Becoming Beautiful, Mondial Spa & Beauté 2013, Paris, France

By Jane Rosenstein

At  the 8th  annual Mondial Spa & Beauté, trade professionals, students and the general public  attended to see state-of-the-art spa, nail and skin care products that were often demonstrated.  They enjoyed buying items  at  great discounts, often wholesale prices

This year  the venue was changed to accommodate more visitors. It was held from March 9 – March 11, 2013 in La Grande Hallle de la Villette in the north of Paris. There were 170 exhibition stands, 75 professional conferences. The larger venue attracted over 141,000 attendees both from France and foreign countries  an increase of 10% over 2012.

There were several areas , one dedicated for spas with products like massage tables and messages, exercise equipment  and the other for nail products and makeup and skin care.

I particularly enjoyed  visiting PINA PARIE, a company that sells nail cosmetics. They participate in several salons annually and have interesting colors each season which they offer at discount prices. Manicures and artificial nail applications were performed by nail care professionals.

The  Spa conferences were designed for spa managers and hotel personnel. Topics focused on providing resort industry professional useful knowledge and tools to increase patronage even during the off seasons.Creating customer loyalty was the focus of another conference. A panel of experts  offered advice and answered questions about financing and interior design.

I noticed a man at a booth displaying  a box containing several products  but not selling anything. He  explained  Mon Boiîe à Beauté which  is based on the American concept of Birchbox, to me   Every two months a new “boîte” which means box is presented. The cost of the box, which includes 7 products that vary each time and are new to the French market ,  is 32 Euros and with express shipping  33.50 Euros. and has a value of at least 120 Euros  Products are regular sizes not samples .  Only  people having addresses  in France can order from their internet site  www.maboiteabeaute.com.   I decided to place an order to see what products I would receive.

Imagine my surprise to find great products with special unique ingredients not found elsewhere to try.

VEGETAL PROVENCE  shampoo and conditioner 50 ml. sizes . I met the personnel at  Who’s Next fashion exhibition in Paris and they provided free hair cuts for me and Francisca a journalist for VT.

 KARIN HERZOG, skin care made in Switzerland 50 ml.  facial scrub .    Their line is based on active oxygen .

BI MAT CLAY , inspired by Asian traditional medicine    75 ml.  body emulsion for the skin. The green tea extract from Viet Nam and avocado oil in this product are good for the skin and helps with skin regeneration; The tube is good for travel use .

ALGOVITAL which has been the first natural skin care line for 30 years  Serum Universal   30ml.

KADALYS  Musatherapy face hair and body oil with green banana and plant oils  (avocado, jojoba, green tea and rosa mosqueta)  The bottle of 50ml. in the box had iridescent gold and copper highlights.

LA MAISON DE LA VANILLE   15 ml. bottle of eau de toilette, a refreshing scent which could even be taken on the airplane.  It is Vanille de Mexique but is made in France.

 BAIJA   creamy butter  body scrub  50 ml.with orange flower extracts in the box.  They claim its use is  good to obtain  smooth skin.

All the products are on the web site of www.maboiteabeaute.com  and can be ordered and shipped. Each Friday a  brand of products is offered on their website at a discount.

CHARMES D’ORIENT had an interesting booth with   Moroccan   decor. They sell  skin care based on  north Arabian oils. They had many interesting  unique skin care products including shea butter, argan oil and treatments including  epilation using honey cream. This line can be purchased in in some department stores and spas  in France and in United Arab Emirates, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium , Azerbaijan, Malta and Croatia.

I wanted to participate in the salon not just look at interesting products so I mounted the exercise machine at the Imoove booth. How wonderful to be able to  choose an area to be exercised and then have the machine provide the appropriate program . It is an innovative  concept and I wish they could have their machines  available  at more fitness clubs.

There were large crowds at Art Deco a line of cosmetics sold in spas and selected department stores.  People  were looking at all the cosmetics including the tanning sprays for legs and a new facial bronzer  Art Deco had many interesting products including lipsticks, nail cosmetics, eye makeup. Ladies liked the 50% discount offered during the show. Art Deco had a makeup consultant doing makeovers who explained how to apply the products of the season.   A very informative cheerful  make up consultant gave me many tips. I bought several products including the new spray facial bronzer.

The press lounge was well located. The press was offered hospitality and good refreshments.   I The opportunity to talk with Yolande Martorana, advertising director for  Mondial Spa & Beauté  who was very informative. It was good drinking  champagne and coffee with  other members  of the press who gave me their opinions about the show.

Most visitors to the show left carrying out bags filled with cosmetics and skin care products. They were very happy to have had  opportunities  to see new products,  see other professionals in their field, hear lectures, view demonstrations  and buy.

 Becoming beautiful can be a happy experience.

Jane Rosenstein

Jane Rosenstein is a U.S. citizen living in Paris, France. She is a professional translator/interpreter. She is the owner of The International Connection which does international marketing consultation including sales of wine, interpretation, and translation.

She enjoys the cultural life that living in Paris offers and has talents in organizing events. She speaks English, French, and Spanish. She has a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.