Who exhibits and buys at Cosmoprof North America
Cosmoprof North America is organized by USA Beauty LLC, a joint venture of Informa Markets, BolognaFiere USA, and the Professional Beauty Association. The 2026 Las Vegas edition counted 952 exhibitors and brands from 39 countries, more than half of them international, and 26,500 attendee visits from 88 countries, half of them first-timers. By the organizer's figures, skin care made up 40 percent of exhibitors, hair 20 percent, nails 10 percent, and the Cosmopack supply chain 24 percent.
Brands and manufacturers were the largest attendee group at 47 percent, followed by buyers at 36 percent: retail buyers, distributors, and importers and exporters, plus 276 hosted buyers from 15 countries. It's open to the trade only, and no one under 18, infants included, is allowed on the floor at any time.
Cosmoprof, Cosmopack, and the special areas
Both halves of the show share one floor. Cosmoprof covers finished products: hair care, skin care and makeup, nails, natural products, special areas, and country pavilions, which in 2026 came from China, the Dominican Republic, and South Korea. Cosmopack covers the supply chain: packaging, contract manufacturing for OEM, ODM, and private label, raw materials and ingredients, and machinery. Aisle carpet is color-coded by section, green for hair care, lavender for skin care and makeup, pink for nails, and turquoise for Cosmopack, which is worth knowing before you choose booth colors.
Smaller brands don't need a full booth. Discover Beauty is a curated, centrally located section for skin care, makeup, and fragrance brands, and the Beauty Vanities are turnkey stations for brands with no more than 10 SKUs; the 2026 package cost $3,900 for a vanity table and mirror, two pedestals, two stools, signage, and 100 pounds of drayage, with no electricity and special setup hours. Discover Green and Discover Black-Owned Beauty are named sections in the show rules as well.
Cosmoprof North America 2027 dates, and what's still to come
The 24th Las Vegas edition runs July 13 to 15, 2027 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, with attendee registration opening in February 2027. The organizer's exhibitor resources page still lists 2027 move-in and move-out hours as coming soon, so the schedule below is the 2026 edition's, for reference. A separate Miami edition runs January 26 to 28, 2027 at the Miami Beach Convention Center with its own rules.
In 2026, move-in ran four days before a Monday opening, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day: Thursday for booths over 60 square meters, Friday for raw space over 24 square meters, Saturday for all exhibitors, and Sunday for everyone plus the special areas. Crates had to be labeled and aisles cleared by 6 p.m. Sunday, and a booth not occupied by then was presumed abandoned. The floor was open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, and move-out ran through 3 p.m. Thursday.
The hard-wall rule and booth heights at Cosmoprof
Cosmoprof's rules call it a hard-wall-only show: no pipe and drape, and every booth needs a hard backdrop 8 feet (2.5 meters) high across its full length and width, rented from GES if you don't bring one. With hard walls everywhere, the usual line-of-sight rules don't apply. The 2026 display rules, which measure space in meters, set these limits:
- Linear and corner booths: 8 feet maximum, allowed throughout the booth
- Perimeter booths against an outside wall of the hall: a back wall up to 12 feet
- Peninsulas: 8 feet along the back wall, taller in the center only with pre-approval, and at least 20 percent of the perimeter left open
- Split islands, two peninsulas back to back: 8 feet including signage unless show management approves more
- Islands: 12 feet including signage, taller only with approval, and at least 50 percent of the perimeter left open
- Raw space guideline: 8 feet, with up to 40 percent of the center area allowed to 13 feet with approval
- Interactive displays keep 3 feet of clearance from the aisle, walls are finished on both sides, and nothing is stored behind a back wall
Hanging signs, two-story booths, and stages at Cosmoprof
Signs can hang over islands, split islands, and peninsulas of 6 by 6 meters or larger, up to 26 feet to the top where the ceiling allows, with at least 3 feet of clearance above the booth structure. A sign can't be wider than the booth, logos facing a neighbor are set 10 feet back, and linear booths can't hang anything. The organizer's approval form says GES rigs signs of 200 pounds or less and Mandalay Bay rigs heavier ones.
