Boots Acquired by Canada’s Weston Family for $8.9 Billion
The Westons agreed on Wednesday to buy the UK's Boots from Sycamore Partners and the Pessina family, pledging to invest in the retailer's stores and online and expand healthcare services.
Beauty
Analysis and advice on the fast-evolving beauty business.
Why I’m Optimistic About Beauty in 2023
Despite the numerous challenges hurled at the beauty industry the last few years, brands should feel good about the year ahead.
The Best of BoF: Beauty’s Year of Change
In 2022, the rules of beauty changed. Neon yellow replaced millennial pink, TikTok became the social marker of success, and omnichannel became the only path for survival. Explore BoF’s in-depth features and analysis on these topics and other year-defining trends like colour cosmetics’ comeback and the rise of celebrity brands.
How Kim Kardashian Changed Beauty – Again
Kim Kardashian may have launched her beauty brand, SKKN by Kim, with a collection of nine skin care products this year, but her impact on the beauty world came from just about everything else.
Carol’s Daughter Was an Early Mover in the Black Haircare Market. Now It’s Going After a New Generation.
The L’Oréal-owned textured haircare brand, which turns 30 next year, is undergoing a brand turnaround, betting European expansion and a diffusion line catered to Gen-Z will help boost sales in the face of growing competition.
Olaplex’s ‘Broke My Hair’ Problem Is a TikTok Cautionary Tale
The hair-care brand pitched investors on social media buzz, but it’s now being plagued by online complaints. The company says its products are safe and effective.
Why a Gen-Z Beauty Brand Is Selling Anti-Aging Products
Skin and hair care line SpoiledChild, which shares a parent company with Il Makiage, has the look of a brand targeting teens but a price point and products that seem intended for an older audience. Is it possible to straddle both worlds?
The Stockholm Fragrance Start-Up Smart Money Is Betting On
Haisam Mohammed, a son of Eritrean refugees, has turned the aromas wafting through the stairwells of Sweden’s high-rises into a perfume business now backed by Frame co-founder Erik Torstensson.
Gen-Z Beauty Brands Grow Up
A number of brands targeted at younger consumers — armed with loud, colourful branding and fresh capital — have to think about what comes next.
The Problem With Beauty Incubators
With two high profile lawsuits pending against leading beauty incubators — Morphe and Maesa — the industry’s business model of the moment is starting to show cracks.
Playa Hair Care Founder Sues Morphe and General Atlantic
Shelby Wild alleges plans to grow her line were sidelined soon after it was acquired, as General Atlantic’s beauty incubator ambitions faltered. She’s seeking $15 million in damages in a lawsuit filed in New York, according to court documents reviewed by BoF.
Why Harry Styles Fans Can’t Get Enough of Pleasing
The singer’s nail polish brand isn’t following the usual celebrity beauty brand playbook, where “authenticity” and newness are key. When your fans are this rabid, it turns out none of the usual rules apply.
How to Make a Difficult-to-Market Product Cool
A crop of startup beauty brands are attempting to glamourise and destigmatise everything from pubic-hair grooming to body acne.
THE NEWS IN BRIEF
Report: L’Oréal Explores Unloading Chemical-Related Liabilities
The French company has engaged restructuring advisers to explore options for rising US legal liabilities linked to its use of talc and other chemical ingredients in some of its cosmetic products, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Sycamore Said to Near Deal to Sell Boots
The private equity firm is nearing a deal, valued at $9 billion, to sell the UK health and beauty retail business to the Canadian branch of the billionaire Weston family, a source told Bloomberg.
Dyson’s $499 AI Toothbrush Sees Rocky Debut
The UK firm blamed a production error resulting in ‘water seepage’ for the disappearance of its newly launched camera-equipped toothbrush from stores.
Sephora to Launch at Marks & Spencer
‘Sephora at M&S’ will roll out in M&S stores and online starting next spring, with plans to expand to 100 locations by the end of 2028.
Novo Buys Rights to Early Obesity Pill For $2.6 Billion
The Wegovy maker has signed a deal to license an experimental obesity pill from China’s Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals as it seeks to regain share of the global GLP-1 market.
Oura Delays US IPO
The smart ring maker said on Tuesday it has delayed its US initial public offering, citing market uncertainty.
Scarlett Johansson’s Skincare Brand The Outset Closes
As of Monday, the premium brand’s website has been updated with a message announcing its closure.