Herbal supplement supplier Maxine + Morgan participate in Mic-Drop, an event at the GMDC Selfcare Summit allowing suppliers to pitch their market innovations

INDIANAPOLIS — Global Market Development Center (GMDC)|Retail Tomorrow, a leading retail industry trade association, used its inaugural Selfcare Summit here early this month to draw attention to supplier innovation in the health and beauty care categories.

Suppliers displayed 110 of their latest offerings at the event’s product showcase. Executives from the retail and wholesale sectors were given the opportunity to identify the products they think are “most likely to generate strong consumer interest and opportunities for growth.”

GMDC released names and descriptions of the suppliers and products identified most often as:

• Cremo Co.: Complete Grooming (Gold Award). The shaving and skin care manufacturer delivers a full range of men’s and women’s premium grooming products crafted with what the company describes as barber-grade quality.
• Olive Skincare of New Zealand: Olive Bio-Complex Skincare (Silver Award). Olive was developed to harness the antioxidant power of olives. Made in New Zealand, the certified natural, plant-based skin care products aim to balance, replenish and restore skin.
• Harmony Products LLC: Harmony Hemp Product Lines (Bronze Award). Harmony Products delivers an approach to wellness committed to creating effective, condition-specific products with the addition of the highest-quality CBD. Its exclusive HempBath line is designed to provide users with a wellness ritual using such ingredients as lavender essential oil, shea butter and CBD.
• Xtreme Beauty International: OKAY Pure Naturals. OKAY provides nourishing, self-fulfilling, healthy and natural beauty products designed to enhance natural beauty. The Pure Naturals collection features soaps, shampoos, conditioners, oils and lotions.
• Flex Beauty Labs: Licensed Three-Pack Bath Bombs. The beauty manufacturer features national brand licenses with household names, including Mike and Ike, Airheads and Smarties. Its bath fizzes are designed to enhance retailers’ bath sections.
• Lafe’s Natural Body Care: Natural/CBD Deodorant. The natural body care manufacturer designs personal-care products made with natural and organic ingredients and without toxins, preservatives, artificial fragrances or petroleum. Its CBD roll-on deodorant is infused with 50 mg of high-quality, full-spectrum CBD oil. The deodorant employs CBD oil’s natural antibacterial elements to help fight odor.
• BIC Corp.: BIC Shaver Mixed 38-piece Display. From a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, BIC’s display highlights the best of its made-to-last shavers, bringing to market a complete range of razors offering technological innovation at a fair price.
• Axcess Global LLC/Real Ketones LLC: Real Ketones Supplement. Real Ketones features a patented and clinically proven formulation using bio-identical ketones. The supplement provides the body with added energy, improved performance, appetite suppression, stress reduction and enhanced brain speed.
• Abacus Health Products: Arthritis Moisturizing Hand Cream. Abacus Health Products represents the first company to develop a family of over-the-counter products blended with CBD hemp extract. CBDMEDIC Arthritis Aches & Pain Relief Ointment and Cream uses menthol and camphor in a proprietary formulation designed to provide safe, fast and powerful relief from arthritis aches, pain and stiffness.
• The Hygenic Corp.: Biofreeze 26 PDQ. The fast-acting, menthol-based formula of Biofreeze topical pain reliever has proven results — clinical studies have shown that those who use Biofreeze decrease their pain twice as much as those who use ice.

“Our Selfcare Summit was not only a first-of-its-kind for GMDC|Retail Tomorrow, but also for the retail industry,” said Patrick Spear, president and chief executive officer of GMDC|Retail Tomorrow. “Over the course of five days, GMDC|Retail Tomorrow cemented its standing as the leader in the health, beauty and wellness revolution at retail, curating more than 3,100 networking meetings and connecting 70-plus retailers with more than 100 suppliers.”

The event featured what the organizers called Mic-Drop, allowing suppliers up to six minutes to pitch a “emerging and new to market innovation” to 70 retail and wholesale buyers. GMDC said that the buyers were most receptive to three pitches:

• Maxine + Morgan: Herbal supplements made from pure ingredients and designed to relieve women’s menstrual cycle symptoms. The supplements are OB/GYN approved, vegan, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher.
• MarketHub: The hemp retail category managers provide expertise, education, sales, marketing and distribution services to manufacturers within the hemp-based health category.
• Nerv LLC: Nerv Shots are healthy, on-the-go drinks to help manage occasional anxiety and stress, and improve focus. The unique Pherelax formula provides a non-drowsy, alcohol-free over-the-counter solution with no calories, sugar or caffeine.