Last week in beauty L’Oréal dominated the fragrance foundation awards and doubled down on India.
L’ORÉAL DOMINATES FRAGRANCE FOUNDATION AWARDS WITH 8 WINS
L’Oréal took home eight awards at the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards in New York, including Fragrance of the Year honors for Miu Miu Beauty Miutine, Valentino Beauty Born in Roma Donna Extradose, and Yves Saint Laurent Myslf Absolu. The Estée Lauder Cos. won three awards, while Nordstrom Inc. was inducted into the Hall of Fame during its 125th anniversary year, and master perfumer Honorine Blanc of Dsm-firmenich received the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award.
EL CORTE INGLÉS POSTS 22.8% NET PROFIT GROWTH IN 2025
Spanish department store group El Corte Inglés reported net profit of €628 million for fiscal 2025/2026, up 22.8%, with EBITDA rising 4.7% to €1.27bn and sales growing 1.1% to €14.99bn, driven by strong fashion and beauty sales up 3.1% to €5.9bn. The company reduced net debt to €1.64bn and plans to increase investments by 14.6% to €650m this year.
SIGMA HEALTHCARE WITHDRAWS FROM $10BN BOOTS BID
Australian pharmacy group Sigma Healthcare has withdrawn from talks to acquire UK retailer Boots from Sycamore Partners, concluding that the potential $10 billion deal did not align with its strategic priorities and capital allocation objectives. The decision sent Sigma’s shares up 8%, while Canada’s Weston family remains linked to discussions regarding the UK health and beauty chain.
FRENCH BEAUTY INDUSTRY URGES SCRAPPING OF NEW US TARIFFS
The French Beauty Federation (FEBEA) is calling on French and European authorities to negotiate the removal of newly imposed 15% US tariffs on European cosmetics under the Turnberry agreement, urging a return to the historic 0% rate. The federation warns that the US market is particularly strategic for the European fragrance and cosmetics sector, which is already facing a slowdown in purchases.
L’ORÉAL ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN INDIAN BEAUTY STARTUP INNOVIST
L’Oréal has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Indian beauty startup Innovist, which owns haircare brand Bare Anatomy and skincare line Chemist at Play, as part of its strategy to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing Indian market. The deal includes an option to buy out minority shareholders, with the founders continuing to lead the business in collaboration with L’Oréal India.
L’ORÉAL ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH OPENAI
L’Oréal has unveiled a major collaboration with OpenAI at VivaTech, focusing on AI-powered consumer journeys, marketing, and research and innovation. The partnership includes integrating virtual try-on for Maybelline New York within ChatGPT, developing AI-native advertising pilots across brands like SkinCeuticals and CeraVe, and leveraging OpenAI’s GPT-Rosalind model to study skin microbiomes for La Roche-Posay product development.
L’ORÉAL EXPANDS GLOBAL REFILL CAMPAIGN WITH 18 BRANDS
L’Oréal has launched the third and largest edition of its #JoinTheRefillMovement campaign, bringing together 18 brands and 28 refillable products across skincare, fragrance, makeup and haircare to coincide with World Refill Day on June 16. The number of refillable products in L’Oréal’s portfolio has increased 3.7-fold since 2019, supported by a €100 million innovation programme and dedicated refill manufacturing facilities.
E.L.F. BEAUTY LAUNCHES HAIRCARE WITH SIX PRODUCTS
e.l.f. Beauty has expanded into haircare with e.l.f. Hair, launching six vegan, clean and cruelty-free products priced between $6 and $10, backed by strong community demand with 77% of its audience expressing purchase intent. The collection, which includes shampoo, conditioner, styling cream and anti-frizz spray, debuted with a bold “What the h.e.l.f.?” campaign starting June 16 on TikTok Shop, followed by Target on June 24.
AMOUAGE OPENS BEVERLY HILLS FLAGSHIP
Omani luxury fragrance brand Amouage has opened its first West Coast flagship at 311 North Beverly Drive, a 1,033-square-foot store designed with a “Wadi” concept inspired by the canyons of Oman and California. The opening expands the brand’s U.S. presence, which now includes stores in New York, Houston and New Jersey, with a Miami location planned soon.
ESTÉE LAUDER AND JO MALONE LAUNCH ‘SCENT SCANNER’ ON PINTEREST
The Estée Lauder Companies and Jo Malone London have launched Scent Scanner, a first-of-its-kind experience exclusively on Pinterest that translates users’ visual preferences into personalized fragrance recommendations. The tool, rolling out in the US and France, builds on Jo Malone London’s existing AI Scent Advisor by shifting the starting point from words to images.
KOREAN PE FIRM TAKES STAKE IN FRENCH MANUFACTURER COSBELLE
South Korean private equity firm PTA Partners has signed an MOU to acquire a 70% controlling stake in French premium cosmetics manufacturer COSBELLE, valuing the company at approximately $40 million. The deal aims to combine Korean smart-factory technologies and ingredient innovation with COSBELLE’s European manufacturing expertise and “Made in France” positioning to help Korean indie beauty brands expand internationally.
P&G RESHUFFLES LEADERSHIP UNDER CEO SHAILESH JEJURIKAR
Procter & Gamble has announced a major leadership reshuffle across four business segments, with Gary Coombe retiring and Juliana Azevedo taking over as CEO of the grooming division, becoming a potential future CEO candidate. The changes follow the retirement of several senior female executives and come as CEO Shailesh Jejurikar builds his executive team, with women now representing 51% of P&G’s management workforce.
ALO EXPANDS BEAUTY LINE WITH CLARITY MIST AND EYE MASKS
Alo is launching two new beauty products: Hypochlorous Clarity Mist ($16) to calm redness and BIO NAD+ Recovery Eye Masks ($55) for cellular renewal, available exclusively at Alo’s own site and app before later rolling out to Amazon. The brand views the expansion as a natural extension of its holistic wellness approach, with plans to continue building out its product offering to support daily wellness rituals.
GARNIER NAMES FIRST KENYAN BRAND AMBASSADOR
Garnier has appointed Kenyan content creator Azziad Nasenya as its first-ever brand ambassador in East Africa, coinciding with the launch of its new Even & Bright Serum Cleanser. The appointment reflects L’Oréal’s strategy of deepening localisation across African markets by partnering with influential local voices.
