Salon and spa trade shows are not only a great place to learn new skills, build community, and score event-only pro tool and backbar deals. They’re also a legit barometer of what’s hot and building momentum in the industry.
Scanning the sold-out classes and exhibitors at the Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show in Las Vegas, the latest beauty and wellness trends were in full effect.
Here are the top seven trends popping in classrooms and on the show floor.
1. The Three Buzzy Ingredients Du Jour
Top billing went to products and lines featuring peptides, exosomes, and PDRN — skincare actives once concentrated to the Korea Pavilion for the most part, but now all over the show floor.
Peptides — These short chains of amino acids signal the skin to produce more collagen and elastin — improving the skin’s firmness, smoothing fine lines, and supporting the skin barrier. Used on the scalp, they stimulate fuller, healthier-looking hair.
Exosomes — These tiny sacs are filled with proteins, lipid, and growth factors. Their efficacy in supporting skin repair, calming inflammation, and enhancing regeneration make them a hero ingredient in post-procedure treatments and prestige anti-aging skincare.
PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotide) — Derived commonly from salmon or trout DNA, this heavy-duty, regenearative, collagen-producing powerhouse has long been used in injectables but has migrated to topical serums and creams to improve elasticity, hydration, and recovery.
2. Entrepreneurship Boom
From suite-renting independents to brand founders to multi-location owners, everyone wanting to launch, improve, or grow a business found ample support in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The range and abundance of classes, tools, tech, and services available to start up and scale beauty and wellness businesses and brands reflects what we’ve all seen since the COVID-19 pandemic: entreprenurship in beauty and wellness has accelerated, with no signs of slowing down.
At the Be+Well show, business support took the form of AI-enhanced smart software for salons and spas, white-label and private-label products, business consulting and executive services, small business funding, payment processing, business coaching and education, digital marketing, and strategic partnerships — all geared toward the broad and growing spectrum of business owners and founders in beauty, barbering, and wellness.
3. Vibration Therapy
Owners and managers of spas, medspas, and recovery centers found numerous equipment options for the trending treatment that pairs well with existing personal-care services.
Vibration therapy’s muscle-relaxing, bone density-building, circulation-boosting benefits amplify numerous aesthetic and wellness treatments, acting as an easy value add.
4. Korean Lash Lifts
While all things K-Beauty are hitting right now, Korean lash lifts really are the moment, delivering lush, fluttery results that manage to appear natural and effortless. The look swaps the more dramatic curl of a traditional lift for a softer, wispy bend tailored to the client’s lash shape and pattern.
Paired with formulas packed with K-Beauty skincare staples, it’s easy to see why demand for this treatment is catching fire.
5. Headspas
Headspas are among the fastest-growing services in salons and spas, a reality on full display throughout the three-day Be+Well event.
The packed rooms at trichologist Nicole Shemwell’s classes on launching headspa services — along with consistent traffic to exhibitors offering equipment, tools, and product lines for the in-demand service — confirmed these specialty scalp treatments are as popular as ever and show no signs of slowing down.
6. Skincare for the Body
Healthy skin is no longer just about the face. As skincare has become more ingredient-focused, results-driven and wellness-oriented, consumers are adopting head-to-toe routines that prioritize prevention, targeted treatment, and daily self-care.
Brands are meeting that demand in a big way. On the Be+Well show floor, body products featuring premium skincare ingredients abounded for specific concerns including uneven tone, signs of aging, and the changes in skin tone from significant weight loss due to GLP-1 medications.
7. Botanical, Sustainable, and Organic Brands
While event sponsor Éminence Organics was among the first pioneers of “farm to face” prestige skincare, its success paved the way for smaller-batch artisanal brands.
Those were in abundance at Be+Well, introducing lines that meet increasing consumer appeal for smaller-scale “clean beauty” brands with responsible sourcing, packaging and presentation, compelling founder stories, and an ethos of authenticity and sustainability.