DAPPER DUDES RULE IBS 2016

At most of the beauty shows you can count on seeing more than your fair share of Moroccan Oils and Brazilian Blowouts, but for the first time in my more than 25 years on the beauty show circuit the "Mane" event was predominantly ruled by the men -Barbering skills to be exact.

Beauty companies have known and tried to tap into the potential male market before one ever existed for many years now and for the first time you could physically see the crest of the male wave coming across the isle of the Jacob Javits Center in NYC.  It was about more than beards and beard oil. Platform artists and industry reps were recycling the traditional barbering craft and repackaging it to the new hipster generation that seems to be hungry for new grooming skills. 

Platforms also crossed over into females who were seeking out that male edge that one might find proudly sport by Urban Decay Spokesperson Ruby Rose leaving one to ponder if this wave is more of a unisex trend than a male trend. 

 

North American beauty companies have a long way to go in regards to tapping into male market potential. In South Korea, men have have dominated spending on skincare products alone accounting for more than 21% of global sales. Experts cite this trend as a result of the ever popular and growing K-pop (music) and now lifestyle scene. 

 Other notable trends and companies at the IBS were the Lira Clinical BB BAR, which tout bb creams containing anti-inflammatory ingredients such as Arbutin and "healing" plant stem cells.........

............and Manicure printing directly onto the nail instead of acrylics- Technology courtesy of Korea of course. 

(p.s. Those are not my nails with the cuticles in dire need of some tlc)!

Overall the IBS 2016 was very well attended. With increased attendance my hopes are that more cutting-edge companies will attend the halls of the Javitts once again as they had years ago. My prediction is that we will be seeing a lot more men at these shows ladies. Guess it's a nice change of scenery ;).