INDIANAPOLIS — Global Market Development Center (GMDC)|Retail Tomorrow used its inaugural Selfcare Summit here early this month to highlight supplier innovation in the health and beauty care categories.

Suppliers displayed their latest offerings in the event’s product showcase, and retail and wholesale executives identified the ones they saw as “most likely to generate strong consumer interest and opportunities for growth.”

Among the products recognized were Cremo Co.’s Complete Grooming shaving and skin care line, which took the gold award, Olive Skincare of New Zealand’s Olive Bio-Complex Skincare line (silver award), and Harmony Products LLC’s Harmony Hemp line (bronze award), which features condition-specific products that are made with the highest-quality CBD.

Natural and CBD products accounted for many of the top-rated items. They included Harmony Products’ HempBath line, which is designed to provide users with a wellness ritual using such ingredients as lavender essential oil, shea butter and CBD.

Other natural and CBD lines highlighted at the show included: Xtreme Beauty International’s OKAY Pure Naturals brand, which features soaps, shampoos, conditioners, oils and lotions formulated to support natural beauty; Lafe’s Natural Body Care, which offers a CBD roll-on deodorant that uses CBD oil’s natural antibacterial elements to help fight odor; and Abacus Health Products’ CBDMEDIC Arthritis Aches & Pain Relief ointment and cream, which are formulated with menthol and camphor and promise to provide safe and fast relief from arthritis aches, pain and stiffness.

Also recognized were Axcess Global LLC/Real Ketones LLC’s Real Ketones supplement, Flex Beauty Labs’ licensed bath bomb three packs, and the Hygenic Corp.’s Biofreeze 26 PDQ topical pain reliever.

“Our Selfcare Summit was not only a first-of-its-kind for GMDC|Retail Tomorrow, but also for the retail industry,” said Patrick Spear, the trade group’s president and chief executive officer. “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 summit’s Mic-Drop event gave suppliers up to six minutes to pitch an “emerging and new-to-market innovation” to 70 retail and wholesale buyers. GMDC said the buyers were most receptive to three pitches:

• Maxine + Morgan offers herbal supplements that are made from pure ingredients and are designed to relieve menstrual cycle symptoms.

• MarketHub’s hemp retail category managers provide expertise, education, sales, marketing and distribution services to manufacturers within the hemp-based health category.

• Nerv LLC’s Nerv Shots are billed as healthy, on-the-go drinks that are designed to help consumers manage their occasional anxiety and stress, and improve focus.