Hair care

Emerging trends: Cica creams, hair oils and eyebrow make-up among most popular products in Japan

10-May-2021 By Amanda Lim

Cica creams, hair oils and eyebrow make-up are among the most sought-after products among Japanese consumers today, according to new data.

'Milestone': UK issuing certifications for beauty firms to qualify for China animal testing exemptions

06-May-2021 By Kacey Culliney

The UK government has worked alongside the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) and wider beauty industry to digitally issue Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates that should enable the export of ‘ordinary’ goods to China without...

L’Occitane Q4 results: China now firm’s largest market after sales surge by 60%

05-May-2021 By Amanda Lim

Staggering fourth-quarter growth of 60% has propelled China to become L’Occitane International’s largest market in FY2021.

Special edition: Clean & Ethical – ‘Better for you, better for the planet’ Beauty

Essential oils have 'enormous versatility’ as natural fragrance source in cosmetics: Review

04-May-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Essential oils have seen a revival in cosmetics over the past few years and will continue to surge, appreciated for their ability to impart a wide range of natural, unique and pleasant fragrances but also pack a bioactive punch, says a review.

Cleaner footprints: L’Oréal aims for greener deliveries in Singapore with latest sustainability push

04-May-2021 By Amanda Lim

International beauty giant L’Oréal has kicked off green deliveries in Singapore with sustainable packaging and an electric delivery fleet with aims to improve its carbon footprint.

L’Oréal Paris to halve CO2 emissions by 2030: ‘We are in the decade to make the change,’ says global head

28-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

L’Oréal Paris has unveiled its environmental goals for the next decade, pledging to reduce carbon emissions by 50% and lightweight or sustainably convert its entire packaging portfolio by 2030.

Travel boom: L’Oréal banking on APAC travel retail opportunities to drive ‘big growth’ for the group

27-Apr-2021 By Amanda Lim

French cosmetics giant L’Oréal sees a bright future for its brands in the Asia Pacific travel retail market, which it believes will become a major driver of its future growth, spurred on by demand from China.

P&G beauty sales surge on 'superiority' push as Q3 2021 sales continue to rise

21-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Personal care giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) has reported a net sales rise for its third quarter (Q3) of fiscal 2021, with beauty leading the charge in growth terms.

TIGI revamps Bed Head range: ‘Staying relevant’ is the biggest challenge in hair care, says founder

20-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Unilever-owned professional hair care brand TIGI has revamped its flagship Bed Head brand to plug consumer and hairdresser needs and expectations, including a sharper focus on texture and volume.

The new ‘normal’: How Lifebuoy and Lux are embracing Unilever’s Positive Beauty vision

20-Apr-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Unilever, which owns brands such as Lifebuoy, Lux, Dove, Vaseline and Sunsilk have committed to eliminate the word ‘normal’ from its packaging and advertising, as well as drive campaigns for gender inclusivity in line with its Positive Beauty vision.

E-beauty lows: Hair care saw ‘steep decline’ in customer review sentiment during 2020

13-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Online beauty customer reviews in 2020 showed a sharp decline in sentiment across hair care, largely fuelled by product dissatisfaction around DIY hair colour kits and shipping issues, according to AI data specialist Revuze.

‘Just add water’: Swedish startup Lifelong eyes expansion with powdered personal care line

12-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Swedish eco-startup Lifelong has developed a range of powdered personal care products that need to be mixed with water by consumers and stored in durable containers, drastically overturning traditional habits, its founder says.

Sustainable step change: Can circular beauty become a mainstream reality?

08-Apr-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Many beauty manufacturers, suppliers and retailers have made important sustainability pledges for this coming decade, but as efforts kickstart in shifting linear business models to circular ways of working, there remains a raft of challenges along the...

‘Botanical powerhouse’: Lotus Herbals launches new premium clean beauty brand with aims to cross $10m mark

07-Apr-2021 By Amanda Lim

Lotus Herbals has launched a new premium clean beauty brand that it believes can surpass $10m this year on the back of the strong market demand for clean beauty products.

