In beauty last week, LVMH beauty division flat in Q1 26 while Hong Kong retailer Sasa is up 31% in the last quarter.
LVMH Q1 26 SALES AT CONSTANT FX RISE 1% WITH BEAUTY FLAT
LVMH reported first-quarter 2026 organic revenue of €19.1 billion, a 1% increase that fell just below analyst expectations of amid geopolitical disruptions. Perfume and cosmetics sales held flat, but selective retailing grew 4% driven by Sephora, which delivered solid revenue gains across every region and continued gaining market share.
HERMES Q1 26 SALES AT CONSTANT FX RISE 5.6% WITH BEAUTY FLAT
Hermès reported first-quarter revenue of €4.07 billion, down 1.4% on a reported basis but up 5.6% at constant exchange rates, with double-digit growth in the Americas and Japan offset by a 5.9% decline in the Middle East and lower luxury footfall in London and Paris due to the Iranian conflict. The Perfume and Beauty métier remained stable despite new launches including the Plein Air foundation and Musc Pallida, while the Leather Goods division grew 9.4% at constant rates, reinforcing the group’s resilience amid external pressures.
GIVAUDAN SALES AT CONSTANT FX RATE UP 2.8% IN Q1 26
Swiss fragrance and flavor manufacturer Givaudan reported first-quarter sales of nearly 1.9 billion Swiss francs, down 5.2% due to the strong franc, though sales rose 2.8% at constant currency driven by fine fragrances. The company plans to raise prices in collaboration with clients to fully offset rising supply costs, while maintaining its medium-term target of 4-6% sales growth through 2030.
HONG KONG RETAILER SASA REPORTS 31% Q4 FY 26 SALES GROWTH
Hong Kong beauty retailer SaSa reported a 30.9% increase in last quarter sales to €130m, driven by a 33% rise in offline sales and an 18.9% increase in online revenue, with tourist spending accounting for 60.5% of sales in Hong Kong and Macao. The results highlight a strong recovery in travel-driven demand and the success of the company’s omnichannel strategy across physical and digital retail channels.
COTY AND INTERPARFUMS DENY FRAGRANCE LICENCE TALKS
Coty and Interparfums have both denied reports that they are in discussions regarding the sale of fragrance licences for Hugo Boss and Burberry, with Coty calling the claims “categorically false.” The denial comes amid Coty’s strategic review of its makeup division while reaffirming its commitment to core prestige brands.
L’ORÉAL-BACKED CHANDO FILES FOR HONG KONG IPO
Chinese beauty brand Chando, backed by L’Oréal, has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong despite facing profitability challenges due to high marketing spend and relatively low R&D investment at around 2% of revenue. The 25-year-old cosmetics brand aims to boost its competitiveness in an increasingly sophisticated Chinese market where consumers are demanding more efficacy-driven products beyond traditional brand positioning.
NYX ENTERS BODY CARE WITH FAT OIL COLLECTION
Nyx Professional Makeup is launching its first body care line, the 16-piece Fat Oil Body Collection featuring body oils, butters, lotions and fragrance mists in four scents, priced from $10 to $18 and available now direct-to-consumer and on TikTok Shop before a global retail rollout on May 1. The L’Oréal-owned brand aims to capitalize on fast-growing body care and fragrance categories, with the goal of selling one body oil for every bestselling Fat Oil lip oil sold.
BYREDO OPENS FLAGSHIP STORE IN HONG KONG’S CENTRAL DISTRICT
Byredo has opened a new flagship store on Gough Street in Hong Kong’s Central district, featuring a minimalist design with a stainless steel façade inspired by traditional shopfront gates and an interior that prioritizes open space and curated product displays. The store focuses on fragrance as its core category while also offering body care, home and cosmetics, and includes an interactive sink area for customers to test products on site, reinforcing experiential retail.
CHARLOTTE TILBURY OPENS FIRST INDIA BOUTIQUE WITH NYKAA
Charlotte Tilbury has launched its first Indian flagship boutique at Nexus Select Citywalk in New Delhi in partnership with Nykaa, which will manage the brand’s exclusive boutiques end-to-end across retail, operations and omnichannel integration. A second store is planned to open in May, building on the partnership that first brought Charlotte Tilbury’s products to India in 2020.
VIETNAMESE BEAUTY BRAND COCOON EXPANDS INTO FRANCE AND EUROPE
Vietnamese vegan beauty brand Cocoon has launched in France and across Europe through a partnership with distributor Orien Trade, opening its first Paris pop-up store as it enters one of the world’s leading beauty markets after two years of preparation to meet EU regulatory standards. The brand, which features 100% vegan products with locally sourced Vietnamese ingredients, now operates in 45 countries and territories globally and aims to scale internationally with its sustainable, plant-based formulations.
RUSSIAN TOURIST SURGE BOOSTS HAINAN’S ECONOMY
China’s Hainan province has seen Russian tourist arrivals more than double to approximately 510,000, making them the largest source of foreign visitors and accounting for roughly one-third of total international arrivals, driven by Western visa restrictions on Russians and expanded visa-free entry policies. The influx has spurred Russian-language services across hotels and retail, while medical tourism including anti-aging treatments is gaining traction as Hainan seeks to offset weak domestic consumption by attracting international visitors.
COSMAX PARTNERS WITH HELLOBIOME TO ADVANCE MICROBIOME BEAUTY
South Korean contract manufacturer Cosmax has partnered with microbiome intelligence company HelloBiome to integrate microbiome science into product development, enabling brand partners to create tailored, multistep product regimens based on specific skin or scalp profiles. The collaboration aims to shift formulation from trend-driven approaches to clinically validated systems, with an initial three-step routine for oily, breakout-prone skin already developed.
KLARNA AND DOUGLAS EXPAND PARTNERSHIP TO SPAIN AND ITALY
Klarna and Douglas have extended their payment partnership to Spain and Italy, allowing customers in both markets to split purchases into interest-free instalments as the German beauty retailer works to boost performance in underperforming regions. The move builds on their existing collaboration in other European markets and aims to enhance both in-store and online shopping experiences through flexible payment solutions.
FORMER MISS WORLD LISA HANNA LAUNCHES SKINCARE BRAND
Former Miss World and Jamaican politician Lisa Hanna has launched a seven-piece luxury skin care line called Lisa Hanna Beauty, featuring “quantum ReCP technology” with products ranging from $50 to $130, now available direct-to-consumer and at The Spa by Equinox Hotels. The “aging intelligently” brand, which is expected to exceed $1 million in first-year sales, will donate 5% of profits to the Lisa Hanna Foundation supporting education and housing in Jamaica.
