Editors' Top Reads: News from Lookfantastic, Sephora, Neom and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
Experiential beauty takes centre stage as Lookfantastic opens second UK store in Bristol
Lookfantastic opened its second UK store today at Bristol’s Cabot Circus, with plans for further locations currently "under consideration", according to Managing Director, Keely Gough.
The space is designed as an experiential retail environment, blending product discovery with expert services and community-led initiatives to create a more engaging shopping experience.
It follows Lookfantastic’s first store in Altrincham, which launched in 2024 and has "performed ahead of expectations", influencing the design and approach of the Bristol location.
While further UK expansion is under consideration, no additional sites have been confirmed, with Gough telling us that the beauty retailer's focus is on consistent execution at each store as it develops its bricks-and-mortar strategy.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Sephora to land in central London with new boutique-style store
More exciting news for beauty retail, as Sephora has announced it is launching a 2,600 sq ft boutique-style store at 5-7 Carnaby Street later this year.
The new boutique-style concept will focus on curated edits, expert advice, and speed of service, featuring a different façade and ‘Beauty Scan’ technology, which will create more personalised recommendations and "a seamless multi-channel experience".
I think this is incredibly exciting news, as Sephora is tapping into the vast potential of in-store beauty tech to engage and educate customers. I think this is a direct response to consumer demand for more tailored recommendations and a desire to understand not only the product but also their own skin.
By combining this with a more intimate store concept that allows for more 1-to-1 time with sales assistants, I think consumers will grow more confident in experimenting with new brands and products.
Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer.
How I started in beauty: Neom Wellbeing CEO Isabel Malbois
Isabel Malbois has been the CEO of Neom Wellbeing since October 2023. She first joined the company as Commercial Director in 2021 before being promoted to Managing Director in 2022.
She brought with her extensive experience in the beauty industry, having held numerous positions at L’Oréal, including General Manager for Giorgio Armani Beauty in the UK and Ireland, and beginning her career as a Product Manager at Lancôme.
In this interview, Malbois reflects on her early days at Lancôme and the lessons that shaped her professional journey. She also shares insights into her current leadership role, offers advice she would give her younger self, and reveals the people in the beauty industry she has long admired.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
84% of Gen Z want sustainable beauty, but recycling habits fall short
Such is the paradox of Gen Z, they have very strong values but quite often the action doesn't back it up. Perhaps am being slightly harsh, but the situation is quite similar in the fashion market, where Gen Z still buy tonnes up tonnes of fast fashion but just because they do so via Vinted, they seem to think it's a sustainable practice. It's marginally better than buying new, but it's not exactly sustainable.
When it comes to beauty, Gen Z tells us they want to be sustainable but many of them are unaware about recycling packaging, though according to this great study from the British Beauty Council, in collaboration with discount platform UNiDAYS, well over half (56%) are recycling for the most part. So that's not a bad start.
Some 84% of respondents say they consider sustainability when buying beauty (though does that mean they consider and don't act?) but what would encourage most of them to buy more sustainable products, would be incentives. Discounts, store credit etc would encourage them to be greener, in other words.
Really if you were that true to your values, these sorts of things wouldn't come into it? But in that regard Gen Z are no different from the rest of us. For anyone targeting this demographic, this report on the research is an eye-opener.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief.
