Visiting Vivaness 2024 was a bitter-sweet experience with a distinct end-of-an-era vibe (and I bet I’m not the only one feeling like this!): It was the last time that this wonderful and unique showcase for certified organic beauty took place as a stand-alone fair. From 2025 onwards, the Vivaness exhibitors will be allocated a space in the Biofach halls – Hall 4A is earmarked as the new location – as a “Vivaness area” within Biofach. Consequently, it will become part of Biofach trade show – no more dedicated expo hall, marketing or positioning.
When you consider that Vivaness originally started as the cosmetics section of organic food show Biofach it does feel like a bit of a regression. In the early Noughties, more and more cosmetics brands began exhibiting at Biofach and by 2005/2006, there were so many beauty exhibitors at the food show that the organisers decided to create a spin-off event: A trade show dedicated to certified organic beauty. The first stand-alone Vivaness took place in 2007.
My first Vivaness visit was in 2014 – you can check out my 2014 article here here, as well as Vivaness 2015, Vivaness 2016, Vivaness 2017, Vivaness 2018, Vivaness 2019, Vivaness 2020, Vivaness 2021 (digital trade show), Vivaness 2022 and Vivaness 2023. As you can tell, this is (or was) one of my essential annual trade shows.
Ever since that first 2007 fair, Vivaness and Biofach were considered a trade show duo, two specialised organic trade shows – one for beauty, one for food. Of course Biofach – the world’s biggest and most awesome organic food trade show – was always much, MUCH bigger than Vivaness (even in its heyday before the pandemic, Vivaness was only ever 1/10th the size of Biofach). In 2020, Vivaness moved from its original location (hall 7A) into the newly opened hall 3C.
Then the pandemic came along and we all know what that was like: Trade fairs postponed, then cancelled, then finally taking place again under severe restrictions. The first post-pandemic Vivaness/Biofach took place in July 2022, with the cosmetics exhibitors kind of dribbled around several food trade fair halls – it was a big old mess, making it almost impossible for us visitors to find a specific beauty brand. In 2023, Vivaness returned to Hall 3C which is absolutely stunning in terms of architecture (it was designed by the late great Zaha Hadid) but located a bit too far away from the main Biofach halls.
Few visitors from the Biofach halls make their way into 3C, many of the big organic beauty brands didn’t bother showing up for the 2023 show either; the Asian countries were still under pandemic restrictions so there were fewer Asian visitors and exhibitors across both fairs. And this year’s show was even smaller – maybe 200 beauty exhibitors? – with mostly indie and niche brands.
And next year, there will only be a Vivaness area but at least it will be in a much more central location. I think the fair, or what’s left of it, will most likely develop into a platform for indie brands. I can’t really see the big German manufacturers – Santaverde, Speick, Logocos, Laverana, Cosmondial etc. – returning for such a small event. But hey, a trade event for organic indie brands might not be the worst thing in the world. We’ll see.
Anyway, after this long recap I’ll dive straight into my favourite brands discoveries of Vivaness 2024. And I must admit, I found more interesting launches and brands than I inititally expected. A lot of the indie exhibitors were plastic-free bathroom newcomers (read: toothpaste tablets/powder, powder/solid shampoos, bamboo toothbrushes) – I’ve highlighted a few of these companies in previous Vivaness articles and the whole category has become quite boring anyway (seriously people, shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets are no longer innovative! It’s 2024, for goodness sake).
But! There were some really cool new indie brands from various countries as well as great new launches from those few larger German and European beauty brands that WERE at the show.
VIVANESS 2024: INTERESTING BRANDS AND LAUNCHES
I+M NATURKOSMETIK (Germany)
I was really happy to see i+m Naturkosmetik back at the show. i+m is one of my favourite German brands; the company is so innovative. And they’re based in Berlin, like me : ))
i+m’s launches usually reflect the latest ingredient and product trends: This April, the brand will launch a new Barrier Cream (#microbiome/#biomecare) and there is also a new night-time moisturiser: The Midnight Miracle Sleeping Cream contains aloe vera juice, argan oil and blue tansy extract and feels lovely on the skin, light yet protective. There are a couple of new deodorants, including a roll-on format (most organic deos seem to be solids or creams so roll-ons are actually not that easy to find).
