Last week in beauty, Unilever’s beauty division drove growth in Q3 26 while Nivea is still struggling at Beiersdorf
UNILEVER BEAUTY & WELLBEING GREW 5.7% IN Q3 26
Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing division generated €3.5 billion in Q3 2026, 26% of group turnover, with underlying sales up 5.7% versus 5.2% group on 3.6% volume and 2.1% price, and reported turnover up 9.5% including 3.2% from acquisitions. Hair Care accelerated to double-digit growth led by Dove, Sunsilk, Clear and K18, while Skin Care grew mid-single digit and Wellbeing fell high-single digit partly on Prime Day timing.
BEIERSDORF’S CONSUMER DIVISION SALES DECREASED 0.7% IN Q3 2026
Beiersdorf’s Q3 2026 group sales fell 1.3% organically to €2.362 billion, as Consumer sales dropped 0.7% to €1.940 billion and NIVEA and Labello fell 4.9%, while Derma grew 10.6% and La Prairie 8.5%. Nine-month sales fell 2.8% organically to €7.314 billion, with Consumer Europe down 5.3% but the Americas up 3.6%, as Beiersdorf confirmed a low-single-digit organic decline and EBIT margin of at least 11.8% for the full year.
HENKEL CONSUMER DIVISION GREW 4.8% IN Q3
Henkel’s consumer division, home to Schwarzkopf, got2b and Olaplex, posted 4.8% organic sales growth in Q3 2026, driven by hair care, laundry and home care, with 3.2% price and 1.6% volume growth as group sales rose 11% to €5.7 billion. The performance prompted Henkel to upgrade its 2026 outlook, now expecting 3% to 4% group organic sales growth and 1.5% to 2.5% for consumer brands.
PUIG TARGETS €8BN SALES BY 2032 UP FROM €5BN IN 2025
Puig aims to surpass €8 billion in annual net sales by 2032 under its Vision 2032 strategy unveiled at its first Capital Markets Day in Madrid, up from €5.04 billion in 2025. The plan targets a more than 22.5% adjusted EBITDA margin, over €900 million in free cash flow, and a top-four premium beauty and top-two fragrance position, focusing on prestige and niche fragrances, Charlotte Tilbury and dermocosmetics.
DOORDASH EYES US$17 BILLION INSTACART ACQUISITION
DoorDash is in advanced talks to acquire grocery delivery platform Instacart in a potential US$17 billion deal, which could be finalised within days though no agreement is confirmed; Instacart was valued around US$13 billion before reports, while DoorDash is worth about US$73 billion. The consolidation could reshape online distribution for cosmetics and personal care brands by integrating delivery platforms more closely with grocery, pharmacy and convenience retailers.
CHARLOTTE TILBURY OPENS FIRST SOUTHEAST ASIA FLAGSHIP
Charlotte Tilbury opened its first Southeast Asian flagship at Plaza Indonesia in Jakarta on 27 October 2026, featuring the region’s first Pillow Talk Beauty Bar alongside dedicated testing and consultation areas. The standalone boutique gives the brand direct control over merchandising, pricing and consumer engagement, reducing reliance on third-party retail as it targets Indonesia’s growing prestige beauty market.
KAYALI MAKES CHINA DEBUT VIA SEPHORA
Dubai-based Kayali has launched in China exclusively with Sephora across more than 300 doors, debuting seven cult scents with nine more arriving in November and availability via Sephora’s WeChat Mini Program. The two-year project included founder Mona Kattan’s Shanghai events around Sephoria, reflecting a patient, community-led approach to building the fragrance category locally.
EREDI ZUCCA ENTERS US MARKET VIA VIOLET GREY
Milan-based grooming brand Eredi Zucca, part of D Capital, is launching in the U.S. exclusively through Violet Grey, with fragrances now accounting for half of sales and its wholesale footprint of 100 doors set to reach 120 by year-end. CEO Fabio Cantù said the brand targets €30 million in sales by 2029 and plans standalone barber shops in London, Paris, Dubai and New York while adding two to four new scents annually.
KROGER PLANS 110 NEW STORES BY 2029
Kroger plans to open 110 stores across three new formats by 2029 as part of a US$5 billion investment focused on fresh food, private-label products and e-commerce, with the stores expected to add roughly US$7 billion in annual sales at maturity. The 50,000 to 99,000 sq ft formats will reduce general merchandise space and add AI, digital shelf labels and robotics, potentially affecting cosmetics and personal care shelf availability in the supermarket channel.
BATH & BODY WORKS DEBUTS FRAGRANCE FOCUSED CONCEPT STORE
Bath & Body Works opened its first Feel Good concept store at SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 23, 2026, with additional locations planned for Columbus, Ohio and Miami, Florida. The format, part of its Consumer First Formula strategy, features a digital Fragrance Finder, an Eau de Parfum bar, demonstration sinks and clearer ingredient information to improve experiential discovery and personalization.
