Colour cosmetics

Stay smart, sticky and authentic – the 3 keys to building a successful beauty brand

08-Nov-2023 By Kacey Culliney

Creating a brand from scratch is no easy task, but staying authentic, building a loyal following and making smart distribution decisions is key to success, say experts.

Coty sees sales up 18% and calls off Wella sale

08-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Global revenue was up for the first quarter of fiscal 2024, with a particularly strong performance for its Prestige fragrances.

Singles’ Day showdown: China’s e-commerce platforms set to battle it out during the mega sales festival

08-Nov-2023 By Amanda Lim

The rivalries between China’s stalwart and emerging e-commerce players are set to make the upcoming Singles’ Day intensely competitive in the world’s second-biggest beauty market.

"Potential to revolutionise production of natural ingredients": Interstellar Lab

07-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

L'Oréal-incubated startup Interstellar Lab will start deploying its biopharming platform at French flavours and fragrance company Robertet in early 2024. We spoke to CEO Barbara Belvisi to find out more.

The robots in marketing: smart ways to use generative AI for content creation

07-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

CosmeticsDesign-Europe examines the use of generative AI for content ideation, quality control and adding an avant-garde edge.

Reliance Retail acquires rights to Sephora in India

06-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The Indian retail group has acquired Arvind Beauty Brands Retail, which includes Sephora rights, and is now eyeing expansion in the growing market.

Brand news: John Frieda; Kurkdjian x Dior; The Body Shop, Lush & more

03-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The latest beauty brand news you’ll want to know about.

New report suggests the majority of UK consumers find Black Friday deals “misleading”

03-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Forecasters expect volume sales to drop in the UK at this year’s Black Friday event and in the run-up to Christmas. How can brands address this?

Estée Lauder Companies Q1 global sales down -10%; lowered forecast

02-Nov-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Estée Lauder Companies global sales fell by -10% for Q1 2024, reaching $3.52bn for its opening quarter.

Our most-read stories in Europe: October

31-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

A roundup of the most popular stories on Cosmetics-Design-Europe over the past month.

The evolution of natural cosmetics: Q&A with NATRUE

31-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

NATRUE’s Director General shared more on the latest trends and innovation in natural cosmetics, as well as the challenges this sector is facing right now.

“Brexit is the problem”: Report shows losses and skill shortages for UK beauty industry

30-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

According to an Oxford Economics study commissioned by the British Beauty Council, the British beauty industry has lost around £850m in exports to EU countries since Brexit.

Clariant set to acquire Lucas Meyer Cosmetics

30-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The Swiss multinational plans to buy Lucas Meyer Cosmetics from IFF and the deal is expected to close in early 2024.

China focus: Latest developments in China’s booming beauty market

26-Oct-2023 By Amanda Lim

We round up the most recent developments in the exciting Chinese beauty market, including SENSAI’s new Shanghai flagship, Perfect Diary’s latest lip innovation, and more.

Navigating the new beauty and personal care packaging rules

25-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

With new packaging regulations coming into force in the EU and UK in upcoming years, we spoke to industry experts about what’s being done.

Upcycling lessons from pioneering Finnish beauty brand Lumene

25-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Lumene has 53 years of heritage and has been formulating beauty products with wild-crafted and upcycled Nordic ingredients since 2001.

"Carbon is only part of the story": biodiversity loss takes the spotlight

24-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Biodiversity loss is a key environmental issue for the planet and one that the cosmetics industry will need to pay more attention to going forward…

“Sol de Janeiro’s stellar growth accelerating”. L’Occitane Group’s CEO on HY financial results

24-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The group also said L’OCCITANE en Provence's sales recovered in China, but ELEMIS' sales declined in US & UK amid its new premiumisation strategy.

Derma beauty sales fuel growth for L'Oréal

23-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The French multinational recorded notably strong growth for its derma beauty portfolio, but results in mainland China were disappointing for Q3 2023.

New changes to European cosmetics legislation

23-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Two updates that beauty and personal care brands need to know about…

7 R&D insights to future-proof beauty businesses: from Cosmetic 360

20-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The Cosmetic 360 show in Paris focused on ecological breakthroughs this year. We share the future insights to take note of...

“We are not an industry that will be forgiven if we are not more ecological”. President of Cosmetic Valley & LVMH exec

20-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Exclusive insights on the cosmetics and perfume sectors from industry leaders, plus award-winning innovations from the Cosmetic 360 show.

How these new independent DTC beauty brands are disrupting the market

19-Oct-2023 By Jess Spiring

Digital-first strategies, subscription models, viral social media campaigns and celebrity CEOs mean these fresh faced beauty brands are taking advantage of the industry’s recession-resistant growth.

The Sustainable Beauty Awards finalists are...

18-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Ahead of the upcoming show, Weleda’s head of sustainability talks eco issues. Plus, we reveal the Sustainable Beauty Awards finalists.

Brand news: Pat McGrath; ELEMIS, La Bouche Rouge and more...

18-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

We've rounded up the latest news stories from European beauty companies.

