Last week in beauty, Frasers acquires Harvey Nichols while Douglas saw sales and EBITDA go down in the last quarter.
FRASERS GROUP ACQUIRES HARVEY NICHOLS IN £40M DEAL
Frasers Group has acquired luxury department store Harvey Nichols through a pre-pack administration deal worth approximately £40 million, including its Knightsbridge flagship, online and international franchise operations, and more than 1,000 employees. The acquisition ends Sir Dickson Poon’s 35-year ownership, with Frasers warning of significant restructuring including a review of the store portfolio and cost base following years of losses.
DOUGLAS CALENDAR Q2 26 SALES FALL 2%, EBITDA DROPS 19.4%
Douglas reported FY Q3 26 sales (calendar Q2 26) of €987.8 million, down 2.0% year-on-year, with adjusted EBITDA falling 19.4% to €127.5 million and margin declining from 15.7% to 12.9% as weaker traffic, lower conversion and heavier promotions weighed on results. Store sales declined 2.5% (6.5% LFL) while e-commerce fell 1.0% (1.1% LFL), with DACHNL down 2.8%, France down 2.1%, and only Central Eastern Europe showing positive growth at 4.4%, as Parfumdreams and Niche Beauty declined 10.4%.
NATURA H1 26 CONSTANT SALES FALL 5.5%
Natura Group reported first-half net revenue of BRL 9.915 billion (€1.69 billion), down 8.5% reported and 5.5% in constant currency, with EBITDA falling 26.2% to BRL 965 million (€164 million) and a net loss of BRL 410 million (€70 million) versus a profit a year earlier. Brazil remained the main source of pressure with revenue down 10.7%, while Hispanic Latam grew 3.0% in constant currency, and management is reviewing its EBITDA margin expansion ambition for the full year.
APR Q2 26 SALES UP 134% AS MEDICUBE BECOMES AMAZON’S TOP BRAND
APR reported record second-quarter revenue of KRW 768 billion (€470 million), up 134% year-on-year, with operating profit surging 135% to KRW 191 billion (€117 million) as cosmetics sales jumped 186% to KRW 648 billion (€397 million), now representing 85% of total revenue. Medicube became the top-selling skincare brand on Amazon US for the first time in Q2, ahead of CeraVe and La Roche-Posay, as North American revenue climbed 265% to KRW 376 billion (€230 million) and European sales soared 380% to KRW 145 billion (€89 million), while Korea declined 14.5% as the company rationalized non-core domestic activities.
AMOUAGE H1 RETAIL SALES UP 74% REACHING $360M
Amouage reported H1 26 estimated retail sales of $360 million, up 74% year-on-year, marking the 13th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth for the Omani fragrance house. Growth was driven by exceptional performance in premium formulations, with the Essences collection up 360% and Exceptional Extraits growing 82% to a third of the business, alongside strong regional gains in the US (+92%), EU (+98%) and Asia-Pacific (+97%), as the brand continues to expand its boutique network and DTC channels.
LOUIS VUITTON DEBUTS LIMITED EDITION MAKEUP COLLABORATION
Louis Vuitton has launched its first beauty collaboration, bringing together Creative Director Pat McGrath and Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière for a limited-edition capsule featuring two Monogram-inspired universes, Monogram Dune and Monogram Infrarouge, across eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks and balms. The ultra-premium collection, with prices reaching up to $340, reinforces the luxury house’s strategy of extending its heritage codes into beauty while maintaining exclusivity through limited editions, refillable packaging and complementary leather accessories. The global rollout begins in China on August 10, followed by online and boutique releases from August 20.
SEPHORA PARTNERS WITH GLAM42 TO BRING SEPHORA COLLECTION TO ISRAEL
Sephora has entered a temporary resale agreement with Israeli retailer Glam42 to sell its Sephora Collection private-label beauty brand in selected stores from the end of August, while clarifying it has no plans to open standalone stores in the market. The agreement provides a lower-commitment route for Sephora to test and extend its proprietary portfolio in Israel without investing in its own retail network.
RITUALS UNVEILS NEW SKINCARE INFUSED MAKEUP COLLECTION
Rituals has launched a 21-piece Make-up and Lip Care collection featuring peptide-rich liquid blush and phyto keratin-infused mascara, combining creamy textures with high-performance skincare actives designed to enhance natural beauty while caring for skin and lips. The collection aims to offer a holistic beauty experience where skincare and makeup work together, tapping into growing consumer demand for color cosmetics with added care benefits.
SOUTH KOREA STEPS UP GLOBAL K-BEAUTY COUNTERFEIT FIGHT
South Korea is launching a state-backed trademark authentication system from October, registering certified trademarks across more than 70 countries to enable cross-border enforcement against counterfeit cosmetics. Authorities removed over 36,000 counterfeit beauty products in 2025 and 20,000 in H1 2026, while expanding cooperation with e-commerce platforms including TikTok Shop and Temu, as coordinated enforcement becomes increasingly important for K-beauty brands scaling globally.
KLEENEX LAUNCHES SKIN-SPECIFIC BEAUTY TISSUES
Kleenex is launching its first skin-specific Beauty Tissues in September, its biggest innovation in 30 years, featuring two variants: Oily & Combination Skin with niacinamide and Dry & Normal Skin with glycerine and Japanese milk. The launch marks a strategic shift from general-purpose tissues to beauty-focused products, using skincare ingredients and targeted functionality to create new usage occasions within beauty routines.
L’ORÉAL AND NUS MEDICINE PARTNER ON SKIN LONGEVITY RESEARCH
L’Oréal has entered a multi-year research partnership with NUS Medicine’s Academy for Healthy Longevity to investigate the relationship between skin ageing and broader biological ageing, establishing a joint laboratory in Singapore. The collaboration will integrate skin, scalp and hair assessments with cardiovascular and metabolic measurements to determine whether skin ageing could serve as a non-invasive indicator of systemic biological ageing, contributing to L’Oréal’s Longevity Integrative Science research.
JO MALONE LONDON LAUNCHES FIRST FORTNITE GAMING ACTIVATION
Jo Malone London has launched its first gaming activation with a custom-built Fortnite experience to promote its new Sea Salt & Bergamot Cologne, marking the brand’s entry into gaming as part of a strategy to reach younger consumers. The two-week campaign, supported by gaming creators and social media content, aims to engage audiences through immersive gameplay while extending the fragrance’s coastal theme into digital culture.
