Editors' Top Reads: News from Louis Vuitton, M&S, TheIndustry.beauty LIVE and more...

Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.

Louis Vuitton hires Pat McGrath to lead its debut beauty line

It’s no secret that luxury brands can count on beauty lines to boost revenues; just look at Victoria Beckham Beauty and how it boosted the brand into the black after years in the red. So, nearly two centuries after its founding, Louis Vuitton has announced the launch of La Beauté Louis Vuitton, coming later this year.

The exciting twist? Acclaimed makeup artist Pat McGrath is its Creative Director. Tapping the best in the biz, McGrath has helped to develop La Beauté Louis Vuitton's new collection, which is made up of a long list of lipsticks, 55 to be exact, as well as 10 lip balms and eight eyeshadow palettes.

But what makes it different and truly Louis Vuitton by nature is that the assortment has been designed to fit one of the fashion house’s monogrammed trunks, the product the house became renowned for when it was founded back in 1854.

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer. 

Marks & Spencer announces biggest-ever investment in retail pay

Marks & Spencer has announced its biggest-ever investment in retail pay from 1 April, committing a record £95 million. The latest pay increase comes after the British department store invested £89 million in its UK retail pay and a further £5 million annual investment to enhance its maternity, paternity, and adoption policies last year.

Since 2022, Marks & Spencer has invested more than £285 million in its retail pay package. This marks the third consecutive pay increase under Chief Executive Officer Stuart Machin, who took the helm in May 2022.

It also comes despite new cost pressures from the Government, with Machin acknowledging that both M&S and the wider retail sector will face some significant cost headwinds in the new financial year. However, he has not allowed this to impact the retailer's hourly paid colleagues.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer. 

Menopausal women spending average £1,800 a year to combat symptoms

Menopausal and perimenopausal women are spending on average £1,800 a year to combat their symptoms, according to a recent study carried out by OnePoll. That's £150 a month. On Average. Many women will be spending a great deal more. The most expensive products they are turning to are skin treatments and skincare.

Small wonder then that many beauty brands are targeting this, until recently, under-served market sector with great enthusiasm. I'm all for this market being properly spoken to and catered for but there is a part of me that worries about exploitation and fear-mongering. Now that discussions of menopause are in the mainstream (and thank goodness for that), the marketers have been circling.

I've seen some rather absurd tactics to encourage women to buy products they are told they will need to use to get them through menopause, such as dry eye drops labelled as menopause friendly. Seriously? I have dry eyes, always have. That's down to contact lenses, not the menopause. Maybe dry eyes are triggered in others by the menopause but do we really need to be told that we need to buy a menopause friendly bottle of drops, that are exactly the same as the ones you would use to treat dry eyes at any other stage in life? If we have dry eyes, we'll buy eye drops, we're not stupid.

One large store I entered about a year ago had an entire display dedicated to skincare that was perfect for menopausal women and was boldly labeled as such. As far as I could work out, it was just skincare, albeit targeted at more mature skin. A short while later, I went back in and the display had been dismantled. Apparently women hadn't responded well to it. Maybe they could sense the marketing ply and weren't convinced.

There's no doubt that this a great market for beauty and wellness to study and serve with care and consideration. There's a consumer here who its prepared to invest but let's make sure we focus on things she needs and that will make a genuine difference, And, you know, sometimes you can sell to women of this age group without even mentioning the m-word. It's only one factor in a multi-layered life stage.

Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.

Highlights from TheIndustry.beauty LIVE: Opportunities and efficiencies for 2025 and beyond…

Industry professionals from the likes of Harrods, Sephora, L'Occitane, Estée Lauder Companies, ASOS, John Lewis, Medik8 and Molton Brown were amongst the stellar line-up of attendees at TheIndustry.beauty LIVE: Opportunities & Efficiencies for 2025 and beyond this week.

Hosted in partnership with logistics experts Bleckmann, and sponsored by beauty tech platform Revieve and delivery management software firm Scurri, the engaging event offered meaningful advice and insights from brands, retailers and industry experts such as Debenhams, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Dr.PAWPAW, Byellie and AS Watson, on how they can drive their businesses forward in 2025.

Missed out? Sign up to TheIndustry.fashion's daily newsletter to be the first to hear about future events. However, in the meantime, here are some highlights from this week's event.