3 insider insights: expert trends for the future of beauty

16-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The trends and movements that beauty and personal care brands should watch closely...

NPD Launch Pad: new beauty innovations

16-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Trailblazing new product launches in the beauty and personal care industry.

The secrets behind Marks and Spencer's successful beauty strategy

13-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The UK retailer’s Director of Home, Beauty & Furniture Heidi Woodhouse shared 5 helpful insights...

Weighty issue: redesigning manufacturing machinery to meet new needs

13-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

To address the evolving needs of CPG product manufacturers Mettler Toledo explained why it has redesigned its checkweigher machinery.

Formulating for the future: balancing sustainability, efficacy & costs

12-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Achieving sustainability throughout the supply chain is complex. R&D consultancy Sagentia Innovation shared insights on how this could be possible.

What’s new in cosmetics ingredients?

12-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

A round-up of the latest innovative ingredients for beauty and personal care product formulations.

Redesigning a household name: behind Avon’s rebrand

11-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Why did the heritage brand decide to overhaul its visual identity? We spoke to Nick Vaus, the creative director at the agency behind the new look…

Implementing RFID technology in the supply chain

11-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

With transparency under the microscope due to sustainability demands, issues with counterfeiting, and the upcoming Digital Product Passport initiative, RFID is in the spotlight again.

Is your brand ready for the Single’s Day sales?

10-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

If you’re selling into China, here’s how to make the most of this annual shopping holiday, also known as 11:11…

8 packaging innovations we saw at LuxePack

09-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The annual trade show for luxury packaging was filled with innovation. Here are some of the new launches that were unveiled…

Back to square one: Indonesia’s social commerce ban a blow for ‘seamless’ buying experiences

09-Oct-2023 By Amanda Lim

Indonesia's recent trade regulation calling for the separation of social media and e-commerce poses a significant challenge to the pursuit of an integrated social commerce journey, especially for SME brands in the beauty space and beyond.

Fun factor: Prioritising fun key to drawing beauty shoppers back to stores – istyle

04-Oct-2023 By Amanda Lim

Japanese retail firm istyle Inc has underscored the importance of creating engaging and enjoyable shopping experiences to draw post-COVID beauty consumers back into stores.

Generational differences: Social media insights reveal divergent beauty concerns between millennials and Gen Z in Japan

03-Oct-2023 By Amanda Lim

New data by Bytedance-owned Lemon8 has highlighted differences in skin care concerns and makeup preferences among millennials and Generation Z demographics in Japan.

“We can make a real difference in the next 12 months” TFWA President live at the travel-retail Global Summit

02-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The global summit for the travel-retail industry kicked off in Cannes today, with some key messages and insights for those working in beauty travel-retail...

Behind the opening of the world’s first coffee biorefinery

01-Oct-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

We spoke to Alejandro Franco, cofounder of coffee-based ingredients company Kaffe Bueno, about its new biorefinery and how the ingredients are used in cosmetics.

“Sustainability is a journey and the most important thing is to get started.” Cosmetics Europe Deputy Director General

29-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

We spoke to Emma Trogen, Deputy Director General at Cosmetics Europe, about sustainability issues and the upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit.

Our most-read stories in Europe: September

29-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

A round-up of the most popular stories on CosmeticsDesign-Europe this month.

‘Expect to see more of us’: escentials gears up to meet soaring demand for luxury niche beauty across Asia

29-Sep-2023 By Amanda Lim

LUXASIA-owned retailer escentials is on course for rapid expansion spree across Asia as consumers from Vietnam to India tap into the niche beauty trend.

News updates: Estée Lauder Co; Coty; L’Oréal’s Prada Beauty; Avon

28-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

We've rounded up the latest European news stories from beauty companies.

Decoding Gen Z: what’s driving this consumer cohort now?

27-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Generation Z can be vocal, but their words don’t always align with their actions when it comes to buying beauty products. We spoke to EY’s Marcie Merriman to find out more…

5 beauty brands with a mental health focus

27-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

With Mental Health Day on the horizon in October, we’ve rounded up five beauty and wellness brands that have cleverly incorporated mental health awareness and support into their marketing strategies.

How AI software is helping DTC beauty brands to shine

26-Sep-2023 By Cassandra Stern & Simon Pitman

As the Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) beauty market continues to carve out a bigger share of the retail landscape, using the right tools to fine tune digital retail platforms has become make or break.

Emerging potential: Korea aims to boost K-beauty export to Vietnam by streamlining regulations

26-Sep-2023 By Amanda Lim

The South Korean government says it will work with local regulators to support and expand cosmetic exports to the Vietnamese market.

“I'm hoping for greater diversity in innovation.” Eco-specialist futurologist shares insights

25-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

Innovation consultant Monique Large shared her views on the future of sustainability and gave a sneak peek of what she’ll be discussing at the upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit.

Retail round up: H&M, Boots, Sephora and more…

22-Sep-2023 By Kirsty Doolan

The latest news and updates on beauty retail and travel-retail across Europe.