By Dee Truong · Product Development & Market Trends · Published 09 Apr 2026
While Hong Kong remains the historic anchor of the Cosmoprof network in Asia, the fastest-growing regional edition over the past few years has been in Bangkok. Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN returned to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center for its 4th edition from 25 to 27 June 2025, and the growth numbers made a clear case for treating it as a genuinely separate sourcing trip rather than a smaller alternative to the Hong Kong show.
For OEM buyers focused specifically on Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the wider ASEAN manufacturing base, Bangkok has become the more geographically relevant annual meeting point than Hong Kong. This recap covers what the 2025 edition delivered, how the show came to exist in its current form, and what it offers a buyer sourcing contract manufacturing specifically within Southeast Asia.
Key takeaways
- The 2025 edition drew 23,000+ visitors from 66 countries and regions, up 20% on the prior year, with 650 exhibitors and 2,000+ beauty brands represented.
- It ran at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), Bangkok, from 25 to 27 June 2025, across 25,000 square metres of exhibition space.
- The hosted-buyer programme grew 46% to more than 540 qualified buyers.
- The show was created in 2023 through a three-way alliance of BolognaFiere, Informa Markets and China Beauty Expo, replacing the earlier Beyond Beauty ASEAN and ASEANbeauty events.
- National pavilions from China, South Korea and Italy anchored the floor, alongside the free CosmoTalks conference programme.
How the show came to exist
Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN is the Southeast Asian pillar of the global Cosmoprof network, launched in 2023 when BolognaFiere (organiser of Cosmoprof), Informa Markets (which had run Beyond Beauty ASEAN) and China Beauty Expo merged their previously separate ASEAN-focused events into a single unified platform. Consolidating three overlapping shows into one meant exhibitors no longer had to choose between competing regional events, and buyers gained a single, larger show to plan a trip around instead of splitting attention across several smaller ones.
The show covers the full beauty value chain in one venue: raw materials and ingredients, formulation services, OEM/ODM and contract manufacturing, packaging and machinery, through to finished skincare, colour cosmetics, hair care and fragrance. That breadth is deliberate — it mirrors the structure of the Hong Kong show while positioning Bangkok specifically as ASEAN’s own gateway event rather than a satellite of the Hong Kong edition.
Scale of the 2025 edition
The 4th edition grew across every headline metric organisers track. Visitor numbers rose 20% to more than 23,000 attendees from 66 countries and regions, exhibition space expanded 16% to 25,000 square metres, and the hosted-buyer programme — which connects qualifying buyers directly with relevant exhibitors through structured matchmaking — grew 46% to over 540 participants.
With 650 exhibitors and more than 2,000 beauty brands represented across the floor, the 2025 edition confirmed Bangkok’s trajectory as the fastest-growing regional edition in the Cosmoprof network, rather than a one-off growth year. National pavilions from China, South Korea and Italy gave international sourcing options a concentrated presence alongside the broader ASEAN exhibitor base.
Why Bangkok matters specifically for ASEAN sourcing
For brand owners and sourcing teams focused on Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the wider ASEAN market, CBE ASEAN is the most geographically efficient place to meet OEM/ODM manufacturers, ingredient houses and packaging suppliers serving that specific region in one trip. Hong Kong’s Cosmoprof Asia draws a wider international exhibitor base, but a buyer whose supply chain is specifically ASEAN-focused will find a higher concentration of directly relevant suppliers in Bangkok.
This regional specificity is part of why the show has grown so quickly since its 2023 launch: it gives ASEAN-focused brands and manufacturers a dedicated annual meeting point that neither the Hong Kong show nor smaller single-country events previously offered at this scale.
The CosmoTalks conference programme
Running alongside the exhibition floor, the free CosmoTalks conference covers sustainability, ingredient innovation and market trends relevant to the ASEAN beauty sector specifically, rather than generic global content repurposed from the Hong Kong edition. For sourcing teams unable to schedule one-on-one meetings with every relevant exhibitor, the conference programme is a useful way to absorb broader market direction during the same trip.
