Beyond The Headlines: Unilever enhances personalized AI solutions, dsm-firmenich re-names personal care sector

21 Jun 2024 --- This week in industry news, Unilever launched AI tools to enhance beauty personalization capabilities, and dsm-firmenich now calls its personal care business Beauty & Care. Meanwhile, Rihanna was named the face of Christian Dior’s J’Adore perfume.

Business news
Unilever said it would scale up AI-powered tools to help consumers make customized product choices, drive differentiation and spark sales for its beauty brands. The FMCG giant launched a range of AI-powered, digital diagnostic tools to offer personalized product choices. For example, Dove’s virtual Scalp + Hair Therapist is set to deliver on increasing consumer demand for scalp care expertise and provide consumer insights for the brand.

dsm-firmenich rebranded its personal care business to “Beauty & Care: A House of Science beyond Wellbeing,” built on well-being, holistic beauty, science, sustainability and emotional connection. The company maintains its skin, sun, hair and scalp care portfolio alongside UV filters, skin bioactives and beauty vitamins. Beauty & Care aims to continue to blend science, technology, research and craftsmanship to offer consumers solutions beyond well-being, “uniting delight and care.”

Goop released its first mascara.MAC arrived in Sri Lanka through Exclusive Lines. It opened physical retail stores at Colombo City Center Mall to “revolutionize” the country’s beauty landscape with its products and immersive retail experience. Exclusive Lines is a member of the Pee Bee Group of Companies, which is focused on catering to the “diverse” needs of customers across the Sri Lankan market.

Launches and announcements
Rihanna was made the new face of J’Adore by Parfums Christian Dior. The founder of Fenty Beauty is the first Black woman to front the fragrance. J’Adore was first released in 1999 and has expanded to include an alcohol-free version called J’adore Parfum d’eau and a purer version dubbed J’adore l’Or.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop launched its first mascara, FeatherLash Lifting Serum Mascara to connect skin-care benefits with color cosmetics. It is formulated with a proprietary complex called Widelash, consisting of peptides, panthenol and biotin. Tahitian microalgae is also used to try to enhance lash density. The mascara has a proprietary tapered brush designed to reach small lashes.

DoTerra, an aromatherapy and essential oils market, celebrated International Yoga Day by raising awareness of the benefits of practicing yoga. DoTerra highlighted its Yoga Collection through a giveaway. The Yoga Collection features an exclusive trio of essential oil blends to enhance yoga practices. Anchor Steadying Blend has scents of lavender, cedarwood, sandalwood, cinnamon bark, frankincense, black pepper and patchouli essential oils. Align Centering Blend features bergamot, coriander, marjoram, peppermint, geranium, basil, rose and jasmine. The Arise Enlightening Blend mixes lemon, grapefruit, Siberian fir and osmanthus.

Niles + Chaz launched a vegan, organic, cruelty-free, nut-free, veggie- and fruit-packed hair care line for children of mixed heritage. The products feature four SKUs filled with over 90% naturally derived ingredients. Tangles Shmangles (Curl Detangler & Enhancer), What The Frizz! (Styling Gel Cream), Curl Raiser (Revival Spray) and Scalp Enchanter (Pre-Shampoo Treatment) are offered from a brand founded by actor Mike Colter and his wife Iva, a former major Hollywood studio senior executive, for their multiracial and multicultural children. Estrid's summer campaign aims to aid in body acceptance.

Beauty activism
Aesop announced it is re-introducing its Queer Library. The Australian luxury cosmetics brand founded the library with a belief in the “transformative impact of queer storytelling — its ability to broaden minds, embolden individuals and unite the community and its allies.” The Aesop Queer Library this year will focus on the intersection of queer and racial identities. Each visitor is invited to select a complimentary book while stocks last.

Scandinavian razor brand Estrid launched a campaign to promote body acceptance during summer, when body expectations are often the most unrealistic. The brand said it aims to “ignite a global conversation on beauty and identity,” confronting an industry that censors real bodies and real issues. The campaign collaborated with award-winning creative director Jamie Brunskill and photographer Zoe Natale Mannella, known for her uncensored photography that celebrates the female form.

By Sabine Waldeck