This is more of a pictorial article! I was in Ginza a few days ago and whilst I was navigating my way through Ginza subway station I almost accidentally strayed into Tokyu Plaza department store. Like so many of Tokyo’s department stores and malls, Tokyu Plaza has several direct exits to the underground public transport system. On my way to the Marounochi line I saw one of the exits for Tokyu Plaza and went in; was charmed by the food places and restaurants in the basement levels and decide to explore the store further. And this is how I ended up walking around the Hands Expo Culture Mall for almost an hour, admiring arts, crafts and foods from all over Japan.
Category Archives: Trends
Retail notes from Tokyo: [Store Profile] Hands Expo Culture Mall at Tokyu Plaza, Ginza
Filed under Asia, Délicieux!, Design, Retail, Store Profiles, Travel, Trends
Retail notes from Seoul: [Brand Profile] Yuri Pibu – organic beauty from Korea
While I was in Seoul I had the opportunity to visit the marketing office of organic Korean beauty brand Yuri Pibu. Yay! I should explain that so far I had only read about Yuri Pibu’s iconic beauty products (like the famous parsley toner and artichoke serum) on various K-beauty blogs and forums.
Yuri Pibu is not retailed in Europe (yet!); in Korea the brand is sold online only and Google Translate wasn’t particularly helpful with the Korean-language website. Basically, I was intensely curious about the brand and although I’m really good at online research I was getting nowhere with Yuri Pibu.
So I was very excited when EGT Korea, the company behind Yuri Pibu, invited me to visit their office and check out the products myself. I also asked them a bunch of question about the brand, the products and Yuri Pibu’s further expansion plans. Click on the link below to read more!
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Filed under Asia, Brand Profiles, Industry News, Retail, Travel, Trends
Retail notes from Seoul: [Store Profile] Agarbatti DIY
I discovered this store purely by accident: I was actually walking to Gwangjang Market when I saw the sign “Coffee & Cosmetic” on the other side of the street. These are two of my favourite things; so I obviously had to go and check this out. Turns out that Agarbatti is a really cool DIY cosmetics store / garden café.
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Filed under Asia, Industry News, Retail, Store Profiles, Travel, Trends
Retail notes from Seoul: [Show Report] Cosmobeauty 2017
If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I am currently in Seoul. And I’m so happy to be back! The main event here was, of course, Cosmobeauty trade show which took place from 27th-29th April 2017. It was my second time at Cosmobeauty – you can read my show review about Cosmobeauty 2016 here – and it feels like it was a different trade show. Although I liked Cosmobeauty 2016 I almost prefer this year’s show – and not just because there were so many new organic beauty brands to discover!
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Filed under Asia, cosmeticsbusiness.com, Industry News, Mintel, organicwellnessnews.com, Retail, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
SPC Magazine: Show review of Cosmoprof Asia 2016
Just out in the February edition of SPC Magazine: My review of Cosmoprof Asia 2016. Enjoy!
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Filed under Asia, cosmeticsbusiness.com, Industry News, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
Fragrances Bar, Berlin: [Profile] The Art of Cocktails & Perfumery
See the picture below? That’s the motto of the Fragrances Bar in Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. And believe me, the cocktails in this bar are indeed works of art!
As you might have guessed, the drinks in the Fragrances Bar are inspired by perfumes. However, Arnd Henning Heissen – creator of Fragrances and bar chef of Ritz-Carlton’s Curtain Club – takes his innovative mixology/perfumery project one step further.
The Fragrances Bar does not offer a conventional paper-based list of beverages. Instead, the bar’s cocktail menu is olfactory, three-dimensional and fully interactive.
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Filed under Berlin, Délicieux!, Trends
Vivaness 2017: [Show Report]
Well, Europe’s biggest organic beauty trade fair Vivaness and its companion show Biofach (the world’s biggest organic food show) have come and gone.
This year the two trade fairs took place from 15th to 18th February 2017 in Nuremberg. According to organisers Messe Nürnberg, more than 50.000 visitors from 134 countries visited the two trade shows. There were 2,785 organic exhibitors in total (259 of these brands/companies were at Vivaness) and this year’s Country of the Year was the host country, Germany.
As always, it was an exciting and exhausting four days! This was my fourth trade show (if you’re interested: here are the Vivaness 2014, Vivaness 2015 and Vivaness 2016 articles). And now, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my favourite brand discoveries at Vivaness 2017!
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Filed under Industry News, Mintel, organicwellnessnews.com, Retail, Show Reports, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
OWN: Spring Edition 2017
Here is the PDF version of Organic & Wellness News Spring Edition 2017, which includes four articles written by me:
- A preview of Vivaness 2017 trade show (page 28)
- An overview of the Fair Trade market in Germany (page 28)
- A feature on DIY Beauty (page 1/23)
- And a look at the organic beauty market in the US (page 21).Enjoy!
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Filed under Industry News, organicwellnessnews.com, Retail, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
[Brand Profile]: Jath from ENS Korea/Jallon
And here – as promised – is the brand profile about Jath, the new organic beauty brand from Korean natural products manufacturer Jallon. I had met Jallon at Cosmoprof Asia 2016 back in November; the company has recently taken over the marketing for my all-time favourite beauty brand Whamisa. At the trade show, Jallon presented two new organic brands: Nature Belle (you can read my article about Nature Belle here) and Jath.
Jath is a premium anti-ageing face care range which was launched in the summer of 2016. Like its sister brands Whamisa and Nature Belle, Jath is manufactured by ENS Korea, certified organic by German association BDIH (Cosmos) and the entire range is completely water-free: the first ingredient in all five products is aloe vera leaf water.
The Jath line-up includes an eye cream, a face cream and three serums/elixirs which are packaged in glass bottles and jars; the outer packaging is made from stiff cardboard. All products have been scented with a similar blend of essential oils (rosewood, bergamot, geranium and lemongrass) and the fragrance is rather invigorating: zesty citrus notes, aromatic herbals and spicy wood accords.
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Filed under Asia, Brand Profiles, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
[Brand Profile]: Nature Belle from ENS Korea/Jallon
At Cosmoprof Asia last month I also met one of my favourite organic beauty brands from Korea: Whamisa. Whamisa’s manufacturer ENS Korea was a first-time exhibitor at the trade show, together with organic manufacturer Jallon which has taken over the marketing and promotion for the Whamisa brand.
And Jallon presented two new certified organic product ranges: premium anti-ageing range Jath and children & baby care range Nature Belle. I’ll post a more detailed article on Jath soon. This brand profile is about Nature Belle. Click on the link below for more information, ingredients and pics!
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Filed under Asia, Brand Profiles, Trade Shows, Travel, Trends
