Editors' Top Reads: News from Skin Rocks, ONE/SIZE, The Perfume Shop and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
Caroline Hirons expands Skin Rocks Pro with new training hub for professional facialists
How does she do it? The indefatigable Caroline Hirons has added to her impressive beauty empire with a new academy to train professional facialists in the use of her Skin Rocks Pro range. The academy opened this week and will support beauty facialists across the country to get the most from the Skin Rocks Pro range and to grow their businesses.
I've spoken this week to Caroline Hirons and Michelle Hindmarch, Head of Business Development at Skin Rocks Pro, about the initiative, so we will have more on this story soon, but here's the initial news on the opening. They are both passionate about lifting up other beauty professionals (whether their business is small or large) and they also want to promote skin therapy as a desirable and rewarding career path.
For too long, beauty therapy and hairdressing (and retail work, for that matter) have been pushed as careers for those who aren't academic or who don't know what else they want to do. But both Hirons and Hindmarch have proved that if you are gifted and driven to make a difference, this can be a very lucrative and exciting road to travel. I'm sure we can expect to see more success stories in this field moving forward, thanks to the establishment of the Skin Rocks Pro Academy.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief.
New data reveals acne overwhelm as 53% wasting money on ineffective products
As someone who has dealt with acne for a long time, I wasn’t surprised by these findings, but I found them deeply insightful. Despite acne affecting so many people, public understanding, education and representation around this condition remain limited.
In a new report, online skincare retailer Face the Future delves into the UK’s acne experience, examining issues such as skincare overwhelm, misplaced trust in products, emotional impact, financial strain, and the growing reliance on prescription treatments.
Even though acne is a common condition in the UK, confusion is widespread, and the knowledge gap is striking: 66% of people don’t know whether their acne is hormonal, bacterial, fungal, or something else. Among 18-24-year-olds, 75% are unsure about their acne type, and 74% of 25-34-year-olds feel the same.
The findings also reveal that 79% of respondents feel overwhelmed by products claiming to “fix” acne, and 53% report spending money on products that didn’t work. Even as someone working in the beauty industry, I can attest that navigating this landscape is challenging - but for the average acne sufferer without experience, I can imagine it feels almost impossible.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
The Perfume Shop tackles fragrance waste with nationwide recycling push
As someone who has gone through quite a few perfume bottles over the years, it's great to see that there is a renewed drive to give them a second life through recycling.
The Perfume Shop has so far collected 7,714 bottles of perfume and aftershave this year and has reported a 234% year-on-year increase in bottles recycled through its stores.
It also increased its range of refillable products from 113 stock-keeping units (SKUs) in 2024 to 155 in 2026, representing a 37% increase over two years.
With another boost on the recycling front, the retailer is addressing a significant source of waste in the beauty industry, highlighting that UK households discard an estimated 59 million perfume and aftershave bottles each year.
The initiative is a nationwide campaign that brings together brands, retailers, and beauty professionals to reduce industry waste.
The Perfume Shop is not the only one boosting its recycling, with department store Selfridges also having rolled out a nationwide beauty and cosmetics recycling scheme earlier this year so that customers can return beauty empties for rewards. The scheme, Reselfridges Recycle, is now available at all Selfridges Beauty Halls in Birmingham, Manchester and London’s Oxford Street.
Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer.
'Our most ambitious year yet': ONE/SIZE President Juliette Tang on UK growth, omnichannel engagement and global ambitions
ONE/SIZE is a modern makeup brand founded by beauty influencer and makeup artist Patrick Starrr, with a mission to make beauty truly inclusive and accessible to everyone.
The brand first gained traction in the US as a Sephora-exclusive, quickly earning a reputation for high-performance, socially buzzed products. Its On ’Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray is a standout bestseller, topping US makeup charts and capturing significant market share in the setting spray category.
Other fan favourites include the Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder, Turn Up the Base Versatile Powder Foundation, and a range of long-wear primers and complexion essentials - all celebrated for their performance and inclusive shade ranges.
After launching at Sephora in the UK, ONE/SIZE recently expanded its presence with Boots, underlining the growing importance of the UK market to its international growth strategy.
TheIndustry.beauty speaks with President Juliette Tang to explore UK consumer trends, the role of activations in driving UK growth, upcoming product launches and future ambitions.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
