Last week in beauty, Estée Lauder turnaround begin to bear fruit while e.l.f.’s sales grow 51%.
ESTÉE LAUDER RAISES FY27 OUTLOOK AS SALES RISE 7% IN Q1 FY27
Estée Lauder Companies reported Q1 FY27 sales up 7% to US$3.72 billion and organic growth of 6%, with net earnings rising to US$233 million from US$47 million. Fragrance led growth at +20% to US$861 million, skincare rose 4% and Asia/Pacific grew 10%, prompting the company to raise its FY27 organic sales growth outlook to 4.0%–5.5%.
DSM-FIRMENICH Q3 26 SALES RISE 5% LFL, PERFUMERY & BEAUTY UP 8%
DSM-Firmenich reported Q3 2026 sales of €2,368 million, up 5% like-for-like, with Perfumery & Beauty growing 8% LFL to €1,015 million and its adjusted EBITDA up 10% LFL to €223 million at a 22.0% margin. Group adjusted EBITDA rose 8% LFL to €482 million at a 20.4% margin, prompting the company to lift its FY2026 outlook to around 5% LFL sales growth from a previous 2–4%, driven by fine fragrance high single-digit and consumer fragrance double-digit gains.
COTY Q1 FY 27 SALES FALL 2% BUT PRESTIGE CORE GROWS
Coty’s Q1 FY27 net revenue fell 2% like-for-like to US$1.56 billion, with adjusted operating income down 8% to US$220.5 million and Prestige sales down 1% LFL. However, its Top 6 core Prestige brands returned to 5% LFL growth after a 6% decline in H1 FY26, while Consumer Beauty fell 3% and Coty forecast a low-single-digit Q2 decline amid an ongoing strategic review.
E.L.F. BEAUTY SALES JUMP 51% IN Q2 FY 27, RAISES OUTLOOK FOR THE YEAR
e.l.f. Beauty net sales rose 51% to US$520.8 million in its fiscal 2027 second quarter, its 31st consecutive quarter of growth, with adjusted EBITDA up 86% to US$123.4 million on a 71% gross margin. The company raised its full-year net sales guidance to 22–24% growth, now US$2.003–2.029 billion, from 18–20%, citing strength across retail and e-commerce in the US and internationally.
KENVUE BEAUTY ORGANIC SALES RISE 0.1% IN Q3 26
Kenvue’s skin health and beauty segment sales rose 0.1% in Q3 2026, reflecting a 0.5% organic decline offset by a 0.6% currency benefit, within group net sales up 3.2% to US$3.8 billion. Hair care delivered low-double-digit organic growth led by Rogaine’s fourth straight quarter of share gains, while Neutrogena launched Cloud Tech with BEMT and Kenvue gave no guidance amid the closure of the US$48.7 billion Kimberly-Clark deal.
KIMBERLY-CLARK COMPLETES $48.7BN KENVUE DEAL
Kimberly-Clark has completed its US$48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue, bringing Neutrogena, Aveeno, OGX and Listerine under the same umbrella as its personal care brands. The deal marks Kimberly-Clark’s expansion into beauty and creates four business segments across North America, Asia-Pacific, EMEA and enterprise markets as it targets science-backed, high-performance solutions.
NYKAA Q2 FY27 SALES RISE 28% WHILE PROFIT SURGES 207%
Nykaa’s net profit grew 207% year on year to 1.01 billion rupees (US$10.75 million) in its second quarter, as revenue rose 28% to 30.06 billion rupees and beauty NSV grew 28% with EBITDA up 51%. The Indian retailer also acquired premium colour cosmetics brand SimplyNam and opened 14 stores across six cities, bringing its network to 338 as it expands on-demand delivery Nykaa Now.
SPACE NK COMPARABLE TURNOVER JUMPS 19%
Space NK reported comparable turnover up 19% to £282.7 million for the nine months ended January 2026, driven by new and upsized stores, digital growth and its acquisition by Ulta Beauty, with operating profit falling 61.3% to £7.4 million. Profit before tax dropped 67.4% to £5.8 million on exceptional and non-recurring acquisition-related costs, despite topping the prior full-year result of £266.1 million.
PROYA Q3 26 REVENUE UP 29.8% BUT NET PROFIT FALLS 61.2%
Proya’s Q3 revenue rose 29.8% to 2.25 billion RMB (US$338 million), but net profit fell 61.2% to 88.2 million RMB (US$13 million) on higher promotion spending. Nine-month revenue grew 7.5% to 7.63 billion RMB (US$1.15 billion) and net profit 22.5% to 1.26 billion RMB (US$189 million), as non-core brands exceed 30% of sales and the main brand enters about 400 Ulta stores in the US in November.
COTY SECURES 40-YEAR MARC JACOBS BEAUTY LICENSE
Coty Inc. has secured a 40-year extension of its Marc Jacobs Beauty license with WHP Global and G-III Apparel Group, with terms undisclosed. The deal builds on a partnership dating to 2003 and the May relaunch of Marc Jacobs Beauty, now sold at Sephora in the US, UK, Australia and Canada with retail sales exceeding targets.
L’OCCITANE SELLS SKINCARE BRAND ELEMIS TO PAI PARTNERS
L’Occitane has agreed to sell British skincare brand Elemis to PAI Partners for an undisclosed sum, expected to close in Q1 2027, after acquiring it in 2019 for US$900 million (€785 million) when net sales now exceed US$300 million. PAI aims to accelerate Elemis’s US growth and online business while preserving its British identity, with nearly half of revenue online and about half of net sales in the US.
