Indie Beauty Expo LA 2020

This past week in Los Angeles has been so surreal for us both. We recorded an episode of Natch Beaut and met tons of brands at Indie Beauty Expo, all with something interesting and original to offer. We saw so much innovation and creativity in one space. Almost every brand was woman owned, and it was so inspiring to see women lifting each other up, from brand owners to bloggers. Most importantly, I got to spend a week with Giulia creating content and planning the future of Indie Mood. This blog has given me so much. It’s ignited my passion, inspired so much purpose, and given me a best friend. *wipes away tear* We wanted to share some of the highlights of our experience at IBE LA 2020.

Being a Part of onTUWI

onTUWI stands for ‘teaming up with indie’ – it’s an online shop that sells indie beauty products curated by bloggers and influencers. We were so honored that they asked us to be a part of this program! We got to try a ton of products by brands that had booths at the expo and pick our favorites for our own boutique. Check out our previous post to learn about everything we selected for our boutique and why we chose them. You can visit our boutique here, and use our code THEINDIEMOOD20 for 20% off, which is an affiliated code. Our shop will only be open until March 27th, 2020!

Meeting New Brands

The most exciting part of this entire experience was seeing so many amazing Indies in one place. There was so much energy and innovation; brands that have created things that are completely original. NipLips is a lipstick brand that uses color scanning technology to match you with your perfect lipstick shade based on the color of your nipple. Like you are probably feeling reading this, at first I was a bit doubtful, but the colors I was matched to changed my mind (aka – they were perfect). You find the color through a close up scan of your nipple that is taken through a smartphone app, which then matches you to a complimentary shade.

Sway is a body care brand that creates signature body oils in which you can customize based on what issue you want to target, i.e. adding extra moisture, healing, or antioxidants, as well as your choice of fragrance, along with add ons like shimmer, crystals, and flower petals. Giulia and I each customized our own oils, and they’re beautiful visually and functionally.

Moonchild Sleep was memorable because the founder spent years searching for an ethical way to gather silk without hurting the worms to create stunningly pearlescent pillowcases, eye masks, and more. On top of sourcing the silk ethically, she also uses every last scrap of material to make things like scrunchies. Silk is incredibly good for your skin and hair as you sleep: it keeps you cool, doesn’t overheat or cause breakage to your hair, and prevents you from sweating which in turn prevents acne. These are just a few of the interesting brands we came across; there was so much innovation at IBE LA 2020 that got us both so excited for the future of indies.

Seeing Creative Strides Towards Sustainability

We were blown away by the dedication that we saw toward sustainability this year at IBE. So many brands have come up with interesting solutions to reduce waste. A standout was Root, a cruelty free and vegan beauty and lifestyle brand based in Iowa. They’ve really gone above and beyond to make their brand as close to zero waste as possible, including new compostable refill packets for their powder foundations and eyeshadows. They also have large refill bottles for their liquid products, so if you love a product, you can purchase it in bulk, including skincare, haircare, and soap. They also have a ton of products, including their multipurpose cheek and eye cream – Pretty Paint – in zero waste metal tins that can fit into a magnetic palette. The pretty paint in the shade Elisa is in our onTUWI shop – use code THEINDIEMOOD20 for 20% off!

Another brand that blew us away in their dedication to sustainability was Java Skincare. They used raw green coffee beans to create their oils, but instead of wasting those beans, the repurpose and roast them to make their coffee body scrub. They also created a really beautiful refill bar for their oils for their stockists to have in store, using chemistry flasks to refill their most popular oils at a discounted rate. The chemistry flasks make it easy to measure out the perfect amount while also looking cool.

Brands That Were Solving Unsolved Problems For Consumers

There were also so many brands that finally were taking strides to fix issues consumers have had for years. Indies have the capability to innovate from experience, and it really showed at IBE. One example is Solara Suncare – FINALLY a mineral sunscreen without harmful, pore clogging ingredients that doesn’t leave a white cast on your face. It’s also approved in Europe, which has the strictest standards for suncare than anywhere else. It’s also vegan, cruelty free, and reef friendly… where has this been all my life!?

Palette was another product that blew us away… Giulia was literally screaming. It’s a leak-resistant travel and beauty tool with 5 wells in a row for you to safely bring your cream beauty products along with you when you travel. The wells are silicone, so they can be easily cleaned by pressing them up.

The entire IBE experience was phenomenal, and getting to spend time together was amazing. We met so many awesome brands that are bringing that uniqueness that both of us love about indies to the table in so many ways. We feel so lucky to have been able to attend the event together this year, and we are super excited to see what 2020 has in store for us next.

*This post is not sponsored. All opinions are our own.