Beyond The Headlines: Dirt Is Good, Comfort and Samsung partner, Lush supports Palestinian children

26 Jul 2024 --- This week in industry news, Unilever laundry brands collaborated with Samsung to design a new “laundry lifestyle.” Neutrogena and Walgreens worked with the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) to offer sun care education and free skin cancer screenings. Meanwhile, Lush created a soap to raise money for mental health care for children in Gaza, Palestine.

Partnerships
Unilever Home Care power brands Dirt Is Good (Persil) and Comfort partnered with consumer technology and domestic appliance company Samsung. The collaboration aims to combine future learnings and insights for a fully end-to-end view of a new “laundry lifestyle.” Previously, laundry detergents, fabric enhancers and washing machines were developed “in isolation.” The partnership allows R&D teams to use the evolution of technology in both the laundry and consumer technology sectors to drive category growth and innovation. Dirt Is Good, Comfort and Samsung will explore how to deliver a fully connected laundry experience combining technology from both sectors, unlocking insights into how AI and smart technologies could make laundry more convenient.

Kenvue’s Neutrogena brand collaborated with Walgreens and the MRF to equip families with the information they need to protect their skin from the sun by offering free skin cancer screenings and education on effective skin care products. Walgreens hosted an SPF Fest, an outdoor community-oriented event in Chicago, US, featuring Neutrogena experts, products and free skin cancer screenings provided by the MRF. According to the MRF, nearly 93% of cutaneous melanomas are related to excess UV exposure, and regular screenings are vital to help detect melanoma in its earliest stages.

Releases and openings
Lush released a soap in the shape of a watermelon to support children in Gaza and the West Bank. Watermelons have become a symbol of solidarity with Palestine because they display the flag’s colors. The items’ profits will be donated solely to projects providing professional mental health support and trauma counseling for children in the areas. The soap does not use any packaging, so the bath brand can reduce materials. Neutrogena and Walgreens partner to offer sun damage information.

Lush also opened a Perfume Library on Beak Street in London, UK, where visitors can consult with Lush’s fragrance experts to find out what to add to their “scent wardrobe.” Soho’s Beak Street is a hub of perfumeries, such as Le Labo, Avestan, Byredo and Ffern. The new permanent concept store is home to an exclusive selection of 12 new perfumes not yet available elsewhere. The store also has a selection of books that have inspired the brand’s Perfumers, which are available to purchase. An exclusive vegan leather jacket that can be scented with a new apparel oil is also available.

Oddity reportedly announced it would launch a medical-grade skin care and body care brand. The line, yet to be named, will comprise over-the-counter and prescription-only products designed to treat skin conditions such as acne and eczema. The brand will use vision technology to assess shoppers’ skin remotely, and products will be formulated with molecules developed by Oddity Labs.

Business news
HIG Capital announced that an affiliate acquired Naturalia Tantum Spa, an Italian organic Beauty & Personal Care company. The investment is in partnership with the current management of Naturalia Tantum. Based in Milan, Naturalia Tantum develops, produces and distributes various natural and organic personal care products alongside natural food supplements and ecological products for home and pet care. The company supplies “bio-only” (certified natural and without chemical additives) products. Naturalia Tantum’s portfolio combines “white label” products with formulas developed by Naturalia Tantum’s internal team of researchers exclusively for the customer, alongside a range of proprietary branded products.

Debut launched BiotechXBeautyLabs, a formulation development and contract manufacturing business that creates “high-performing,” sustainable biotech products through custom formulation and a selection of clinically-backed white-label products. BiotechXBeautyLabs will develop and manufacture products with global beauty brands, allowing them to harness the power of biotechnology to deliver “market-winning” performance, novel claims and 95% bio-based formulations at no research expense. Lush donates the proceeds of its new soap to children in Gaza.

Celebrity beauty
Harry Styles’ beauty brand Pleasing launched into sun care with two new products: the Solar Dew Mineral Serum SPF 50+ and Big Lip HA Moisture Balm SPF 30+. The serum is a 100% zinc oxide-based sunscreen touted to soothe and protect skin, with niacinamide to reduce the appearance of redness and dark spots. The lip balm is part of the brand’s Big Lip range, adding mineral sun protection and jojoba, coconut extract and watermelon seed oil. Pleasing also introduced a towel featuring a jacquard-knit and Pleasing branding.

Jake Paul’s men’s personal care brand, W, raised a Series A led by Shrug Capital. Valued over US$150 million, W raised US$14 million in funding to date, including seed financing and incubation from Anti Fund. Prominent co-investors include Range Group, 305 Ventures, Uphonest Capital, Quiet Capital and Palm Tree Crew, with participation from individuals including Celsius’ CEO John Fieldly, Fanatic’s CEO Michael Rubin, Lil Durk, Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, Carter Reum and Paris Hilton.

By Sabine Waldeck

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