Beauty

Coty Inc. plans to pay down debt with proceeds from its planned sale of its remaining 25.8% stake in hair care business Wella to KKR & Co. Inc. managed capital accounts. Separately, L’Oréal increases its 10% stake in Galderma to 20%.

Middle- and low-income US consumers are more thoroughly scrutinizing discretionary purchases, boosting mass market beauty sales in 2025 and prompting beauty companies to reposition their portfolios through reformulation, price reductions and packaging changes, says Capstone Partners.

Major beauty retailers such as Sephora, Ulta and Amazon have become 'de facto regulators' of sustainability by setting proprietary standards that ultimately determine which brands gain consumer trust, credibility and premium shelf visibility.

PCPC names Heather Helm exec VP of global strategies, replacing Francine Lamoriello who left several months ago. Separately, MAC Cosmetics announces Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chappell Roan is its newest global brand ambassador.

FDA’s proposed order follows its review of OMOR DSM-Firmenich submitted showing bemotrizinol, at concentrations up to 6%, is generally recognized as safe and effective and can be added as an active ingredient to sunscreen monograph.

Jo Malone London has launched an AI-powered Scent Advisor, built with Google’s Gemini and Vertex AI, to digitally recreate personalized in-store fragrance consultations, enhance online shopping confidence, and advance Estée Lauder’s broader strategy of AI-driven consumer personalization.

L’Oréal CEO Nicholas Hieronimus says the firm will tap its wealth of skin longevity science in its 50/50 joint venture with Kering SA for the development of business at the intersection of luxury, wellness and longevity.

K-Beauty skin care product launches are up 20% in the US in the last five years, versus a 16% decline in US skin care launches, underscoring the popularity of Korean beauty.

Former agency officials now representing industry worry that a deregulatory bent could be driving "Simple Reform" plan to merge all medical product and clinical research inspectorates and that specialist expertise gained in 2017 "Program Alignment" initiative will be reversed.

An updated study on the extended producer responsibility costs associated with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, released with the latest omnibus from the European Commission focusing on the environment, doesn't adjust the cosmetic industry’s expected financial contribution.

Washington state’s Toxic Free Cosmetics Act requires that retailers, salons and distributors in the state remove all remaining banned beauty products from store shelves by Jan. 1, 2026.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment approved Circular Action Alliance’s final plan for the state’s Extended Producer Responsibility program on Dec. 9.