Hot Topics: Top 5 trending beauty and cosmetics news stories on social media

1 - Forever delayed? Australia’s postpones ban on animal testing for a third time to 2020

Australia has delayed efforts to ban cosmetic testing on animals for the third time, pushing the deadline back to July 1, 2020.

The ban on cosmetic testing on animals is part of the Industrial Chemicals Bill, which aims to establish the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced on January 11 that the deadline has been extended as legislation for the new scheme is expected to be debated in the senate in the first half of 2019.

Government amendments to change the commencement date will be addressed during that time.

2 - Crabtree & Evelyn closure: What went wrong for the bath and body care brand?

From doomed acquisitions to a lack of understanding of the brand, we speak to an Asian consumer expert to explore what led to Crabtree & Evelyn’s downfall, and what it can do to save itself from the brink of obscurity.

At the start of the year, bath and body care brand Crabtree and Evelyn announced that it was moving it business online, shutting all physical stores in the process, save for one new retail concept store in the London.

While the news may have taken consumers by surprise, some industry insiders were already expecting this outcome.

“The writing has been on the wall for Crabtree & Evelyn for quite some time,” commented Nicole Fall, founder of Asian Consumer Intelligence. “It’s most recent headlines were rarely about new innovations or new store launches but what appeared to be a continuous list of new owners, bankruptcies and store closures.”

3 - Start-ups and innovation focus: Shiseido unveils new China business office in Shanghai

Shiseido Company has opened a new China Business Innovation and Investment Representative Office in Shanghai, China, with the aim of building alliances with start-ups and innovating to meet the needs of Chinese consumers.

Under the direction of the company’s global headquarters, the new office will be led by Carol Zhou and act as an operational hub.

According to the company, the China Business Innovation and Investment Representative Office was conceived in response to the growing number of start-ups.

“With its increasing number of start-ups and outstanding, entrepreneurial think-outside-the-box talents, China is expected to accelerate its continuous delivery of innovations and new business models,” said the company in a statement.

4 - Australian study supports the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens

A new study led by two Australian universities has found evidence that zinc oxide nanoparticles used in sunscreen does not cause cellular toxicity even after repeated applications.

The research found that zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles does not penetrate the skin, refuting claims about the safety of nanoparticulate-based sunscreens.

The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and led by the University of Queensland (UQ) and University of South Australia (UniSA).

5 - Shiseido announces new anti-aging active after 12 years of development

Japanese beauty giant Shiseido says it has discovered a new active ingredient that improves skin texture and rejuvenates skin.

The new ingredient, Stemlan-173, took the company 12 years to develop. Shiseido said it plans to incorporate its new findings into future products.

“Going forward, Shiseido will apply these new findings to the development of skincare products as an effective technology that helps all sorts of consumers to rejuvenate their skin,” it said in a statement.