SKINCARE BRAND BOSCIA ACQUIRED BY THE CENTER BRANDS & DR. TUREGANO
The Center Brands and triple board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mamina Turegano have acquired Japanese-rooted skincare brand Boscia from FANCL, which launched it in California in 2002, with a direct-to-consumer relaunch planned for Q1 2027. The brand will be reimagined by combining its Japanese skincare philosophy and rituals with modern formulation science and dermatological expertise.
COTY PARTNERS WITH BRANDLIGHT TO IMPROVE AI BEAUTY DISCOVERY
Coty has partnered with AI platform Brandlight to boost the visibility of its beauty brands, including Rimmel London and Marc Jacobs Beauty, across AI assistants and generative AI search platforms. Executive Chairman and Interim CEO Markus Strobel said AI-powered search is reshaping the consumer journey, making beauty discovery more conversational, contextual and recommendation-led.
FENTY BEAUTY LAUNCHES WEARABLE BEAUTY TECH WITH CASETIFY
Fenty Beauty has teamed up with Casetify on a limited-edition 29-piece phone accessories collection, including 16 Casetify exclusives, that pairs mini Gloss Bomb and Invisimatte powder with MagSafe hands-free technology. The collaboration opens a new beauty vertical for Casetify and a novel distribution channel for Fenty, targeting the growing wearable beauty tech space and shared Gen Z and millennial audiences.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE LAUNCHES MES° HAIRCARE BRAND
Jennifer Lawrence has launched Mes°, a science-driven hair care brand co-created with Arcaea founder Jasmina Aganovic as a 50-50 venture, debuting with three products priced $34–$52 direct-to-consumer. The products use biology as a design tool to simplify routines and improve hair health during styling, backed by Arcaea’s $78 million Series A funding from investors including Chanel, Givaudan and Olaplex.
SEPHORA TAPS SETH ROGEN FOR HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN
Sephora US and Canada has partnered with actor Seth Rogen for its 2026 “We All Sephora” holiday campaign, following a “Sethphora” guerrilla marketing stunt at The Grove in Los Angeles. Rogen stars as an unexpected beauty shopper navigating gifts with a Beauty Advisor’s help, with Sephora saying the campaign makes beauty gifting more approachable, personal and fun.
SHARK CO-DESIGNS CRYOGLOW MASK WITH ACTOR KEVIN HART
Shark Beauty and actor and comedian Kevin Hart have co-designed a limited-edition CryoGlow LED Mask in a gunmetal and red finish, with Hart also set to star in the brand’s upcoming ‘Glow Like A Bro’ campaign. The launch follows Claudia Sulewski’s earlier co-designed CryoGlow edition as beauty brands increasingly tap comedic talent, including Sephora’s Seth Rogen holiday campaign.
ADRIA ARJONA NAMED L’ORÉAL PARIS AMBASSADOR
L’Oréal Paris has appointed Puerto Rican actress Adria Arjona as Global Ambassador to interpret its “You’re Worth It” slogan for 2026, starring in a campaign celebrating cultural connection and community pride. The 34-year-old, known for Hit Man and Splitsville, will lead campaigns across makeup, skincare, haircare and hair colour, joining 2026 ambassadors including Charles Leclerc and Kristen Bell.
DR.JART+ NAMES YOONCHAE JEUNG NORTH AMERICA AMBASSADOR
Dr.Jart+ has appointed Katseye’s Yoonchae Jeung as its first North America brand ambassador, with the 18-year-old South Korean singer fronting the Premium BB Cream campaign. The Estée Lauder-owned K-beauty brand aims to pair its Korean skincare heritage with the rising star’s perspective on individuality, continuing its legacy of K-pop collaborations.
LADY GAGA TAKES OVER AS HAUS LABS CEO
Lady Gaga has become Chief Executive Officer of Haus Labs, the cosmetics brand she co-founded in 2019, after co-founder and former CEO Ben Jones departed earlier in October. Gaga expands beyond creative direction and product development to oversee commercial operations, placing her in direct control of the brand’s next growth phase as a founder-led business in the prestige cosmetics market.
KYLIE JENNER FILES STORMI COSMETICS TRADEMARK
Kylie Jenner has filed a US trademark application covering cosmetics, skincare, hair care, fragrances, body oils and nail polish under her daughter Stormi Webster’s name, submitted to the USPTO on 24 August 2026. The trademark remains pending with no product launch announced, though it signals potential expansion of the family’s cosmetics portfolio beyond Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Skin and Kylie Baby.
