Brand story: The recent APAC developments from the biggest names in beauty

By Amanda Lim

- Last updated on GMT

[Shiseido]
[Shiseido]

Related tags Apac

We round-up of our most-read stories on the big-name beauty brands of the region, featuring news updates from Shiseido, The Body Shop, L’Oréal and more.

1 – Ultimate upgrade: Shiseido’s latest Ultimune serum taps into breakthrough research on blood circulation

The fourth iteration of Shiseido’s best-selling Ultimune serum showcases the company’s research into the co-relation between blood circulation and skin health.

The latest serum feature’s Shiseido’s The Lifeblood technology as well as new ingredients Houttuynia cordata and fermented hibiscus Extract.

Shiseido’s latest dermatological discovery, dubbed the Lifeblood Research, dove into the significance of blood circulation and its relation to skin health and its appearance.

“The latest ground-breaking Lifeblood Research involves fundamentally improving the skin by constantly enhancing blood flow. It is different from conventional skincare technology, which only deals with individual skin concerns temporarily and only on the surface level,” ​said Ryota Yukisada, chief brand officer of Shiseido.

2 – ‘A big step’: The Body Shop believes reuse and refill habit will ‘definitely’ become mainstream in Singapore

The Body Shop has begun rolling out in-store refill services in Singapore​ where it believes the reuse and refill habit will become mainstream among beauty consumers.

The Natura-owned company has started to roll out its new in-store refill system en masse across 500 stores globally this year and plans to extend it to 300 stores in 2022.

This is the first phase of a five-year plan to expand the refill program across the globe.

In Singapore, the firm will begin its refill services at two stores in the coming months, starting at ION Orchard and Plaza Singapura Activist Workshop stores in July and August respectively.

3 – Star product: How cleansing sheets have driven Men’s Bioré’s consecutive sales growth for a decade

Kao Corporation has revealed that cleansing sheets have been the star product for its Men’s Bioré range across the last decade, with sales soaring by 743%.

Men’s Bioré was launched in 1995 offers a range of personal care products especially for men, including facial cleansers, pore strips and cleansing sheets.

Sales for the latter, which includes face and body sheets, have grown to become the brand’s biggest products.

Sales for cleansing sheets increased by 743% from 2010 to 2020 and retained the top spot in the cleansing sheet category in Japan during the same period, according to INTAGE’s Nationwide Retail Store Panel (SRI) report.

4 – ‘Human approach to beauty’: L’Occitane online sales grow 69% thanks to social selling initiatives

Hong Kong-listed L’Occitane International has credited the growth of its online sales​ in part to its successful social selling initiatives in markets including South Korea, Europe and the US.

L’Occitane International is a beauty retailer and manufacturer of brands including L’OCCITANE en Provence, Melvita, Erborian and Elemis.

Sales through its online channels expanded 69.2% in the fiscal year ending March, accounting for more than one-third of the group’s total sales.

These strong online sales compensated for most of the sales lost through its brick-and-mortar stores, of which more than 75% were shuttered at the peak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

5 – ‘Beauty for all travellers’: Valentino Beauty among new brands L’Oréal will be launching in Hainan to drive growth

Valentino Beauty will be among the new brands​ that L’Oréal’s will debut in Hainan, China, as it continues to invest into the lucrative holiday destination.

Despite global tourism woes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of L’Oréal’s travel retail division has been positive, largely due to its performance in APAC – especially in Hainan.

“The foundation for beauty consumption is solid in Travel Retail China, and we are experiencing strong dynamic in all three categories – skin care, makeup, and fragrances,” ​said Emmanuel Goulin, Managing Director at L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific.

Among the three categories, the firm said the demand for skin care continues to be a driving force in terms of growth.

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