Editors' Top Reads: News from Unilever, Molton Brown and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
Unilever to streamline prestige portfolio with sale of two big brands
News emerged this week that Unilever is exploring the potential sale of Kate Somerville and REN Clean Skincare, having acquired both brands in 2015 to bolster its prestige portfolio.
It interestingly comes just one month after the chief executive of its prestige beauty division exited the business. Vasiliki Petrou left her role as CEO of Unilever Prestige, the division she created a decade ago to help bring a portfolio of premium beauty brands into the company, at the end of July. The category also includes Tatcha, Hourglass, Living Proof, Murad, Dermalogica, and more. However, it appears Unilever is now looking to streamline the division with the sale of Kate Somerville and REN.
The news comes amid a challenging backdrop for the company, which is partway through a turnaround effort that includes plans to cut about a third of all office jobs in Europe by the end of 2025.
Last month, Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher said the company's turnaround plan involves "doing fewer things, better and with greater impact". It seems like this applies to its brand portfolio too.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Data reveals UK’s tan-obsessed hotspot and it's not where you might think...
My favourite kind of data stories are when they supply an element of shock factor and this week's data analysis published by beauty and wellness marketplace Fresha supplied just that.
In a quest to uncover the UK's biggest tanning cities, Fresha counted the number of tanning salons across all UK areas with a population of at least 100,000. The number of salons was then scaled against local populations to uncover the salon count per 100,000 residents. Can you believe major cities like London, Birmingham and Leeds didn't make it into the top ten? Not to mention my hometown of Essex - now, I certainly thought that would be up there.
Blackpool came in first place with an impressive 34.2 tanning salons per 100,000 residents - 249% above the national average. The small seaside town boasts 51 tanning salons, giving it a higher concentration of tanning salons relative to the population than anywhere else in the UK. This suggests a trend of smaller towns and coastal cities placing more importance on tanning and self-care.
This data exposes where there may be business opportunities for salon owners and spray tan studios in certain cities where there are gaps in the market.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
Unilever trialling use of unwanted flowers to make fragrances for products
Unwanted flowers make me sad. Whenever I walk past a flower stall or even just some sad buckets outside a petrol station at the end of the day, I feel a bit melancholic. Such beauty gone to waste...
So I was rather delighted to see this experiment from Unilever, which is working with scientists at the University of Nottingham to launch a new pilot for fragrance-making by using flowers and plants that would otherwise go to waste. These experts have started extracting oils from petunias, roses (my personal favourite scent) and marigolds.
The consumer giant said the ambition is to test these oils for use in brands’ home care and personal care products, such as shampoos and cleaning products. It makes perfect sense but it's not without its challenges since the quality of the unwanted plants can vary greatly. But I really hope they can make this work to some degree and perhaps I shan't feel so sad when I see those depressing discarded buckets of blooms anymore.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
Molton Brown repositions itself as 'fragrance-first' brand with launch of new initiative
Molton Brown is repositioning itself with a clear directive: to be recognised as a fragrance-first brand. The move is defined by a new initiative, launching under the title of 'Artists of Note'.
Reflecting its commitment to creativity, craft and the human link between perfumer and wearer, the brand has invited three British creatives to imagine three of its fragrance icons through their vision and medium. Described as an expression of the unique feeling and deeper meaning evoked by its scents, their interpretations are said to be a "testament to the sensorial power of fragrance and of individual connection with every note".
Dr. John Cooper Clarke celebrates Molton Brown's Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel fragrance, while London-based fashion designer Nicholas Daley imagines the brand's Re-charge Black Pepper scent and Vogue one-to-watch Gala Colivet Dennison interprets its opulent, spicy Rose Dunes scent.
By collaborating with prominent artists, Molton Brown is reinforcing its identity as a fragrance-first company, dedicated to crafting "memorable, sophisticated scents that inspire and resonate". A clever initiative, which I look forward to seeing progress as the brand continues its focus on fragrance.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.