Beyond The Headlines: Customizable hair care goes premium, Axe and Lil’ Baby “forgive thousands of dollars of cologne debt”

18 Aug 2023 --- This week, Function of Beauty rolled out a premium customizable hair care range, Function of Beauty PRO, at Sephora North America. Tree Hut released a seasonal body care collection inspired by cozy beverages, while personalized skin care brand Proven extended its partnership with prestige beauty retailer Sephora. Axe and Lil’ Baby launched an initiative “forgiving thousands of dollars of cologne debt.”

Business activities and product launches
Customized beauty brand Function of Beauty expanded its offerings with a premium hair care range, Function of Beauty PRO. Launching this month at Sephora North America and online, the products are designed with naturally derived customizable bond-building formulas based on hair type, hair goals and damage level. The products’ blends of active ingredients are changed per hair type, developed to combat damage caused to hair bonds from coloring, heat styling and mechanical damage. They are formulated with Adaptive f3 Bonding Complex, a patented naturally derived complex obtained via bio-technology that self-adjusts to each hair’s unique damage level to relink broken hair bonds “only where hair needs it.” Function of Beauty PRO comprises four collections for the four hair types: straight, wavy, curly and coily. Each collection consists of a sulfate-free Custom Recovery Shampoo and a two-in-one Custom Recovery Conditioner Mask formulated specifically for each hair type and featuring the patented bond-building technology. All products can be further customized at home by choosing up to three Hair Goal Concentrates from a full range of nine. Overall, they target more resilient hair, resulting in “two times smoother hair with two times less breakage.”

Tree Hut drew inspiration from cozy beverages for its latest seasonal body care collection (Image credit: Tree Hut).Tree Hut drew inspiration from cozy beverages for its latest seasonal body care collection. Designed to cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate skin while filling the bathroom with seasonal coffee shop aromas, the brand’s new assortment comprises varietal blends of roasted, spiced and cream notes. The limited-edition fall products include the Iced Coffee Shea Sugar Scrub, Sweet Cream Whipped Shea Body Butter, Pumpkin Spice Latte Shea Sugar Scrub, Pumpkin Spice Latte Foaming Gel Wash, Apple Macchiato Shea Sugar Scrub, Cinnamon Dolce Shea Sugar Scrub, Cinnamon Dolce Foaming Gel Wash, Boba Milk Tea Shea Sugar Scrub, Vanilla Moisturizing Shave Oil and the Coffee & Cream Gift Set.

Personalized skin care brand Proven extended its partnership with prestige beauty retailer Sephora, bringing skin care personalization technology and skin care solutions to ten Sephora brick-and-mortar locations nationwide. The partnership, which marks the brand’s first entrance into retail and Sephora’s first move into skin care personalization, launched digitally in January. The brick-and-mortar experience consists of interactive video displays where customers scan a QR code to take Proven’s three-minute Skin Genome Quiz to formulate their personalized skin care. Sephora beauty advisors will be present to answer any questions. Using the answers to the quiz, Proven’s algorithm instantly analyzes millions of factors to select the best ingredients for their skin. Proven also adjusts its formulations every eight weeks to evolve with the customer based on key factors, including changing seasons, the skins’ tolerance to active ingredients, geographical moves, aging and pregnancy. Customers are able to conveniently checkout on their phones, have their products shipped directly to their homes and also learn about the benefits of personalized skin care throughout the in-store experience.

Innovative Beauty Group’s Brand Incubator, a global beauty solutions provider, launched a blue light-blocking cosmetics line at Walmart, developed to protect the skin from the harmful effects of digital devices. Named Screensaver, the nine-product color cosmetics assortment comprises a comprehensive range of makeup products including primer, eyeshadow, blush, highlighter, lip gloss and more. With many consumers spending long hours using laptops, tablets, TVs or smartphones, the Screensaver collection was developed to address a significant downside of staying connected: the negative impacts of blue light on the skin. Each product in the range is formulated with high-quality, functional ingredients such as calcium sodium borosilicate, jasmine leaf cell extract and sunflower seed oil that help reduce damage caused by daily environmental stressors, and offer light-reflecting properties. This not only blocks blue light pollution from digital devices, but also gives users a long-lasting glow beyond just the glow of their screens.

