Last week in beauty Shiseido is recovering while Natura continues to struggle.
SHISEIDO Q3 26 SALES RISE 2.6%CORE PROFIT TRIPLES
Shiseido’s Q3 sales rose 2.6% like-for-like to €1.33 billion (¥242.2 billion), up 8.1% reported, while core operating profit more than tripled to €126.5 million (¥23.0 billion), lifting its margin from 3.0% to 9.5%. China & Travel Retail grew 4.6% LFL and Japan was nearly flat at -0.3%, but Shiseido lowered its FY2026 like-for-like sales growth forecast to +1% from +3%.
HENKEL ORGANIC HAIRCARE SALES GREW 4% IN Q3 26
Henkel’s Hair business posted Q3 2026 sales of €1,019 million, up 22.3% nominally and 4.0% organically, with strong Consumer Care and Color growth and very strong Professional performance, as nine-month hair sales rose 4.1% organically to €2,702 million. The gains were boosted by completed OLAPLEX and Not Your Mother’s acquisitions, part of five 2026 deals adding about €1.6 billion in sales, expected to reach roughly €2 billion by 2030.
NATURA Q3 27 REVENUE WAS DOWN 3% AT €800M
Natura reported Q3 2026 consolidated net revenue of BRL 5 billion (€800 million), down 3% in reais and 5.9% in constant currency, with Brazil down 9% on product unavailability and lower consultant productivity, while net income reached BRL 49 million (€7.8 million), reversing last year’s BRL 119 million loss.
EL CORTE INGLÉS H1 FY27 SALES HITS €8.4BN UP 2.3%
El Corte Inglés posted first-half revenue for FY27 of €8.4 billion, up 2.3%, with net profit rising 11.5% to €249 million and EBITDA reaching €562 million. Its fashion and beauty division remained a key driver at €2.78 billion in sales, up 4%, as net debt stabilised at €1.62 billion and the group invested €294 million in commercial, logistical and technological transformation.
SALLY BEAUTY LAST QUARTER SALES GREW 0.6%
Sally Beauty’s Q4 FY 26 net sales rose 0.6% to US$953 million, with comparable sales up 0.9%, e-commerce up 8% to US$113 million and adjusted EPS of US$0.62, up 13% and beating estimates. Full-year sales reached US$3.73 billion, up 0.9%, as CEO Denise Paulonis credited the retailer’s value positioning in DIY hair color with price-sensitive consumers ahead of the holidays.
BOOTS LAUNCHES K-WELLNESS RANGE IN UK
Boots has launched a dedicated K-Wellness range spanning seven product lines, including Korean-inspired private labels Seoul Bloom, Yongsan Wellbeing and Harvey alongside third-party brands BB Lab, Lean, Prepare and Seoul Tonic, offering collagen, hyaluronic acid, probiotics and supplements. The move follows triple-digit growth in Korean cosmetics sales at Boots over the past year and a more than 200 percent rise in online wellness searches.
OLIVE YOUNG TO REACH SEVEN US STORES BY 2027
CJ Olive Young plans to expand its US retail network to seven stores by the first half of 2027, adding five locations across Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego after opening in Pasadena and Century City. The rollout is supported by a 3,600-square-metre California logistics centre, a US e-commerce platform and Sephora displays in 580 stores, as Korean cosmetics exports to the US rose 40.6% to US$2.35 billion in the first nine months of 2026.
AUSTRALIAN RETAILER KMART EXPANDS COSMETICS RANGE TO 2,700 PRODUCTS
Kmart has expanded its cosmetics and personal care portfolio to more than 2,700 products from over 117 international brands, spanning skincare, makeup and fragrance, with over 60 percent exclusive to Kmart and Target in Australia. The range includes Medicube, Biodance, SHEGLAM and emerging Korean labels such as Arencia and Beauty of Joseon, alongside an expanded OXX Cosmetics private label featuring Korean-manufactured skincare.
TIKTOK LAUNCHES STANDALONE SHOP APP IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
TikTok has launched a standalone TikTok Shop app on iOS and Android in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, offering personalised recommendations, livestream shopping, short-form product videos, in-app payments and order tracking. The dedicated ecommerce platform positions TikTok against Amazon and Temu and creates new social commerce opportunities for cosmetics brands, though expansion to the US is unconfirmed.
SOUTH KOREA SEEKS BRAZIL TARIFF CUT ON COSMETICS
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has urged accelerated trade talks with Brazil to cut the 25% tariff on Korean cosmetics, after discussions with President Lula da Silva. He noted relocating manufacturing is not viable as consumers associate K-beauty with Korean-made products, and called for government-backed promotion of Korean brands abroad.
