Everything That Happened at America’s Beauty Show 2022

04/12/2022

If you’ve been anywhere on social media this past weekend, you probably saw that a large number of the professional beauty community was at America’s Beauty Show. The annual beauty trade show completely took over the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL from April 9-11, bringing together thousands of salon pros, businesses, students, and educators for three jam-packed days full of education, inspiration, networking, and entertainment. It was empowering. It was fun. It was truly a celebration of the very best in beauty.

With over 200 classes, 250 artists, and 300 brands on-site this year, there was truly so much to see, do, and experience. Walking the exhibition floor, it was hard not to be mesmerized by all the incredible booths showcasing the latest and greatest trends, products, techniques, and innovations. And, while it was certainly nice being able to see all of the big brands in attendance such as Moroccanoil, AMIKA, Wahl Professional, and Andis, I must admit that a big highlight for me was being introduced to newcomers, like VegOut Organics, a vegan and cruelty-free CBD skincare line, and Cali-Curl, a new beach wave salon system that set to dominate the industry. 

Along with getting a first-look at new products and services, attendees also had the opportunity to learn about color, cutting, styling, barbering, makeup, business, and wellness from the best artists and educators in the business. With the likes of Ted Gibson, Jason Backe, ULTA Beauty Pro Team, Sam Villa, Candy Shaw, Sean Casey and many others providing outstanding education, salon pros couldn’t help but be reinspired and also excited to bring back their various learnings to their clients in the salon. And, as an added bonus, there were so many CEU classes available — on subjects such as esthetics, extensions, hair color, barbering, among others — that were being offered to ABS ticket holders.

It’s also worth noting that there was so much going on in terms of competitions. This year, Andis brought their Copy the Cat Challenge to the ABS stage on Sunday allowing barbers to battle it out in a creative showdown. This time around, the competitors were tasked with recreating the best version of the Andis Fluid Vol. 3 “Modern Day Classic” Look — you can see how it all went down here. Some attendees also had the chance to show off their skills during the student team competition which took place on Monday. During the exciting hair and makeup competition, which had an “Alice in FUNNderland” theme, two-students team and their models compete to win assortment of cash prizes. 

Following each full day of beauty, there was still so much fun to be had. Many attendees opted to head over to the Rosemont Entertainment District for an evening of entertainment. On Saturday night, beauty pros were able to attend the 2022 Associated Hair Professionals (AHP) Influencer of the Year Awards, which celebrated talented pros using their influence to educate and elevate the professional hair industry. This year’s honorees included Master Colorist Influencer of the Year, Taylor Rae Clark; Barber Influencer of the Year, Felicia Febo; Editorial Hairstylist Influencer of the Year, Anthony Cole; Master Hairstylist Influencer of the Year, Sonya Dove; and Icon Hairstylist Influencer of the Year Chrystofer Benson. Sunday night, everyone gathered to attend Beauty Changes Lives Experience, which saw 8 different artists showcasing their best work in a dazzling runway presentation.

Along with attending America’s Beauty Show, attendees were also able to pay a visit to the International Esthetics Cosmetics and Spa Conference (IECSC) which featured an assortment of must-see skincare, makeup, and spa exhibits.

If you missed out on this year’s show, we highly recommend making plans to attend the event when it returns next year on April 15-17, 2023. To stay updated on all future announcements, be sure to follow @americasbeautyshow on Instagram.

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Camille Nzengung

Camille Nzengung is a Features Editor at The Tease, where she covers all things hair. You can find her writing about the best hair products, the coolest hair trends, and all the exciting new hair launches. Send her a pitch: cnzengung@thetease.com.

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