Colour cosmetics

ECHA: ‘Coordinated effort’ at policy level required for alternatives to replace animal testing in EU

09-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

A coordinated approach amongst European Union policy makers that considers research, method and validation is needed for non-animal alternative cosmetic testing to fully replace animal data, says the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2020: ‘Green pandemic recovery’ needed to curb 3°C global temperature rise

09-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Urgent action is needed to lower a global temperature rise in excess of 3°C by the end of this century, and United Nation leaders say COVID-19 recovery packages could offer a beacon of hope.

Mozzafiato: Italian Beauty has a new retail home in the US and Canada

09-Dec-2020 By Deanna Utroske

Building on the multi-brand specially beauty concept popularized by retailers large and small, like Sephora, Ulta, Credo, and Beauty Heroes, Mozzafiato is curating Italian Beauty brands for the US market and reaching consumers both online and in store....

L’Oréal, Kao Corporation and flurry of beauty suppliers secure 'Triple A’ CDP rating in 2020

08-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal, Asia-Pacific personal care giant Kao Corporation and four industry suppliers have been awarded a triple ‘A’ status for sustainable efforts across climate change, forests and water security this year, securing six of...

Spanish beauty agency launches incubator: ‘It’s a super exciting moment to create new brands’

07-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Digital marketing and communications agency The Beauty Makers has launched a brand incubator to help build out future innovation-led companies in an increasingly competitive but exciting space, its founding partner says.

EC stands by ECHA rulings for animal data on cosmetic ingredients under REACH

04-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The European Commission (EC) stands by its endorsement of calls made by the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Board of Appeal for animal data to verify worker safety of two cosmetic ingredients, despite a recent industry-signed open letter damning such...

The future of personalised beauty? Inclusivity, precision and sustainability, says L’Oréal tech chief

03-Dec-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Personalised beauty must be inclusive and far-reaching, with tech that provides unrivalled precision, all whilst keeping sustainability front and centre, says the head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator.

Beauty must ‘build those bridges’ with ECHA to spur acceptance of animal-free testing, says expert

26-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The cosmetics industry has heavily invested in advancing non-animal safety testing methods, now efforts must turn to driving regulatory acceptance of these next-generation alternatives, says the founder of animal-free testing lab XCellR8.

‘Beyond just the counter’: L’Oréal to launch digital Lancôme Shade Finder for Le Teint Particulier

25-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal is set to launch a digital version of the shade finder technology behind its customised foundation Le Teint Particulier by Lancôme – a move it says will broaden access to this inclusive beauty offering.

War Paint For Men targeting the ‘new male beauty consumer’ in Reiss tie-up

24-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

British male makeup brand War Paint For Men has partnered with global fashion chain Reiss in the UK and US in a move its CEO says will provide important brand exposure and capture new interest.

‘Full service’ beauty: Croda to expand into fragrances with €820m Iberchem acquisition

24-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Specialty chemicals major Croda International is set to acquire Spanish fragrance and flavour firm Iberchem in a multi-million-euro deal that creates a full-service offering for beauty and personal care manufacturers.

Above the mask: Covid-19 hits halal cosmetics and fragrances, but opens opportunities for new product lines

24-Nov-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The global halal cosmetic and fragrance markets have taken a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has also created opportunities for new product lines such as hand creams, face cream, eye care, and sanitisers.

Self-tanning and luxury baths key UK self-care priorities during COVID-19, finds The Body Shop

19-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

UK consumers have spent more money on self-tanning products and more time taking baths during COVID-19 lockdown despite a multi-million cutback in overall beauty spend, finds The Body Shop.

‘A test of flexibility, innovation and resilience’: Polish beauty shows signs of COVID-19 recovery

19-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Poland’s beauty category like many other EU markets has been hard hit by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but industry is showing signs of recovery, says the Polish Union of the Cosmetics Industry.

Consumers ‘demand better labelling’ of nanomaterials, finds EU study

18-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

EU consumers are more aware of risks and benefits associated with nanomaterials, but the majority still demand better labelling on everyday products – a concern that warrants further study, says the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON).

Six months on: Beauty majors still face mixed economic impact amid COVID-19 crisis

17-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to challenge beauty business globally, and another look at the financials shows certain majors and categories continue to fare better than others.

Digital rush: ‘The way we interact with beauty has completely changed’, says Feelunique exec

16-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Beauty continues to chase the digital boom most recently propelled by COVID-19, and creating engaging, impartial and authentic retail spaces is vital to success, says the head of onsite experience at Feelunique.

