The Indie Beauty Expo (IBE) continues to expand its global reach, with its second annual IBE London held October 23-24th 2019 at the Old Truman Brewery in the heart of London’s East End. The event is growing strongly and 2019 saw over 80 brands exhibiting: a 20% increase on last year. British brands were particularly well-represented, making up nearly a third (31%) of exhibitors at the show this year, with other brands joining from Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Nigeria and many more.

The following brands really stood out for their balance of beautiful packaging and compelling brand ideas. See them in the slider above, click through.  

DEPIXYM

IBE London’s standout, for us, was Brit brand DEPIXYM, designed ‘For Him. For Her. For Them’, which launched late summer 2019.

DEPIXYM’s multipurpose, vegan, cruelty-free cosmetic emulsions in eco-friendly aluminium tubes are designed for the entire face and body and can be applied with fingers, brushes, sponges, or otherwise for the ultimate in makeup expression. The smudge- and waterproof emulsions contain no opacifiers, that can cause shades to go ‘ashy’ on darker skins, making them suitable for all skin tones.

AEOS

From bold to something rather more ethereal. AEOS is an ‘energized organics’ biodynamically British farmed, 100% natural skincare range infused with pagyric essences of crystals and gemstones that are assimilable by the body. Color-coded into pink and blue ranges that attract people according to their energy, AEOS has elegant white bottles with a striking irregular-shaped ‘shoulder’.

 rb+/errb+

Another brand using engaging structures was newly-launched, doubly-named New York brand rb+/errb+ with CBD massage oil candles to suit all budgets: rb+ is accessibly priced and ideal for travel in a black matte tin. The errb+ range contains between 500mg and 2600mg CBD and comes in a keepable porcelain pot with an angled spout for pouring the low-temperature molten wax into hands.

3 French Brands: All Tigers, Mimitika, & Cellu-Cup

Three French brands brought some vibrancy and fun to proceedings. All Tigers featured ‘ferociously stylish’ liquid lipsticks in jungle print illustrated packaging.

Mimitika, a prettily pink, yellow and blue patterned SPF range, focused on making sun care fun to wear.

Cellu-Cup, a cupping-inspired anti-cellulite tool that appeared in all guises from Pac-Man to pineapple!

Flow Cosmetics, Skin Sapiens, & Georganics

Back to some serious sustainability, there were several brands really considering their impacts on the planet. Finnish brand Flow Cosmetics highlighted a stunning array of solid bars in pastel colours – covering skincare, haircare, masks and more.

Newly-launched British brand Skin Sapiens, a radical transparency and sustainability-driven brand for the whole family, focused in on minimal ingredients and packaging.

And another British brand sustainable stand-out was Georganics’ natural oral care products. From tooth cleaning and mouth-freshening pastes, pills and solids to refillable floss and recyclable sonic toothbrushes, its Zero To Landfill policy is one of a kind.

Higher Education

From sustainability to study, books were on the agenda. Higher Education, a delightfully irreverent skincare brand from the United States aimed at students, housed in delightful baby blue and white packaging with names like Cram Session, Study Buddy and Spring Break.

Codex Beauty

Codex Beauty (codex being is the word for the modern form of book constructed of leaves bound with a spine) describes itself as ‘a collective of global skincare brands built on science, natural ingredients, plant-based preservatives, and pharmaceutical-grade processes’. The first chapter of its book is Ireland – focusing in on Irish indigenous beauty actives. The next to come Chile and its Mapuche indigenous heritage. All of it using codes to convey certification, free-from status and more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Jones is Partner & Client Services Director at Free the Birds.

Free the Birds is an independent, London-based brand elevation agency delivering compelling and strategic branding, design and communications, powered by Beautiful Thinking. Follow on Twitter.