# IBD ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1970 | | Origin | United States | | Headquarters | Los Angeles | | Owner | American International Industries | | Status | Active | | Previous names | International Beauty Distributors | | Manufacturing | United States | | Website | https://ibdbeauty.com/ | IBD, usually written in lower case as "ibd" by its owner, is an American nail-care brand made chiefly for nail technicians and salons. Its range runs from acrylic powders and liquids to hard gels, builder gels, gel polish, lacquer, adhesives and salon tools. The company started out in 1970 under the name International Beauty Distributors, and the trade magazine NAILS credits it with one of the first professional gel systems used in the nail industry [8]. Since 2002 IBD has belonged to American International Industries [8], a Los Angeles-area beauty group whose other brands include Ardell, China Glaze and Seche. The brand remains active, with its owner running a webshop in the United States and an authorised distributor selling the range in several European countries. ## Origin According to the NAILS Magazine brand encyclopedia, IBD was founded in 1970 and originally traded as International Beauty Distributors [8]. The initials of that first name are the brand name used today. The same entry names the company's early signature product as 5-Second Nail. The brand's own account of its name differs. The owner's website introduces the company as "ibd, also known as International Beauty Design" [5]. Neither source gives a date for a change of name, so the two expansions stand side by side: the trade press gives Distributors as the original name, while the brand today uses Design. The company's website does not give a founding year either, saying only that ibd has worked in the nail-care industry "for over four decades", a span that fits the 1970 date. ## History & milestones IBD's early years centred on professional products sold to salons. NAILS describes the company as having become "a pioneer in gel technology", with one of the first professional gel systems used in the industry. Gel systems of this kind are applied to the nail and hardened under a UV or LED lamp, and the move into gels shaped much of what the brand sells today. The same trade entry singles out professional UV and adhesive products as the company's particular strengths. The turning point in the company's ownership came in 2002, when American International Industries acquired IBD [8]. From then on the brand sat inside a larger group of beauty labels rather than standing alone. Over the following years the catalogue widened well beyond gels. The current range covers acrylic systems, dip powders, several families of gel and gel polish, conventional lacquer, nail tips, glues, bonders, prep liquids and small salon tools. In 2026 the owner's webshop listed new shades of Xtreme Hard Gel and a Rubber Gel colour line among its new arrivals, while the European distributor's shop featured a series of magnetic gel polishes as new additions. ## Ownership IBD is owned by American International Industries, which acquired it in 2002. The parent describes itself as a manufacturer and distributor of beauty and skin-care products for men and women, and says it has forty-five years of experience in the industry [9]. Alongside IBD, its brands include China Glaze, Seche, Ardell, Clubman (Clubman Pinaud), Surgi, Andrea, Hollywood Fashion Secrets and Clean + Easy. The ties between brand and parent are visible in IBD's own paperwork. The privacy policy on the IBD website lists a contact email at the parent company's domain and a mailing address on Gaspar Avenue, which it gives as Los Angeles, California [7]. American International Industries' homepage lists the same street address but gives the city as Commerce, California [9]. Commerce is a separate city within Los Angeles County, so the two sources describe one location in two ways. ## Distribution In the United States the brand owner sells directly to customers through its own webshop, which also carries a small group of spa brands (Gena, ProLinc and Checi) under a separate spa heading. The site's title, "Nail Technician Approved Products", reflects its focus on the professional market. In Europe the range is handled by an authorised distributor. The European webshop describes itself as the authorised IBD distributor for Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and its legal notice names the operator as OMNICATOR UG, a company based in Hürth, Germany [4]. That shop runs in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish and includes a separate business-to-business platform for trade customers. The brand also maintains accounts on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. ## Philosophy & positioning IBD presents itself first as a supplier to professionals. The NAILS entry describes a complete line of spa-quality