Breaking boundaries with Beautycon L.A.

Beautycon L.A. returns to the City of Angels this weekend after a four year hiatus. The convention will be held on September 16 and 17 at The Reef event venue downtown, encouraging makeup and skincare enthusiasts to break boundaries and redefine what beauty means to them.

The first edition of the convention was hosted in 2011 by former beauty YouTuber Marina Curry as an invite-only meetup where beauty influencers would gather to network. By 2013, it quickly evolved into a global convention, and a platform with the most popular makeup artists, CEOs and influencers in attendance.

After a series of layoffs that culminated in the business’ foreclosure in 2021, Beautycon was acquired by Essence Ventures. Beautycon was rebranded as a platform for community-building and activism after the acquisition. Caroline Wanga, President and CEO of Essence Ventures stated in their press release, “The reactivation of Beautycon will aim to democratize beauty standards by returning the definition into the hands of individuals and holding brands accountable to following suit.”

Beautycon L.A. will feature special guests like Bia, a multi-platinum recording artist and co-owner/founder of Beauty For Certain; Alabama Barker, an artist and influencer; and Saucy Santana, a beauty and music mogul.

Hosted by Emira D’Spain, a beauty content creator and TikTok Star, and Nyma Tang, a beauty creator, expert, and activist, the event has a new mission statement: promoting diversity and inclusion to create a new era of beauty and lifestyle that strays away from the status quo. Beautycon’s press release stated that the event is now “created to inspire and cultivate a new generation of online fashion and beauty trendsetters, Beautycon brings fans and influencers together across a global network.”

Exclusive panels such as Unconventional Beauty Unleashed featuring musical artist Rico Nasty and digital content creator Aliyah’s Interlude, are dedicated to championing more diverse representation in the beauty industry to reclaim inclusivity and individuality.

Sophia Dennis, Head of Programming for Beautycon said, “Beautycon is about bringing people together under the ideology of beauty as a space for connection… It’s about actually creating opportunities and a space that ultimately highlights the content creators, entrepreneurs, and artists making the beauty industry what it is today and what it will be tomorrow.”

Beautycon is also following the trend of prioritizing health and skincare wellness. Panels including ‘Healthy Skin is a Flex’ with panelists Britni Ricard, Founder and CEO of Cota Skin; Kalani Hilliker, Founder of Kare by Kalani; and Sabrina Elba, Founder and CEO of S’ABLE Labs will be dedicated to educating attendees on the importance of skin health and sustainable habits.

The event is incorporating the intersection between beauty, diversity, and activism into this year’s event. Former political strategist Zara Rahim and Shirley Raines, founder of Beauty 2 the Streetz, a non-profit that provides makeup to unhoused folks on Skid Row will also have their own panels where attendees have the opportunity to learn how to make a difference utilizing different media and digital platforms.

Dennis hopes that every attendee feels safe and welcomed at Beautycon. She told Highsnobiety, “You don’t have to have 10 million followers to feel important at Beautycon… Every single person who is attending the event is equally as important.” For the creators and attendees, Beautycon is a safe space to connect and build a community dedicated to their passions and many are excited about its return.