As the use of digital devices rises and more young people enter the beauty consumer space, Accenture's new report estimates social commerce will more than double by 2025.
Conversations on social media can be indicative of what consumers are interested in, and market research company Netbase Quid combed Twitter to see what’s on in personal care.
Aesthetics in beauty is hugely important and labelling is a key design component that brands must closely consider, particularly when working in the booming online space, a specialist supplier says.
The decision by Lush to close several of its global social media accounts last year marks part of a wider beauty movement favouring more personalised and flexible consumer engagement, says a communications expert.
L'Oréal has launched two new technologies for mass-market consumers and stylists, developed to circumvent hair coloring problems “only technology could solve.”
Special Edition: ETHICAL BEAUTY – VEGANISM, CRUELTY-FREE AND PLANETARY GOOD
UK sustainable e-commerce specialist Counter Culture Store is on a mission to make ethical beauty products more discoverable and convenient to buy online – aspects that appeal to a broad set of consumers, its founder says.
A plethora of scientific reviews were published in 2021, spanning a range of important beauty topics from blue light protection and the history of sunscreen through to active ingredient delivery and circular ingredient promise. Here, CosmeticsDesign-Europe...
A raft of patents were filed in 2021 from industry heavyweights, including L’Oréal, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive and Estée Lauder. Here, CosmeticsDesign-Europe rounds up our coverage of the year’s patent-worthy innovations.
Retail major A.S. Watson has grown digital beauty engagement across Superdrug and ICI PARIS XL with an AI-powered skin advisor tool co-developed with Finnish beauty tech firm Revieve – an innovation it plans to rollout across Asia next year.
Amazon has long been an e-commerce goliath but as it edges deeper into beauty, brands should take note, especially given its model offers a lot of what today’s consumer wants, an expert says.
Personal care major Procter & Gamble (P&G) has developed a hair grooming device that analyses the time, speed and force of brushing, collecting and storing data to communicate with its user.
Unified commerce where online and offline are intrinsically linked, a sharper and smarter focus on data, and investment in the metaverse must be the future focus for beauty brands and retailers, says a retail expert.
Beauty brands must start to create camera-first digital strategies because consumer interaction with the tool is evolving fast, particularly amongst Gen Z and Millennial beauty seekers on Snapchat, say executives at Snap Inc.
Cosmetics major Lush will close all global social media accounts across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat this month, stating they will remain closed until the platforms provide a safer environment for users.
E-commerce now represents the second-largest channel for cosmetics and toiletries in the UK, with growth outpacing pharmacies and drugstores, creating important opportunities for brands and e-tailers, says GlobalData.
Singapore-based brand Verdure believes there is need for more tech innovation targeting hair care concerns, with the majority of developments focused on other categories in the beauty space.
Global flavor and fragrances manufacturer Givaudan has introduced DigiPulse to sniff out consumer perceptions of fine fragrances online. The social listening tool is an enhancement of the artificial intelligence-powered Carto, an intuitive and interactive...
The number of Instagram followers opting in to receive beauty samples and information from brands is higher when campaigns are led by large-scale influencers versus micro influencers, according to beauty sampling tech startup Odore.
International skin care major Beiersdorf has developed a method to profile skin based on moisture levels and geographical location, providing an accurate picture of overall skin condition and enabling personalised product recommendations.
Personal care major Unilever has launched a collaboration initiative to partner with forward-thinking beauty startups, scaleups and entrepreneurs specialised in social commerce to drive next-generation in-house innovation across its portfolio of brands.
The COVID-19 pandemic is set to shape the future of personalised colour cosmetics development to focus on hybrid make-up formulations that tap into health and wellness demand.
Lithuanian startup Openface has secured venture capital funding to expand its AI-powered personalised D2C cosmetics brand further in Europe; part of its wider goal to offer a system for health care professionals.
As beauty edges out of the COVID-19 pandemic, brands and retailers must take the opportunity to reset and recreate an industry that is more ethical, inclusive and sustainable, says a WGSN exec.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of new retail experiences such as virtual stores, but one expert believes this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of extended reality in the beauty space.
Cosmetics brand Barry M has partnered with beauty tech major Perfect Corp to offer virtual makeup try-ons to its UK consumers – a development its CEO says is crucial to staying at the forefront of innovation.