The programme has become a consistent fixture across CBE ASEAN editions, giving attendees a reason to allocate conference time alongside exhibitor meetings rather than treating the show purely as a sourcing floor.
What changed for the following year
Organisers announced that from 2026 the show would add Cosmopack CBE ASEAN, a dedicated supply-chain “show within the show” — mirroring the Cosmoprof/Cosmopack split that has defined the Hong Kong edition for years. That structural change, introduced the year after this 2025 edition, formalised what had already been an important supply-side presence within the existing show into its own clearly branded section.
For OEM buyers who attended the 2025 edition and plan to return, this is a useful signal that the supply-chain exhibitor experience specifically will likely become more structured and easier to navigate in future editions, rather than blended into the broader finished-product floor as it was in 2025.
Planning a first visit to CBE ASEAN
First-time attendees should register in advance through the official CBE ASEAN website, since the hosted-buyer programme and any pre-scheduled matchmaking meetings typically need to be arranged before the show opens. Given the show’s rapid year-on-year growth, checking current exhibitor numbers and floor plans closer to the actual travel date is worthwhile, since the scale of the 2025 edition may already understate what a future edition offers.
Buyers with a narrow ASEAN-specific sourcing brief should prioritise mapping the exhibitor list ahead of arrival rather than planning an unplanned floor walk, given how much larger and more international the show has become since its 2023 launch.
What to expect if attending for the first time
First-time attendees should expect a show that spans multiple exhibition halls at QSNCC, with national pavilions and thematic zones organised to help buyers navigate a floor that has grown considerably larger with each edition since 2023. Arriving with a shortlist of exhibitor categories or specific companies to visit, rather than planning to browse the entire floor unplanned, is the more time-efficient approach given the show’s current scale.
Sourcing considerations beyond the show floor
A trade show visit is a strong first step for identifying and shortlisting potential ASEAN manufacturing partners, but it does not replace the due-diligence steps that follow — factory audits, sample evaluation, and confirming a supplier’s regulatory status for the buyer’s target market. Brands sourcing from a Thailand- or ASEAN-based manufacturer met at the show should still confirm local notification requirements in their home market, such as NPRA cosmetic notification for products entering Malaysia, before finalising a supply agreement.
For brand owners newer to how these sourcing relationships typically develop, our explainer on what OEM manufacturing involves is a useful starting point, and our broader market reports & industry trends coverage tracks other regional beauty trade shows relevant to sourcing decisions across Asia.
How CBE ASEAN complements a Hong Kong sourcing trip
Brands with a global or pan-Asian supply chain often find value in attending both the Hong Kong and Bangkok editions rather than choosing one over the other, since each draws a different concentration of suppliers. Hong Kong’s Cosmoprof Asia carries decades of history and pulls in the broadest international exhibitor base, including established Japanese, Korean, European and North American suppliers. Bangkok’s CBE ASEAN is younger but more efficient for a buyer whose supply chain is specifically anchored in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or Vietnam.
For a brand with production spread across both East Asia and Southeast Asia, treating the two shows as complementary annual trips, rather than substitutes for each other, tends to produce a more complete supplier shortlist than relying on either show alone.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN held?
At the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok. The 2025 edition ran 25 to 27 June 2025.
Who organises the show?
A three-way alliance of BolognaFiere, Informa Markets and China Beauty Expo, formed in 2023 by merging their previously separate ASEAN-focused events.
Is CBE ASEAN a good show for sourcing an OEM/ODM manufacturer?
Yes, particularly for brands focused specifically on Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the wider ASEAN manufacturing base, where it offers the most concentrated regional exhibitor base of any single show.
How big was the 2025 edition compared with the prior year?
Visitor numbers grew 20% to more than 23,000, exhibition space grew 16% to 25,000 square metres, and the hosted-buyer programme grew 46% to over 540 participants.
This recap is based on the official Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN 2025 post-show release and organiser communications. Always confirm current dates and registration on the official Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN website.
About the author
Dee Truong is a Vietnam-based professional with experience in the beauty and consumer-product sector. Her interests include product development, market trends and the commercial side of bringing consumer products from concept to market. LinkedIn
