The beauty and personal care world has faced significant upheaval on a global scale during the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it has also emerged as resilient and innovative despite consumer and retail trends morphing at great speed....
A round-up of CosmeticsDesign-Europe’s most-read news from October 2020 shows interest in a raft of sustainable innovations and advances and buzz around use of live probiotics and the latest beauty device launch from L’Oréal.
Special Edition: Personalised Beauty in a Digital Revolution
International beauty major L’Oréal is primed to launch its AI at-home personalised cosmetics device Perso, starting with a beta version of its customised lipstick variant in the first quarter of 2021.
Special Edition: Personalised Beauty in a Digital Revolution
Precision-applied foundation, colour-matched lipstick and 3D printed makeup sheets are just some of the innovations set to shape the future of personalised colour cosmetics, says the director of beauty at WGSN.
Special Edition: Personalised beauty in a digital revolution
The beauty industry must stretch towards futuristic business models that merge smart labs, digital clinical trials and rich data collection if personalised cosmetics is to truly take off, say researchers.
Technology needs need to be the new normal for cosmetics brands when delivering retail-tainment – to simultaneously enhance the customer experience and ensure their safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, insists a senior exec at Lancôme.
A study analysing Sephora and Ulta Beauty’s Twitter activity and networks has suggested cosmetic brands only have limited control over communications within their networks, opening up important points of discussion for industry, the researchers say.
Taiwan-based beauty tech firm Perfect Corp is eyeing opportunities in digital skin care services as novel coronavirus (COVID-19) measures like social distancing are creating demand for contactless solutions.
Beauty brands and retailers must blur physical retail with digital experiences to engage consumers in a post-pandemic world, and plenty can be learned from China, according to a retail design expert.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a wave of cosmetic creators eager to develop and refine product concepts at-home, and design and engineer specialist Mayku wants to support this growth with its desktop vacuum former.
International beauty major L’Oréal has designed a means to manufacture custom-made hair dye kits, integrating e-commerce orders from consumers directly into a smart robotic filling system.
Personal care major Beiersdorf has partnered with image recognition technology Google Lens to develop limited edition interactive packaging on its Nivea Men range in Germany.
UK cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury has deployed Google Cloud’s business intelligence and analytics platform Looker to accelerate omnichannel growth and support consumer-led innovation.
Investments in blockchain technology and smart packaging will help beauty brands and retailers overcome the rising problem of counterfeits on e-commerce and social platforms, says GlobalData.
Beauty companies such as Estée Lauder, John Masters Organics and Neogence are increasingly using AI-powered marketing tools to identify patterns within consumer behaviour and then tailor their engagement with them.
Beauty brands and retailers must build a strong online presence and smart digital engagement strategies to capture the rush of consumers favouring e-commerce this Christmas, says user-generated content and e-commerce specialist Bazaarvoice.
Digital retail moguls Alibaba and Amazon will grasp the lion’s share of a burgeoning online health and beauty category over the next five years, and brands must seriously consider shifting onto these platforms, says a retail expert.
Paris-based personalised perfume workshop The Alchemist Atelier has already expanded into several European countries online and is now exploring options for a physical footprint push, its CEO says.
UK specialist retailer The Perfume Shop says sales of new launches are up thanks to its virtual shopping platform that has proved especially popular through the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Algorithm specialist What’s In My Jar has developed an online tool that recommends sunscreens based on skin type, lifestyle and budget – helping consumers navigate clunky, cryptic and often misleading labels built on outdated regulations, its CEO says.
Paris-based personalised perfume workshop The Alchemist Atelier is on a mission to normalise customised fragrances – aiming to get its ‘scent creator’ device into as many homes as possible.
A team of scientists has developed an electronic ‘tongue’ device that can assess and classify perfume aroma components, presenting a practical, cost-effective and green alternative for industry analysis.
Scottish skin tech firm Cutitronics has expanded into Europe just ahead of its white-label commercial launch as it pushes forward with the goal of partnering with prestige beauty brands in the region.
International beauty major L’Oréal will shut down its facial care brushes business Clarisonic to refocus and invest new product development efforts into own-brand devices.
Independent beauty brands are fiercely nimble and highly engaged with their consumers, which has given them power to face business difficulties during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, an indie expert says.
The beauty industry will have to re-think product engagement and interaction as consumers emerge from the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis with safety and hygiene front-of-mind, highly aware of everything they touch, says a trends expert.
On Wednesday, the fragrance maker announced having signed a strategic agreement with Divabox, the company that owns the Origines-parfums beauty ecommerce platform. It’s an investment deal that brings e-retail to Interparfums.
The 2020 global health and financial crisis have accelerated the use of digital technology and data around the world, regardless of demographics and across industries. But the next-generation of consumer-held skin care technology wasn’t manifest by a...
Elemis, PZ Cussons Beauty, Burt’s Bees, Nuxe, Revolution Beauty and By Terry have all partnered with The Hut Group’s tech division Ingenuity to launch or expand direct-to-consumer offerings.
Cosmetics major Lush will start reopening shuttered stores across England next week as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions ease, though business will look very different much like elsewhere in Europe.
Non-animal tests on chemical substances continue to be widely used in the EU, with read-across studies most popular and in vitro methods gaining traction, according to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) latest report.
The beauty retail landscape has morphed dramatically during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, with brands forced online and cross-channel marketing more critical than ever in what will soon become the new normal, an online marketing expert says.
This week, the company known for its AI and AR solutions for beauty, introduced a skin diagnostic tool, a shade finder, and a virtual try-on option for brands marketing to consumers via WeChat mini programs.
Understanding consumers has long been the goal of any brand, but decoding emotion is extremely complex and requires the power of technology, says the founder of insights startup Spark Emotions.
