Edible sun care: Cell Fusion C hops on trend of K-beauty brands expanding into supplements
South Korean derma skin care brand Cell Fusion C has hopped on the trend of K-beauty brands venturing into the dietary supplements space, particularly the beauty-from-within category, with its recent launch of “edible sun care” products.
Since its inception in 2001, Cell Fusion C has focused on improving troubled skin, and developing products that are safe for sensitive skin and protective against external stimuli, including ultraviolet (UV) rays and fine dust.
Specialising in post-treatment skin care and sun care products, the brand’s goal is to make feel consumers “skin confident” from the inside out.
This emphasis on inner beauty has led to the introduction of its first health functional products, namely Cell Fusion C UV Care Formula Jelly and Cell Fusion C UV Care Formula Powder, which are targeted at addressing skin damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Shiseido prioritises 8 key brands to achieve stable profit growth within two years
Shiseido will focus on eight brands to stabilise its business and achieve profit growth over the next two years.
The Japanese beauty and personal care major held a conference on November 29 to outline its strategies for 2025 and 2026.
Kentaro Fujiwara, president and chief operating officer said the firm was in a ‘critical situation’ and needed to reinforce its foundations to ensure sustainable growth.
“Since the COVID crisis, we have been affected by many changes in the external environment and we have responded quickly each time. But as a result, we have not achieved our initial plans. In response to this, the management team feels a strong sense of crisis and has reviewed all aspects of our future planning,” said Fujiwara.
Croda eyes major opportunity to develop ceramide solutions for hair and scalp care
Croda wants to expand the potential of ceramides to hair and scalp care as the skinification trend shows no sign of slowing down.
Consumers increasingly prioritise skin barrier protection, seeking products that prevent moisture loss, combat environmental stressors, and restore the skin’s natural defences.
Naturally, ceramides have become a popular ingredient as they help to restore the barrier, prevent moisture loss, and protect against environmental damage, making them ideal for maintaining healthy, hydrated, and resilient skin.
“Ceramides are a popular ingredient. With environmental issues, everyone wants to strengthen their skin barrier, reduce inflammation, and overall, achieve healthy skin,” said Dean Nie, business development manager, Croda China.
How to win over… the fast-paced #BeautyTok scene
Exclusive insights from beauty brands Scent Journer, Modern Molecules, Pretti5, alongside market experts highlight TikTok’s power as a tool for engagement and growth, while also shedding light on the pressures of keeping up with the fast-paced platform.
It is no secret that TikTok has become a major force in the beauty industry. In 2023, TikTok had over 1.5bn monthly active users and the beauty community, known as #BeautyTok, is among its most vibrant and active.
Today, the platform is where beauty trends begin and get shaped in real time. In recent years, we have witnessed the rapid proliferation of micro-trends from #slugging to #underpainting going as quickly as come.
The short-video platform has helped consumers discover new favourites like Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tint Blush and rediscover classics like Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. The visibility it gives to beauty brands and products has a significant influence of real-world sales with hashtags such as #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt and #getreadywithme.
Consumer interest in longevity, wellness to drive growth in personalisation, beauty tech
Cosmetics brands can tap into white spaces in science-driven, AI-powered innovations to address the growing consumer interest in hyper-personalisation, longevity, and wellness, says Mintel.
Based on its current market observations and consumer survey data, Mintel has identified key trends in personalised beauty that it foresees to push through in 2025.
At the INNOCOS Longevity event held in Singapore from November 6 to 8, KinShen Chan, Principal Beauty Personal Care Analyst at Mintel, shared on how the sector has evolved in the past five years.
In 2019, there was a noticeable shift towards personalisation, with consumers demanding tailored solutions that address their unique needs. By 2023, consumers were becoming more sophisticated through the access to information on social media and other digital platforms to educate themselves.
‘Asia is still untapped territory’: Keune Haircosmetics to launch in China, sharpening Asia focus
Keune Haircosmetics announces plans to enter the Chinese market in 2025, marking a strategic shift towards strengthening its presence in Asia.
Today, the family-owned hair care brand is available across the globe, from its home country of the Netherlands to countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, and the US.
In Asia, Keune has a relatively modest presence, but the region holds significant growth potential for the brand.
“We started in Indonesia five years ago; India was two years ago. It’s relatively new. You could say Asia is an untapped territory for us,” said Philip Berlijn, chief commercial officer and in-coming chief executive of Keune.
Cosmax establishes ‘specialised’ sun care research centre with university
Cosmax has partnered with the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) to develop a UV protection research centre to reinforce its position in the global sun care market.
With this new collaboration, the company aims to expand its presence in the global sun care market, with a focus on the US, where it has observed high growth of Korean beauty brands.
This is also in line with Cosmax’s strategy to pioneer new frontiers in the sunscreen market to drive growth globally.
UV protection is an area of strong importance for Cosmax, accounting for 20% of total sales.
‘Highest priority’: Kosé places ASEAN, India expansion at the forefront of new strategy
Kosé Corporation has underscored the importance of ASEAN and India as growth engines in its new medium- to long-term strategy.
The Japanese beauty and personal care company recently unveiled Milestone 2030, its medium- to long-term strategy for its “fourth growth phase”.
As part of these plans, the firm will transition to a pure holding company structure by 2026, which will coincide with its 80th anniversary.
This was needed to “realise our beauty consortium concept in order to develop a more diverse business model globally and achieve sustainable growth by expanding the value we offer,” said president and chief executive Kazutoshi Kobayashi.
Personalisation ‘not always profitable’, but a trend here to stay – Nail Deck
Singapore-based Nail Deck says that personalisation is seldom profitable, but brands will still need to keep up with the trend as it increasingly gains traction.
For nearly a decade, Daryl Chew, founder of Nail Deck, has been trying to push the personalisation concept through a diverse range of customisable colours and finishes, but it was not until the last two years that he started to observe greater uptake.
“We did a lacquer bar pop-up in 2017 but only a very small group of people were interested in creating customised colours for nail polish. Asians, in general, tend to follow the crowd and blending in was seen as more desirable than standing out.
“The market was not ready at the time, but I’ve always felt that as a society develops and as consumers get more sophisticated and have higher earning power, there will come a point where people want to have personalised goods rather than mass-produced ones,” Chew told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
Cut above: New skin data on China women could aid cosmetic efficacy
The Cutometer has been used to create new facial skin data on multiple Chinese women and its correlation with signs of ageing, in the hope of aiding future new product development.
The Cutometer is a globally recognised tool for assessing skin elasticity, offering valuable insights for skin research and cosmetic development.
However, previous studies have thrown up inconsistencies in data, and few have been undertaken on Chinese women.
In human efficacy evaluation tests using the Cutometer, the R0 or F4 values created may be used to evaluate skin firmness,