‘No time to waste’: British Beauty Council to form Sustainable Beauty Coalition in 2021

16-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The British Beauty Council is finalising plans to form a Sustainable Beauty Coalition early next year that will be charged with accelerating collaborative change across the UK’s beauty sector.

Brexit beauty: The right Responsible Person can help business ‘survive and thrive’, says expert

13-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

European and UK beauty businesses must prioritise securing the right Responsible Persons (RPs) and conduct supply chain due diligence as the Brexit deadline fast approaches, says a regulatory expert.

British Beauty Council publishes Courage to Change sustainability report: ‘It’s come at a critical time’

12-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The British Beauty Council has published a report that aims to kickstart conversation and collective action on sustainable beauty at a time it defines as critical given the ongoing climate emergency.

Beauty majors sign joint statement claiming EU animal testing ban is 'being undermined' by ECHA

10-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L’Oréal and Avon are among signatories of an open statement claiming the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and its Board of Appeal is undermining the EU animal testing ban on cosmetics - a claim the agency refutes.

TikTok: ‘About a year ago, we weren’t really taken seriously in the beauty space’

09-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Video-sharing platform TikTok is a promising space for beauty brands – big and small – to build up meaningful communities and consumer buzz in an increasingly saturated market, say the company's brand partnership managers.

Digital, hygiene and self-care defining 2020 beauty, says Euromonitor

05-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

COVID-19 has created a dramatic and far-reaching shift in consumer habits, accelerating e-commerce, highlighting hygiene and hands, and soaring self-care to the top of the beauty agenda, according to Euromonitor International.

E-commerce psychology: ‘Gamified promotions’ popular during COVID-19

04-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Beauty shoppers are responding much better to playful online promotions amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis because they’re looking for fun, says the founder of an e-commerce promotion tool.

PODCAST: A global beauty view on COVID-19 – business resilience, learnings so far and future strategies

04-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The beauty and personal care world has faced significant upheaval on a global scale during the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it has also emerged as resilient and innovative despite consumer and retail trends morphing at great speed....

Shiseido sustainability actions: Firm unveils two new beauty initiatives with the launch of SBAS

04-Nov-2020 By Amanda Lim

Japanese cosmetics conglomerate Shiseido Company has announced a refill service for its flagship serum and a new planet-friendly lip palette with the launch of its new Sustainable Beauty Actions (SBAS) initiative.

Beauty Bites Gallery

Top 5 most-read stories October 2020: L’Oréal carbon capture, live probiotics and Insta-gen sustainability

02-Nov-2020 By Kacey Culliney

A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from October 2020 shows interest in a raft of sustainable innovations and advances and buzz around use of live probiotics and the latest beauty device launch from L’Oréal.

Beauty business: Are you prepared for Brexit?

30-Oct-2020 By Tjaša Grum, CE.way Regulatory Consultants

It is high time the beauty industry prepares for Brexit and companies complete all the necessary steps to stay compliant in the EU and in the UK after the end of the transition period.

Special Edition: Personalised Beauty in a Digital Revolution

Latest: L’Oréal to launch AI Perso lipstick device first in Q1 2021

30-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal is primed to launch its AI at-home personalised cosmetics device Perso, starting with a beta version of its customised lipstick variant in the first quarter of 2021.

Special Edition: Personalised Beauty in a Digital Revolution

Beyond skin care: Ultra-personalised colour cosmetics the future in beauty

30-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Precision-applied foundation, colour-matched lipstick and 3D printed makeup sheets are just some of the innovations set to shape the future of personalised colour cosmetics, says the director of beauty at WGSN.

‘Strategic choices taken’: L’Oréal reports global Q3 sales rise amid Western Europe declines

26-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal has reported a global sales rise for the third quarter of 2020 despite operating in a market still reeling from COVID-19, though Western Europe sales declined.

Safety and service: Why tech-driven, no-touch retail-tainment is the future for beauty - Lancôme

26-Oct-2020 By Amanda Lim

Technology needs need to be the new normal for cosmetics brands when delivering retail-tainment – to simultaneously enhance the customer experience and ensure their safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, insists a senior exec at Lancôme.

Beauty and its waste: Brands need to ‘add value’ to justify extra efforts and costs, says expert

19-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The beauty industry has significantly improved its waste footprint over the years, but brands can step up in-house separation efforts and improve consumer engagement to drive further change, says an expert.

Social media woes? Cosmetic brands ‘cannot govern' spread of information, claims study

15-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

A study analysing Sephora and Ulta Beauty’s Twitter activity and networks has suggested cosmetic brands only have limited control over communications within their networks, opening up important points of discussion for industry, the researchers say.