The company also presented the latest variants in its Fair Edition range – these are limited edition charity shower gels/body care products with some of the profits going to specific charities. Most of these charity projects are based in and around Berlin. Like the Queer Power Shower from summer 2023 which supports queer youth centre Lambda or the Tannenrauschen (sound of the fir trees) shower gel : 1 Euro for each sold shower gel goes towards the regional forest preservation activities of the Berlin chapter of Friends of the Earth.
DHYVANA (Spain)
I first came across Spanish brand Dhyvana at Vivaness 2023 and really liked their glass-packaged single-dose ampoule sets – there are very few organic beauty brands that offer classic salon ampoules and their packaging is so eye-catching.
This year, Dhyvana presented three new facial moisturising creams for combination/oily skin, all skin types and mature/demanding skin. The textures were lovely, particularly the cream for mature skin, rich and protective yet super light. Good formulations. Priced at around 20 Euro.
UOGA UOGA (Lithuania)
Such a great organic colour cosmetics brand! Uoga Uoga was launched in 2010 and the Vilnius-based company has built such a solid brand presence during the past decade, it’s been a pleasure to watch them grow. I just checked my files and the first time I wrote about them was at Vivaness 2016. I think they haven’t missed a show since and I was really glad to see them again this year.
Uoga Uoga always has cool new product launches: This year, the brand presented its recently launched range of concealers – six liquid concealers, six creamy sticks; the liquid concealers have the best texture ever – as well as a cute Kids range. Check out that purple packaging with the eyes! What I particularly liked about the kids range is that each product comes with a set of stickers such as mouths, hats or eyebrows but also flowers and other decorations) that the kids can use to personalise their individual products. It’s such a clever way to connect with their demographic.
SHAOYUN (Germany)
I wrote about organic makeup brand Shaoyun last year – the Speyer-based TCM beauty company presented a stunning range of embossed lipsticks at Vivaness 2023, with silk-embroidered lipstick cases. This year, Shaoyun’s Flower makeup range was extended with two pressed powders – a facial powder available in four shades and a blush which comes in three colours – and 16 lip glosses.
The refillable powders are packaged in the prettiest hand-decorated porcellain jars (see pic above) and each powder is scented with a different essential oil blend so there’s a functional/wellness aspect as well. The powder formulations are the usual Shaoyun high-quality blend of fruit, vegetable and plant ingredients. Certified organic, of course. The brand also reformulated its existing Lip Flower lipstick range without titanium dioxide (this ingredient was banned as a food additive in the EU a couple of years ago but in certain particle sizes/concentrations, titanium dioxide is still used in cosmetics, at least at the time of writing).
I just went back into my previous Vivaness reports and Shaoyun was launched in 2014; their first appearance was at Vivaness 2017. Absolutely beautiful products and formulations – the Shaoyun face care products are formulated according to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) principles. And check out those lipstick patterns!
WOODEN SPOON (Bulgaria)
Vivaness 2024 was Wooden Spoon’s first Vivaness appearance since the pandemic. I’ve written about the Bulgarian indie brand several times – their first Vivaness appearance was in 2016, they also attended Vivaness 2017, Vivaness 2018 and Vivaness 2019.
It was great seeing founder Silvyia and her brand again and there were a ton of new launches to check out, including the Silver A-Cream moisturiser and deodorant cream – both products are formulated for atopic skin and contains anti-bacterial silver powder. The moisturiser is based on shea butter and has a beautiful buttery-balmy texture.
Wooden Spoon also recently launched a DIY powder shampoo (the kind where you add the powder to a bottle of water, shake it thoroughly and then let it sit for a while), a 3-sku range of scented soy candles and several new plant oils, including a reishi (!) oil in which the reishi mushrooms are macerated in safflower oil. The oil range also includes a goji berry oil which is pressed directly from the seeds. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a goji berry oil. Or a medicinal mushroom oil either. Liked both of them very much.
NAVEEN (Taiwan)
This is one of my favourite Taiwanese organic beauty brands. I first met Naveen in 2014 at an organic food trade show in Taipei; then saw the brand again the next year (I think?) at Cosmoprof Asia. Vivaness 2016 was Naveen’s first Vivaness trade show (and first non-Asian trade show in general) and Naveen’s founder Karen has participated in every Vivaness trade show since.
Amongst Naveen’s most recent beauty launch is a duo of bakuchiol products, a cream and skin care oil which are both available as 1% bakuchiol and 2% bakuchiol versions. The company also updated some of its packaging from regular plastic to PCR (post-consumer recycled plastic) and its foam cleanser is now refillable.
