15/12/2016 · 11:39

Retail notes from Taipei: Fasun [Brand Profile]

I first came across organic Taiwanese beauty brand Fasun a couple of years ago. The packaging is rather cute (also, there are not that many certified organic domestic C&T brands) and the INCI list looks interesting.

When I was in Taipei last month I finally had the opportunity to check out the brand more closely. I’m particularly interested in face care so I bought two products, a foaming facial wash and an intriguing-looking face mask. Click on the link below for more information and pics on Fasun.

fasun-5

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06/12/2016 · 12:49

SPC Magazine: Cross-border e-commerce in China

Another one of my articles which appeared in the November edition of SPC Magazine: a feature on the rapidly growing e-commerce sector in mainland China, with a special focus on cross-border retail and the role of e-commerce giant Alibaba and its T-Mall group. A facinating topic.

Copyright belongs to HPCi Media/cosmeticsbusiness.com. Enjoy!

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03/12/2016 · 12:07

CBM Magazine: Retail Focus articles from 2016 [Ainz & Tulpe, Olive Young, Belport, Parashop, Wahanda, Mankind et. al.]

Here are some of the Retail Focus articles I wrote for CBM Magazine in 2016. Retail Focus is a monthly article series of short company/brand/store profiles.

I often write about retailers or stores that I have come across on my travels – like Japanese drugstore chain Ainz & Tulpe, Korean perfumery retailer Belport, Korean drugstore chain Olive Young or French parapharmacy chain Parashop.

This year we also published articles on interesting online retailers, like Vegane Pflege from Germany, UK salon booking company Wahanda (Wahanda also owns the Treatwell and Salonmeister sites) and men’s grooming store Mankind.

Other retailers, like US drugstore chains Ulta or CVS, I’ve never actually visited but still managed to write in-depth company profiles about them (thank you, Internet!).

The copyright to these articles belongs to HPCi Media/cosmeticsbusiness.com.

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24/11/2016 · 09:35

Retail notes from Hong Kong: [Show Report] Cosmoprof Asia 2016

Well, the 21st edition of Asia’s biggest beauty trade show has come and gone. Cosmoprof Asia 2016 took place from 15th to 18th November 2016.

This year, organisers UBM BolognaFiere had divided the trade show into two sections: Ingredients, Machinery/Equipment, Pack & OEM took place from 15th-17th November at AsiaWorld-Expo; Cosmetics & Toiletries, Salon Beauty, Hair & Nails was at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 16th-18th November.

Since my focus is retail cosmetics I spent the entire trade show at HKCEC. And like Cosmoprof Asia 2014 and Cosmoprof Asia 2015, Cosmoprof Asia 2016 turned out to be a fabulous show: I discovered interesting new beauty brands and met up with many familiar faces – it was an exciting (and exhausting!) three days.

Click on the link below for some of my favourite brand discoveries!

cosmoprof-asia-2016-24

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16/11/2016 · 00:09

Beautyjagd: Organic beauty news in English (Chapters 28, 29 & 30)

Here are the last three chapters of Beautyjagd (Europe’s biggest German-language organic beauty blog) in English!

In News and Reviews from the World of Organic Beauty (Chapter 28), Julia explains why tamanu oil is so popular amongst French beauty bloggers; there is an article about French eco textile brand Les Tendances d’Emma, a autumn-themed makeup look and extra-long installment of the Beauty Notes which includes reviews of German niche perfumer Annette Neuffer’s elegant and unusual fragrances, an interesting powder clay mask from Estonia, US brand’s Axiology’s new lipsticks and the kajal pens of Indian Ayurvedic brand Soultree.

News and Reviews from the World of Organic Beauty (Chapter 29) offers the first part of the Oil Library (a very informative feature about the properties of different plant oils), Beauty Postcard 7 – US brand Ren Clean Skincare’s cult product Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial – a company profile about Human♥Nature, an organic beauty brand from the Philippines and a review of the Mangosteen Beauty Drops PM from US niche skin care brand Skinowl. Plus all the usual European and international oeganic brand news and product launches in the weekly Beauty Notes!

And News and Reviews from the World of Organic Beauty (Chapter 30) features an article about facial toners, a review of German colour cosmetics brand marie.w’s new eyeliner brush, very detailed Beauty Notes from Tokyo and Nagoya (Julia was travelling in Japan recently), another installment of the Beauty Postcard article series (the new skin treatment La Cure Peau Nette from French brand Absolution),  a long feature about the new cushion foundations of organic Korean brands Aromatica and Yuri Pibu and an article about Japanese beauty brand Naturaglacé’s new Lip Oil.

