Retail > Digital/E-commerce | Global Cosmetic Industry

'The smartest beauty brands are no longer briefing creators only for engagement,' says Kristen Wiley, founder and CEO at Statusphere. 'They are briefing them for discoverability.' (Image, not coincidentally, generated by ChatGPT.)

AI Search Is Rewriting Influencer Marketing. Beauty Brands Are Racing to Feed the Machines.

"[H]undreds of highly relevant creators can create repeated, specific associations around a product across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and search-indexed content."

MOON: mascara in glass by Lumson and Ponzini

MOON: mascara in glass by Lumson and Ponzini

MOON is the first glass mascara created by Lumson in collaboration with Ponzini. This Made in Italy design elevates the formula, transforming the mascara into a luxury object. The bottle comes with three applicators for a tailored, premium performance

The retailer also demonstrated improving profitability, with gross margin expanding to 40.1% from 39.1% a year ago, reflecting stronger merchandise margins and lower inventory shrink.

9 Drivers of Ulta’s Q1 Growth (and a Times Square Flagship Teaser)

Growth was broad-based across channels and categories, with gains driven by both higher spending per visit and increased shopper traffic.

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'Cyber liability insurance provides coverage for data breaches—hacking incidents, payment info exposure,' says Kenneth Hegel of Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants. 'Especially important of you are storing any customer data or you sell DTC alongside retail.'

The Retail Insurance Rules Beauty Brands Can’t Ignore

MOON: mascara in glass by Lumson and Ponzini

MOON: mascara in glass by Lumson and Ponzini

Under the agreement, Pencil’s end-to-end AI content platform will be integrated across Coty Consumer Beauty brands—including CoverGirl, Rimmel, Sally Hansen and Max Factor—enabling creative and marketing teams to rapidly generate, test and optimize advertising assets across markets and channels.

Coty Bets Big on Generative AI as Pencil Partnership Pushes Beauty Content Into Real Time

The views generated on TikTok are translating into meaningful revenue lifts across DTC sites, Amazon, and brick-and-mortar retail through powerful halo effects.

The 15 Most-Viewed Beauty Brands on TikTok Shop

Executives point to strong alignment between Rhode’s engagement-driven strategy and Sephora’s global platform.

Rhode Goes Pan-European: Sephora Expansion Marks Record-Breaking Next Chapter in Global Retail Push

Rhode is entering its next growth chapter with increased scale—and a clear mandate to globalize.

Ulta is pushing aggressively toward full-funnel integration, collapsing discovery, comparison and transaction into a single step within Google’s ecosystem.

Ulta Leans Into Google’s AI Checkout As Sephora Bets on ChatGPT Discovery

Retailers are racing to secure presence at the point of intent.

Beyond Time: Intelligent Longevity for Skin and Hair

Beyond Time: Intelligent Longevity for Skin and Hair

Discover how Peptid4® Light MB and BioTech4 AntiGray redefine beauty longevity by acting at the biological origin of pigmentation, delivering even skin tone and restoring natural hair color with long-lasting, science-driven results.

As trend cycles accelerate, assortments sprawl and omnichannel complexity becomes the norm, AI is emerging as a core operating lever, not a shiny experiment.

2026: The Year AI Decides Beauty’s Winners and Losers

"Leaders must view AI as a core operating capability for managing trend volatility, not a digital innovation project."

COSRX Expands Amazon U.S. Lineup with Renewed Toner Pads

Toner Pads, 5 PDRN Eye Patch Makes Debut in COSRX Amazon Beauty Line

COSRX expands Amazon beauty line with upgraded toner pads and its viral 5 PDRN eye patch — simple, effective skincare.

Building a Science-Forward Beauty Brand Is Harder Than Ever. Here’s What I've Learned.

The companies that will thrive in the coming decade are those that treat science not as a decorative flourish but as a foundational element of their identity.

Investigations suggest a covert marketing strategy utilizing very young micro-influencers to encourage compulsive purchasing among vulnerable groups, specifically those under the age of 10 to 12.

Italian Antitrust Authority Targets LVMH and Sephora Over 'Cosmeticorexia'

The probe scrutinizes marketing and sales practices within the Sephora Collection and Benefit Cosmetics lines.

'The most valuable thing we can do with this capital is remove the operational friction, focus the best talent in the business on the work they are genuinely brilliant at which will unquestionably unlock innovation adding more value to our clients and our community—that is truly where the magic happens,' says Jane Walsh, CEO, SEEN Group (at center, pictured with the company's management team). 'No one tool or one capability in isolation, but in the compounding effect of a team that is operating at its fullest. Clients feel that. The community feels that. The quality of the work reflects it.'

Micro-Creators, Macro Growth: SEEN Group Scales Its Influence Engine

The centerpiece of this next phase is Community X SEEN (CXS), the group’s proprietary influencer platform dedicated to micro- and nano-creators.

Customers who link their Sephora Beauty Insider accounts will receive personalized advice and can utilize member benefits, including loyalty rewards and free shipping promotions.

Beauty Retail Heats Up: Sephora Expands Into the 'Intelligent Channel' of ChatGPT as Ulta Beauty Launches in TikTok Shop

Sephora shoppers can prompt specific beauty needs—such as "help me find a foundation for dry skin."

The company has appointed Gaeun Kwon as its first U.S. CEO, reflecting an effort to embed on-the-ground leadership as Olive Young works to translate its Korea-proven retail model for American consumers.

Olive Young Builds U.S. Muscle with CEO and Logistics Hub

The company aims to improve speed to shelf as competition intensifies around K-beauty’s rapid product cycles and growing U.S. demand.

Prestige beauty outperformed the market, despite average price increases, buoyed by emotionally driven, want-based shoppers.

Beauty Holds the Line as Resilient US Consumers Keep Spending

“There is a growing divide between industries where consumers feel value aligns with pricing and those where elevated costs are dampening demand.”

Hanskin is currently transitioning from an Amazon-dominant strategy to a 1,400-store launch at Ulta Beauty.

K-Beauty’s New High-Speed Pipeline to North American Beauty Enthusiasts

Recent launches and expansions reflect a broader trend of professionalizing K-beauty, moving away from whimsical packaging toward clinically proven, microbiome-focused, and biotech-driven solutions.