From MAC at Milk to the tents at Bryant Park, the behind-the-scenes action during New York Fashion Week was as frenetic as ever, snow or no. Hairstylists and makeup artists gathered their top teams for a weeklong marathon of painting, primping, polishing and panache, their every beauty dictum captured by a legion of reporters and editors. (For a full trend report, see “New York’s New Beauties” on page 12.)
Also spouting words of wisdom—albeit in sunnier weather conditions—were some of the industry’s leading executives, who gathered in late February for the annual meeting of the Personal Care Products Council. Procter & Gamble’s Ed Shirley, LVMH’s Pamela Baxter, Estée Lauder’s Thia Breen, Shiseido’s Heidi Manheimer and L’Oréal’s Joe Campinell were among those on hand. Overall, the mood was cautiously optimistic, with many reporting noticeably stronger sales in the last six months. “We had a challenging 2009, but we finished the year strong,” said Givaudan’s Cos Policastro, echoing many. Several brands used the opportunity to spotlight some upcoming launches. Of particular note: a preponderance of products that blur the line between treatment and makeup from the likes of Fusion Beauty, Bremenn Labs and Sue Devitt; a five-steps-in-one nail polish from Coty’s Sally Hansen, and a continuing emphasis on myriad points of distribution.