Top 5 most-read stories August 2021: TikTok trending, Unilever packaging patent, Hut Group M&A

A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from August 2021 shows interest in the most popular beauty brands on TikTok, Unilever’s patent on post-consumer resin coloured packaging, and The Hut Group’s acquisition of Cult Beauty.

The rise of TikTok, e-commerce and digital cosmetic claims​

Research conducted to identify the ‘most popular’ beauty brands on video entertainment platform TikTok called out Deciem-owned The Ordinary as top, with the most hashtags and followers in July 2021. This was closely followed by L’Oréal’s derma brand CeraVe.

Jake Agnew, founder of Skincare Hero – the company who conducted the research, said TikTok was “the newest space on the internet for the skincare-obsessed”​ and was therefore an important platform for brands to be visible on.

Insight from regulatory expert Tjaša Gum also outlined the importance of correctly making product claims on such platforms, along with other social media channels; influencer content included. Online or offline, Gum said there were clear regulatory frameworks in place that had to be adhered to for any claims, notably being truthful, honest, fair and sufficiently substantiated.

Analysis of The Hut Group’s acquisition of premium British online retailer Cult Beauty also outlined the insatiable rise of digital beauty, particularly specialised e-commerce retailers. The Hut Group paid €324m (£275m) for Cult Beauty – a deal that would see it take on the retailer’s 1.7m customers, 1.6m Instagram followers and 300+ beauty brands.

Patents and studies – Unilever sustainable packaging, EU animal testing conflicts​

Unilever’s international patent filing outlined its latest packaging innovation, a black coloured packaging made from layered post-consumer resin materials.

The personal care major said the invention tapped into the wider drive towards a circular economy and breathed new life into plastic previously treated as waste.

In the same month, researchers from Transatlantic Think-Tank for Toxicology t4 published findings from an investigation looking into animal testing on cosmetic ingredients in the EU. The researchers looked into dossiers filed under the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) database that listed chemicals with a cosmetic use.

Findings showed animal testing had taken place for cosmetic-exclusive ingredients, largely due to prove worker and environmental safety under REACH or because alternative testing methods were rejected.

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