AFROLOCKE (Germany)
Afrolocke is a lovely German indie brand which first exhibited at Vivaness in 2020; I think they were launched just a couple of years previously. Afrolocke specialises in organic hair care for textured and very curly hair – founder Anna Baltruschat has textured hair herself – and this year, the brand presented a new curls styling gel.
In addition, and this is really really cool, Afrolocke has become the official hair care partner for the BIPOC cast of various musicals in Germany, such as The Lion King in Hamburg, Tina [Turner] and Tarzan in Stuttgart and the up-coming production of Hercules in Hamburg.
DAK MATTER (Sweden)
I was really taken with Dak Matter because the brand’s concept is, I think, pretty unique: The Swedish brand specialises in certified organic scalp cosmeceuticals – scalp care for troubled scalps (like psioriasis, seborrheic excema and various other skin conditions).
Dak Matter was launched in September 2023 and their line-up comprises around 20 sku of cleansers, hydrating masks, tonics and serums. Really great plant-based formulations; when I commented that I would absolutely apply some of the luscious serums to my face I was told that the products are indeed formulated so they can be used on scalp, hair and skin – many scalp/skin care conditions affect both scalp and (face/body) skin so it absolutely makes sense that products should treat all affected areas of the body.
While the products are formulated primarily for textured hair they are, of course, also suitable for other hair types. The hero ingredients in the products are red willow bark extract, a type of salicylic acid, and magnolia bark. The packaging is super stylish and so unlike the very boring medicinal-type scalp care products that you see in German drugstores and pharmacies. I was given a couple of products to try out and really like them so far. Very nice herbal fragrances.
AROMASTICK (Switzerland)
This is such a cool brand: Aromastick offers certified organic smelling sticks. If you’ve travelled in Thailand you will most likely have seen this type of product, inhaler sticks are ubiquituous in Thailand and considered an essential health care products.
Here in Europe, we are mostly familiar with the medicated inhaler sticks you buy when you have a cold. Although the Thai sticks also tend to have a menthol or camphor component these notes are usually combined with other floral, fruity or herbal aromas. I bought several types of inhaler sticks when I first visited Bangkok after the pandemic and was very excited indeed when I saw the Aromastick booth at Vivaness 2024.
This is a family-owned indie brand from Switzerland – the brand founder lived in Thailand for many years and this is where the inspiration came from, of course – and the sticks are produced in Lucerne; the company is based in Sargans, St. Gallen canton.
The first Aromasticks were launched in 2018 but the current line-up has only been available for a couple of years, if I remember correctly. There are 11 different variants at the moment – Breathe, Relax, Nausea, Focus, Sleep etc. – and each stick contains a therapeutic blend of up to six essential oils.
Calm, for example, comines lemon oil, bergamot oil, vetiver and cedarwood oil and clary sage; Balance has been formulated with peppermint oil, cypress oil, ginger oil and geranium oil. This is aromatherapy at its strongest: The highly concentrated essentil oil blend in the inhaler sticks have a much faster effect on the psyche than essential oils sniffed from the skin.
Each stick costs 10 Euro and lasts for around 6 months after opening and they are very easy to use. Simply uncap, stick into your nostril and inhale. In Switzerland and Austria Aromasticks is sold online and through pharmacies; the company is looking for a German distributor and I really hope they’ll find one soon. This is a really interesting product concept.
FARFALLA (Switzerland)
Swiss organic beauty brand Farfalla presented a lot of new launches at this year’s Vivaness, including the 5-sku Derma Pro Biome face care range with two sub-ranges – the 2-sku Ultra Sens is for irritated and sensitive skin while the 3-sku Skinclear is for troubled and impure mature skin. Gorgeous textures.
There were also two new launches in the Frauenleben (women’s life) range of feminine care/wellness products: An intimate cleansing foam and a rich intimate oil. And Farfalla’s therapeutical body care ranges were extended with various new products – massage oils, muscle-soothing gels and so on.
LUONKOS (Finland)
Indie brand Luonkos, a first-time exhibitor at Vivaness 2024, was launched in 2019. The brand’s product portfolio comprises around 20 sku of almost exclusively solid face and body care. The hexagonal product design is striking – in fact, their entire Vivaness booth was eye-catching – and while I don’t really get excited about solid beauty any more I did like Luonkos’ products.