nail products meant to help nail professionals expand their services and compete in the market, and reports the company's belief that strong partnerships with salons are the foundation of its success [8]. The brand's own website frames ibd in similar terms, as a professional nail-care line spanning "from Acrylic to Gel". The European distributor casts the net a little wider. Its "About us" page says IBD is about high-quality nail products for both professionals and nail enthusiasts, whether used at home or in the studio. It states the mission as inspiring nail artists and beauty lovers and equipping them to work creatively [2], and sums up the brand's values as quality, innovation and professional nail care. The difference is one of emphasis: the owner writes for the salon trade, while the distributor also speaks to people doing their own nails. ## Products & innovation The product most closely associated with the modern brand is Hard Gel, a thick gel used to build strong, long-lasting nail extensions. The company calls its Hard Gel segment a top seller among nail technicians [5]. Hard gels are sold in clear, natural and coloured versions for LED or UV lamps, and the line has grown to include the Xtreme Hard Gel shades and the French Xtreme range. Around that core sit several other enhancement systems, each with a different working style: - **Building Gel** – a strengthening gel for natural or extended nails, offered in sheer and cover shades. - **Control Gel** – described by the distributor as an easy-to-handle hybrid gel for precise nail designs. - **Dip & Sculpt** – a combination of dip powder and sculpting gel for flexible nails. - **Acrylic** – classic powder-and-liquid systems for hard-wearing nails. - **Soft Gel Adhesive Collection** – a further enhancement line sold alongside the gels. For colour, IBD offers Just Gel Polish, a hard-wearing polish called Advanced Wear Lacquer, and It's a Match Duo sets that pair matching shades. Newer gel lines include Rubber Gel, which the company says combines the properties of a gel polish with added flexibility and strength, as well as Flash Gel and Magnetic Gel collections; the magnetic polishes contain fine magnetic particles. Supporting products include nail tips, adhesives, bonders, primers, dehydrators, sealing top coats, brushes, files and buffers, lamps, an electric nail file and a nail treatment sold as Reconstrux. On ethics and manufacturing, the European distributor's FAQ says IBD is a fully American brand, with both its administration and its production based in the United States. The same FAQ states that the products hold PETA's "Approved Vegan" designation, meaning they are made without materials of animal origin [3]. It adds that the company tries to choose recyclable packaging, citing recycled HDPE, a type of plastic. No other third-party certifications are publicly documented. ## Current status IBD is an active brand. The owner's webshop is live with a current product range, and its privacy policy was last updated on 22 January 2026 [7]. The European distributor's shop is also trading, with a legal notice dated September 2026, and both shops continue to add new shades and collections. The brand remains part of American International Industries. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1970 | Founded under the name International Beauty Distributors | https://web.archive.org/web/20240816035303/https://www.nailsmag.com/encyclopedia/ibd | | 2002 | Acquired by American International Industries | https://web.archive.org/web/20240816035303/https://www.nailsmag.com/encyclopedia/ibd | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **5-Second Nail** — The company's signature product was 5-Second Nail — https://web.archive.org/web/20240816035303/https://www.nailsmag.com/encyclopedia/ibd - **Hard Gel** — ibd has developed iconic formulas, such as our Hard Gel segment, which has become a top seller and must-have amongst the best nail technicians in the industry. — https://ibdbeauty.com/pages/about-us ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **NAILS Magazine** — Trade-magazine encyclopedia entry 'IBD': founded 1970 as International Beauty Distributors, signature product 5-Second Nail, early professional gel systems, acquired by American International Industries in 2002 (text from Wayback snapshot of 2024-08-16). — https://web.archive.org/web/20240816035303/https://www.nailsmag.com/encyclopedia/ibd ## Sources 2. (T1) https://ibdbeauty.eu/pages/uber-uns 3. (T2) https://ibdbeauty.eu/pages/faq 4. (T2) https://ibdbeauty.eu/policies/legal-notice 5. (T2) https://ibdbeauty.com/pages/about-us 7. (T2) https://ibdbeauty.com/policies/privacy-policy 8. (T3) https://web.archive.org/web/20240816035303/https://www.nailsmag.com/encyclopedia/ibd 9. (T4) https://www.aiibeauty.com/ --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-09-30 Please cite with a link to the article URL.