Enjoy!

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14/11/2016 · 01:50

SPC Magazine: Germany C&T Profile 2016

And here is the PDF version of one of my favourite annual article assigments for SPC Magazine: the big Germany C&T Market Report 2016!

The C&T industry of Europe’s largest market economy condensed into 2500 words – which is no mean feat, let me assure you! The German personal care market is complex and interesting enough for a feature of three times the length. However, since SPC is a print magazine I had a word limit.

Still, I have done my best to include as much info as possible! Check out the article for a run-down of the most important product launches last year, for turnover figures and detailed market data, key trends in individual retail sectors, product categories and distribution channels, brand news, M&As and other stuff that happened in the German retail and beauty industry last year. Enjoy. The copyright belongs to HPCi Media.

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12/11/2016 · 01:49

MOCA Taipei: Leigh Wen, Ronald Ventura, Ruan Weng-Mong

Although this is my third visit to Taipei I had never been to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Like several of Taipei’s arts spaces, MOCA is located in a historic, colonial-style building: it was originally a school built by the Japanese in 1912. In 1996 the Second Taipei Fine Arts Museum moved in and in 2000, the museum was renamed Museum of Contemporary Art.

MOCA is centrally located in Datong district and I was actually on my way to somewhere else when I walked past the site. The two exhibition posters for Leigh Wen and Ronald Ventura immediately caught my eye so I went in. And I am very glad I did: MOCA is a nice, compact museum which is much larger than it looks like from the outside.

Tickets are priced at a reasonable NT50 (1.50 Euro), lockers are free and there is a museum shop and a café. Not to mention some fabulous contemporary art exhibitions! Click on the link below for more pics and info.

moca-outside-5

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06/11/2016 · 06:56

Tokyo Design Week 2016: [Show Report]

One of the highlights of this autumn’s Tokyo trip was the visit to Tokyo Design Week 2016. TDW is one of the biggest and most important design shows in Asia; it takes place each year in Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu-mae park in late October (this year, TDW took place from 26th October to 7th November) and it is – quite simply – fabulous.

Product design, robotics, arts and crafts, architecture, interior design, intelligent fabrics – off-beat, ingenious, weird, innovative logical and sometimes completely bizarre design ideas; from young creators and world-famous designers and architects, design school graduates from across Asia; big international exhibitors and niche companies. It makes the brain sparkle.

This was my third visit to TDW (here are my show reviews of TDW 2014 and TDW 2015) and in 2016, my personal favourites included a pair of robot carp, a stylish boutique skin care brand from Taiwan, an Ukiyo-e juke box and two dozen juice mixers that played “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with different sounds. Click on the link for more pics of my favourite TDW 2016 exhibits!

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18/10/2016 · 09:23

Natural Cosmetics Conference 2016: [Show Report]

From 27th to 28th September 2016 the annual Naturkosmetikbranchenkongress (Natural Cosmetics Conference) took place here in Berlin.

This year, the conference focused on digitalization and its effect on the consumer: how the constantly growing connectivity is changing our society and altering consumer behavior and consumer expectations. The digital world is transforming existing retail structures, market dynamics and brand management, but it also creates exciting new opportunities for companies, brands and consumers. Excellent presentations, a great keynote speaker and interesting panelists and attendees made this one of my favourite Branchenkongress events so far.

Click on the link below for a review of the conference. Be warned though, this is one of my longer reports (I had my laptop with me so my notes are very detailed indeed)!

branchenkongress-2016_pics-2

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26/09/2016 · 07:50

Beautyjagd: Organic beauty news in English (Chapter 27)

And here is the latest Beautyjagd translation! Julia was travelling in the Provence this summer so News and Reviews from the World of Organic Beauty (Chapter 27) has a distinct French flair – you’ll find reviews of French organic beauty products (Emma Noel, Maison Laget, Melvita, Cattier, Clémence & Vivien et. al.), a feature on the natural science of Gemmotherapy, a review of Le Secret Naturel’s Baume du Hibou range of skin care balms, a visit to French rose brand Anne Felker’s store in Souspierre and two installments of the new Beauty Postcards series (Postcard 5: Heliotropic Sun Cream from US brand Kypris/Postcard 6: Rose Beauty Capsules from Bulgarian brand Alteya Organics). Enjoy!

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