Beautycon NYC to Shine Light on Inclusive Products in Makeup

Beauty lovers near New York might be spotted at the sold-out Beautycon Festival Saturday and Sunday, an annual festival that attracts beauty aficionados and influencers from all walks of life.

With its return to New York, Beautycon will give attendees a chance to partake in an assortment of activities, like learning contouring techniques and meditation practices. This year's event, like in previous years, intends to challenge society's traditional beauty standards by promoting inclusiveness.

Over the last few years, the beauty industry has become more diverse. Brands like Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, Milk Makeup and Maybelline are among the growing list of companies that have a wide rang of products for people of color. Beautycon reflected this at their 2018 event.

"It's something that I think is culturally relevant right now. I think the world is looking to be more inclusive and diverse, so the timing of it really works," Beautycon CEO Moj Mahdara said to Newsweek. "If you look at Milk Makeup and Fenty, they've made such a profound impact on culture and beauty. The range of colors, the genderless beauty products [and] the way people are using beauty to highlight their creativity—it's not about what you want to hide."

Beautycon
Beautycon CEO & Founder Moj Mahdara spoke with Newsweek about this year's event. Here, Mahdara (L) is pictured with actress Gabrielle Union and Allure Founder Linda Wells at the Beautycon Festival NYC 2017 on at... Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Beautycon

Cover Girl, Shea Moisture and L'Oréal are among a long list of brands expected to be at the weekend-long affair. In a festival first, the event will introduce Korean beauty through "K-TOWN." This all-inclusive roster of brands extends to the festival's lineup of influencers and celebrity talent.

"If you look at the talent programming, you'll find that it's incredibly diverse and rich with color," said Mahdara. "Not just demographics but personalities, types of people, body shapes and gender fluidity. That's always been a core part of our DNA, my DNA [and] our team's DNA."

Celebrities in attendance include Zendaya, Paris Hilton, Lucy Hale, Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke Hernandez and Laverne Cox. As for the social media influencers, Gigi Gorgeous, Blogilates Youtuber Cassey Ho and Tyler Oakley are expected to appear, among others.

Beautycon festivals aren't exclusive to New York. In addition to the big apple, the festival has made its mark in Los Angeles, London, Dubai and Dallas. Unlike previous Beautycon events, this year's run in New York will occur in two, jam-packed days.

"When we talked to our fans, the amount of time that people wanted to spend on the floor was more than the one day," Mahdara said. "If you're going to call yourself a festival, most festivals are multi-day."

Added Mahdara, "We are a much more mature company than we were a few years ago. We've really focused on the customer service aspect of it, we're in much more established venues. It feels more grown up."

Beautycon NYC kicks off Saturday at Javits Center in Manhattan.

Tess Holiday Beautycon
Beautycon NYC strives to bring inclusivity and diversity to the industry through its two-day long event in April. Here, model Tess Holliday is pictured attending Beautycon Festival NYC 2017 at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on May... Noam Galai/Getty Images for Beautycon

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