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.
How Mielle Organics Is Rewriting the Playbook for Black Hair Brands
Monique Rodriguez is one of a small number of Black women to secure a seven-figure investment for her business. The next challenge: scale while staying Black-owned.
Why YSL Beauté Is Investing in Smart Tools, Intelligent Makeup and Responsible Products
BoF discovers how AI technology, smart tools, regenerative agriculture and purpose-driven projects are defining the next iteration of YSL Beauté, as the brand transforms its products and services to reflect the needs of consumers today.
Armani’s Big Bet on Regé-Jean Page
The Italian luxury brand is betting the rising star – currently the favourite to be the next James Bond – and a new parfum will catapult its Armani Code cologne into the category’s top tier.
Glossier Lays Off 24 Employees Amid Reorganisation Ahead of Sephora Entry
Glossier is re-organising its company as it readies to enter Sephora early next year.
How Dior Made Sauvage the World’s Number One Fragrance
The fragrance’s success runs deeper than the current interest in Johnny Depp. LVMH’s hefty investments in advertising, retail, and a full range of Sauvage-scented products have helped dethrone even the top women's scents.
Glossier Will Sell Products at Sephora Next Year
The beauty company that defined the look and the business model for countless digital brands just signed its first major wholesale deal. The direct-to-consumer golden age is officially over.
The Hottest Perfume Start-Up in Paris
Barnabé Fillion, the multi-disciplinary aesthete behind scents from Aesop and Rick Owens, is using innovative ingredients and tie-ups with the worlds of art and music to fuel his own high-end fragrance venture, Arpa.
Why Diffusion Beauty Brands Rarely Take Off
With the launch of AF94, Halsey now operates two makeup brands. But star power alone won’t ensure success for a diffusion label, a notoriously tricky concept to pull off in beauty.
Exclusive: Halsey Launches a Second Beauty Brand
AF94, the musician’s second beauty label which launches at Walmart this week, targets Gen-Z and will sell for $10 and under.
The Way Consumers Buy Beauty Products Is Changing. Again.
Department stores used to be ground zero for consumers looking to try and buy new makeup or skin care products, only to lose their grip on the market to Sephora and Ulta. Now, another evolution is underway as big-box retailers and drugstores enter the fray.
Selling Lipstick and Stockpiling Cash: How Beauty Brands Are Preparing for a Recession
The category is often thought to be ‘recession proof,’ but brands are making adjustments to prepare for a potential recession.
The Pitfalls of Personalised Beauty
Personalisation can lead to good things in skin care. But dubious attempts at extreme customisation risk turning an interesting idea with some real merits into a marketing gimmick.
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.