Beyond The Headlines: Harry Styles’ Pleasing fragrance debut, Dior unveils baby bath and skin care line

10 Nov 2023 --- This week, Harry Styles’ beauty brand, Pleasing, headlined the upcoming launch of its first fragrance later this month. Utsunomiya Yakult Group Corp. inaugurated a wellness hub and café concept integrating beauty services in Utsunomiya, Japan. In other launches, Dior announced the roll out of a line of gentle skin care and bath rituals for infants.

New product launches
Harry Styles’ beauty brand, Pleasing, is set to debut its inaugural fragrance line next week, featuring three scents developed in collaboration with French fragrance house Robertet. The fragrances, named Closeness, Bright Hot and Rivulets, are described as embodying simplicity, innovation, creativity and beauty. Each fragrance boasts distinctive notes, such as Australian pink pepper and cardamom in Closeness, plum and tobacco leaves in Bright Hot and ambrette seed and black pepper in Rivulets. The scents will be available online and at The Corner Shop in Selfridges London, UK, from November 16. Pleasing, initially known for its unisex nail polishes and skin care products, marks its foray into the fragrance market following previous releases like Shroom Bloom and collaborations with designer Marco Ribeiro. Recently appointed CEO Shaun Kearney aims to drive Pleasing’s growth by diversifying its product range and expanding its community of brand collaborators.

Bonne Étoile Scented Water by Baby Dior (Image credit: Dior).Dior announced the upcoming debut of a line of skin care products for babies and children. The Baby Dior line will include a scented water, a cleansing gel, a moisturizing cream and a diaper cream. The products are all made with gentle and safe ingredients, and they are inspired by memories of early childhood. Within the line, Bonne Étoile Scented Water is a calming mist that is sprayed on the body, with “light notes of fruit, pillowy cotton and velvety petals,” created by Francis Kurkdjian, perfume creative director of Parfums Dior. La Mousse Très Fondante Gentle Bath Cleansing Foam is made with gentle ingredients, including mallow extract, which is partly harvested in the Dior garden in Anjou. Le Lait Très Tendre Daily Moisturizing Milk is composed of 99% natural-origin ingredients for calming redness and leaving a light velvety finish. Lastly, L’Eau Très Fraîche is a no-rinse, non-sticky and soothing cleansing water composed of 98% natural-origin ingredients.

Utsunomiya Yakult Group opened the doors to the Yakult Gohonmaru Cafe & Gallery in Utsunomiya, Japan. The two-story building, adorned with traditional Japanese design elements, serves as a wellness and dining complex aimed at reaching new consumers. The first-floor café offers Yakult-based treats like ice cream and tiramisu, while the second floor houses a beauty salon featuring facials with Yakult cosmetic items. The gallery hosts events, including wellness classes for locals, and is available for conferences. Utsunomiya Yakult president Keizo Shibata envisions the space as a hub for individuals unfamiliar with Yakult to discover and enjoy its products. The company plans to open a second branch in the future.

Hydrafacial collaborated with Dr. Dennis Gross to launch its Phyto-Retinol Firming Booster, marking the culmination of a year-long collaboration with dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross. Leveraging the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Phyto-Retinol Blend, the booster employs clinically proven ingredients to transform retinol delivery, targeting hydration, radiance improvement and reducing fine lines without irritation. The formula includes advanced retinol, bakuchiol, ferulic acid and rambutan. Developed for enhanced delivery using Hydrafacial’s Magic Wand handpiece and vortex fusion technology, the booster offers efficacious results. The booster joins Hydrafacial’s portfolio of around 20 other boosters, allowing customization for specific skin concerns. It will be accessible at Woolhouse across the US and Canada from November 13.

Business development activities
Azelis entered a distribution agreement with Medichem, a developer and manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients and final dosage forms. Effective immediately, this agreement enhances Azelis’ portfolio with chlorhexidine salts in the pharmaceutical, personal care and home care markets in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Building on a nearly 40-year partnership, Medichem has been a supplier of chlorhexidine products with wide-ranging antimicrobial activities. The extension of this partnership to the DACH region in turn strengthens Azelis’ lateral value chain.

Hydrafacial collaborated with Dr. Dennis Gross to launch its Phyto-Retinol Firming Booster (Image credit: Hydrafacial).Chung Jin Biotech secured a patent for its bee venom cosmetics brand Medibee, backed by 20 years of research. The Medibee line includes masks, serums, patches and creams, featuring an optimal ratio of bee venom peptides. The Medibee Repair Intensive Cream is formulated with FDA DMF 27321-certified purified bee venom, shea butter and ceramide, providing hydration, wrinkle improvement and skin barrier strengthening. The cream, offering hypoallergenic, soft texture, anti-aging, whitening and wrinkle care benefits, ensures quick absorption for lasting moisturization and a non-sticky finish. Chung Jin Biotech, exporting globally and holds certifications including CPNP and Halal.

