I Went to Beauty’s Biggest Trade Show and Saw the Future

A Day in the Life at Cosmoprof

I’ve been on press trips where the mornings start at 7:00 a.m. Luckily, our Cosmoprof days began at 8:30 a.m., which gave us time to get ready and meet the rest of the group downstairs for a hosted continental breakfast, followed by press meetings. Our group included the PR team for the expo, along with 10 beauty journalists and five content creators who specialize in educational beauty. 

This experience was unique in that as hand-selected members of the press, on-site brands could book time slots with us. We all referred to it as “the speed dating of media.” Whether you’ve gone speed dating or not, this experience played out exactly as it sounds. Each participating brand got to choose two journalists or content creators total and have 10 minutes to get acquainted and sell us their brand, the way we sell ourselves during speed dating. We could ask them questions to understand their mission and function better, and they could ask us the best way to pitch, or what we typically look for in our content. Each session was two hours per day, and following that, we could roam the massive expo floors or go back to our rooms. 

We all stayed at Mandalay Bay out of convenience—and with all the traffic in and out of the convention center, I’m so glad we did. After a while, the hotel started to feel like home since we did so much walking back and forth. Because so many people were onsite at once, it really became the one-stop shop for meetings, catch-ups, and before-bed hangs. 

Each day, I spent about two hours roaming the floors to meet with vendors, film content for social media, scope the scene, and obviously snag samples. When people warned me to wear comfortable shoes, they weren’t kidding. You don’t anticipate how much walking you’ll do. I was exhausted. Also, let’s not forget, “speed meeting” for two hours straight will zap the energy right out of you. 

Following my departure from the expo, I’d go upstairs, shower, and get ready for the night. Evenings consisted of a fancy hosted dinner. Sometimes we’d be with our group, and other times we’d be with a publicist who invited us to have a meal with a client. When else in my life will I get to dine at Carbone back-to-back nights? 

The Biggest Beauty Trends I Spotted

As a journalist at Cosmoprof, I had two major goals. One was to represent the expo, professionally and educationally. I was expected to attend events hosted by the internal team, chat with buyers, and educate rising founders on how to gain more exposure.

But on the other side of things, I was also there to work for myself: spot trends, network, capture content, discover new products and categories, and always be thinking ahead to a potential article. 

While it’s tough to find anything jaw-droppingly groundbreaking in a very saturated market, I will say some things of note caught my eye:

• Minimalist packaging is gone! Pretty much everything on display at Cosmoprof was vibrant, flashy, and fun. And in a very contemporary way, not tacky. Think eye-catching colors with modern fonts and sleek, ergonomic packaging. Even if I didn’t know what was inside a bottle or tube, the design had me excited. 

• K-beauty isn’t going anywhere. Just when you thought there wasn’t any more that could possibly be done, oh trust me, I feel we are just scratching the surface. I didn’t have time to sort through those sections entirely, but I was immediately drawn in by the packaging and charm bars. Yes, adding a charm to everything is apparently still very much a thing.

• There was one oral care moment that stood out to me, which made me realize even more that the category still has so much white space. EUTHYMOL originated from the United Kingdom, but has since been adapted into Korean beauty. The brand created a purple toothpaste that follows the same logic as purple shampoo—it’s designed to neutralize yellow. Kinda clever, if you ask me!

What Networking at a Beauty Expo Is Really Like

Cosmoprof is such a great place to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new ones. You have a huge beauty population under one roof for several days at a time, and the location of the expo is in the immediate company of many coffee shops and restaurants, so it’s easy to grab a quick nosh or beverage and chit-chat. 

Also, brands like to get the bang for their buck onsite. It’s not uncommon for them to plan networking dinners in this much more relaxed environment. This way, they can get a bunch of people together at once in a fun setting, and not feel like they have to pitch them or give them a spiel. These dinners are about building relationships and showing a little bit of the brands’ personality outside of the packaging and marketing. 

There was one dinner night at Beauty & Essex with Cosmoprof’s team and guests, along with various buyers. Then there was another night with new Gen Alpha skincare brand SAVV JOLIE at Carbone Riviera on the “water.” The final night, there was a dinner at the original Carbone Las Vegas with THE CREME SHOP and EUTHYMOL, which partnered to host a pasta-heavy feast. Needless to say, I couldn’t quite button my pants by the time our 72-hour stay wrapped.

The Unspoken Rules of Navigating a Beauty Expo

It doesn’t matter whether you write for a top-tier publication or you’re a buyer for Target—everyone has to wait their turn at Cosmoprof. With thousands of people under one roof vying for the same people’s attention, it’s tough to just breeze on through if you want to chat with a brand. The lines weren’t necessarily long (unless you were partaking in an activation), but there was definitely a bit of waiting involved.

On the flip side, if you just wanted to cruise through casually, there was also no such thing. Founders and brand reps are there for a reason—to gain exposure and give you their whole spiel. So you couldn’t just swing by for a sample or a quick question. You were going to get an earful. There’s a lot of schmoozing and small talk at these expos, so you really have to prepare to use your voice. There’s no escaping it. But that’s part of the shtick—as most people who attend are members of the media, public relations, buyers, or founders. It’s a communication-heavy space, so you really have to be "on."

What Cosmoprof Revealed About Beauty’s Next Era

We’re a far cry from the discovery and experimentation from the 2016–2020 era of beauty. In 2026, there seem to be fewer buzzwords and more thinking outside the box. Innovation no longer relies on formulas—it’s much more about cutting-edge packaging, vibrant colors, fragrance, and marketing, since so much has already been done. While I didn’t encounter anything groundbreaking throughout my experience, it did shed light on where the beauty industry is heading. And if there’s one thing I learned, no one is slowing down and there’s something for everyone in this space.