Beauty West Africa gears up for expanded second edition

More than 4,500 visitors will meet with over 200 exhibitors from around the world
Beauty West Africa is welcoming the “major growth” in interest from local businesses and people working in the beauty industry ahead of the exhibition’s opening.

Following its launch success last year, this year’s international event should see more than 4,500 attendees meeting with over 200 exhibitors from Nigeria and around the world. Visitors will also be able to benefit from an expanded conference, running as part of the exhibition package.

BWA opens its doors from November 20th to 22nd at the Landmark Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos. While BWA is aimed at those working in the beauty industry, the public are welcome to attend on the final day. Admission is free throughout.

BWA is organised by BtoB Events, which has also launched Food and Beverage West Africa and the West Africa Automotive Show in Lagos in the past 12 months. BtoB Events Managing Director Jamie Hill said: “We are excited to see the major growth in the local participation for the second edition of BWA.

“We will be working with all of the major trade markets from the Balogun Business Association at the Trade Fair Complex as well as hosting large delegations from Onitsha and Aba markets. We will also be working with the key supermarket chains and retails outlets to ensure that our visitors represent a true snapshot of the regional market.”
The BWA Conference, organised in partnership with Compass Consulting, is already well recognised in the industry. Tara Fela-Durotoye (founder of House of Tara International), Ifeamaka Umeike, (founder of Natural Nigerian) and Kiki Osinbajo spoke at the 2018 event. A special announcement to unveil this year’s programme of speakers will be made next month.

Without revealing the beauty VIP names just yet, BWA has confirmed that visitors can look forward to a wide range of demonstrations presented by some of the leading artists across the world.

“Our conference program underpins the importance of education and knowledge sharing and is designed to empower local businesses within the sector on navigating the issues faced with new businesses in the sector; from product registration to social media, and exporting to branding,” said Mr Hill.

“The education provided by the conference is the perfect accompaniment to the commercial opportunities offered at the exhibition to create a holistic set of benefits for all participants.”

With so many new exhibitors, BWA has expanded the space dedicated to local beauty and cosmetics entrepreneurs in an extended SME zone. Also new are BWA’s two gold sponsors this year, international fragrance brand Lyla Blanc and the hair product brand Cantu.
The visitor experience will be enhanced by the many opportunities to try products and see them being used with live demonstrations throughout the exhibition. For those wanting to find out more about the international opportunities, there will be country pavilions for China, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, and Thailand, with exhibitors from another dozen countries.

One of the international exhibitors returning to BWA is Naturally Tribal Skincare. Shalom Lloyd is the Founder and Managing Director of the business which she has described as “a proudly British brand with a Nigerian heritage which speaks to our diversity and international reach.

“We are offering visitors and industry expert something different, the opportunity to be part of a #TRIBE that makes an impact on our skin, our wellbeing and our communities through our products! And there will be great offers too.
“From raising awareness of our brand, increasing exposure to being stocked in reputable SPAs, Independent retailers and chains, pharmacies and beauty salons – we are looking to achieve great results!”

Describing the benefits of participating in BWA, she said that the 2018 event set Naturally Tribal Skincare up as a company in terms of building its export market. “Our supply chain is perfect because our ingredients are sourced in Nigeria, exported to the United Kingdom for formulation, testing, manufacturing and packaging. Our end products are then sold across the globe with Nigeria as a key market for us in Africa.
“This means that we support and are part of the export market, creating employment and empowerment.”

Customers may appreciate knowing that Naturally Tribal Skincare ingredients are “extremely eco-friendly, have a high social impact, beautifully combine our Nigerian heritage with a European flare and will stimulate trade and enable employment growth in the UK and Africa … every product sold by Naturally Tribal Skincare, supports the development and implementation of our plans in Esan and ultimately across Africa.”
Another exhibitor is McBride Research Laboratories Inc., the US-based company behind Design Essentials Hair Care Systems. Sharon Thompson, the company’s International Marketing Manager EMEA, said: “As with all consumables, there has been a shift towards embracing more natural alternatives, and this trend is also apparent in hair care offerings.

“Our Design Essentials Natural Hair Care System will be showcased, which offers solutions geared towards this trend, catering to the natural hair wearer. Consumers visiting the stand will have the opportunity to receive one-to-one consultations to determine the unique care, styling and finishing requirements of their hair type and texture, giving them a better understanding, so as to explore bespoke product packages being recommended based on these needs.”

McBride Research Labs will be bringing Design Essentials educators to offer expert advice on product choice, usage and styling tips, she added.