Editors' Top Reads: News from The Inkey List, Rhode, Space NK and more...

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

Inside INKEYLab: The Inkey List’s new fast-track innovation hub for next-gen products and consumer co-creation

The Inkey List is expanding its reputation for next-generation skincare ingredients with the launch of INKEYLab, a dynamic "test and learn" platform designed to accelerate product innovation. Focused on exploring emerging trends and ingredients, INKEYLab enables the brand to move products from concept to market in just three to six months. By releasing limited quantities through exclusive 'Insiders only' drops, the platform allows The Inkey List to gauge consumer interest and evaluate innovations before committing to full-scale production.

The platform emphasises both data-driven insights and community involvement in decision-making. By monitoring TikTok searches and trend data, the brand identifies emerging ingredients and evolving skincare needs, ensuring new launches are both timely and relevant. Customers are given an active role in shaping products, from providing feedback to participating in testing, allowing The Inkey List to tailor innovations to real consumer demand.

INKEYLab is not only a concept but launched with its first product this week: the vegan PDRN Cell Renewal Serum. The brand's co-founder Colette Laxton shared exclusive insights with TheIndustry.beauty. Read the full article here.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.

Rhode brings its billion-dollar beauty empire to UK high street with Sephora

It's no secret that Rhode has officially arrived in the UK. If not the biggest, it was certainly the loudest launch of the week. If you’ve been wandering around Notting Hill, Mayfair, or even hailed a black cab this week, chances are you’ve either spotted Hailey Bieber herself or some sort of Rhode messaging. Between pop-ups, Sephora launch activations at Carbone, and Rhode-covered taxis cruising the streets, the beauty mogul has been making sure London knows her billion-dollar skincare brand has officially arrived.

The permanent in-store debut at Sephora UK marks the first time Rhode has a physical retail presence outside the US. Fans can now shop cult favourites like the Peptide Lip Treatment and Barrier Restore Cream without queuing at fleeting pop-ups, while the brand’s signature ‘glazed skin’ aesthetic - glossy, clean, and clinically backed - continues to create a frenzy. The timing is perfect, arriving hot on the heels of Rhode’s $1 billion acquisition by E.l.f. Beauty, which ensures the brand retains its DNA while benefiting from global retail muscle.

From pop-up installations to taxis wrapped in Rhode branding, this week has felt like a celebration of the brand’s journey - from direct-to-consumer darling to high-street heavyweight. Plus, with Hailey personally overseeing the UK rollout, it’s clear this is more than a launch; it’s a full-scale takeover of London’s beauty scene, one glazed glow at a time.

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.

Space NK launches first shopping app to enhance customer experience

Space NK is upping the ante once more. It has been investing heavily in its physical stores (I'm sure many of you have visited the new Oxford Circus store, but if not, put it on the to-do list). Now it's going to connect the customer experience with its first shopping app.

The new app enables personalised shopping and provides users with access to their NDULGE loyalty profiles, as well as offering access to product drops before they hit other shopping channels.

I'm pleased to see this, as I do believe apps are an under-utilised channel and, often, when they do exist, they are little more than a slightly slicker version of a mobile website. Done right, apps can forge deep and meaningful relationships with consumers and Space NK has the product, data, loyalty scheme, and creativity to really make this work.

It's also a smart way to engage the younger end of its customer base, which is clearly an aim, given the environment it is creating in its stores.

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

From brain wealth to gut health: Holland & Barrett reveals wellness trends for 2026

Holland & Barrett unveiled a new trends report this week, reflecting on 2025 while forecasting 2026, at a time when health and wellness innovation is accelerating and consumers are increasingly prioritizing proactive, long-term approaches to wellbeing.

In addition to key mainstream trends, the high street chain has highlighted three global wellness shifts set to define 2026, representing mega trends that empower consumers to take greater control of their health.

This comes after Holland & Barrett entered its next phase of expansion and transformation, recently launching a major overhaul of its beauty category aimed at capturing a larger share of the market. Central to this new strategy is the redefined concept of beauty - one that embraces a holistic, "inside-out" approach prioritising both efficacy and wellness. These trends support this strategy and are summarised by yours truly here.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.