Beyond The Headlines: The Body Shop reportedly selling European business, Old Spice launches deodorant to increase male sociability

02 Feb 2024 --- This week in industry news, The Body Shop is reportedly selling sections of its Europe and Asia business and Old Spice launched a deodorant collection to allow men to feel social and not worry about their smell. Meanwhile, Nyx’s Super Bowl commercial will feature rapper Cardi B with the message of female empowerment.

Business news
The Body Shop reportedly signed an agreement to sell parts of its Europe and Asia business under the ownership of private equity firm Aurelius. The parts of The Body Shop being sold are said to account for about 14% of its external global sales. The skin care brand said the offloading would not impact its UK operations or global head franchise partners operating at a country or territory level. The Body Shop added the move would allow it to prioritize more critical markets. The deal’s financial terms, including physical and digital operations, were not disclosed.

Old Spice reported that 48% of men cancel social plans due to the fear of not smelling fresh. Dandruff and dry scalp brand Jupiter raised US$3 million in a seed round from investors Willow Growth Ventures, Springdale Ventures and SWAT Equity Partners. The funds will be used for retail expansion, product development and team building. The brand asserts that most of the backers it gained with the funding are female, befitting a brand with a customer base that’s 75% female and a subscriber base that’s 90% female. Its collection has six products ranging from US$15 to US$40,  including a balancing shampoo, nourishing conditioner, repairing serum, purifying mask, scalp brush and essential daily scalp supplements for thinning hair.

Ashland beat earnings estimates with its latest quarterly report while sales were lower than expected, dropping 10% year-over-year to US$473 million. Still, the stock moved higher thanks to the company issuing a strong forward revenue guidance, pointing to better demand trends. Its earnings were boosted by favorable pricing within its life sciences and personal care divisions. 

Launches and openings
Old Spice launched a Total Body Deodorant collection of products aimed at creating 24/7 freshness from the armpits to the toes. Old Spice studied men’s attitudes on their body odor and discovered that 72% of men worry about how they smell on an average day, with 48% even canceling plans with friends due to fear of not smelling fresh. Guys reported concerns over body odor in the groin, chest and feet led to other behaviors like taking multiple showers daily, using powders, wearing multiple layers of clothing and keeping a distance from others.

Dior showcased its first Dior Spa in the UAE, with plans to open in April. The Dior Spa is in the Lana hotel. The space and light are set to be the defining features, along with the elegance of Dior. The spa is set to have five treatment rooms and one couple’s suite. It will provide icoone therapy, hydrafacial, Dior micro-abrasion and the Dior skin light LED therapy mask, which promotes intense cell regeneration. The space will also offer a futon for Japanese-inspired treatments and a dedicated beauty room. 

Hempz added two new products to its Beauty Actives Collection — Beauty Actives Vanilla Lux Herbal Body Moisturizer with niacinamide and Beauty Actives Tea Tree Herbal Body Moisturizer with Tea Tree Oil. The products use niacinamide to promote anti-aging and improve the appearance of pores, skin texture and hyperpigmentation. The non-greasy, lightweight moisturizer is designed to leave the skin glowing without feeling heavy.Rapper Cardi B will be featured in Nyx’s Super Bowl commercial.

Partnerships
Cardi B will be in Nyx Professional Makeup’s “first-ever” Super Bowl commercial. The makeup brand says the advertisement will “tackle” the traditionally male-dominated football industry with Cardi B and other powerful women at the forefront. The women will feature the brand’s latest product, Duck Plump High Pigment Plumping Lip Gloss. Nyx hopes to “flip the script on male stereotypes” with a humorous look at the extreme plumping sensation of the gloss. 

Drew Barrymore is the new brand ambassador of Garnier Nutrisse. The actress and producer will star as the face and hair on her own Nutrisse hair color shade box — Nutrisse 70 (Dark Natural Blonde). This color is set to hit stores across the US and is said to provide 100% gray coverage. The improved Nourishing Color Crème kit, designed for nourished hair and better color, features five fruit oils: Avocado, olive, shea, argan and coconut oil. Customers can use the brand’s shade selector tool to find their perfect Nutrisse shade.

Míage Skincare, a luxury line that integrates human stem cell science and isotonic nutrient delivery, was chosen for the Official Grammy Gift Lounge. The entire Míage Skin Care line will be featured and will include full sizes of Awakened, The Isotonic Eye Elixir; Invoke, The Night Cream, Manifest; The Day Lotion, Bloom, La Milpa Lip Treatment and Clarity, The Purifying Wash.

Minu uses proprietary Mineral Superblend technology in its SPF-focused skin care.Skin care developments
Minu (Minerals in the Nude) is a dermatologist-designed mineral skin care promoted for all skin types, with daily sun protection at its core. Minu debuted nationwide at Credo Beauty and directly on its website with the launch of its first “prestige” skin care product, Brightening Sunscreen Minerals Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Gel-Cream. The product’s proprietary Mineral Superblend technology is a delicate fusion of “the finest” minerals with plant extracts, vitamins and peptides. Minu created a daily facial mineral sunscreen, moisturizer and primer in one.

Green Science Alliance developed dissolvable biodegradable microneedles with human-body-friendly natural materials. There are several routes of medical administration, such as oral administration, sublingual administration, eye drops, nasal administration, inhalation medicine, rectal administration and injection needle to vein, muscle and skin. Additionally, transdermal administration, such as skin patch or ointment, is also one of the drug administration procedures. Among these, the injection procedure is very effective because it can introduce drug medicine into the blood vessels directly, although they always suffer from pain because they use needles.

Expansions 
PÜR Beauty announced its skin care collection is now available in Canada. The collection includes age-fighting formulas and ingredients to help users protect their skin barrier. The brand says its line features environmentally sustainable and recyclable packaging. The ingredients of its skin care include peptides, retinol, ceramides and niacinamide.

Raw Sugar Living was launched in Shoppers Drug Mart locations across Canada. Its products are marketed as vegan and cruelty-free with shampoos, conditioners, body washes, body butters, body lotions, deodorants and hair styling products. The collection is made with clean, organic extracts ingredients free of parabens, sulfates and silicone. The products are available in various scents, including raw coconut and mango, watermelon and fresh mint and green tea and cucumber.

By Sabine Waldeck