Skin care

Asian cosmetics Summit to guide brands on lower environmental impact

10-Sep-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

The Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is set to outline practical steps Asian cosmetic companies can take to lower their environmental impacts, particularly with raw materials, formulations, production processes, packaging and distribution. 

Japanese brands respond to huge domestic demand for ‘naturals’ trend

10-Sep-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

Brands in Japan are getting into gear on the naturals trend, as recent sales figures show consumer enthusiasm for such cosmetics is booming.

*Asia in Focus Special*

A roundup of Florence Bernardin's expert advice on cracking Asia's markets..

09-Sep-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Reporting from the cosmetic trenches in Asia, monthly contributor Florence Bernardin has been guiding cosmetic players on where they should be investing and why. Here, CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com rounds up some of her best advice..

FINANCIAL FOCUS

No signs of a slowdown in Asia as Chinese tourists boost sales in Japan & Korea...

04-Sep-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

It may have been a slow summer for some markets, but business boomed in Japan and Korea thanks to Chinese tourists. Here CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com takes a look at how they're influencing sales...

Natural & Organic show represents new focus in Asia

03-Sep-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

As natural and organic supplement and beauty brands flocked to Hong Kong for the first Natural & Organic Products Asia event last week, the show is proof that consumer preference for green is on the up in Asia.

Sun-kissed skin through eating fruit and veg

02-Sep-2014 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

A new study into facial attractiveness has found that skin colouration is an important factor and that carotenoid colouration through the ingestion of fruit and vegetables may give the best appearance.

Unilever to launch online shopping portal in Pakistan

27-Aug-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Unilever has partnered with daraz.pk to become the first organization in Pakistan’s FMCG sector to offer an online retail solution for customers.

Kao research identifies natural enzyme to produce sustainable surfactants

21-Aug-2014 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

Kao has found a natural enzyme that can produce medium chain fatty acids used as raw materials in the production of surfactants for shampoos and cosmetics, through its research, particularly into algae.

Natural cosmetics demand pushing pomegranate popularity in Asia

20-Aug-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

With an increasing demand for Peruvian fresh pomegranate in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, exports will grow by 57.7% in 2014 totaling more than US$28 million.

Inspired by beauty jellies - Laboratoire PYC develops anti-ageing supplement for Asian skin

13-Aug-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

France-based Laboratoire PYC has expanded its range of nutricosmetics with an anti-ageing nutritional supplement based on a new on-the-go powdered concept.

Online fragrance and cosmetics sales set to boom in Australia

13-Aug-2014 By Simon Pitman

Sales of cosmetics and fragrances online are set for significant growth in Australia over the next five years, according to a new report by market researcher IBISWorld.

Nu Skin Q2 results see significant decline

11-Aug-2014 By Simon Pitman

Skin care specialist Nu Skin says continued problems in its China operations have weighed heavily on its second quarter results, causing revenues and profits to fall.

UK contract manufacturer strikes up deal with Jahwa

06-Aug-2014 By Simon Pitman

Swallowfield, a UK-based contract manufacturer, has struck up a deal with Jahwa, one of the largest domestic personal care players in China, to supply a range of products British-made products.

Cosmetics online flash sales to take off in Asia

05-Aug-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

In an effort to push the mobile commerce market in Southeast Asia, Japan based mobile app company ‘Line’ has plans to influence flash sales across markets including cosmetics.

Increasing knowledge and proof will help skin care devices sell

05-Aug-2014 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

When it comes to the success of skin care devices the most important thing is knowledge and proof that they work say a vast majority of consumers.

Dedicated Sun Protection Asia conference a hit as interest peaks

31-Jul-2014 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

The inaugural Sun Protection & Anti-ageing Skin Care Conference Asia kicked off in Singapore and was received positively overall as attendees agree that catering for particular demographics needs dedicated scenarios.

Burmese beauty balm holding its own amongst modern day cosmetics

31-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

The yellowish paste made from ground tree bark also known as thanakha is managing to hold its own in Asia, despite intense competition from various multinational cosmetic corporations.

Asia in Focus

Whitening product innovation sees new focus on melanogenesis

30-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

This month we are looking at innovation in whitening products, which represented around 30% of total skin care business in 2014. While there are no new molecules to boast of, there is however, new stories on melanogenesis, according to our AP expert. 

Organic personal care market likely to post double-digit annual growth to 2020

29-Jul-2014 By Simon Pitman

Most global regions are expected to post near double-digit annual growth in organic personal care over the next six years, a new market research report suggests.

ADA Cosmetics sold to new equity investment company

29-Jul-2014 By Simon Pitman

Germany-based ADA Cosmetics has been sold by global asset manager The Carlyle Group to Ardian, an independent private investment company.

The Face Shop angling to become top Korean brand in Thailand

29-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

The Face Shop, a skin care and cosmetics leader in Korea, is eying up expansion Thailand, where it has set its sights on the top spot among Korean brands in the country.

China overtakes the US as world’s largest economy

29-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

China is likely to overtake the USA to become the world’s largest economy in Purchasing Power Parity, an economic milestone according to Euromonitor.

Start using the ‘cushion format’ or lose out in Korea, beauty brands warned

22-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

Global brands looking to tap into South Korea’s explosive beauty market growth are missing a trick in failing to use a cushion format in facial make-up products, Euromonitor International has stated.

China - South Korea free trade pact to affect Taiwan's prosperity

16-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Export-dependent island Taiwan could be hurt by a China-South Korea free trade pact, which will turn its complacency for a privileged position in China - granted by ECFA in '08 - on its head.

Emami hunting growth with multiple personal care launches

16-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

Emami has displayed eagerness to corner growth in India, with its recent launches and acquisitions marking it out as a company investing heavily in diversifying its portfolio. 