MEDICUBE EXPANDS TO 1,300 CANADIAN DRUGSTORES
APR has rolled out its Medicube skincare brand into approximately 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada with 13 products, and is preparing a Costco Canada launch as it builds multichannel distribution beyond e-commerce. The expansion comes as Canadian K-beauty sales rose 57 percent last year to US$164 million, with six Medicube products ranking among Amazon Canada’s top 100 facial skincare bestsellers.
JUNO HAIR PLANS US SALON EXPANSION
Blackstone-backed Juno Hair, South Korea’s largest salon chain, is planning US expansion by pairing new salons with its proprietary training academy to build a pipeline of stylists, while also eyeing more than 1,000 additional domestic locations. The strategy reflects K-beauty’s push beyond cosmetics into professional services, using integrated stylist education and salon development to support scalable international growth.
GLOW RECIPE LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE AT ULTA BEAUTY
Glow Recipe will launch at Ulta Beauty on December 6 in 1,000 stores and online, marking its first major retail expansion since its 2017 debut. The partnership includes exclusive Fresh Slices eye patches and limited-edition kits, as the K-beauty-inspired brand reaches Ulta’s 46 million loyalty members and its largest retail audience yet.
L’ORÉAL BOLD BACKS CHINESE AI BIOTECH PAM2L
L’Oréal has made a minority investment in Chinese AI-native biomaterials company PAM2L Biotechnologies through its BOLD venture fund and Shanghai Meicifang Investment, with founder Dr Zhong Chao saying the partnership will accelerate its path from lab to market. L’Oréal will leverage its formulation expertise to explore bio-actives including Augmented Colanic Acid, already used in L’Oréal Paris’ Age Perfect Collagen Royal Series, as it targets longevity-focused bio-based ingredients.
GUINNESS ATKINSON DEBUTS K-BEAUTY ETF
US investment manager Guinness Atkinson has launched the K-Beauty ETF under ticker KBTY, tracking the Indxx K-Beauty Index with a 0.55% annual expense ratio and exposure to Korean brands, manufacturers, distributors and medical aesthetics companies. The launch follows record South Korean cosmetics exports of US$11.4 billion in 2025, making the country the world’s second-largest cosmetics exporter, reflecting growing investor interest in the sector.
HELEN OF TROY REJECTS SPECTRUM’S $866 MILLION BID
Spectrum Brands’ Empower Brands made an unsolicited US$866 million all-cash offer for Helen of Troy at US$37 per share, a nearly 30 percent premium, which Helen of Troy’s board unanimously rejected as undervaluing the company. The bid followed an earlier US$34-per-share offer in August, as combining Spectrum’s Remington with Helen of Troy’s Revlon hair tools would strengthen scale in personal care appliances.
THIRTEEN LUNE EXPANDS TO SOUTH AFRICA, SEEKS $15 MILLION
Thirteen Lune, the inclusive beauty platform reacquired by cofounder Nyakio Grieco in August, will make its international debut on December 4 through Takealot, South Africa’s largest online retailer, with pop-ups in Cape Town and Johannesburg in February. Grieco is also raising US$15 million to fund global and domestic store expansion, owned and co-owned brands, a potential Williamsburg, New York store, UK, Europe and Middle East partnerships and an entertainment and media division.
CERAVE SIGNS FIRST FILM DEAL WITH DUNE
CeraVe has signed its first film partnership with “Dune: Part Three,” launching a global Moisturizing Cream campaign spanning out-of-home advertising, creator gifting and screenings ahead of the film’s Dec. 18 release. Anchored by a short film shot in Mexico’s Samalayuca Dunes, the push highlights 120-hour barrier claims and targets men and Gen Z, about 40% of CeraVe’s consumers, as the most-followed L’Oréal brand with over 15 million social followers.
COTY IS LOOKING TO CUT 155 JOBS IN FRANCE
Coty has proposed cutting 155 of its approximately 200 positions in France, including three vacant roles, as part of a restructuring of its cosmetics business and prestige division operating model. Unions CGT and CFDT said nearly 100 mass-market retail sales jobs could go as Coty refocuses on prestige and mass-market fragrances, with the proposals subject to French employment law consultation and further talks in late November.
UNILEVER OFFLOADS MYANMAR JOINT VENTURE STAKE
Unilever has agreed to sell its stake in Unilever EAC Myanmar Company Limited to Centig Holding, an affiliate of joint venture partner EAC, with completion expected in 2027 subject to approvals. The exit, after Unilever entered Myanmar in 2010 and formed the JV in 2017, follows prolonged political instability after the 2021 military takeover, reducing its direct exposure.
