The Jamaica International Beauty Expo (JIBE), the premier trade show on beauty and wellness in the Caribbean, unfolded at the Montego Bay Convention Centre over three days of intense panel discussions, presentations and exhibitors showcasing products across the categories of the expo.

The third staging of the annual event ran from Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12. This year’s theme, “The Business of Beauty” continued its thrust for the celebration and showcasing of emerging local beauty brands.

Expo coordinator Suzette Brown, declared this year’s staging a success and a much-needed boost for the local beauty industry.

“The expo was conceptualised with building Jamaica’s beauty industry as the keystone, from that vantage point our planning and eventual production conveys that. This year, as part of our planning, a major pillar was the brand and business development of local manufacturers. We facilitated discussions and presentations on areas of formulation, packaging, distribution, branding and marketing. We continued our engagement of government agencies, industry leaders and financial institutions. Through that engagement we were able to secure well-needed sponsorship from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). We had assistance from Jampro this year and they have pledged to be a major part of the expo next year. Several companies reached out and asked us to host the expo this year as it is a particularly rough period in a post COVID recovery market. The expo is a platform for connecting industry players and building that robust business-to-business space and we were also able to add to the development of that,” Brown stated.

“The founding theme for the event is “The Business of Beauty” and we have recorded quite a few success stories, with our exhibitors connecting with international suppliers and financial institutions eventually leading to multimillion-dollar deals and investments. The Jamaica International Beauty Expo (JIBE) is not only a vibe, but there’s also something for everyone. We had all the excitement of fashion shows, featuring Yanique Designs and 876 Beachwear, a live performance by recording artiste Ikaya, and a robust marketplace. The beauty of this is that small local brands such as Eyeland Cosmetics and Dared Beaute were able to launch their brands within that same space,” Brown added.

Brown also spoke about additional features of the expo this year, including the Best of Beauty awards and the move for greater international trade.

“We are always looking to maintain not only a vibrant but a fresh and exciting execution each year. For this year we added the JIBE Best in Beauty Product Awards, crafted to pull in interest from the public through voting and a judging panel. This essentially provides that added motivation for competing and acquiring that tag of excellence.

“Speaking of excellence, we were most honoured to present the JIBE Lifetime Achievement Award to Novia McDonald-Whyte, for her sterling service to the beauty industry through journalism. Next year we will be actively working with the Jamaican Diaspora in the USA and representatives from various high commissions and ambassador corps for the strengthening of ties and trade between Jamaican brands and these countries,” said Brown.

— Text & photos by Aceion Cunningham