Retail Recap: The big beauty launches of January 2023
This month saw a variety of new beauty launches across the UK, from new brand launches and retail expansions, to tech and product innovation.
TheIndustry.beauty has created a round-up featuring January's highlights from brands including L'Oréal, The Inkey List and Superdrug.
Launches at UK retailers
Aaron Wallace names Superdrug as exclusive high street partner
Aaron Wallace's Black male grooming brand named Superdrug as its exclusive high street partner, strengthening the retailer's desire to provide products for all hair and skin types.
Superdrug champions Black-owned businesses with Carol’s Daughter UK launch
Black-founded haircare brand Carol’s Daughter launched in the UK at Superdrug. With over 23 items on offer, the brand's range of textured and natural haircare products are now available online and in-store at Superdrug. This includes shampoos, conditioners, sprays, creams and an oil.
New brands
Joanna Ellner's new skincare brand REOME launches in the UK
REOME, a new holistic skincare brand designed to target stressed skin, launched exclusively at Space NK. Founded by Joanna Ellner, an award-winning beauty editor and acupuncturist, REOME's mission is "to invigorate stress-compromised skin with highly-specialised, potent formulas, and to redefine skincare as a tool for self-connection".
John Legend's new affordable skincare line targets gap in the market
Singer-songwriter John Legend unveiled his “affordably priced” skincare line for consumers with melanin-rich skin. The ‘Loved01’ range of "skincare must-haves" focuses on treating dryness, pH imbalances, and environmental impact.
Actress Julie Bowen and media veteran Jill Biren launch skincare brand for boys
Actress Julie Bowen and former Condé Nast Director Jill Biren launched a new skincare brand for teenage boys, called JB Skrub. Described by the brand, JB Skrub features "thoughtful, hardworking formulas in minimal, super cool packaging". The product offering spans skincare and bodycare, including a face wash, face pads, face lotion, body wash and body spray.
Tech & Innovation
L’Oréal enlists influencers over 40 in new marketing campaign
L’Oréal Paris addressed the age gap in social media marketing by enlisting ten influencers aged 45-84 to promote its Age Perfect Rosy-Oil Serum. The "first-of-its-kind" marketing campaign tapped into the 13% of Instagram users aged 45 and over.
EMSCULPT developer brings its body shaping technology to the face with EMFACE
BTL Aesthetics – developers of the hugely popular EMSCULPT body shaping technology used by professional practitioners – moved into the facial devices market for the first time with EMFACE. This is described as the first and only hands-free, non-invasive device that simultaneously affects the facial muscles and skin to "remodel, smooth and tone without the use of needles".
The Inkey List introduces swap-and-save feature to cut customer costs
The Inkey List quietly launched a new online service to help customers cut their beauty costs. The digital feature allows people to share their current skincare routine and receive recommendations from The Inkey List about which products to keep and which ones to swap for own-brand alternatives.
Marble Arch London introduces discounts loyalty app to boost footfall
Marble Arch London and its Business Improvement District (BID) scheme partnered with LoyalFree App to offer on-the-go access to exclusive offers and discounts across the area’s shops, health and beauty salons, restaurants, pubs and cafes, to support businesses and drive footfall.
Revieve announces global strategic partnership with Google Cloud
Revieve partnered with Google Cloud to help businesses deliver personalised beauty experiences. The partnership helps beauty brands and retailers collect and evaluate actionable real-time data about their customers for further adoption and actions across their business practices.
L'Oréal invests in Metaverse marketplace 'Digital Village'
L’Oréal’s venture capital fund BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) invested in Digital Village, a metaverse-as-a-service platform and NFT marketplace. This was the 110-year-old company’s first venture capital investment in the metaverse and Web3 space.
Estée Lauder unveils new beauty app for visually impaired users
The Estée Lauder Companies unveiled a new Voice-Enabled Makeup Assistant (VMA) application to support the visually impaired community in applying makeup more easily. The experience uses voice instruction technologies to assist the user in makeup application, offering audio feedback and tips on whether lipstick, eyeshadow or foundation is evenly applied.
L'Oréal's new innovations champion accessibility
L'Oréal unveiled two new technology prototypes to help make beauty more accessible, named HAPTA and Brow Magic. Under development by L'Oréal scientists and engineers, HAPTA is a handheld, ultra-precise smart makeup applicator for users with limited hand and arm mobility. Brow Magic is an at-home electronic eyebrow makeup applicator that provides users with customised brow looks.
Features
- In-depth: Merit gets ready to bring its minimalist, 'Millennial and up' make-up to the UK.
- The Interview: Pacifica Beauty's Founder & CEO on vegan beauty.
- The Interview: Catriona Maybury, Medical Lead at Dermatica.
