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AMER ICANSPA.COM JANUARY 2017 IND IE BEAUTY | 1

SOURCEAs the indie beauty movement surges forward, spas are discovering how these brands have the power to transform the industry.

With a line of beauty enthusiasts that

flowed out the door and down the block,

the Indie Beauty Expo held this past

August in New York City revealed how in

demand independent beauty brands have

become in the industry. This defining

moment was something founders Jillian

Wright and Nader Naeymi-Rad could only

have dreamed of when they first envisioned

launching the Indie Beauty Expo. Seeing

an unmet need in the market, Wright was

driven by her personal experience as a

buyer for her former spa Jillian Wright

Clinical Skin Spa (New York City) and

as creator of her own line, Jillian Wright

Skincare. “As a working mom and small spa

owner, I could not afford to pull myself away

from my business for four days to fly to a

major trade show to source products,” says

Wright. “Plus, the vast majority of products

did not fit my treatment strategies—clean,

natural, results-oriented—or they had high

minimums.” After launching her brand,

Wright was unable to find a show that met

her needs. “My line was too luxurious and

specialized for a farmer’s market or natural

products show,” she says. “And a big

generalist beauty show didn’t appeal to me

either, because I would be lost among the

exhibitors there. I was stuck in the middle

and knew of so many other amazing indie

brands that were stuck there with me.”

Wanting to remedy the situation, Wright

teamed up with former client Naeymi-

Rad, an entrepreneur and management

consultant, to build a platform specifically

for the indie market. Together, they

launched the first Indie Beauty Expo in

New York City in August 2015. According

to Wright, participating companies had

to be owned 50 percent or more by those

directly operating them. While independent

remains the key word when defining this

category, it can go even deeper for some.

“Indie beauty is, technically, any beauty

company that is independently owned by an

individual,” says Jeannie Jarnot, an advisor

for the Indie Beauty Expo and founder of

Beauty Heroes, an online healthy beauty

store and curated subscription box. “But

for me, indie beauty is a product line that

carries a point of view, process, formula,

or philosophy of beauty that stems from an

individual and is unique and independent

from the rest of the beauty industry.”

While it may seem that many indie

beauty brands are ‘natural’ or ‘green,’ that

isn’t always the case. “However, I will say

that it is hard to be a mass beauty brand

and maintain the high level of ingredient

integrity that some indie beauty brands

maintain, because natural ingredients just

aren’t available in the quantities needed to

support mass beauty brands,” says Jarnot,

who has established guidelines to define

continued on page 4

independent

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defining indie beauty

AMER ICANSPA.COM JANUARY 2017 IND IE BEAUTY | 3

defining indie beauty

popular beauty-related terms. For instance,

according to her, clean refers to ingredients

and means the product is made with either

a minimal or zero-carbon footprint and is

derived as naturally as possible. Green

refers to the packaging and distribution of

a product, which should feature a minimal

carbon footprint and non-toxic materials.

“A disproportionate number of indie beauty

brands are clean or green,” says Wright.

“And the reason is simple —it ’s what

matters to consumers nowadays, and it’s

also an area where larger and older brands

fail to deliver. As the new market entrants,

indie brands can work with a clean slate.”

Driving the success of these brands

is the innovation and originality behind

them. The fact that they s tand out

from the crowd is what makes them so

attractive. According to Wright, retailers

and spa dire ctors are changing up

their game plans and sourcing smaller

and harder-to-find brands that appeal

to consumers based on their stories

and novel product attributes, such as

ingredients, packaging, and more. “I

think the success of so many indie brands

is fueling the growth of more indie beauty

startups,” says Jarnot. “I also believe the

ability to reach consumers through social

media has made marketing indie beauty

brands more accessible and has inspired

new brands to enter the market.”

PROS AND CONS

This growing segment of the market

cer tainly presents new opportunities

for spas interested in dif ferentiating

themselves, such as International Orange

(IO) (Larkspur, CA, and San Francisco),

which carries a host of indie brands.

“Since we opened our doors on Fillmore

Street back in 2002, we have committed to

providing a thoughtful curation of natural,

luxury beauty,” says cofounder and owner

Melissa Ferst. “Back then, nearly all of

the natural brands were indie. They were

often local or regional makers who worked

with farms we trusted.” While spas have

many more options from which to choose

these days, the fact remains that working

with indie brands can present a number

of opportunities. “Indie brands tend to be

much closer to their ingredient sources

with known, high-quality ingredients that

have been carefully, sustainably, and fairly

sourced,” says Jarnot. “The brands are also

much more flexible in creating exclusive

offerings and custom treatments.”