The biological advancement is now coming to the forefront of beauty, bringing innovations and opportunities through its ability to program code to grow new kinds of beauty ingredients.
Swiss luxury skincare brand La Prairie has launched its first standalone flagship store in South East Asia, which it believes will help the brand to meet the increasing demand for a more personalised experience for its high-end clientele.
Strong brand communication through visual elements are becoming increasingly important for cosmetic retailers in the contactless and touchless post-pandemic market, claims a design boss who has just worked with South Korea’s Shinsegae-owned Chicor.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for the personalisation of beauty products is a golden opportunity for industry, particularly within a modern omnichannel model, says Wayne Liu, senior VP and general manager of Perfect Corp.
Beauty majors like Sephora, Amorepacific and Watsons are stepping up its on-demand retail services in China as consumer preferences for speedy deliveries show no sign of waning post-COVID.
The rise of personalisation and the acceleration of digital commerce is pushing cosmetic manufacturers to rethink their supply chain solutions to support bespoke beauty brands.
E-commerce will continue its insatiable rise over the next five years in beauty, with pureplay online retailers like Alibaba, Amazon and JD.com set to bolster significant growth and brand-retailer collaborations to prove key, says an expert.
Prestige beauty major Estée Lauder Companies has developed a reusable pump device that simultaneously cools and dispenses product and a single-use cosmetic pad with a self-heating function and preloaded formulation.
Global consumers are leaning into everyday influencers versus celebrities and established figures because this is where they believe authentic content can be found – a trend beauty brands must look at carefully, says an expert.
Shiseido has confirmed plans to launch Second Skin on October 1 – a technology that can diminish undereye ageing signs without make-up, in a move the firm says will offer “new experiences” to consumers.
Deciem-owned indie brand The Ordinary is the most popular beauty brand on TikTok by hashtags and follower count, closely followed by L’Oréal’s derma brand CeraVe; though Unilever’s Dermalogica steals top spot for most videos.
Beauty tech firm Foreo is betting big on small, handheld devices that can produce the same results as professional equipment at home, believing it to be the future of the beauty device business.
Japanese multinational Kao Corporation has been expanding its digital tester capabilities as part of its K25 goals to enhance the competitiveness of its cosmetics business with digital offerings.
South Korean cosmetics firm Amorepacific said it intends to use the sweat-proof wearable skin measurement device it developed with MIT to produce cosmetic products according to environmental needs.
South Korea-based start-up Picky Inc has recently joined Beiersdorf’s Nivea Accelerator programme, which it hopes will help it to expand its global presence and make a “greater impact” on the skin care industry.
Health and beauty retailer Watsons believes that third-party e-commerce platforms cannot match the ‘unique and integrated experiences’ provided by its O+O business model, claiming ongoing investment in the latter is giving it a competitive edge.
DTC brands as well as online shopping in general have benefited from lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic. And now it’s also clear that cross-border ecomm is doing better in categories including skin care, fragrance, and color cosmetics, according...
A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from July 2021 shows interest in Avon predicting the end of ‘anti-ageing’, Firmenich’s AI-powered digital tool to develop scents, and Sephora’s acquisition of Feelunique and deal with Zalando.
International video entertainment platform TikTok has soared into the beauty spotlight, driven by a plethora of highly engaged creators, and beauty brands will continue to jump aboard up as this rush continues, says Antonia Baildam, brand partnerships...
Beauty retail major Sephora has confirmed its acquisition of prestige beauty e-commerce player Feelunique, with the deal expected to close between March and July next year.
International beauty major L’Oréal has developed a digital system that analyses protein biomarkers in the skin and predicts trends likely to be experienced because of these, enabling highly customised formulations and more suitable product recommendations.
The plethora of influencer-created beauty content online continues to swell worldwide, and brands should monitor it closely as it provides an important feedback loop that can unlock innovation and power business growth, says a specialist.
With just one day between the announcement and the pitch application deadline (July 15, 2021), the beauty maker has formally signed on to present at the 2-day tech conference and to support the beauty (tech) pitch competition for VC funding.
Kao is investing $136m on its digital transformation to enhance the competitiveness of its cosmetics division, which has experienced a sales slump during the pandemic.
Sephora’s partnership with e-commerce fashion major Zalando will capitalise on the online momentum built up by the German player over the past 18 months and may inspire other cross-sector collaborations, but is there a risk it could compromise the beauty...