Beauty Bites Gallery

Beauty disruptor: India’s MyGlamm to invest in NPD, data and offline after funding boost - CEO

29-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

The CEO of Indian beauty brand MyGlamm has laid out plans to invest in product and offline expansion as well as data science research after closing Series C funding round.

Silab to quadruple biotech production: ‘This is a capacity and innovation investment’, says exec

25-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

French ingredient major Silab is ramping up its biotechnology capacity to plug rising demands for actives derived from yeast, bacteria and microalgae in skin care and hair care.

Circular Beauty: The future of sustainable sourcing, green chemistry and eco-design

24-Mar-2021 By CosmeticsDesign-Europe Senior Reporter

The global beauty industry is working hard to make circularity a mainstream reality, reinventing and reconsidering all aspects of complex supply chains. But what does the future truly hold as industry tries to close the loop?

‘Expand our horizons’: India’s Juicy Chemistry targets US, European and domestic expansion following funding boost

24-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

India-based organic beauty brand Juicy Chemistry has its sights set on the US, Europe and domestic expansion, while at the same time exploring a raft of organic NPD opportunities after securing $6.3m in Series A funding.

Eco boost: Five recent developments in sustainable beauty across APAC

17-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

We round up our five most-read stories relating to one of the hottest topics in beauty today, featuring innovative solutions to the sustainable beauty movement coming from Asia Pacific.

PODCAST: A global beauty view on COVID-19 – hottest acquisitions, flashy innovations and biggest challenges

15-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

CosmeticsDesign editors break down the beauty and personal care acquisitions, product innovations and challenges that have arisen under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From nice-to-have to need-to-have: Experts say sustainability must be considered a ‘cost of doing business’

10-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

Companies need to rethink how they implement sustainability initiatives and should integrate them it into the ‘heart’ of their business models, a panel of experts at the Global Fragrance Summit organised by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA)...

Healthy hair, healthy scalp: Holistic health trends in hair care further fuelled by COVID-19 - Mibelle

10-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

Mibelle Biochemistry believes the scalp health trend is ‘here to stay’ and will become even more specialised, with the Swiss firm predicting that Asian consumers will continue to prioritise holistic health and wellness.

Coronavirus crackdown: Japan’s consumer chiefs warn against labelling foods and health products with false COVID-19 claims

10-Mar-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Japan Consumer Affairs Agency (CCA) is warning general food and health food manufacturers against labelling their products as being effective in preventing or treating COVID-19, to avoid consumer misunderstanding and harming public health.

‘A new era of beauty’: Unilever to remove word ‘normal’ from beauty packaging and ads

09-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Personal care major Unilever is revamping its packaging and advertising to remove the descriptor ‘normal’ in a move aimed at fuelling inclusivity and positivity across its global portfolio to align better with consumer expectations.

A ‘milestone’ moment: Garnier now Leaping Bunny certified globally

09-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

L’Oréal’s Garnier brand has received Cruelty Free International’s Leaping Bunny approval on its entire global portfolio after months of work with its vast supplier network – a move that proves exactly what is possible on a mass beauty scale, says the...

Brand story: Recent developments from the biggest names in beauty across APAC

09-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

We round-up of our most-read brand-related stories of the region, featuring Shiseido, Procter & Gamble, Kao, POND’S and Dermalogica.

‘Greater scrutiny’: Why European policy changes will create challenges for APAC’s cosmetics firms

09-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

An increasing emphasis on environmental issues will have a profound effect on the Asia Pacific cosmetics industry, said regulations experts, with the impact of policy changes in Europe likely to filter down to the region.

Beauty brands can ‘definitely galvanise’ rising consumer engagement in sustainability: WWF

08-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Consumers continue to show increased interest in sustainability and are placing more importance on individual responsibility – an aspect brands can shift into real action with the right business approach, says a senior partnership manager at the World...

China animal testing: Exemptions for testing on ‘ordinary’ cosmetics start in May - officials

08-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

Imported ‘ordinary’ cosmetics will not be required to undergo animal testing from May 1 this year, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has confirmed in its finalised regulations.

‘Consumers expect full transparency from brands and companies’, says incoming L'Oréal CEO

05-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Beauty consumers worldwide are demanding open and honest brand communication on product formulations and ingredients in a digital world strained by unreliable and biased information, says the deputy CEO of L’Oréal.

