Editors' Top Reads: News from Trinny London, Coty, Victoria Beckham and more...

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

British beauty industry to outpace France as it celebrates continued growth

I've had brand owners/leaders from major names tell me that the UK beauty market is often considered a region in its own right. By which I mean other countries get sucked into broader categories, such as EMEA or LATAM for instance, but the UK stands on its own such is its voracious appetite for beauty. And not just any beauty, but cutting edge skincare and makeup across all price brackets.

It is therefore no surprise to me to see that this market is soon to outperform France (the home of high fashion and luxury beauty) as the growth keeps coming. Recently released figures from Circana show that the luxury or prestige beauty market grew by 11% to £1.53 billion last year and is set to overtake France next year. France grew by just 6% in comparison.

Apart from our appetite for beauty, one of the things that sets us apart from the pack is the sheer volume of new brands we produce, often female led, which continue to drive growth and innovation. Trinny Woodhall, Victoria Beckham, Caroline Hirons, Pat McGrath, Charlotte Tilbury, Ruby Hammer, Lisa Eldridge, the list of British female innovators goes on. This news is cause for us all to feel proud.

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

Trinny London to open debut store as it bolsters omnichannel strategy

From pop-up to permanent home, Trinny London teased the opening of its debut flagship store in London earlier this week. Founder Trinny Woodhall took to Instagram to reveal the plans, filmed smashing a sledgehammer into the wall with the caption "Warning: this is a hard hat area. Construction of our new flagship is underway and off to a smashing start. Will we see you there? Our London flagship store is coming soon."

Whilst specific details were not revealed in the social media post, Woodhall said the flagship will not be open for "a few weeks" but appointments are now available to book online from 11 September.

The British beauty brand has been testing the waters of brick-and-mortar retail over the past few years, having welcomed consumers to various pop-up experiences in London. In fact, its most recent activation on London's Kings Road will be the location of its permeant store. Only meant to be there for a week, its popularity had already resulted in it staying put for the summer and now indefinitely.

I look forward to seeing what the new store has to offer!

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer. 

Kylie Cosmetics owner Coty outperforms market with double-digit growth

Despite the current economic backdrop and a slow in luxury spending, consumers still can't get enough of beauty. This week, Coty confirmed this, saying "beauty maintains its privileged position" after revealing its financial results for the fiscal year 2024, which ended 30 June 2024.

During the fourth quarter, Coty's net revenues grew by 1% on a reported basis. The Q4 reported sales growth was supported by growth in both prestige and mass fragrances, prestige cosmetics, and mass skin and body care. In FY24, total net revenues grew by 10% on a reported basis, ahead of the global beauty market which grew approximately by 9%.

Sue Nabi, Coty's CEO, said: "Our FY24 results set a new milestone in Coty's sustained track record of top-notch execution and market outperformance. In a dynamic macroeconomic backdrop, beauty maintains its privileged position, being neither a consumer goods industry nor a luxury goods industry. Instead, beauty is at the sweet-spot of desire, well-being, self-confidence, affordability, ritual, indulgence, and many new things that we and our consumers will invent. This is what fuels the strong global beauty growth that we continue to see to this day and which we expect to continue for the quarters and years to come."

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.

The Interview: Margaret Dabbs OBE on fusing podiatry with luxury beauty and expanding her clinics and retail line

Margaret Dabbs London has become synonymous with fusing podiatry-based medical excellence with luxury beauty, resulting in results-driven, high-­­quality treatments and formulations.

Having opened its newest clinic on London's Kings Road earlier this year, the business now consists of eleven clinics in the UK and three outside the UK in A Coruña, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, alongside a growing collection of retail products, including its bestselling Nail Strengthening Treatment and Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion.

In this interview with TheIndustry.beauty, the British brand's eponymous founder, Margaret Dabbs OBE, speaks about the growth of her business, its newest clinic on Kings Road, how effective retail partnerships are for the brand, her plans for the future, and more.

An interesting read with some good insights, if I do say so myself.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer. 

Netflix to release series following Victoria Beckham building her beauty empire

I'm not very good at watching Netflix series. They have to be really good or I get bored and tune out. But I'll be watching the forthcoming series on how Victoria Beckham built her fashion and beauty empire.

I find her Instagram posts so compelling that I will often rewatch one over and over again as she tells me for the three thousandth time how to create the perfect "smokey eye" with one of her Kajal pencils. Even the way she says Kajal has me hooked and I never wear a smokey eye as I don't think I can pull that look off. But I don't care, I watch anyway. I have no idea what it is but I find her mesmerising and I know I am not alone. Others have said the same.

I've 180-ed on Victoria Beckham (pictured above with facialist Melanie Grant with whom she is said to be working on skincare) since she first launched her fashion line in 2008. I was cynical back then but as I saw how committed she was to creating beautiful product and how hard she worked at it and to be accepted in an unwelcoming market, my grudging respect turned to total respect.

Her beauty products are fantastic, her fashion is chic and I think she is a great role model. She could have married a rich husband and put her feet up but instead she has worked hard and persevered against fierce criticism to create a fashion and beauty empire that holds its own in a crowded market if major international names. I can't wait to learn more about how she did it.

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