Editors' Top Reads: News from Unilever, The Inkey List, LBTY and more...

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

Unilever appoints new CEO for prestige beauty division

Unilever has appointed Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson as CEO of its prestige beauty division, following the exit of Vasiliki Petrou earlier this year. It marks a return for Gasco-Buisson to the company, having previously served as the Worldwide Brand Leader for Axe/Lynx, returning the business to double digit, profitable growth.

Unilever has added a number of global beauty brands to its prestige portfolio over recent years. Among the acquisitions are Tatcha, Hourglass, Living Proof, Murad, Dermalogica, Kate Sommerville and REN Clean Skincare, as well as the purchase of premium biotech haircare brand K18 in December last year.

News emerged last month that Unilever was exploring the potential sale of Kate Somerville and REN Clean Skincare. It will be interesting to see if this comes into fruition as Gasco-Buisson takes the helm and positions the division for continued growth.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.

In Review, September 2024: Headline highlights from The Body Shop, Lookfantastic, Trinny London and more...

It's only when you see a month's news wrapped up like this that you realise just how dynamic this industry of ours is. The UK beauty industry got off to a fantastic start in the new school year with launches, investment, new stores and new appointments galore.

Some of my favourite stories of the month are Trinny's new store in her personal stomping ground of Chelsea (swing by if you are passing, it will make you smile - and spend!), Lookfantastic venturing into physical retail with a brand new concept, John Lewis revealing plans to invest heavily in beauty as part of its revamp, and a revamp from the brand of my youth Rimmel (I may have to buy a Heather Shimmer to celebrate).

Check out our In Review of the month and take stock of all that the market achieves in the space of four weeks. October has already got off on a similarly eventful footing, so I'm excited to see what the next month has in store.

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

The Inkey List Co-founder returns as CEO

First Umar Kamani goes back to PrettyLittleThing, and now The Inkey List's Mark Curry has reclaimed his role as CEO at the beauty business he co-founded with Colette Laxton in 2018.

It follows the appointment of Stephanie Davis Michelman as CEO in April 2023, replacing Curry and Laxton as they focussed on driving global growth. During her tenure, she worked closely with Laxton and Curry to bolster the skincare brand's awareness and consumer base. She exits the business with immediate effect.

This year alone, The Inkey List has made great strides into new categories with the launch of its first colour cosmetics product as well as launching into bodycare. With Curry back at the helm, planning on "driving global growth and expanding the brand mission", we await to see the latest strategies the beauty mogul has up his sleeves.

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.

The Interview: LBTY MD Laura Simpson on expansion one year on from launch

Liberty has launched three new scents within its acclaimed LBTY fragrance range, one year after its debut collection.

Building on the success of the brand's launch in October 2023, which garnered acclaim for its innovative approach to fragrance, the latest additions to the LBTY fragrance line continue to draw inspiration from the department store's iconic textile prints. Each scent is a complex blend of evocative essential oils and botanicals, crafted by renowned perfumers to evoke memories and transport wearers to a vividly imagined world.

In this exclusive interview, Laura Simpson, Managing Director of LBTY, speaks about the new fragrance launches, how the brand is performing one year on from launch, its in-store and online experience, her ambitions for the brand, and more.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.