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...
Fragrance major Firmenich has developed an AI-powered, digital tool to speed up and simplify the scent creation process for independent beauty brands and entrepreneurs, though the platform is also generating interest amongst big beauty players too, a...
Beauty players across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) should look to China for post-pandemic learnings given the rapid rebound seen in the territory, says Euromonitor International.
The unfathomable rise of TikTok can no longer be ignored by beauty brands, as swathes of users engage with the social media platform daily; appreciated for its openness and sense of community, say experts.
Millennial beauty consumers are adopting buy now, pay later (BNPL) services because they remove the ‘emotional friction’ of purchases by helping to spread the cost, according to Singapore-headquartered platform hoolah.
L’Oréal has partnered with TikTok on its pilot commerce feature, enabling consumers in the UK to purchase Garnier and NYX Professional Make-Up products directly via the app – a partnership the beauty major plans to expand over time.
Skin care brand SK-II has tapped into social retail to engage with beauty consumers who have increased their time spent online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Special Edition: Beauty Tech - Advances in biotech, personalisation and usability
Personal care major Unilever has developed a whitening kit for teeth that combines a film containing a photosensitiser and an actinic light source for simple and efficient use at home.
Special Edition: Beauty Tech - Advances in Biotech, Personalisation and Usability
International skin care major Beiersdorf and independent venture capital fund 9.5 Ventures have co-invested in Dutch beauty startup Routinely that launched its app and range of serums today.
Listen to Beauty 4.0 - A podcast by CosmeticsDesign-Europe
Advancing digital tools that help men and women select suitable skin care products is a huge opportunity and brands should be doing everything to be as transparent and informative as possible, says Estella Benz, founder of Skin Match Technology.
Today the Estée Lauder Companies’ brand announced the new makeup try-on and product recommendation service as a next-gen version of in-store makeup artist services.
Health and beauty retailer Watsons will be launching a virtual foundation try-on tool in the second quarter this year beginning with Malaysia and Hong Kong to solve what it believes is a huge consumer ‘pain point’.
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has accelerated many pre-existing trends in beauty, most notably taking the rise of e-commerce to astonishing new heights with a particularly impressive transformation in Europe, says an expert consultant
Berlin studio Look Labs has collaborated with Canadian artist Sean Caruso to launch a digital fragrance encoded into non-fungible token (NFT) artwork to accompany a limited rollout of its unisex perfume, a move it says is a nod to the future of prestige...
Spanish tech startup Lesielle has created an at-home skin care device that it says takes personalisation one step further, empowering consumers to select bases and actives themselves that are blended and dispensed in single doses according to real-time...
In this round-up of the top five stories on the digital developments in beauty, we highlight A.S. Watson insights on the future of it omnichannel retail business, SK-II’s strategy to forging closer connections online and how P&G narrows the online...
Shiseido is adamant that human contact is still essential to drive beauty sales but believes it can be enhanced greatly by tools such as Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, according to its chief digital officer.
International beauty major L’Oréal has made a minority investment in Swiss environmental tech startup Gjosa – a move set to advance its ongoing partnership and development of a smart, sustainable hair care system for salons and the home.
Listen to Beauty 4.0 - A podcast by CosmeticsDesign-Europe
Technology is required to provide beauty consumers true personalised offerings at scale, and brands and retailers need to be smart about tailoring the shopper experience because consumer demands are certainly there, says Nidhima Kohli, founder of Beauty...