Mary J. Blige to Receive HBA’s Positively Beautiful Award

NEW YORK -

- Beauty Event Recognizes Award Winning Celebrity’s Work in Empowering Women

Mary J. Blige, nine time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, producer and actress, will receive the first annual “Positively Beautiful,” Award from HBA Global Expo on Tuesday, September 15th at the Javits Center in New York. Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter will present the award to Ms. Blige as part of HBA’s Keynote and Kick-off Presentation starting at 8:55 a.m. HBA Global Expo is the largest product development event for the cosmetic, fragrance, skin care, personal care, and well-being industries.

The Positively Beautiful Award was established to annually recognize a person who has had a positive and inspiring influence on the lives of the very people who are customers of HBA’s many attendees and exhibitors. Ms. Blige, who has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, is the co-creator of The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. (FFAWN). The mission of this significant philanthropic undertaking is to help women gain the confidence and skills necessary to reach their full individual potential.

“Mary J. Blige has influenced and inspired millions of people with her music and talent, but it is her work through FFAWN that will help women find their ‘inner beauty’ and confidence to succeed in this world,” said Jill Birkett, event director of HBA Global Expo. “We are extremely proud to present Ms. Blige with the first ‘Positively Beautiful’ award and recognize the beauty of her commitment to the empowerment of disadvantaged women.”

Since her career began in 1992, Ms. Blige has had a multitude of success and began 2009 with a Grammy win for “Growing Pains’ in the category Best Contemporary R&B Album. She is currently working on a new album, which will be released in late 2009, and will soon be seen playing a nightclub manager and singer in Tyler Perry’s next movie “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” which will open on September 11, 2009. Her new fragrance “My Life” with Carol’s Daughter will launch in 2010.

Prior to the Positively Beautiful Award presentation to Ms. Blige, Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Intelligent Nutrients and Aveda will deliver a keynote address on the naturals and organics beauty and personal care market. Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter and Jani Friedman of the Demeter Group will follow with a preview of their HBA Marketing session on “The Next Big Trend: the Ethnic Market Driving Sales in the Beauty Space.” Ms. Price will then present the Positively Beautiful award to her colleague and friend, Mary J. Blige.

The Keynote and Kickoff Program is sponsored by The Baruch Company, a manufacturer of high quality primary and secondary gift packaging since 1912. At HBA in Booth: 142, they will be showcasing tubes, bottles, atomizers, gift boxes, PVC bags, cosmetic pouches, acetate boxes and more. For more information go to www.baruchco.com.

To register for HBA Global Expo or for more information go to www.hbaexpo.com.

About HBA Global Expo

HBA Global Expo, produced by UBM International Media, is the most important product development event and educational forum in the industry for the beauty, health and wellness industries. Showcasing everything from formula to finish, HBA attracts beauty and personal care professionals from all over the world. Both the exhibition and educational program focuses on key areas of business including packaging innovations, marketing, technical advancements, trends, private label, sustainability, and the X-Ceutical market. The 17th Annual HBA Global Expo & Conference will take place September 15-17, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. For more information on the HBA events go to www.hbaexpo.com. For year-round access to industry suppliers go to www.hba365.com and for honest beauty tips visit the HBA blog at www.hbaexpo.com/blog.

Source: HBA Global Expo

HBA , Annie Scully, +1-845-368-0608, or +1-201-310-9252, ascully at hbaexpo.com; or FFAWN, Jana Fleishman, janafleishman at gmail.com