Editors' Top Reads: News from Maybelline, Pureseoul, MAC Cosmetics and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
The Interview: Pureseoul founders on building Britain's first K-beauty empire and launching in Superdrug
K-beauty may feel like it’s everywhere now - the sheet masks, the glass-skin serums, the ingredient names you can’t quite pronounce - but it wasn’t so long ago that Britain’s beauty shelves were completely bare of it. Enter Pureseoul: the British start-up that decided enough was enough. In just six years, it has turned K-beauty into one of the UK’s hottest beauty categories.
I sat down with co-founders Gracie Tullio and Leslie Tang at their cloud-covered Holborn HQ to hear how they went from shipping products out of a bedroom to opening stores that draw festival-sized queues. They opened up about the struggle of convincing Korean brands that Britain was worth their time, the gamble of betting big on physical retail when everyone else was going digital, and why their next move, launching in Superdrug, is an industry game-changer.
What makes this interview a must-read? For starters, it’s packed with exclusives. The duo reveal what trends are truly bubbling up in Korea right now (spoiler: if you’re still pushing snail mucin, you’re already behind), why the UK has only seen the tip of the K-beauty iceberg, and how they’re planning to double their store portfolio by next year. It’s part retail masterclass, part beauty forecast and part love letter to a movement that’s reshaping the way British consumers shop skincare.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
How MAC's makeup brought the concepts of London Fashion Week to life
While the runways of London Fashion Week dazzled with bold silhouettes and innovative design, the makeup brought each collection’s narrative to life - an artistic extension of the clothes, elevating the mood and meaning behind every look.
TheIndustry.beauty took a closer look at the standout makeup looks created by MAC Cosmetics, and how each one added a unique dimension to the runway - perfectly complementing the designers' visions and elevating the overall impact of the LFW shows.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Miley and Maybelline are a match made in heaven as brand begins cultural reset
Who brands choose as ambassadors always fascinates me. Some partnerships are puzzling and some are just inspired. This one definitely falls into the latter category. Miley Cyrus and Maybelline are a dream team.
Cyrus is a difficult character to pin down and therein lies her appeal. She's been through so many different iterations, made mistakes, made many fans and made some incredible music. I could listen to her talk for as long as I could listen to her sing. She's old enough to appeal to Maybelline's long-standing customer and young and cool enough to appeal to a new generation. She is both of the moment and, at the same time, long established.
This campaign is more than just Cyrus appearing in ads emblazoned immortal line: "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline (or Miley in this case)." It's a true cultural collaboration that will see Cyrus dropping new music in partnership with the iconic make-up brand.
Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out and it's making me want to rush out and buy some Great Lash just to be part of the fun.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
Mayor hails trial banning traffic from Oxford Street ‘the day the fight back began’
Major of London Sadiq Khan really is hellbent on making a large stretch of Oxford Street traffic-free. He hailed last Sunday’s one-day trial as “the day the fight back began to rescue the street”, pronouncing it as “a glimpse to what the future could be like” with increased footfall.
I’d say footfall on Oxford Street is usually pretty good as it is, even in its largely shoddy state. Surely doing what he and Westminster Council can to stop decent retailers leaving Oxford Street, attracting better ones and getting rid of the tat would be more rewarding for everyone concerned?
Crime rates in London have rocketed during his tenure as Mayor, and you barely see any coppers on the beat anymore (aside from stopping off for a KFC or similar). Knife crime in particular is rife. Does he really think that pedestrianising Oxford Street will help to cut crime? It’s more likely to get much worse.
Crimes, especially mobile phone thefts, are often carried out by hooded and masked-up gangs on souped up electric bikes and scooters (that often go faster than cars stuck crawling in 20mph zones), will they also be banned from Oxford Street?
Tim Lord, Chair of the Soho Society’s executive committee, pointed out earlier this year that what they do know from experience is that Old Compton Street was pedestrianised in 2000 and “nine months after they did it, they had to dig it all up because of the crime increase that happened on Old Compton Street,” he said.
Addressing the current level of crime in the local area more generally, he added: “There are 40,000 reported crimes a year in the West End ward. 2,000 robberies, 2,000 violent assaults and 500 sexual assaults.
“The West End ward has something like 75% of all the public realm crime in Westminster, so there are really serious crime problems - and I think the visitors are beginning to notice it.”
Add to the big issue of increased crime, pedestrianising Oxford Street will push cars onto neighbouring streets and will create a worse traffic problem than already exists, not to mention being a nightmare for local residents. Good luck to anyone who lives in the heart of it all.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
