India Beauty Certified Trade Mission & Market Exploration Trip

THE MISSION

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration along with the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service and Custom House Brands announce the India Beauty Certified Trade Mission (CTM) and Market Exploration Trip, set for December 4-7, 2024, in Mumbai, India.

The objective for this CTM is to promote and facilitate U.S. beauty brands entry into the Indian market, providing opportunities to increase market access, develop sales and distribution channels, and remove trade barriers. Brand delegates will also be introduced to Custom House Brands capabilities and strategic partner network within the rapidly growing Indian Beauty & Personal Care (BPC) sector.

Participants in the mission will be introduced to key stakeholders in India in order to assist U.S. brands in exporting their products and building a sustainable presence in India. Participants will gain market insights, make industry contacts, and solidify business strategies with the primary goal of increasing U.S. exports of BPC products to India.

Following the mission, participants may want to take advantage of the Cosmoprof India trade show held in Mumbai on Dec 5-7, 2024. Cosmoprof India is geo-adapted from the global Cosmoprof brand, with its own unique scale and entity, showcasing all the sectors of the beauty industry encompassing the entire cosmetics and beauty value chain in India. Cosmoprof is not a part of the CTM nor a U.S. Department of Commerce event, but is part of the Custom House Brands larger, 4-day Market Exploration Trip.

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN?

The goal of the Certified Trade Mission is to create opportunities for U.S. Beauty & Personal Care companies to showcase their brand and products to key stakeholders and business partners in India; to develop stronger industry relationships; and to understand how Custom House Brands market entry platform provides solutions to develop in India on an all-dimension, omni-channel, and full-lifecycle basis.

Mission participants (Brand Delegates) will network with senior representatives from key offline and online Beauty retailers, Indian national and state government officials, and various other industry leaders. By participating in an official U.S. industry delegation, rather than traveling to India individually, U.S. brand delegates will enhance their ability to gain greater exposure; better understand local market and sector conditions; as well as leverage the networks of prescreened service providers, distributors, and industry stakeholders developed by Commercial Specialists.

CTM SCHEDULE

This Certified Trade Mission includes day and evening programming on Dec 4, 2024, highlighted by:

●       Welcome remarks by Consular Official

●       Indian BPC market briefings

●       Regulatory and Investment landscape presentation

●       Marquee retailer presentations

●       1-on-1 B2B appointments with distributors, retailers, service providers, agents, and government contacts

●       Evening Networking Reception with an extended guest list of industry leaders, VIPs, KOLs, and Press/Media

●       Lunch, dinner, drinks, and entertainment

Conditions for Participation

Applicants must submit a completed and signed mission application and supplemental application materials, including adequate information on their products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals for participation that is adequate to allow the Department of Commerce and Custom House Brands to evaluate their application. If applicant does not yet have a Trade.gov/InEvent account and user profile, one will need to be created. 

Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United States, or, if not, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value.

Participant Selection Criteria

The CTM is open to six (6) qualifying U.S. beauty brands, selected via a completed application process in accordance with the International Trade Administration’s guidelines. Participants must demonstrate strong potential to expand into the Indian market. Targeted mission participants are U.S. Brands that have an interest in entering or expanding their business in India. The following criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:

●      Suitability of the applicant’s products to the Indian market; 

●      The applicant’s potential for business in India, including likelihood of exports resulting from the mission;

●      Consistency of the applicant’s goals and objectives with the stated scope of the mission.

Balance of company size may also be considered during the review process. U.S. entities with ownership from foreign state-owned or subsidized parent organizations will be considered for participation on a case-by-case basis. 

Deadline to register: October 25, 2024

Fees and Expenses

There are no fees due to the Department of Commerce, Custom House Brands, or any other organizing entity for participation as a Brand Delegate.

Upon notification of acceptance to participate, those selected have 5 business days to submit a Letter of Commitment or the acceptance may be revoked.
 
Participants selected for a trade mission will be expected to pay for the cost of personal expenses, including, but not limited to, international travel, lodging, meals, communication, and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. Daily transportation for Brand Delegates to/from hotels, the U.S. Consulate General, Cosmoprof India, and various other approved locations will be provided by Custom House Brands, free of charge. Participants may be able to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. 

Contact Us

For questions or additional information, contact us!

David De Nino
Co-founder
Custom House Brands
David@customhousebrands.co  
(917) 699-5995

Sana Bagwan
Commercial Assistant
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Services
Sana.Bagwan@trade.gov