Digitalisation, personalisation, wellness and sustainability have been popularised by independent beauty brands and with big beauty now onboard these trends will remain critical as 2020 evolves, says GlobalData.
Beauty retail has morphed in recent years, shaped by social media, technology and e-commerce, and brands must do more if they want to survive in this altered landscape, says a branding consultant.
As the world watches and waits for the Coronavirus recovery to begin, tech makers, beauty retailers, and multinationals are innovating contactless sampling and selling strategies.
As the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to take its grip worldwide, many businesses have been forced online. But there are important regulations that must be adhered to when making this digital shift.
Online brand protection specialist SnapDragon has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for its counterfeit scanning technology – a tool its founder says is crucial in fighting fake cosmetics.
Beauty is one of the hardest-hit consumer categories in the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it will also likely bounce back fastest because of digital strengths, says an expert consultant.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has created a seismic shift in living and shopping habits worldwide and beauty has borne a significant brunt of this shopper shake-up, says a retail expert.
The UK Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) has launched an online exchange portal to match and connect suppliers and producers, facilitating faster production of hand sanitisers and hygiene products during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
European trade association Cosmetics Europe wants to raise the profile of the collaborative struggle against the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through an online resource portal, accessible to industry and the wider public.
African e-commerce major Jumia has re-worked its online portal in South Africa to offer essential items during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, working alongside Reckitt Benckiser and Proctor & Gamble on the project.
Late last year, Albert Dashi and Oliver Worsley took their patent-pending skin analysis patch and corresponding beauty app public with a soft launch. And still today, the two molecular biology PhDs are hopeful that Sequential Skin will be the future of...
Beauty brands cannot ignore the rising power of Generation Z and need to remain highly engaging in-store yet influential online to draw in the first truly ‘woke’ generation, says a branding expert.
Swedish skintech brand Foreo has developed an upgraded model of its UFO facial mask priming device to incorporate full spectrum LED light and faster thermo-therapy for a highly customisable routine.
The future of beauty innovation in the next decade will see nature and science blur, with the true power of biotechnology unfolding to take sustainable cosmetics forward, according to Mintel.
Smaller, local Chinese players are carving out a successful and competitive beauty category, developing highly social, online and value-for-money brands that connect well with younger consumers, says Mintel.
![As consumers navigate a 'grey hair movement' but preventative skin care holds strong, the beauty industry must follow suit - developing products and marketing materials that match fresh ageing ideals [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2023/03/21/ageing-in-beauty-must-move-from-anti-ageing-to-prevention-holistic-innovation-and-messaging-say-experts/16269712-1-eng-GB/Ageing-in-beauty-must-move-from-anti-ageing-to-prevention-holistic-innovation-and-messaging-say-experts.jpg)
![There are plenty of stories the beauty industry can tell to help consumers better understand blue biotechnologies and ingredients developed in this way [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2023/03/21/blue-biotech-in-beauty-needs-better-storytelling-and-consumer-engagement-say-experts/16270672-1-eng-GB/Blue-biotech-in-beauty-needs-better-storytelling-and-consumer-engagement-say-experts.jpg)
![Consumers are shopping with more intention, impacting desires, needs and expectations in the beauty category in 2023 [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2023/03/21/beautystreams-cosmotrends-2023-report-highlights-sun-care-waste-menopause-and-more-as-beauty-trends/16267621-1-eng-GB/Beautystreams-Cosmotrends-2023-report-highlights-sun-care-waste-menopause-and-more-as-beauty-trends.jpg)
![J&J will combine its genomic database with data collected via Sequential Skin's skin patch tests to build out panels of skin health markers related to acne and ageing [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2023/03/15/johnson-johnson-sequential-skin-partnership-tracking-skin-health-markers-for-acne-and-ageing/16251070-1-eng-GB/Johnson-Johnson-Sequential-Skin-partnership-tracking-skin-health-markers-for-acne-and-ageing.jpg){kind=tracking}
![According to the review, many 'fundamental questions' remain unanswered in the field of efficacy testing for active ingredient alternatives [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/headlines/formulation-science/deodorant-antiperspirant-innovation-still-based-on-50-year-old-active-ingredients-finds-review/16248469-1-eng-GB/Deodorant-antiperspirant-innovation-still-based-on-50-year-old-active-ingredients-finds-review.jpg)
![Consumers are increasingly open to dietary intervention strategies for skin health since the COVID-19 pandemic [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2023/03/16/beauty-supplements-for-photoageing-with-colourless-carotenoids-promising-finds-review/16254247-1-eng-GB/Beauty-supplements-for-photoageing-with-colourless-carotenoids-promising-finds-review.jpg)
![Skin moisture, firmness and elasticity, collagen content and the overall appearance of wrinkles improved most with a combined supplement and topical curcuma approach [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/headlines/formulation-science/skin-ageing-targeted-best-with-curcuma-supplements-and-curcuma-cream-in-combination-finds-study/16231219-1-eng-GB/Skin-ageing-targeted-best-with-curcuma-supplements-and-curcuma-cream-in-combination-finds-study.jpg)
![[Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/market-trends/beauty-forward-2024-cosmeticsdesign-anticipates-next-gen-beauty-trends-with-new-digital-summit/16250626-1-eng-GB/Beauty-Forward-2024-CosmeticsDesign-anticipates-next-gen-beauty-trends-with-new-digital-summit.jpg)
![Colgate-Palmolive has developed a translucent activated charcoal toothpaste - very different to the opaque and dark options currently on the market [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_tiny/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/headlines/formulation-science/colgate-palmolive-patents-active-charcoal-toothpaste-with-stannous-and-potassium-salts-for-caries-protection/16223548-1-eng-GB/Colgate-Palmolive-patents-active-charcoal-toothpaste-with-stannous-and-potassium-salts-for-caries-protection.jpg)