Vivify Specialty Ingredients, a Gryphon Investors’ portfolio company, acquired Access Ingredients, a distributor of specialty ingredients for the personal care industry. The acquisition is aimed at strengthening Vivify’s presence in the personal care and cosmetics sector, with Access partnering with Vivify’s Sandream Specialties division to provide a comprehensive set of ingredient and color solutions. Access, based in Arcadia, California, US, is known for its specialty surfactants and active ingredients. Trudi Leung, Access’s owner and president, will continue to lead the company as managing director. Vivify, backed by Gryphon Heritage Fund, is actively seeking partnerships to expand its product offerings and services.

Advances in ingredient science
Silab introduced Myoline, a natural mineral concentrate derived from watercress, aimed at alleviating skin stress and enhancing well-being. Addressing the impact of psychological stress on the skin, Myoline exhibits a “botox-like” effect, smoothing expression lines and diminishing wrinkles after just five days of use. The mineral elixir influences the secretion of well-being mediators, stimulating the oxytocin and endocannabinoid pathways for improved skin homeostasis. Sourced responsibly, Silab upholds an upcycling approach, processing quality watercress not utilized in the food sector. The raw material is authenticated using molecular barcoding, ensuring a secure and traceable supply. Myoline is a patented active ingredient with a recommended usage range of 0.5 to 2.0%, complying with biodiversity regulations and boasting a natural content of 99.2% (ISO 16128), meeting international cosmetic standards.

Seppic has broadened the applications of its Fuidifeel Easy emulsifier, originally designed for sprayable, fluid textures. The naturally derived emulsifier, composed of lauryl glucoside, myristyl glucoside and polyglyceryl-6 laurate, now extends to thicker formulations, facilitating the creation of various emulsions while preserving natural cold process and sensory qualities. Creamy emulsions processed cold have been achieved by simplifying the process and incorporating suitable rheology modifiers like Sepimax Zen, Solagum Ax or Solagum Tara. These formulations offer a consistent and neutral sensory experience, delivering a comfortable emollient feel without heaviness, leaving a light and soft afterfeel in applications such as skin care, sun care, makeup, hair care, hygiene and fragrance.

Bright Hot, a new fragrance launched by Harry Styles’ beauty brand Pleasing (Image credit: Pleasing).Brand engagement and miscellaneous activities
Lush announced plans to open the “first-of-its-kind” Brighton HairLab at 79 Trafalgar Street, in London, UK, on December 2, offering free botanical-themed goodie bags to the first 100 visitors. Eschewing chemical hair dyes, the salon is committed to recycling 100% of its waste and promoting diversity through texture-specialist hair artists, “quiet hours” and workshops. The venue’s Botanical Washroom is designed for a tranquil hair-washing experience amid greenery and herbal infusions. Lush aims to address environmental concerns in the hairdressing sector by composting, recycling or recovering waste and utilizing 100% natural herbal hair dyes, specifically henna. The salon, open Tuesday to Sunday, champions sustainability and inclusivity, providing diverse services, including cuts, styling, herbal hair coloring and workshops.

KVD Beauty launched the “Follow the Rules // F*ck the Rules” campaign, featuring makeup artist and TikTok sensation Mikayla Nogueira alongside four contest winners selected from over 900 TikTok submissions and 14 million views under the hashtag #KVDFtheRules. The campaign, celebrating the “duality of beauty,” emphasizes how KVD Beauty empowers fans to express various aspects of their identity through makeup. Nogueira, an avid supporter of KVD Beauty, initiated the contest, with winners enjoying an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC, an ultimate shopping spree at ULTA Beauty and starring in the campaign. Nogueira served as the creative director, offering mentorship and encouraging authenticity to the winners during the NYC weekend.

Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and Nykaa, an omnichannel beauty and lifestyle retailer in India, announced the winners of the Beauty&You 2023 Awards in India. Launched in collaboration with Nykaa and created by ELC’s New Incubation Ventures, Beauty&You India aims to discover, highlight, and empower the next generation of beauty founders, innovators and creatives in India. The winners were chosen by a panel of industry experts, including Katrina Kaif, Bhumi Pednekar, Prudvi Kaka, Deepica Mutyala, Gaurav Gupta, Masaba Gupta and others. The awards cover categories such as Breakthrough, Create, Grow, Imagine and Impact, celebrating innovation, community engagement, creative talent, business growth and social responsibility. Notable winners include Biome Laboratories for Breakthrough, Beautywise and Havah for Community, Priya Minhas for Create, Call of the Valley for Grow, Baboski for Imagine and Sohrai and C16 Biosciences for Impact. The winners will receive financial support, ongoing mentorship, increased awareness, and distribution support as part of the Beauty&You India initiative by ELC and Nykaa.

By Benjamin Ferrer