Forty personal care companies, including event sponsor Jason Natural Products, will display their newest offerings at Natural Product Expo?s first Natural Products Beauty Bar. This new area will be free to all attendees. According to organizers, the Beauty Bar is the easiest way to keep up with the rapidly expanding natural personal care category.

?Any retailer looking to capitalize on the growth in the personal care market cannot miss the Natural Products Beauty Bar,? says Expo East Beauty and Fashion Manager Heather Smith. ?It?s the first place to stop to see new product launches for 2005. Retailers will be able to experience and evaluate the best new personal care products the industry has to offer.?

Categories on display will include bath and body (lotions, bath and shower gels, soaps, deodorants, fragrance), skin care (cleansers, toners, moisturizers, eye creams, masks, scrubs and cosmeceuticals), hair care (shampoo, conditioner, styling, color), cosmetics (eye, face, lip cosmetics) and other (feminine hygiene, candles, room mists, shaving). Exhibiting companies include Earth Therapeutics, EO, Jason Natural Products, Kiss My Face, Zia Natural Skincare, Nature?s Gate, Surya Nature Inc., South of France, Aura Cacia and Organic Fiji. Personal care experts will be on hand to demonstrate new products and answer questions.

A full list of exhibitors, events and products can be found in the Beauty Bar Directory, which will be available on the show floor. And the directory will do more than just tell you where to go and what products to try. It will also include exclusive show-special coupons, which offer discounts on products displayed at the Beauty Bar.

The Beauty Bar is designed as a self-serve beauty counter, and its spa-like décor, with comfy sofas, chairs and tables, will give you a chance to get off your feet while you sample this wide selection of natural personal care products. Complimentary tea, coffee and snacks will be available as well.

The Beauty Bar, like most Expo events, is an opportunity for networking. ?Retailers will be able to relax in the lounge and talk with industry experts and manufacturers,? Smith says. ?It will have a casual atmosphere that?s great for making connections.?

For more information on the Natural Products Beauty Bar, go to www.expoeast.com.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVI/number 9/p. 32