Greenpeace weighs in on Kao's promise to tackle deforestation

15-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

According to Greenpeace, policies like Kao's to remove forest destruction processes from its products can feature shortcomings like implementation timelines and high carbon stock forests.

Premium beauty in Australia driven by gift-giving

10-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

The premium category in Australia owes its recent sales growth largely to gift-giving consumers, Euromonitor International says.

Philippines not making the most of natural materials, says Chamber of Cosmetics Industry

09-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

The Philippines is currently not doing enough to capitalize on the potential and demand for natural ingredients in cosmetics products, an industry expert has asserted.

"Do you wanna be white?" - Is this Korean ad taking Western beauty ideals too far?

09-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

They say provocative campaigns sell, but is an advertisement featuring the above tagline for a skin whitening cream taking Western beauty ideals too far?

Vive la France: Korean consumers show enthusiasm for French cosmetics

08-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

It’s not baguettes but beauty wands: the recent launch of Eisenberg Paris in South Korea confirms that beauty is being fuelled by consumer enthusiasm for France within the Asian country.

Hindustan Unilever outlines five-point plan to make the company ‘future-ready’

03-Jul-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

The chairman of personal care giant Hindustan Unilever has outlined five areas of focus where the brand will make moves to make itself ‘future ready’, with the key industry player stating that change is now ‘the new normal’.

Heliae announces first international production facility as algae demand booms

03-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

As algae based ingredients become favored for beauty now more than ever, Cosmetics Design caught up with proprietary algae producer Heliae to find out about its new international facility and how Japan is a particularly lucrative market for the company.

Clever technology analyses personalized gender expression by use of make-up

02-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

A multi-disciplinary team of scientists working at the University of Western Australia (UWA) have developed a mathematical model that allows a computer to identify the gender of human faces based on a sliding scale.

Iran cosmetics market begins to boom again

01-Jul-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

In recent years, make-up application on a daily basis has become ritual for the 15.5 million women in Iran, particularly in urban areas where younger women invest in the routine.

Korean giant LG closes door on Elizabeth Arden bidding process

01-Jul-2014 By Simon Pitman

Korean consumer goods giant LG Household and Health Care has said it is no longer interested in bidding for Elizabeth Arden, after the cosmetics player revealed its restructuring plan.

The sun care category’s role in India’s enthusiasm for skin lightening

26-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

In a country which reportedly got through 233 tonnes of skin-whitening products last year as consumers strive to achieve paler skin, Indian consumers might be expected to be already well aware of the value of sun protection; but a recent L’Oreal’s study...

India FDA cracks down on cosmetics manufacturers

25-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

The Indian Food and Drug Administration has cracked down on four cosmetics manufacturers in Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur after finding them to be operating without valid licences.

Nivea opens first manufacturing plant in India

25-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

Nivea, a global leader in skin care, has just opened its first manufacturing plant within India, in a move which confirms its efforts to expand in the country are underway. 

Payouts start for Kanebo over skin whitening complaints

24-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Japanese cosmetics firm Kanebo is to offer short term compensation payments to 4,000 people who suffered from skin problems after using its whitening products containing the chemical Rhododeno.

Asia in Focus

Removing make-up no longer boring as innovation booms in cleansing formulations

24-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

This month we are highlighting the opportunities for brands in the skin care cleansing arena. Here, our expert, Florence Bernardin reveals Japan to be the most lucrative market due to its traditionally long and refined beauty routine. 

L’Occitane set to open shop on China’s largest ecommerce market

19-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

L’Occitane en Provence is in the final stages of confirming a deal with internet retailer Alibaba, which will see it launch a digital retail platform on the popular Tmall site.

Malaysia Health Ministry advises consumers against two cosmetic products

19-Jun-2014 By Simon Pitman

The Health Ministry of Malaysia has advised consumers in the country against buying two specific cosmetic products, claiming they both contain potentially toxic ingredients.

Skincare Ingredients 2014 online event opens its doors today!

18-Jun-2014 By Simon Pitman

The fourth annual Skincare Ingredients online event opens today, with a packed programme, networking opportunities and the chance to discover the biggest trends in the categories all at your fingertips.

Regulatory body counters discrimination in India’s skin lightening advertising

17-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

The advertising standards regulator of India, ASCI, has released draft guidelines which aim to challenge those advertising campaigns which plug skin lightening, or ‘fairness’, products by means of the promotion of social discrimination.

Domestic brand moves to take on international giants with Indian male grooming

17-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

Indian consumer goods player Emami has moved in on the increasingly lucrative male grooming sector in India, launching its deodorant range ‘He’ to compete with the international giants of Unilever and P&G.

Asia researchers look at new ways to harvest seaweed for cosmetics

12-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Although seaweed farming has been in practice for 100's of years in Asia, researchers now say they are focused on a new method that isn’t as labor-intensive to harvest the minerals used in so many cosmetics.

Sephora to focus on male consumers in Australia expansion

11-Jun-2014 By Lucy Whitehouse

During its upcoming expansion into Australia, international beauty brand Sephora will focus on young and male consumers, the brand has said.

Is Asia taking skin lightening too far?

11-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

With the global skin lightening market predicted to reach up to $10 billion by 2015, it's fair to say that Asia likes its brightening creams, but have brands gone too far, encouraging women to bleach the most intimate areas? 

Indonesian Minister and RSPO open to collaboration on joint sustainable palm oil standard

10-Jun-2014 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Indonesian Vice Minister of Trade have announced that they are open to a collaboration to produce a joint sustainable palm oil standard.

Clinique develops 'Custom-Repair Serum' for Asian skin

05-Jun-2014 By Michelle Yeomans

Clinique has expanded its skin care portfolio with a specialist serum that claims to offer customised and targeted repair which will be rolled out in Asia by September.