Beyond The Headlines: Beyoncé teases unbranded perfume launch, Kiehl’s releases “liquid patch” tech for acne

28 Jul 2023 --- In industry highlights this week, presales of Beyoncé’s new perfume began, with first shipments to be delivered starting in November. Perfect Corp. unveiled its new Skin Type Detection technology, based on an AI digital analysis of up to 14 skin care concerns. Meanwhile, Kiehl’s released a medicated acne spot solution treatment that forms an invisible, breathable “liquid patch” on pimples that prevents scratching and picking.

New product launches
Beyoncé has teased the launch of an eau de parfum, which is available for presale and will be made available this fall. The unnamed fragrance was marketed on a new website dedicated to the launch, accented by imagery of a backlit perfume bottle’s silhouette. Its top fragrance notes are detailed as clementine and golden honey, with heart notes of rose absolute and jasmine sambac, and namibian myrrh and golden amber as the base notes.

Kiehl’s released its Truly Targeted Acne Clearing Solution, that forms an invisible breathable seal to heal the pimple and prevent scratching and picking (Image credit: Kiehl’s).Perfect Corp. debuted its new Skin Type Detection technology, powered by AI. The AI Skin Type Detection analyzes skin quality across the T-zone and U-zone of the face in order to determine normal, oily, dry, sensitive and combination skin types. It does this by detecting various degrees of sensitivity, based on up to 14 skin care concerns including spots, wrinkles, texture, redness, oiliness, moisture, eye bags, acne, droopy upper eyelids, droopy lower eyelids, firmness, radiance, dark circles and visible pores. To use it, users are prompted to line up their face for optimal lighting, angle and face position for the most accurate scan – a “complete skin report.” The overall result helps skin care brands match shoppers with the products most beneficial for their skin type, intended to guide them to make more informed purchase decisions that “speak to their individual skin health concerns.”

Kiehl’s released its Truly Targeted Acne-Clearing Solution, a medicated acne spot solution treatment that forms an invisible “liquid patch” over the spot. This “first-to-market innovation” creates a breathable seal that helps reduce pimple color in two hours, pimple size in 24 hours and post-acne marks in four weeks. The patch also protects the area from external irritants like dirt, oil and makeup, which inhibits contamination and temptation of picking at the spot for a speedy healing process. Using its exclusive “liquid patch” technology, the acne-clearing spot treatment creates a breathable seal that layers seamlessly with sunscreen and makeup. The formula delivers triple efficacy across all phases of the acne cycle to clear, fade and prevent breakouts, without being visible on the skin.

Business developments and partnerships
Oddity Tech – a beauty tech specialist using AI to create products – began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on July 19, 2023, under the ticker symbol “ODD.” The initial public offering closed on July 21, 2023. Oddity Tech is the founder of Il Makiage foundation and SpoiledChild skin and hair care solutions. It priced its upsized initial public offering of 12,105,261 of its Class A ordinary shares at US$35 per share. At the end of its first day of trading on July 19, the company had an approximate market valuation of US$2.7 billion. Oddity and its shareholders, which include US-based private equity firm L Catterton, raised about US$424 million in the deal.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced that L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus will deliver the first-ever keynote from a beauty company at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024. L’Oréal’s keynote will showcase the role that sustainable, accessible and inclusive beauty tech plays in driving positive impact at an individual and collective level – from a sustainable shower head that leverages rocket technology to conserve water and AI-powered mobile applications that provide skin care guidance to AR makeup try-ons and new codes and forms of beauty expression in virtual environments. For nine years, L’Oréal has unveiled new consumer technology at CES annually, such as its inclusive beauty tech innovation HAPTA, which will be featured at CES 2023. Marketed as the “world’s first handheld computerized makeup applicator,” this motion-stabilizing device assists those who have difficulty raising their arms due to limited mobility issues, people with limited grip strength, and anyone with limited wrist mobility who may find it difficult to get a comfortable angle when applying lipstick or mascara.

L’Oréal CEO, Nicolas Hieronimus, will deliver the first beauty keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2024 (Image credit: L’Oréal).With the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to begin exactly a year from now, LVMH became a Premium Partner of this global event, in alignment with its mission, ‘The Art of Crafting Dreams.” The partnership aims to enable the artisans across the LVMH group to contribute their creativity, know-how and “sense of French art de vivre” to the event. Sephora will be a partner for the Olympic Torch Relay, proposing activations for the public all along the relay route, as well as at LVMH group locations along the itinerary and at stops. As a positive impact initiative, LVMH will join French charity Secours Populaire Français and support a program to facilitate access to sports for 1,000 children and young people aged four to 25 who live in vulnerable situations. The Group will provide funding for sports association memberships, training programs and beginner classes.

Estée Lauder will team up with football club, Manchester United, to reach and engage their fanbase in China and the Asia Pacific region, deemed a “first-of-its-kind” partnership for the brand. Kicking off in Summer 2023, the partnership’s inaugural campaign will launch with players from Manchester United’s first team, including Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Alejandro Garnacho and Raphaël Varane. “Bringing together the worlds of beauty and sports,” the campaign will engage fans across Manchester United’s social platforms – with a reach of more than 250 million in China – with social storytelling around the benefits of recharging the skin. The partnership will initially spotlight Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, which “performs like seven serums in one,” featuring an exclusive ingredient, Tripeptide-32, to help optimize skin’s own rhythm of daytime protection and night-time repair.

In a pitch competition held in Paris, Shiseido’s Ulé has selected Provenance to communicate its approach to sustainability. The judges made the decision based on Provenance’s technology being presented as a platform for telling Ulé’s “farm to face” sustainability story. They were particularly impressed by Provenance’s ability to communicate impact across multiple channels and to a global audience. The European Innovation Center at Shiseido invited six start-ups to answer one key question, “How can we increase the transparency of our products?” The Provenance team is already working closely with Ulé to get the partnership started.

By Benjamin Ferrer