Top 5 most-read stories December 2021: L’Oréal acquisition plans, skin care trends and the male groom boom

A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from December 2021 shows interest in L’Oréal acquisition plans and global beauty trends across skin care and male grooming.

Big brand moves – ethical and climate-friendly beauty​

L’Oréal signed an agreement to acquire US superfood skin care brand Youth to the People, signalling a clear move to deepen its ethical offerings in an increasingly competitive space. Industry experts said the acquisition was the latest in a wave of acquisitions by big beauty players looking to snap up emerging brands. Importantly, these big beauty brands were being smart about acquiring sustainable indie brands that garnered more trust amongst consumers.

Beiersdorf also unveiled its latest climate-friendly packaging innovation – post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminium cans and eco valves across its core Nivea aerosol ranges. The rollouts marked part of the personal care major’s wider climate goals that aimed to slash overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% in absolute terms by 2025.

Trends, trends, trends…​

Trendspotting was a hot topic, with WGSN’s overview on upcoming skin care trends and market opportunities generating plenty of interest. The fashion and beauty trend forecaster said underarm skin care new product development, sleep-time products and highly concentrated hero formulas would be key in the growing category over the next few years.

Similarly, insight from consumer insights firm GWI highlighted the rising opportunities in men’s grooming as male consumer interest in beauty and cosmetics continued to rise. This, it said, presented important signs that industry had to work on more inclusive innovations specific to this demographic.

Finally, our CosmeticsDesign video spotlighting the top global 15 beauty trends to watch in 2022 generated lots of buzz. Our editors identified menopause beauty, upcycled ingredients, water conscious beauty and refill revolution as some of the most important movements set to shape industry over the next year.

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