The second edition of MakeUp in Los Angeles, which was held on 08-09 February 2017 at the Quixote Studios in West Holywood fulfilled all its promises with a number of exhibitors that doubled and a number of visitors that grew from 600 to 1,650 compared to the previous year.
It must be said that in the makeup business, as in other sectors, California now plays a key role in innovations and trends. The 2017 edition of MakeUp in Los Angeles focused on how digital influencers are revolutionizing beauty, and how brands can
harness this new power.
"The Beauty sphere is currently in a state of upheaval," said Leïla Rochet-Podvin, Founder of Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation, one of the experts charged with running the event’s conference programme. "Selfies, Snapchat or Instagram posts — in this new era dominated by influencers, consumers are totally ’hooked’ to their smartphones, and modifying the beauty landscape."
The birthplace of big internet American companies and of the great trends of recent years, California is at the heart of these upheavals. “Los Angeles is a true melting pot, open to a large variety of cultural influences, and packed with a lot of big influencers: celebrities, artists and designers,” highlighted Noelle Kot, Associate, Global Marketing at Glamglow.
Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, the epitome of these brands whose audience exploded thanks to social networks, shared her experience and explained how very good products can now gain a global fame in a very short lap of time.
While TrendAnalytics has unveiled that 82% of women consider that social media have changed the definition of beauty, it is clear that all beauty brands were not equally successful in their digital strategies. Actually, while the circulation of a magazine like Glamour now reaches 2.3 million readers in the United States, the four main beauty influencers (bloggers and vloggers combined) reach an audience of 17 million people.
“A brand cannot hand over its communication to web influencers without fully rethinking its relationship with its customers,” explained Conor Begley, co-founder at Tribe Dynamics, an agency specialising in digital marketing. “In particular, it implies to let others tell your story,” he added. In this context, MAC, Benefit, Too Face, Urban Decay, and MakeUp for Ever are the brands that - in the United States - have maximized the coverage provided by web influencers.
Enough to feed the discussions in the lively alleys of the show! “All the elements were present to make of MakeUp in LosAngeles a success. Top suppliers and top brands, had clearly decided to not to miss this event,” said Sandra Maguarian, the show manager. Her only regret is that she was not able to host all the exhibitors who wanted to participate in the event because of the lack of space available. A problem that should be solved as of the 2018 edition since the organizers have already found a new exhibition venue!
