Weekly Roundup: Rihanna debuts Fenty Beauty in Africa, L’Occitane Group halts operations in Russia

20 May 2022 --- This week in personal care news, singer and songwriter Rihanna will launch her Fenty Beauty brand and Fenty Skin range across eight countries in Africa, including South Africa and Zimbabwe, this May. The L’Occitane Group has ceased its operations in Russia basing its decision on its strong opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the chemicals and ingredients distributor, Brenntag, will become a distributor for Archroma’s products in the US and Canada.

Business news
This May, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin will be available in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana and Zambia. The move to expand to Africa is focused on inclusivity for all skin types and colors. The products include complexion essentials like Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation and Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter. The launch will consist of the brand’s lip products, Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer and Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color. Consumers in Africa may pick up the launches, like Fenty Beauty Fenty Icon Refillable Lipstick and Sun Stalk’r Face + Eye Bronzer & Highlighter Palette – a “do-it-all” bronzer-inspired palette with two new highlighter shades.

Brenntag will distribute Archroma’s home care and household, industrial and institutional cleaning products.Beauty solutions provider, The L’Occitane Group is stopping all its operations in Russia. The company details that it stands firmly against the invasion of Ukraine. It will divest its business in Russia to local management. Following the completion of the divestiture, at the end of May, the L’Occitane Group will no longer have any operations in Russia. In addition, the L’Occitane Group will no longer supply products to any Russian retailers.

Brenntag entered an agreement with Archroma that enables the company to distribute Archroma’s products suitable for home care and household, industrial and institutional cleaning, and laundry solutions and detergents. Archroma’s portfolio includes Leucophor, Nylosan, Drimaren, Printofix, Hydroperm, Ultraphor and Kieralon. Optical brightening compounds from Leucophor brighten detergents and eliminate greyness. Nylosan, Drimaren and Printofix are dyes and pigment dispersions used in detergents and cleaners to get the required color. Laundry detergents and softeners contain Hydroperm stain and soil release agents.

The partnership between Womaness and Ulta Beauty will allow Womaness’ products to be available in select Ulta Beauty stores and online as part of The Wellness Shop, which features a selection of self-care and wellness products. It offers access and awareness to products that cater to the requirements of women aged 40 and above. Womaness offers solutions in the skin and body care, feminine care, sexual health and supplements. Womaness products are formulated without estrogen, phytoestrogen or added hormones.

Murad, a US-based clinical skincare brand, has teamed up with Sesame, a healthcare marketplace that provides high-quality, affordable medical care, to offer clinical skin consultations with board-certified dermatologists and primary care professionals. The Sesame clinician will analyze skin concerns, answer questions, and make recommendations during the video consultation. Prescriptions will be sent through the Sesame portal if they are required. Patients will receive a promotion to Murad’s product offers with a discount and gift with a purchase opportunity to complete their skincare routine after their visit.

Nailboo offers easy-to-use at-home kits pegged as “salon-grade” quality and long-lasting.Nail dip powder brand, Nailboo expanded into retail, with Sally Beauty being its first retail partner. Nailboo offers easy-to-use at-home kits pegged as “salon-grade” quality and long-lasting. The brand’s most sought-after colors include Cloudberry, Dark Dreams and Velvet Lust. Nailboo will be available across the US and Canada at over 2,700 Sally Beauty stores.

Environmentally sustainable period care brand Flex Co., which has approximately 30,000 retail locations across the US, extended its product line into 4,000 Walmart stores nationally. This retail agreement with Walmart provides over 95% of the US population access to a Flex product within five miles of their house due to existing distribution across Target, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and Kroger shops. In addition to its expansion into Walmart, Flex has expanded its product line at Target and CVS, adding Flex Reusable Disc and Plant+ Disc, both of which launched recently online and in multiple national retailers.

Launches and releases
Vegan skincare brand Jai Eden Beauty introduced its “secret ingredient” tamanu oil, featured in its skincare range. The seeds of the tamanu nut tree, a tropical evergreen, are used to obtain this natural oil. Tamanu oil has been used to treat a range of skin issues for millennia, including acne scarring, hyperpigmentation and encouraging skin collagen formation. The brand adds that the natural oil is used to increase cell turnover and support healthy skin and has anti-inflammatory and hydrating effects.

Aveda received accreditation under the Cruelty-Free International Leaping Bunny Programme.Magnum ice cream, the chocolatier of ice cream, collaborates with beauty brand Nails to release a line of six chocolate-scented nail polishes inspired by the new Magnum ice cream Duet Bars. The collaboration led to the release of three sets of polish duos in various “luscious” colors that invite fans to explore their layers and indulge in who they are through nail art, inspired by the Duet Bars’ chocolate layering. The nail polish range is available in Almond Duet, pegged as a “buttery” shade of light brown and a rich dark brown. The Chocolate Duet is a vibrant pink paired with a light pink shade and the Cookie Duet is a beige color.

Accreditation
Vegan haircare brand Aveda received accreditation under the Cruelty-Free International Leaping Bunny Programme. To receive Leaping Bunny accreditation, Cruelty-Free International verified that Aveda does not perform or commission animal tests for its products, raw materials, or ingredients. Cruelty-Free International conducted a multi-year examination of the brand to ensure that its suppliers and manufacturers met all Leaping Bunny requirements for its products and ingredients. Aveda will be audited every 12 months by Cruelty-Free International to verify continuous compliance under the Leaping Bunny Programme.

By Nicole Kerr