Anything taller than 16 feet, hanging signs included, and any multi-level exhibit needs engineering certification. A two-story booth goes to show management at least 60 days before move-in with a licensed structural engineer's stamp, drawn in U.S. measurements; upper decks over 300 square feet need two exits, and covered areas over 300 square feet need sprinklers. Stages sit 2 meters, about 6 feet, back from any aisle with standing room in front, and booths under 60 square meters can only put one at the rear. Island, split island, and peninsula designs, hanging signs, and variances were due for approval June 18 in 2026, so don't start production until approval comes back.
Sampling, demos, and the no-sales rule at Cosmoprof
Cosmoprof is an order-writing show. Cash and carry is strictly prohibited: exhibitors can take orders and card imprints but can't hand over product, and licensed professionals can't buy for personal use. Samples go out only from inside the booth. Permanent makeup, eyelash reconstruction, and tattooing aren't allowed, demonstrations on models are kept to a minimum, and costumes or entertainment need approval 30 days before move-in.
Two more rules catch booth designers off guard. Sound is capped at 60 decibels at all times, and a linear booth needs approval 30 days ahead to use any amplification; after warnings, show management can cut the audio power. And glitter, confetti, helium and mylar balloons, adhesive stickers, and aerosol cans with flammable propellants are banned. Mandalay Bay is the exclusive caterer, so anything edible beyond individually wrapped candy is ordered through the venue, and alcohol needs written approval.
Designing a beauty booth that sells on shelf and swatch
Beauty products are small, so the booth's job is to make them read from the aisle and feel premium up close. Eye-level shelving with integrated lighting, backlit brand walls inside the 8-foot envelope, and tester counters with mirrors and accurate color rendering do more here than height ever could. Demo tables sit at least 2 feet back from the aisle, so build the swatch counter into the booth rather than along its edge.
Plan the back of house too. With storage behind the walls prohibited, cabinets in the counters and a lockable closet hold stock and samples, and a table or small meeting area gives distributors and retail buyers a place to talk terms. Cosmopack exhibitors have a different brief: packaging walls, material samples, and sometimes machinery, shown to brand owners who are sourcing a supply chain.
Cosmoprof move-in, GES freight, and contractor rules
GES is the official service contractor. In 2026 its advance warehouse at 7000 Lindell Road received freight from June 8 to July 1, direct deliveries went to the convention center from July 9 to 12, and every truck checked in first at the marshaling yard at 2982 West Post Road. GES notes that the show moves in on overtime, since straight time runs only 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, which matters when you budget show labor. Edlen holds the electrical, Encore the AV, and Mandalay Bay the catering, cleaning, and internet.
Teamsters Local 631 has jurisdiction over exhibit labor, though your own full-time employees can set up a booth of any size. An outside builder works as your exhibitor-appointed contractor: the intent-to-use form went to GES by June 18 in 2026, crews pick up wristbands at the EAC check-in station, and the required coverage includes $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability, $1 million auto, $1 million umbrella, and $1 million employer's liability. Exhibitors file a certificate of their own, by June 15 in 2026, and no badges are issued without it.
A Cosmoprof North America 2027 planning timeline
As a working guide, with the 2026 deadlines shifted to a show that opens July 13, 2027. The Las Vegas trade show calendar keeps the date, the guide to what a custom booth costs frames the budget, and our trade show checklist covers the smaller jobs:
- Winter 2026 to 2027: book space and pick a format, from a Beauty Vanity to raw space
- Spring 2027: concept and 3D design inside the hard-wall and height rules, with the shelving and lighting plan
- Early to mid-June: approval drawings for peninsulas, islands, and hanging signs, insurance certificates, and discounted service orders
- Early June to July 1: freight to the GES advance warehouse
- July: tiered move-in by booth size, with crates labeled and aisles clear by the cutoff the evening before opening