After 45 years of operation, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is still the largest international beauty exhibition in the world. The four-day show hosted 2,320 exhibitors from more than 70 countries. Attendees shared with Beauty Insider the big trends—and a little gossip.

• Nails were far and away the most-talked-about category. Attendees’ comments ranged from, “If I were looking to invest, it’d be in the U.S. nail category” to “When you come away from this show, you see how hot nail is. You could barely walk through the pavilion.” Gels are taking on the next evolution with new glitter topcoats; 3-D charms, icons; and more Japanese-styled nail art was “everywhere and is now becoming more popular in the U.S.”

• The sizes of presentations were incredible. At the point of entry into the convention show trade floor was a huge exhibit by Essie, which was being debuted by L’Oréal to the Italian/European market. “It was absolutely tremendous,” said one exhibitor familiar with the cost of booth prices at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna. “It must have been in the range of $700,000.”

• In skin care, masks were very hot. There were ones using magnetic technology, whereby the mask is removed from the face with a magnet, such as Minus 417 Dead Sea Cosmetics Ltd’s’ mask. Snake venom was seen at several companies as a natural alternative to Botox. Facial skin care infused with 24k gold was also popular.

• Next-level componentry emerged, such as 5-in-1 eye and lip components so a user can get an entire face look from just one item. There was a spa item to promote hair growth: a wheel with needles sticking out of it that rolls over the scalp. Roller balls as a delivery system for the face and body were seen at many booths.

• Speculation at the show included long-standing whispers on Urban Decay being on the selling block, with either Estée Lauder or LVMH as possible suitors. Currently, Urban Decay is owned by Castanea Partners.

• Innovative items included a mascara that could perm lashes and an eyeliner that brushed on and peeled off in a strip. There were also many stick-on lash products and stick-on lipstick tattoos. Lashes are still very strong. “That seems to be something the retail world can’t take away from the salon,” said one attendee.

• Chatter about concerns on manufacturers in Asia was overheard. “There are an increased amount of FDA holds on products from Asia into the U.S., and if a factory has an issue once, the FDA will keep an eye on them for the future. There are so many more factories there now so a company has to be careful whom they choose to make their products. It’s best to stick with the ones that have been around awhile and already have a reputation.”

• Several new country pavilions were featured, including those by Brazil, The Netherlands and Romania. And, for the first time, there was a pavilion dedicated to California-based companies, called, “California, A State of Beauty,” where 11 companies exhibited. Buyers from the professional side of the business were dominant, including executives from Salon Centric, BSG, Regis, Ulta, JCPenney, HSN and Beauty Collection, representing 40% of salon distribution in the U.S.