Of the plethora of exhibitors at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2025, many fell into several distinct trends.
Early-stage brands at the show, which ran from March 20 to 23 and had over 250,000 attendees, were emblematic of three different shifts in the beauty industry: Beauty consumers are getting younger and younger, while K-Beauty is evolving beyond skin and body care and AI is playing a larger role in product development.
A handful of brands said they were focusing global expansion efforts on smaller markets in Europe and Africa as tariffs loomed in the U.S.
“We are always looking for young, fresh and unproven brands in several countries,” said Jan Nientiedt, director of Douglas’ global partner program. “There is also a pharmaceutical demo. Brands are mostly impressing us in how they see health and beauty fit together.”
Nientiedt also saw a renewed focus on sustainability coming from smaller markets. “In the developing world, there are a lot of interesting trends coming up. One of them is vegan and plastic-free [beauty]. There’s a lot of natural ingredients for makeup and skin care that’s really fascinating, too.”
Urban Outfitters’ beauty buyer for the U.S. Gregory Cinque’s expectation of finding anything “related to Gen Z: super colorful, fun and [with a] vibrant packaging” was easily fulfilled at the two country pavilions dedicated to South Korea, where Kiki Glow was among the brands standing out thanks to its vitamin-based take on skin care.
Launched in 2023, the Seoul-based label blends fruit-derived ingredients in vegan formulations, coming in eye-catching packaging that resonates well with a young audience. Yet the target of the brand stretches up to age 40, with some products claiming also antiaging properties. Standouts included the yuzu-based Yuja-C all-in-one foaming cleanser, Pomegranate mud pack, Mango Vita-C night mask and a kiwi-based version addressing dark spots; Strawberry intensive anti-aging cream, and Blueberry antiaging ampoule.
The brand was at its first Cosmoprof Bologna with the goal of expanding its distribution especially in Europe and the U.S., as it has built a presence online and in the travel retail channel only in its domestic market so far.
Also making its Cosmoprof Bologna debut, fellow South Korean brand Hetras stood out with a completely different aesthetic and proposition. Launched three years ago by Seojin Park and Jongkyu Kim out of their passion for perfumes, the brand rapidly grew for its lifestyle focus and appealing take on fragrances, textile scents and home diffusers.
Combined with sophisticated packaging and a sweet-spot price point ranging from $12 for the home diffusers to $40 for 50-ml. scents, the assortment — which has expanded to hand washes, lotions and creams, too — gained popularity both online and offline via distribution in perfumeries as well as a stand-alone store in Seoul.
From Spain, Natu Laboratories debuted a fragrance for very young consumers ranging from babies to Gen Alpha. One of them, the Seven Kids Cosmetics’ scent Enjoy!, infuses the juice with prebiotics and vitamin B3.
“We have this range called Seven Kids, and we have a complete line — fragrance, shower gel, hair shampoo and a three-in-one,” said Marta Ortuño, Natu Laboratories’ marketing director. Though the brand is available in Spain, Italy and Portugal, Ortuño said she’s eyeing other markets internationally.
“Next year, we’re making the jump to South America and we’re focused on that market. It’s similar to Spain,” she said.
Natu Laboratories is not the only one starting small. Also on the K-Beauty front, Probio-6 debuted its Melanocell Shampoo, which includes probiotics for UV protection as well as caffeine and niacinamide to boost scalp health and aid in hair regrowth.
“It seems like a normal shampoo, but it activates for lost hair to grow new hair, and also protects against the sun,” said Sung Hee Kim of parent company Sonimedi, adding that the shampoo also doubles as a conditioner.
“Korean beauty products are normally more known in skin and body, but that’s improved,” Kim said, noting the line is available in Spain and Germany and will be launching in Turkey, with North Africa and South Africa on the horizon.
A slew of brands are also getting in on the buzz around AI. From South Korea, Aramhuvis Co. Ltd. developed the Artificial Intelligence Scalp Grader, a tool that diagnoses scalp conditions and makes recommendations on complementary shampoos and serums. The product is rooted in 100,000 data points.
Polish supplier Passage Cosmetics Laboratory S.A. showcased its Blue Light AI-ctivated Hand Cream, which includes blue light-activated microalgae for skin repair and has a scent developed by AI. The notes include limoncello, black pepper, aloe and cucumber.
Italy-based Natural You has a similar technology, which focuses on skin care and supplements, which culminated in an app for both skin professionals and consumers.
“We took a data set and internally developed a tool so you can just take a selfie, and it will mirror back imperfections in your skin to give you a customer plan for both cosmetics and supplements,” said Grazia Savoriti, Natural You’s founder.
“This tool gives customers the choice of the right products and the right recipes for them without having to buy anything,” she said. “I think AI will impact the beauty sector because it only provides a better experience.”