Taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Cosmoprof Miami featured the largest selection of K-beauty and fragrance to date.

By Kathryn Hopkins

Winter Storm Fern may have put a wrench in the works for some retail executives and brands attempting to travel to Cosmoprof Miami last week, but it didn’t dampen the spirit of the trade show, now in its third iteration.

“There is so much good energy,” said Liza Rapay, vice president and head of Cosmoprof North America, speaking from the show floor. “Miami is organically crafting its own differentiation from Las Vegas because of the geographic location.”

In terms of categories, Rapay noted a fragrance explosion among exhibitors, now representing 20 percent of the show floor. Overall, scent posted the largest growth of any category at Cosmoprof Miami compared to 2025.

“That’s much more than the previous editions, both last year and the year prior. So it’s growing, and it represents what’s happening in the market,” said Rapay, highlighting in particular the cohort of Middle Eastern fragrance brands, including ABC Fragrances (with brands such as Al Absar and Tubbees), Ahmed Al Maghribi Perfumes, and Lattafa Perfumes. “There’s a lot of excitement there.”

According to Rapay, many Middle Eastern fragrance brands are looking to deepen penetration in Latin American markets as well as in the U.S. About 12 percent of attendees hailed from the region, where the fragrance category is also dynamic.

“In Latin America, when you look at fragrance, it’s also penetrating really high for them,” she said. “Miami is special for fragrance, because it is now becoming the hub between global markets, especially ones like LATAM. It’s easier for them to get here. For Europeans, too.”

Of the fragrance offering, Noah Rosenblatt, president of Beautyspace, which is set to open two freestanding stores in New York City, said: “The continued momentum around Middle Eastern–inspired profiles was notable, with a strong emphasis on EDP and EDT concentrations, signaling a shift away from mist formats toward longer-lasting, more intentional scent experiences.”

Jessica Phillips, vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, added: “Middle Eastern brands dominated the center of the Cosmoprof Miami show. The evolution of gourmand fragrances is being strongly shaped by Middle Eastern influence, bringing greater sophistication, deeper layering, and a more refined sensorial experience.”

K-Beauty Takes Center Stage

K-beauty was another standout category, with crowds circling booths showcasing the ingredient du jour, PDRN, across skin care, body care, and hair care. Cushion foundations from brands like Tirtir and others caught buyers’ eyes. Other K-beauty brands on show included Mixsoon, VT Cosmetics, Laka, Sungboon Editor, Meamo, and Treeannsea.

Data from Cosmoprof showed over 12 percent growth in exhibitors from Asia compared to 2025, driven by Korean innovation.

“Even as you compare it to last year, the presence of K-beauty is bigger. It’s just fueling the demand,” said Rapay.

Rosenblatt noted that the K-beauty offering has “evolved well beyond novelty into highly disciplined, results-driven formulations.”

Carolina Del Rio, general manager of beauty at C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries, told WWD she was primarily seeking Korean skin care and body care products that combine effective ingredients with eye-catching packaging.

“There was continued strength in K-beauty with innovative formulas and delivery systems. For instance, one brand showcased a serum that comes out as a foam and turns into a water-like serum,” she said.

Buyers were also eying K-beauty makeup. Shannon Monteith, makeup and fragrance director at Space NK, now under the Ulta Beauty umbrella, said: “We’ve definitely still got our eye on K-beauty. We went into partnership with Soko Glam, and we have an edit, which is doing really well. Innovation-wise, there are lots of cushion, compact complexion products here, which is really interesting.”

Sonia Summers, CEO and founder of Beauty Barrage, added: “What’s clear is that K-beauty is no longer a trend; it’s a lasting category offering consumers a different, more intentional choice in how they approach beauty.”

Wellness, Hair, and Tools Gain Momentum

Outside of K-beauty, vitamin patches caught Monteith’s attention. “From a wellness perspective, there definitely seems to be some thought going into accessible formats and interesting acquisition tools.”

One of these brands was Bon Patch, founded by former Miss Australia Nicole O’Neil, previously on The Real Housewives of Sydney, who relocated to New York a year ago. Her transdermal patches target sleep, focus, energy, and intimacy, among other needs, and were officially launched in the U.S. at the show.

“The response was incredibly encouraging,” said O’Neil. “Buyers, editors, and consumers immediately connected with the simplicity and innovation of transdermal wellness, and the feedback around our patches being an easy, modern alternative to traditional supplements was consistent throughout the show.”

In hair care, representatives from Brazil-based retailer Marco Boni were present, gearing up to bring their wide selection of hair brushes to the U.S., while Milan-based Janeke showcased its Superbrush detangler. In tools, SRI Labs featured its infrared DryQ hairdryer.

Hair growth brands including Keranique and Bosley MD were also present, showing at Cosmoprof Miami for the first time, attracted by the Latin American presence. Keranique is launching internationally in March.

“There’s been a lot of interest in the brand,” said Colleen Camp, global education director of Keranique and Bosley MD. “People are looking for things that are scientifically substantiated.”

David Rosenblatt, president and CEO of Beauty Quest Group, whose brands include Rusk, Aquage, and One ’n Only, attended for the third year in a row, also drawn by the Latin American market.

“We have distributors in South America, so this is the purpose of being here. We want to grow in Latin America, particularly with our One ’n Only products,” he said.

Glampton Beauty, which offers hair accessories alongside fragrance and lip products, was exhibiting for the first time.

“It’s nice when everyone can come and see the entire collection, and not just a curated amount of SKUs,” said Lori Waiser, founder of Glampton, part of Pro’s Choice Beauty Care. “The beauty buyer walks around with the accessories buyer, who walks around the fragrance buyer, who walks around the hair buyer. We also have a really nice opportunity to do business in Latin America — Chile, Peru, and Panama.”

Of the skin and hair offerings, Ulta’s Phillips said: “In skin and hair, a strong focus emerged around ingredient-led storytelling rooted in diverse regions of the world, closely aligned with broader market shifts toward holistic wellness and sustainability. While K-beauty remains highly relevant, we also saw compelling ingredient narratives from Latin America and other parts of Asia, delivering meaningful consumer benefits while opening the door to rich, visually driven storytelling.”

Manufacturing and TikTok Trends

On the manufacturing front, Cohere Beauty CEO Christine Staples highlighted the company’s fragrance facility in Cedar Grove, N.J.

“We’ve launched a fragrance collective to showcase our fragrance capability. It’s unique that we can do hair care, body care, skin care, and then fragrance, especially for brands that are crossing over,” said Staples, noting interest from viral TikTok brands. “We had a brand come to us last week preparing for a TikTok launch and expecting revenues to grow by $2 million in a 90-day period. That takes a lot of flexibility in manufacturing. Speed is of the essence.”

Speaking of TikTok, Christina Tran, head of TikTok Shop beauty business development, said: “Cosmoprof Miami felt like a professional ‘winter break,’ combining warm weather and high-energy engagements with a strong sense of community. It’s always fascinating to see how TikTok trends manifest in physical products. This year, the gourmand and food-inspired beauty trend took center stage — from pickle-shaped eye patches to matcha makeup primers and, of course, Dubai chocolate–inspired fragrances.”