Innovation, Creativity on Display in Long Beach

by Michelle Breyer on Friday, February 1, 2013

Long Beach, Calif. –

More than five years ago, inventor Nick Johnson was watching all the excitement over the keratin boom. Stylists, including his wife, were excited by the potential to offer their clients an easy way to smooth their hair, and the technique also provided huge revenue potential.

But Johnson also saw the downside. Stylists and their clients often were irritated by the fumes created when the hot flat iron was applied to the keratin formula.

“My wife said ‘You have to invent something,’” Johnson said of his wife Marzia Johnson, who owns the Marzia Salon in San Francisco, Calif. “So I spent two weeks in my workshop inventing a device.”

The result is the Izunami Fume Iron, a device that extracts fumes such as formaldehyde gas, odors, and VOC’s by suctioning the vapors directly through the flat iron into an air purification system.

“I believe this product provides stylists and their clients with peace of mind,” Johnson says.

Right: Izunami fume iron, Left: ISSE attendee

Right: Izunami fume iron, Left: ISSE attendee

Stylists got their first look at the Izunami Fume Iron at the Professional Beauty Association’s International Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach the last weekend in January.

Creativity and innovation were on display throughout the ISSE show, which kicks off the hair show season. Whether it was watching top talents like Nick Arrojo and Martin Parsons show off their cutting and styling skills or looking at some of the newest product developments, stylists had plenty to inspire them.

For those stylists specializing in texture, there were a number of new product introductions, including Yuko’s Anti-Frizz, a gentler version of its straightening product designed to tame frizz rather than eliminate curl. Other standouts include Amika’s new Straight Up Straightening Balm and Haute Mess Texture Gel; Erayba’s HydraKer Keratin & Argan Oil Therapy Line and Neuma Beauty’s NeuSmooth line.

Right: ISSE attendee, Left: InStyler straightening curls

ISSE Long Beach always has a diverse exhibitor base, and 2013 was no exception. Known as the launch pad for new beauty products and services, ISSE Long Beach 2013 featured amore than 400 beauty brands ranging such industry leaders as Rusk and Farouk Systems to hot brands like Macadamia Natural Oil and Moroccan Natural Oil.

Keratin treatments continued to be a major focus for many companies, although the number of companies has dwindled due to competition and calls for safer products.

If ISSE is a barometer of what 2013 holds for stylists and salons, there is reason for optimism. Many brands said sales were up noticeably from last year.