Special Edition: Halal cosmetics developments

Hijabi hair care: Unmet needs creating massive opportunities for industry players - Dow

04-Mar-2021 By Amanda Lim

The unmet hair care needs of hijab-wearing Muslim women is creating huge opportunities for players to develop products that specifically target covered hair.

Beauty buzz: TikTok expands Shopify partnership in Europe to help brands boost social reach

02-Mar-2021 By Kacey Culliney

TikTok has expanded its partnership with Shopify across Europe, giving beauty brands direct access to run and manage social media ad campaigns via the e-commerce platform – a move that will create buzz amongst a highly engaged and diverse mass of beauty...

Right intentions: Why alcohol use in halal beauty and personal care products is permitted

25-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

A lack of understanding of fatwa has led to confusion about the permissibility of alcohol use in halal personal care products such as fragrances, according to industry experts.

Make-up losing shine in Japan but interest in skin, hair and body care products booms amid pandemic

24-Feb-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Demand for skin, hair and body care products continued to increase throughout 2020, but interest in make-up continued to fall, according to Japanese beauty retail company iStyle Inc.

P&G vice chairman on innovation: ‘Superiority is an opportunity that does not sunset’

23-Feb-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Procter & Gamble will continue to prioritise superior product design, packaging, and retail execution because it is a far-reaching opportunity that can strengthen long-term competitiveness, says its vice chairman, COO and CFO.

Hair healer: K18 aims to help salons battered by COVID-19 increase profitability with fast-acting treatments

23-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

Professional hair care brand K18 has recently launched in Singapore where it hopes to help hair salons affected by COVID-19 increase profitability with its hair treatments that work in just four minutes.

Critical state: Kao must make ‘bold upfront investments’ in digital to secure growth of cosmetics division – CEO

23-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

Japanese personal care major Kao Corporation is prioritising investments in digital technology as part of its plans to radically reform its cosmetics unit which has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBD startup raises €1.15m to kickstart goal of creating ‘The Hut Group of cannabis’

22-Feb-2021 By Kacey Culliney

London-based startup South West Brands is primed to launch its first two cannabidiol (CBD) beauty brands after raising enough capital to kickstart business, a move its CEO says is the start of plans to develop a house of compelling brands that can democratise...

‘Flywheel’ effect: Philips expects boom in at-home IPL hair removal systems in 2020 to lead to higher penetration in APAC

22-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

Philips Electronics has seen a boom in demand for at-home IPL hair removal systems in 2020 and believes this will lead to higher adoption rates across Asia-Pacific.

‘No limit to the growth potential of China’: L’Oréal’s next CEO eyes major opportunities for skin care and hair care

22-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

French cosmetics giant L’Oréal continues to see more growth potential in China, especially in its skin care and hair care categories.

L’Oréal reports 5% net profit drop for 2020 despite strong Q4 and ‘record year’ in actives

12-Feb-2021 By Kacey Culliney

International beauty major L’Oréal has reported an overall loss in net profit for the full year of 2020, despite a spike in sales for the fourth quarter, most notably in active cosmetics and across China.

Mental wellbeing, digital discovery and eco-ethical key global beauty trends in 2021: Mintel

10-Feb-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Total wellness is now integral to beauty routines and COVID-19 has driven many consumers to prioritise more ethical brands, add in rising expectations around digital experiences and product quality and 2021 has plenty of important movements to watch,...

Shiseido’s struggles: Japanese giant reports net sales declines in Q4 and 2020 against tough COVID-19 conditions

10-Feb-2021 By Amanda Lim

Japanese cosmetics major Shiseido Company saw its financial performance continue to dip in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 18.6% decrease in net sales and an 86.9% loss in operating profits for the full year of 2020.

COVID-19 Consumer Shifts Close-Up - Part I

COVID-19 has triggered an ‘enduring focus on the home’, says expert

04-Feb-2021 By Kacey Culliney

Consumers worldwide are increasingly focused on the space they call home during the COVID-19 crisis, as professional and personal lines blur with work-from-home models. And this has created an important shift in how consumers integrate beauty into their...

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