Another benefit of working with an

indie brand, notes Jarnot, is the access it

often provides to the founder. Ferst, too,

finds this to be an advantage. “It helps us

to have that personal connection, and our

team really benefits from the personalized

level of service,” she says. “And of course,

we believe that the indie brands we carry

deliver incredible results.” IO spa-goers are

certainly gravitating toward these original

lines. “We hope that our clients see IO as

their destination for clean beauty from

indie, niche, and up-and-coming brands,”

says Ferst. “ We love the element of

surprise, and we always try to feature a few

indie brands that have yet to be discovered

by the masses. This is what our clients truly

appreciate about The Shop at IO.”

continued from page 2

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Still, there can be some challenges

associated with working with an indie brand

versus a more established one. On one

hand, they’re not always recognizable and

thus may take a stronger, more involved

sales strategy to entice unfamiliar clients.

O f course, some may see this as an

advantage, because it makes them more

exclusive. What presents a bigger challenge

is the lack of marketing support that larger

and more established brands are able to

provide. According to Jarnot, indie beauty

brands also have a harder time offering

discounts on their products. Many also lack

the research and development resources

that bigger beauty brands have, which may

impact their product formulations. Because

some begin as “kitchen cooks,” creating

products in their kitchens or garages, they

may not have the scientific knowledge or

technology incorporated in their formulas.

Ferst notes that inventory can be an issue,

as well. “If a raw ingredient isn’t available,

it can affect the production timeline,” she

says. And not all indie brands have the

resources to replace a bad batch or to

make sure all products have been tested for

efficacy and safety.

CHANGING TIDES

Fortunately, for many spas, the benefits of

working with indie brands far outweigh the

disadvantages, and they are finding them

to be a valuable complement to some of

the more well-known brands with whom

they continue to work. As a result, more

and more spas are taking a second look.

And they should, as the influence of these

brands is growing. In particular, they are

cultivating a new consumer awareness

about ingredients. According to Jarnot,

indie brands work hard to highlight their

unique ingredient stories. Consequently,

s p a - g o e r s a r e b e t t e r v e r s e d a b o u t

healthy products versus those with toxic

ingredients. “There’s been unprecedented

transparency in the beauty industry in the

last several years, and this whistle-blowing

has truly transformed the industry,” says

Ferst. “We think this is a great shift.”

Another major shif t af fecting the

growing indie beauty movement is the way

consumers shop. “Nowadays, in retail in

general, unless you have big volume or a

captive audience, such as at an airport, the

only way to survive the onslaught of discount

sites or mass retailers is to carry really good

and cool stuff that consumers can’t easily

find elsewhere,” says Wright. “In the spa

market, you have the added challenge that

so many spas are now carrying the exact

same big spa brands that it’s getting harder

to give clients a compelling reason to shop

or to shop more with them. This is why indie

brands are winning. Consumers want them,

and retailers need them.”—Heather Mikesell

20 | IND IE BEAUTY JANUARY 2017 AMER ICANSPA.COM

market research

indieINSIGHT

Take a look at some compelling studies, stats, and more related to this

buzzworthy beauty market. independent brands can often be thought of as disruptors in the sector in which they compete. They typically offer

products that solve a problem, offer a more attractive way of doing something, or cater to a specific demographic, and tend to use social media as a means of engaging

with consumers. Larger brands may get ideas from these companies in terms of new products, new packaging, or new advertising.—Kelly Alexandre, analyst at Kline Group, in an interview in the article “How Indie Brands are Reinventing the U.S.

Cosmetics Market” on www.cosmeticsdesign.com

The global beauty industry is

expected to produce $461 BILLION in revenue by

2018, up from $379 billion in

2013, according to a report

from Research and Markets. In

particular, growth is being driven

by niche and prestige brands.

The U.S. cosmetics and personal-

care industry is currently worth

$43 BILLION and delivering 3

percent annual growth. In 2014, indie

brands accounted for 7.3 percent of the total market but delivered

an average growth rate of 19.6

percent from 2013 to 2014.—Beauty’s

Most Buyable Brands: Analysis of

Booming Independent Brands in the

U.S., Kline Group study

GLOBAL DEMAND FOR organic

PERSONAL-CARE PRODUCTS, ONE-

THIRD OF WHICH ARE SKINCARE

PRODUCTS, IS EXPECTED TO REACH

$13.2 BILLION BY 2018.

—Transparency Market Research

TOP BEAUTY TRENDS

Natural

Researchers found that 49 PERCENT of millennial

women prefer natural or organic skincare products

and intend to purchase them in the future. As concerns

about endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the

environment grow, women are selecting products with

fewer, more natural, but equally effective, ingredients.

Indie Brands

Long-established beauty giants hungry for innovation

and the coveted millennial demographic continue to

acquire a record number of independent beauty brands.

Analysts expect this trend to continue, as there’s a growing

interest among millennial women for unique products

and brands with an intriguing point of view and voice.

—Beauty Trends 2016, Women’s Marketing ILLU

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