1 – Strengthening the core: Shiseido CEO on why skin care set to become ‘even bigger’ post-pandemic
Japanese beauty major Shiseido is throwing its full weight behind skin care with its CEO believing there are “emerging segments” that it can capitalise on in the next few years.
Facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company took steps to strengthen the foundation of its business – this meant going back to its roots as a skin care expert.
“Last year, as we faced [COVID-19] we came up with was an idea to build back better. In the next two, three years up to 2023, we want our core to be stronger, which is skin care where we have a long R&D expertise, marketing expertise… My scope in the next three years or so is really to get our business foundation stronger by making use of skin care,” said Uotani.
This August, Shiseido announced that it was selling off three of its make-up brands to focus on high-end skin care. This followed the decision to shed its entire personal care division, which consisted of brands like Senka.
2 – From the ground up: LG H&H signs deal to upcycle coffee grounds for its cosmetic products
South Korea’s LG Household & Health Care is collaborating with an upcycling start-up to explore how to recycle discarded coffee grounds as raw materials for its cosmetics products.
LG H&H has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korean start-up Urban Miners to cooperate on processing coffee grounds and producing activated carbon, or coffee charcoal, as an ingredient.
As coffee charcoal has a high carbon content and excellent absorption properties, LG H&H and Urban Miners plan to study how the coffee charcoal can be used to absorb excess oil and detoxify impurities from the skin.
Activated charcoal is an immensely popular ingredient in beauty and personal care. It is found in a range of products including facial masks, pore strips, shampoo, and toothpaste.
3 – ‘Emerging powerhouse’: Gen Z and millennial insights key to Amorepacific taking 38.4% stake in COSRX
Knowledge of the Gen Z and millennial consumer combined with a burgeoning global reputation are two of the reasons Korean major Amorepacific has taken a 38.4% stake in cult K-beauty brand COSRX, as it looks to expand its own footprint overseas.
Founded in 2013 by Jeon Sanghoon, COSRX is best known for sensitive skin products like its Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, and Acne Pimple Master Patch.
Amorepacific announced that it had decided to acquire a significant minority stake for KRW180bn (U$153m) in the “emerging powerhouse” as part of its Vision 2025 strategy to enter new markets overseas.
“We have been looking for a partner to share the value of New Beauty as stated in our ‘Vision 2025’, which we declared this year as part of the celebration of our 76th anniversary,” said Lee Jinpyo, head of Amorepacific group strategy division.
4 – Efficient cleansing: LG H&H files patent for easy-to-remove make-up base made from biocellulose
LG Household & Healthcare has filed a patent for cosmetic composition with a biocellulose base that facilitates the quick removal of make-up without oil-based removers.
Most make-up products contain oil-based ingredients and colourants such as pigments, which are hydrophobic. This makes it necessary to use oil-based removers, such as cleansing oils, balms and creams to remove them.
However, such this cleansing process can potentially irritate the skin. Additionally, the company believes consumers are seeking a quicker and simpler method of cleansing.
To solve this problem, the company first turned to a temperature-sensitive polymer that forms a hydrophobic film on the skin but changes its structure and detaches from the skin when it hits a certain temperature.
5 – Beiersdorf files patent on AI skin profiling and product recommendation method
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.
Writing in its international patent, Beiersdorf said the skin profiling method, powered by smart algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI), enabled highly personalised cosmetic, skin care and dermatological product recommendations for basic and prevailing skin conditions. Ideally, these recommendations could be “preventative”; suggesting products that minimised or prevented a skin problem, it said.
Whilst there were already several methods on the market used to recommend beauty and personal care products for specific skin conditions, based on specific parameters like moisture, roughness, irregular colour distribution and skin impurities, Beiersdorf said these methods all had one common disadvantage: errors.