Olehendriksen unveiled a “pro-grade” mask, Dewtopia 25% Acid Flash Facial, which is said to deliver a post-facial glow in only five minutes and after just one use. The product has the “brand’s highest concentration of acids yet.” It includes 25% AHAs and PHAs to retexturize and brighten, clarifying salicylic acid and plumping hyaluronic acid balanced with 20% aloe juice to calm and condition plus antioxidant-rich Scandinavian Rowanberry Water to hydrate and nourish.

SharkNinja unveiled Shark SmoothStyle, a heated comb straightener and smoother, alongside Shark SpeedStyle, a lightweight digital hair dryer. The Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener + Smoother is designed to straighten and smooth hair with heated comb technology and without heat damage or frizz to achieve voluminous buttery soft straight hair with finished curved ends. With dual modes, Shark SmoothStyle can be used on wet and dry hair, making it the perfect everyday tool – go from wet to dry on wash day or refresh bedhead, ponytail creases and more. As the lightest leading digital hair dryer, Shark SpeedStyle is designed to quickly take hair from wet to dry, to styled with a glossy finish in minutes, without any heat damage. Consumers can choose between two configurations – each equipped with three IQ Speed Styling & Drying Suite accessories, including the RapidGloss Finisher which collects and smooths flyaways – based on their unique hair type and needs. Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton joined the Shark Beauty Collective as a global ambassador. 

Function of Beauty unveiled a premium customizable hair care line, Function of Beauty PRO (Image credit: Function of Beauty).American Exchange Group (AXNY Group) acquired HatchCollective. Founded in 2009, HatchCollective is known for its range of beauty and personal care brands such as NatureWell, Found Active, Orlando Pita Play, TXTUR and Paint & Petals. AXNY Group has renamed HatchCollective as AX Beauty Brands but will continue to offer the same line of beauty and personal care products, including to consumers at retailers, such as Dillard’s, Macy’s, Amazon, Target, CVS and Walmart.

Brand initiatives
Axe and Lil’ Baby launched an initiative “forgiving thousands of dollars of cologne debt.” The ‘Lone Forgiveness program provides the brand’s predominantly male consumer base with “a simpler way to smell premium while still being able to stack their hard-earned cash.” Consumers can comment on Axe ‘Lone Forgiveness TikTok posts for a chance at direct Cash App payments to help refund the cost of their old cologne and buy the new Axe Fine Fragrance Collection. The new scents of the Axe Fine Fragrance Collection are designed to “smell like a premium cologne.” The collection features five Axe scents: Blue Lavender, Aqua Bergamot, Green Geranium, Golden Mango and Pure Coconut. Launching on Axe TikTok, ‘Lone Forgiveness is a three week campaign where Axe fans simply need to drop their Cash App $cashtag in the comments on the brand’s ‘Logne Forgiveness posts for a chance to win their US$150 refund.

Selena Gomez announced that she will host the inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit. Funds raised at the first annual benefit will support The Rare Impact Fund’s mission to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and expand access to mental health services and education for young people around the world. Confirmed talent for the evening includes Emmy-winning actor Martin Short and Grammy-nominated music producer Marshmello. Additional performers and entertainment will be announced at a later date. The Rare Impact Fund, launched by Selena Gomez, as part of her commitment to addressing mental health and self-acceptance, was created in 2020, with the goal of raising US$100 million to address youth mental health. Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez donates one percent of sales directly to the Rare Impact Fund and the Rare Impact Fund raises additional funds with Foundations, Corporate Partners and individuals. The Fund currently supports 23 organizations across the world, which includes organizations located in North America, Canada, the UK, broader Europe, India and Brazil. To date, the Rare Impact Fund has directly impacted more than 740,000 young people, 10,000 teachers and administrators, and 367 educational systems.

Shiseido Company launched 观美日本/Sightseeing Japanese Beauty, a new platform to promote the beauty of Japan and Japanese culture to Chinese consumers in collaboration with partner companies in the airline, tourism, hotel and retail industries. This platform is operated via the WeChat Mini Program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, overseas travel was restricted in China for an extended period of time. This resulted in the China’s residents having fewer opportunities to obtain information about Japan. Shiseido’s new platform is created for users to discover hidden places “in every corner of Japan,” sites and attractions that one may have been to but did not know much about and examples demonstrating the Japanese idea of sustainability. With the following five categories: the senses, facial aesthetics, food, sceneries and products – which Shieido finds Chinese consumers are most interested in – the platform allows users to “experience Japanese culture with the five senses,” as well as the “trends of things and activities born from unique Japanese perspectives and ideas.”

By Benjamin Ferrer