Brand news: Puig x Dr Barbara Sturm; The Body Shop; Guerlain; Huda Beauty; Sephora; VB Beauty

Puig acquires major stake in Dr Barbara Sturm​

Puig has acquired a majority stake in the premium German derma skin care brand Dr. Barbara Sturm.

The brand founder Dr. Barbara Sturm is set to retain a minority stake and will continue to lead on NPD as chief product development officer and brand ambassador.

In a press statement, Puig said that the acquisition "reinforces Puig’s competitive position in the premium skincare segment".

The Body Shop: CEO steps down & Body Shop at Home closes​

Following the completion of the brand's sale to private equity firm Aurelius, The Body Shop’s CEO Ian Bickley has stepped down. According to a report published by Retail Week​, a new leader will be announced “in due course”.
Meanwhile, The Body Shop has said it also set to close its The Body Shop At Home service on 23^rd​ February.

Sephora UK site saw +705% YoY traffic growth in 2023​

LVMH-owned retailer Sephora continues to defy the cost-of-living crisis with strong online sales in the UK, according to data intelligence platform Similarweb.
It released its annual “Digital 100” report – which identifies the top 100 digital brands who experienced the highest year-on-year web traffic growth in the UK market in 2023 – and found that LVMH-owned Sephora dominated the 'Beauty and Cosmetics' sector with +705% YoY traffic growth, following its re-entry into the UK last year.
Victoria Beckham Beauty was in third place (+101.1%).
Similarweb also said “the popularity of dupes of higher-end products is getting stronger” and as a result, The Essence Vault saw a 94% increase in terms of year-on-year growth and ranked fourth on the list. 

Guerlain slammed on social for quantum science-related claims​

Guerlain has been criticised on social media for making a claim that its face cream was ‘born from quantum science’.
According to a News in France​ report, the brand claimed its new treatments were based on the field of quantum biology applied to skin cells.
However, a spokesperson for Guerlain also told News in France​, “Guerlain, committed to the good understanding of its messages and its research, has therefore decided to re-clarify its communication in order to remove any ambiguity.”​

Huda Beauty launches on India’s Myntra​

As the India market continues to be a honeypot for global beauty players, US influencer/makeup artist brand Huda Beauty has launched onto Myntra’s ecommerce platform and now stocks 110 products from the brand.

A report in India Retailing​ quoted Myntra’s chief business officer, Sharon Pais, who said: “On the back of Myntra’s cutting-edge tech, unmatched reach and a keen understanding of the needs of new age, trend-first India, we look forward to supercharging Huda Beauty’s vision of winning with India’s premium base of shoppers.”
The Californian cosmetics brand, ColourPop Cosmetics, has also just launched onto the Indian market via Nykaa’s platforms and brick-and-mortar stores.