Weekly Roundup: Vanity Planet unveils AI Skin Analyzer, Olay expands body care range

01 Oct 2021 --- In personal care news this week, Vanity Planet partnered up with Perfect Corp. to release Skin Reporter, an AI skin analyzing technology. Olay Body unveiled three new body lotion products that feature ingredients that hydrate the skin. Meanwhile, Suneva Medical raised a US$15 million funding to support its expansion in the regenerative aesthetics space.

Business news
Suneva Medical, a privately held aesthetics company, closed a US$15 million capital raise with Avenue Venture Opportunities Fund. The capital will allow the company to reduce existing debt and support the growth and expansion of Suneva Medical as the leader in regenerative aesthetics. “The closing of this financing demonstrates the growing demand and market potential for facial regenerative treatments,” says Pat Altavilla, CEO of Suneva Medical.

AbbVie company, Allergan Aesthetics and SkinBetter Science established the Driving Racial Equity in Aesthetic Medicine (DREAM) initiative to support the development and distribution of The Full Spectrum of Dermatology: A Diverse and Inclusive Atlas. The dermatology atlas will display images of the most commonly seen dermatology conditions in various skin tones. This full-color atlas aims to advance education among clinicians, with the intent to visually teach dermatologists, dermatology residents and other clinicians to recognize multiple skin conditions in different skin tones.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DERMAdoctor, a privately-held company that commercializes dermatologist-developed skincare products. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals will acquire the company’s inventory, products and intellectual property for a purchase price of US$15 million, comprising US$12 million in cash at closing and up to an additional US$3 million in earnout payments. “While we expect DERMAdoctor existing product sales to double our topline revenue, the combined company platform significantly expands our opportunities for future growth,” Justin Hall, CEO of NovaBay.

Coppertone, owned by Beiersdorf, voluntarily recalled specific lots of Coppertone aerosol sunscreen spray products manufactured between January 10, 2021, and June 15, 2021, after identifying the presence of benzene in these lots of products. Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. The recalled products are Pure & Simple SPF 50 Spray, Sport Mineral SPF 50 Spray, and travel-size Coppertone Sport Spray SPF 50.Monat Body Care is a collection of skincare products designed to renew, repair and refine skin.

Hair cosmetic brand Schwarzkopf expanded with a new experience store, the House of Schwarzkopf, located in Berlin, Germany. The store will focus on personalization, and at various interaction points, consumers can actively “craft their beauty.” Consumers can try out new hair colors at the “magic mirror” via augmented reality.

Launches and releases
In partnership with Perfect Corp, beauty technology company Vanity Planet unveiled Skin Reporter, an AI skin analyzing technology. The technology digitally scans consumers’ skin from their phones and recommends a curated list of devices based on their specific skin needs. The AI technology analyzes four skin health metrics to give consumers personalized recommendations and provides a further understanding of the product curation and professional education about the recommended devices.

Olay Body expanded its body care line-up with the introduction of its Olay Body Lotion Collection. The collection features niacinamide in its proprietary Vitamin B3 Complex with skincare ingredients – collagen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C – to hydrate and rejuvenate skin’s surface cells for firmer and more radiant skin over time. The collection includes the Firming Body Lotion with collagen, the Nourishing Body Lotion with hyaluronic acid and the Revitalizing Body Lotion with vitamin C.

The global healthy aging company Monat Global expanded its portfolio of naturally-based and scientifically-backed products with the introduction of Monat Body Care. This is a collection of skincare products designed to renew, repair and refine skin. The five products are designed to harness the natural anti-aging effects of revitalizing botanical oils, nutrient-rich exotic fruits, plant-based stem cells and probiotics. The products include a Moisturize & Replenish body wash, Exfoliate & Refine body polish, Hydrate & Repair body serum, Smooth & Renew body lotion and Silky & Soothing hand cream.

Makeup brand, Juvia’s Place launched their new Skincare Collection, including 12 vegan and cruelty-free, skin-healthy products. The new collection includes the popular Niacinamide Serum – a dark spot corrector to even out skin tone and brightens skin, the Let’s Melt It Off Gel Cleanser formulated for makeup lovers, and the Peptide and Ceramide cream to hydrate the skin. This skincare line features products that have been developed with melanin-rich skin in mind and features ingredients like mango butter and vitamin C.

Manufacturer and distributor of anti-aging products, DefenAge Skincare launched the DefenAge Pro Exclusive Platinum Edition product line, available solely through medical aesthetic service providers. The product line has an increased concentration of DefenAge’s proprietary age-reversing molecule, Age-Repair Defensins. The Defensins reduce signs of aging and ignite a wound-healing response in the skin.Doja Cat and BH Cosmetics partnered up to release a makeup line.

Lady Gaga’s beauty brand, Haus Laboratories, introduced the pigmented Love For Sale Shadow Palette. The range of velvety mattes, shimmers and metallics. Formulated in Italy, the pigments produce full coverage looks. The vegan and cruelty-free formula comes in 18 shades and is suitable for all skin tones. The multi-purpose shades can be applied as highlighter, eyeshadow or eyeliner for versatility.

Doja Cat and BH Cosmetics partnered up to release a makeup line called Doja Cat. The cross-category collection includes ultra-pigmented eyeshadow palettes with metallic hues, brushes, multi-dimensional highlighters and lip glosses with a plumping effect.

The indie beauty brand Fitglow Beauty tapped into eco-conscious beauty sustainability with the launch of a Refillable Palette 4-shade compact made from post-consumer plastic and 12 multi-use pressed shades in a recyclable paper compact. Each pressed shadow shade comes in standard blush size eco-conscious paper compact for a sustainable makeup experience.

Community outreach
L’Oréal is supporting the symbolic archaeological exhibition of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, “KÁLLOS. The Ultimate Beauty,” which will run from September 29, 2021, to January 16, 2022. L’Oréal seeks to explore the concepts of beauty across different civilizations and has participated in research, exhibitions and books. It is the first time that L’Oréal has supported an exhibition solely dedicated to beauty in Ancient Greece.

Cosmetics company Natura promoted dialogue on corporate governance for positive impact and launched a platform to track deforestation in real-time. Addressing the climate emergency, the online panel, “Decisions for the Planet,” organized by Natura, discussed regenerative capitalism practices, the role of companies and science-based goals using new metrics, in addition to expectations for The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Galderma and Cetaphil announced a renewed commitment to environmental sustainability and social impact through the Clear Skies Initiative. The company aims to achieve 100% renewable electricity in current factories by 2022. Additionally, a science-based strategy will reduce environmental impact, formulate with cleaner ingredients, use smarter packaging, and serve communities.

Beauty industry supplier, WWP Beauty, achieved significant milestones in strengthening its sustainability strategy and company-wide commitment to building a “more sustainable, clean and inclusive future.” The company was awarded a Silver Rating from EcoVadis, a provider of business sustainability ratings. WWP Beauty is also one of the first companies to launch a Beauty Rebirth Recycling Program in partnership with Pact Collective, a nonprofit collective with a mission to reduce beauty packaging waste.

By Nicole Kerr