Editors' Top Reads: News from Boots, Jo Malone, UV safety and more....
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
UK report calls for national strategy on UV protection amid rising skin cancer cases
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Beauty, Hair & Wellbeing has renewed its call for a stronger national approach to ultraviolet (UV) protection following the publication of a new report this week into UV safety in the UK.
Titled A Preventable Crisis: The Case for a National UV Safety Strategy, the report draws on a year-long inquiry into the health impacts of UV exposure and argues that the UK currently lacks a coordinated, cross-sector strategy to reduce UV-related harm.
The inquiry was first launched in May 2025 and is chaired by MP Carolyn Harris. Since then, it has gathered evidence from healthcare professionals, academics, manufacturers, industry representatives and individuals with lived experience.
As someone who has become a bit of a suncare obsessive (to the point where my friends are sick of me preaching to them), I found the report particularly compelling. It also caught the attention of THG Beauty Retail CEO Francesca Elliott, who, in her first contribution article for TheIndustry.beauty, outlined why the company is backing the initiative and stressed the urgent need for greater public awareness of UV protection.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
ZARA denies infringing Estée Lauder’s Jo Malone trademark
I'm quite gripped by this case as it has all the makings of a landmark legal ruling (assuming it isn't eventually settled out of court) that will be cited for years to come. It's a salutary lesson in why lawyers always tell founders to avoid setting up brands in their own name. When you sell the business, you often have to give up certain rights to your own name, which is often factored into a sale price.
The Estée Lauder Companies acquired British perfumer Jo Malone’s original brand, Jo Malone London, in 1999, and with the rights to use her name commercially. Malone left the business in 2006. Five years later, she launched another fragrance brand but to avoid trademark infringement, it was called Jo Loves. Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) had no issue with this.
More recently, she launched a fragrance line with fashion giant ZARA, in which her name Jo Malone CBE is featured on the labelling. Specifically, it says “A creation by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves”.
ELC is arguing that there is potential for consumers misunderstanding that this product has been developed by Jo Malone London and they claim it infringes copyright. ELC apparently first raised concerns about this in 2020 and set out various forms of wording to ZARA on how to distinguish between Jo Malone the person and Jo Malone London the brand.
However, ELC has kicked off again (possibly because a recent fragrance launch features London in the name). Malone herself has expressed frustration that she can't identify herself as the creator behind the fragrances and ZARA has said it believes it has done all it can to avoid confusion.
A high court will decide who is right. It's tempting to see this as ELC throwing its weight around but ZARA is a global force and incredibly litigious itself if it feels its trademark has been infringed. So, this is actually a case of Goliath versus Goliath. I wouldn't be shocked if ELC wins, but let's see.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
The Interview in partnership with CEW: Chelsey Aldridge, Beauty Director at Boots
Chelsey Saunders is one of those special retail success stories, having joined Boots in 2011 as an Assistant Buying Manager. She has since risen through the ranks to become one of the key figures shaping the high street retailer’s beauty strategy.
Following an almost seven-year stint with former Boots owner Walgreens Boots Alliance, where she held a number of beauty buying roles - culminating in Head of Department for Skincare & Suncare - Saunders was appointed Head of Category for Everyday Beauty at Boots, then Head of Beauty, and finally, in September 2023, her current role as Beauty Director for Fragrance, Skincare & Haircare.
In an increasingly competitive beauty landscape, Saunders has become one of the driving forces behind its continued expansion and elevation within the category.
In this interview, she reflects on her earliest memories of beauty and the influence of her mother, discusses the trends currently resonating with UK consumers, and explains how Boots is differentiating itself in today’s fast-evolving market.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Boots confirms ex-Currys boss as new CEO
More news from Boots! The beauty and health giant this week announced that Alex Baldock, former boss of Currys, will be taking over as its new CEO in autumn.
The news comes just one month after Boots reportedly started working with consultants on a strategy overhaul in preparation for a potential listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2027.
With his background at Currys, where he led a comprehensive transformation of the business, it will be interesting to see how Baldock leads Boots through this "next phase of transformation, growth and investment".
With the likes of Sephora UK entering the UK beauty market, competition has been intensifying for Boots, and I, for one, am keen to watch how Baldock uses his experience to shape Boots' entry onto the stock market.
Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer.
ASICS spotlights 'post-workout glow' in first beauty-focused campaign
I was so intrigued to see sportswear brand ASICS launching its beauty-focused campaign this week. For me, this shows just how much the lines between fashion, sportswear and beauty are starting to blur - or perhaps, rather, how much they are starting to reinforce each other.
ASICS' new campaign, titled "Get The Glow", highlights the natural "post-exercise glow" associated with movement and its impact on physical and mental wellbeing.
The campaign puts the spotlight on individuals, including ASICS athletes, who engage in activities such as running or training sessions and shows the visible effect that exercise can have on your face.
Gary Raucher, Global Head of Marketing at ASICS, commented that the brand wanted to "spotlight something real" in a "culture where glow is often manufactured".
This approach seems to be working for the brand, which reported a 43.8% surge in Q1 2026 sales in Europe, reaching ¥84,572 million (£396.90 million).
Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer.