The facial oil cleansing bars are solid cleansing oils rather than foaming cleansing cakes and I was surprised by how quickly the oil melts – you rub the bar in your dry hands and massage the thick oil into the dry skin and then remove it with water and a cleansing cloth or sponge. The body/face oil cakes work similarly, they are solid skin care moisturisers. The Infinity Facial Oil Cleansing Cake was particularly interesting: The key active in this particular variant is humus extract (yes, forest humus) which is said to help balance and strengthen the skin’s microbiome.
Luonkos is very widely available in Finland; the products are sold in department stores like Stockmann, in organic retailers (Ruohonjuuri, Sokos) and in duty free at Helsinki Airport, with distribution in Sweden and Denmark. Products are priced at around 33-40 Euro.
UNII (Portugal)
Portuguese indie brand Unii was launched in 2020; they offer solid and liquid cosmetics – shampoo bars, solid moisturisers, deodorant creams and so on. In its home market, Unii is sold online as well as offline in pharmacies and the brand also has a couple of brand stores.
Unii is also the Portuguese partner of Canadian eco refill deodorant brand Kiima (see pic above) and here is where it gets interesting. The Kiima product concept blew me away: The brand was launched in 2020 and they offer refillable push-up deodorant applicators. The twist: Kiima is not the only brand to offer refills for its applicator – much like Nespresso which set the standard for coffee capsules from outside brands, Kiima partners with different international solid beauty brands which all manufacture deo refills that can be slotted into the Kiima applicator.
European brand partners include Kiima for Portugal, La Saponaria from Italy, Banbu from Spain, a solid beauty pioneer from France starting with L (not official yet so I can’t name names), according to the website there will be a Finnish partner soon as well (I have a few guesses). I wasn’t familiar with the US and Canadian solid beauty companies listed on the Kiima website but if they are half as well known as the European brands (which are all very well known in their product categories)…!
Usually refill beauty brands only allow refills from their own brand universe so the Kiima approach is much more inclusive. I love the idea of being able to buy refills for your product from different indie brands – you can try out different fragrances, variants and textures, maybe even whilst travelling in those country (although you can order all European brands refills from the Kiima US and Canada site, of course). The Kiima concept works on so many different levels: International brand cooperation, highlighting indie brands and bringing an international/travel angle to an inherently mundane product category.
GSE ORGANIC SUPPLEMENTS (Germany)
Organic supplements exhibitor GSE (a fairly new subsidiary of supplements and health care manufacturer Fitne) had its booth in the Biofach halls. I always try to fit in a brief Biofach visit when I’m at Vivaness and the colourful and stylish packaging of GSE’s most recent beauty supplements launch caught my eye.
As we all know, #innerbeauty is a huge global trend in beauty and food right now, and Germany is no exception. Over here, nutritional supplements are considered a part of the health care category rather than belonging to beauty and personal care. Drugstores and supermarket will usually shelve vitamins, minerals and other supplements in a separate section of the store, even if the supplements have a clear beauty positioning (nail-strengthening, hairgrowth-boosting, skin-beautifying etc.).
Very unlike the supplements market in Japan, for example, which has a much more holistic point of view – practically every anti-ageing beauty brand in the luxury segment offers inner beauty products (beverages, powders, capsules) as a standard part of of their face care portfolio. Mind you, the Japanese nutritional supplements market (the second-biggest supplements market worldwide, with a huge HUGE market volume and distribution in just about every single Japanese retail channel) is in a league of its own, so comparisons are a bit like apples and oranges.
Anyway, back to the German market. Not surprisingly – considering the utilitarian view of supplemements in this country – German supplements packaging is usually quite boring. Which is why I stopped at the GSE booth to check out their very premium-looking Beauty Boost range. Launched in September 2023 (collagen and retinol) and recently extended with the new hair/nails capsules, a pack retails for around 25 Euro for 1 month/2 months supply. Definitely one of the more attractive-looking German nutritional supplements ranges I’ve seen in recent years.
And I think that was it for me from Vivaness 2024. Going through my old reports, particularly those from before the pandemic I realised how innovative and international the Vivaness shows used to be. And how much was lost during the pandemic and afterwards. It’s a bit sad.
I don’t think I’ll be visiting Vivaness 2025 – Nuremberg hotel prices during Biofach/Vivaness are close to what you have to pay in Bologna for Cosmoprof or in Wan Chai for Cosmoprof Asia. As things stand at the moment, I don’t think this show will be worth by time and money. Good-bye Vivaness. It’s been a great decade and thanks for the memories.
TRENDS. TRAVELS. AND BERLIN 