L’Oréal 2021 exec shuffle: CEO succession and high-level research push

15-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal has announced a series of changes at its helm for next year, including the succession of its current CEO and creation of a new business division merging research, innovation and technologies.

EC adopts Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability – ‘most harmful’ substances to be phased out

15-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The European Commission (EC) has adopted a Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to further strengthen protection of human and environmental health, including a phase out of the most harmful substances and simplification of the risk assessment process.

Beauty’s best? Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier ranked most-valuable luxury brands; Givenchy and Tom Ford fastest-growing

14-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier are the most-valuable luxury brands in the world with beauty and fragrance offerings, and Givenchy and Tom Ford are the fastest-growing, according to Brand Finance.

COSMED and FEBEA: COVID-19 crisis hits French beauty hard, particularly ‘vulnerable’ SMEs

13-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has hit French cosmetics firms hard, with very few experiencing growth opportunities and many looking for additional support moving forward, according to market analysis conducted by The French Cosmetics Association for SMEs...

H Beauty to ‘cement’ Harrods as leading beauty and wellness retailer: Euromonitor

13-Oct-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Luxury British retailer Harrods has opened its first 'H Beauty' specialist store in the UK – a move set to solidify its position and long-term vision on upgrading how consumers shop for cosmetics, says an expert.

'One and the same': Beauty NPD must integrate EU cosmetic claims early on, says consultant

28-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Claims development must happen simultaneously with new product development to ensure beauty products stand up to scrutiny under EU law, says an expert cosmetic claims consultant.

Waste No More: why upcycled ingredients are the compost heap in green beauty’s backyard

25-Sep-2020 By Deanna Utroske

As sustainability goals in the cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance industry advance to become circularity initiatives, new and novel raw materials that would have otherwise been waste are showing up in the beauty ingredient marketplace.

A deep dive into CosmeticsDesign's Skin Microbiome Webinar

The future of the skin microbiome? ‘It’s mind blowing’ – think oral care, intimate care and makeup

24-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

There will be a proliferation of newly carved out product categories targeting the skin microbiome in coming months, as consumer interest spikes and development capabilities advance, say experts.

Cosmetics claims expert: Social media a ‘virulent source’ of misinformation

23-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The social media boom has created an architecture of misinformation that, if left unchallenged, will have damaging long-term effects on the beauty industry, warns a cosmetic claims consultant.

‘Skin care is surging’: A.S Watson reveals Middle East growth strategy after inking Dubai partnership

22-Sep-2020 By Amanda Lim

Hong Kong-headquartered beauty retailer A.S. Watson is eyeing what it sees as a gap in the market for skin care and masstige segments for success in its first venture into the Middle East.

Microplastics restriction: ECHA has a ‘very restricted and narrow view’ of our industry, says Cosmetics Europe chief

18-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has displayed a very narrow view of the cosmetics and personal care industry in its proposal to restrict microplastics, underestimating the true value and complexity of the sector, says the director-general...

The physical-digital blur is ‘an absolute given’ for beauty in 2020, says retail expert

17-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Beauty brands and retailers must blur physical retail with digital experiences to engage consumers in a post-pandemic world, and plenty can be learned from China, according to a retail design expert.

Natura & Co and L’Oréal ranked most ‘inclusive and diverse’ beauty majors in the world: Refinitiv report

17-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

Natura & Co and L’Oréal are two of the top 10 most inclusive and diverse publicly traded companies worldwide in 2020, according to financial market insights firm Refinitiv.

Greta Thunberg learnings: Beauty can target conscious consumerism with ‘cathedral thinking’ led innovation

16-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The beauty industry can draw inspiration from climate change activist Greta Thunberg to develop purpose-led and sustainable brand strategies that will thrive in a post-pandemic world, says a retail design expert.

Democratising beauty: Tech startup Mayku wants to support ‘massive flourishing’ of indie cosmetic creators

15-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a wave of cosmetic creators eager to develop and refine product concepts at-home, and design and engineer specialist Mayku wants to support this growth with its desktop vacuum former.

‘Driving consumers to make sustainable choices’: L’Oréal unveils makeup recycling initiative in UK

10-Sep-2020 By Kacey Culliney

L’Oréal UK & Ireland has partnered with TerraCycle to launch a nationwide makeup recycling campaign across the UK, enabling consumers to return empties of any coloured cosmetic brand at in-store drop-off points across the country.