DERMA BRAND LA ROSÉE IS REPORTEDLY FOR SALE
French dermocosmetics brand La Rosée, with annual sales above €100 million and 9,500 French pharmacy doors, could be sold by year-end, drawing interest from strategic and financial buyers. The potential deal comes as dermocosmetics grows into a $54.41 billion category, with La Rosée in 13 countries including Canada and South Korea after FG Bros took a 20% stake in 2023.
PARFUMERIE STARTS SCENT DISCOVERY PLATFORM WITH £2M FUNDING
AI-powered fragrance discovery platform Parfumerie has launched with £2 million in pre-seed funding, backed by former British Fashion Council chair Stephanie Phair, offering personalised recommendations across more than 300 fragrance brands through UK retailers including Selfridges, Sephora, Space NK, Liberty, Cult Beauty and Lookfantastic. Its Iris AI editor works from users’ own words, mood or notes with no sponsored recommendations, earning affiliate commissions rather than holding stock, with US shopping and direct brand partnerships planned for 2027.
BIODANCE AND MEDICUBE DEBUT SELFRIDGES K-BEAUTY COUNTERS
Luneia Brands has partnered with Selfridges to open Biodance and Medicube counters at the Oxford Street flagship’s new K-beauty destination, The Beauty Workshop, marking Biodance’s first permanent counter worldwide and Medicube’s first in Europe. The immersive spaces offer demonstrations, consultations and a Medicube facial devices bar, joining brands including Beauty of Joseon and Skin1004 as K-beauty shifts from social commerce to physical retail.
VAN DANG FRAGRANCES LAUNCHES AT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Van Dang Fragrances is debuting at Saks Fifth Avenue online and in two stores, Fifth Avenue and Brickell in Miami, offering its full assortment of extraits de parfum and home fragrance including candles, diffusers and crystal meditation sets. The indie brand, cofounded by Kim-Van Dang and Anthony Roberts, previously launched at Bergdorf Goodman in 2021 and Neiman Marcus in 2025.
CHANEL OPENS SWISS CHALET GIFTING SUITE AT HARRODS
Chanel has opened a Swiss chalet-themed shop-in-shop at Harrods in London, transforming door six on the ground floor into a snowy alpine gifting suite with makeup, skincare, fragrance and gift wrapping until 30 November. The activation showcases the Holiday 2026 Collection, Les Eaux de Chanel Paris-St. Moritz and the exclusive Harrods-only Chanel Chalet gift box with eight full-sized items.
KIKO MILANO & STABILO LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTER-SHAPED LIP TINTS
Kiko Milano has partnered with Stabilo on a limited-edition collection of five lip tints shaped like the German brand’s Boss Mini highlighters, named with writing-themed phrases including Fine Print and Don’t Quote Me. The collaboration is available in stores and online across Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK, plus Kiko’s European and Middle East e-commerce platforms.
DEPARTMENT STORE DAVID JONES ENTERS VOLUNTARY ADMINISTRATION
Australian department store David Jones, founded in 1838, has entered voluntary administration with about 38 stores across Australia and New Zealand, after Anchorage Capital Partners acquired it in 2023 for just over A$100 million. The collapse follows online competition, a cost-of-living crisis, an outdated store footprint and rent arrears of about A$2.2 million, while stores remain open as administrators seek buyers.
ESTÉE LAUDER PARTNERS WITH MICROSOFT ON AI
The Estée Lauder Companies has partnered with Microsoft to advance its AI, cloud and data capabilities, underpinning its Unified Data Platform and supporting its One ELC operating model. The collaboration aims to enable responsible AI adoption, more personalized consumer experiences and productivity gains, building on an earlier 2024 partnership between the two companies.
P&G SECURES $4BN IN LONG TERM DEBT
Procter & Gamble raised US$4 billion through senior notes across four maturities, including US$1.25 billion due 2035 at 5.450% and US$1.25 billion due 2056 at 5.900%. The financing follows fiscal first-quarter revenue of US$23.28 billion and core EPS of US$2.00 that beat expectations, with organic growth across all ten categories despite higher raw material and freight costs.
UNILEVER TARGETS €1 BILLION IN RESTRUCTURING SAVINGS
Unilever plans to cut €1 billion (US$1.12 billion) in costs by the end of 2029 through a restructuring that will create six regional performance units with full profit-and-loss responsibility starting in 2027. The savings, achieved via organisational simplification, process redesign and technology investment, offset €400 million to €500 million in food separation costs as Unilever refocuses on Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Other following its food merger with McCormick.
UNILEVER INVESTS €35 MILLION IN INDIA AI R&D HUBS
Unilever is investing €35 million to transform its Mumbai and Bangalore R&D centres into AI- and bioscience-led hubs, building on €20 million spent over five years, with €5 million creating a Bio-Futures Partnership in Bangalore. The investment will accelerate innovation across beauty, wellbeing, personal care and home care using AI, automation and digital twins, reinforcing India as one of Unilever’s largest R&D hubs and key growth markets.
RHODE GRANTS $5M FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH RESEARCH
Rhode has announced a US$5 million grant and partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health to advance research over three years, with US$1 million creating an Evergreen Fund for therapeutics and diagnostics. This marks Rhode’s largest philanthropic commitment, funded through its Futures Fund as part of parent e.l.f. Beauty’s pledge to donate 2% of profits, targeting understudied areas like pregnancy, autoimmune conditions and PMOS.
HAIRCARE ENTREPRENEUR JOHN FRIEDA DIES AT 75
John Frieda, the celebrity hairstylist who co-founded John Frieda Professional Hair Care and sold it to Kao in 2002 for US$450 million, died at 75 following a long illness. His Frizz Ease and Sheer Blonde products became global bestsellers, and he opened salons in London, New York and Los Angeles while mentoring stylists including Serge Normant and Sally Hershberger.
