Consumers & Markets | Global Cosmetic Industry

The forces reshaping the region include the global rise of Gulf-born fragrance brands and the growing influence of Arabian perfumery.

The GCC’s Beauty Boom Is Going Global

"The UAE is now among the world's top 10 perfume exporters, with exports up nearly seven fold in a decade on UN trade data..."

Brands have to make products and experiences desirable to the child while simultaneously communicating safety, efficacy and appropriateness to the parent. Sunryz addresses that tension directly with dermatologist-tested formulas, at least 90% naturally derived ingredients and a focus on hydration and gentle care.

Gen Alpha Is Coming for Beauty Earlier, Smarter and With AI in the Mix

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Behind every cosmetic dropper lies a complex engineering process. Discover Lumson's approach to designing dispensing systems that combine precision, aesthetics, manufacturing expertise and consistent, reliable performance.

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Customer Love Isn’t Enough. This is What Investor Simran Suri Really Wants in Beauty.

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The Science Behind Cosmetic Claims: Q&A with MedPharm Experts

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

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Dove Men+Care and Basketball Champion Karl-Anthony Towns Team Up to Help Men Find Their Vibe with Plant-Powered Body Wash Campaign

Beauty’s D&I Progresses on the Shelf, Retreats in the C-Suite

Formal diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategies, budgets and targets have collapsed since 2023. Inevitably, what isn't measured doesn't grow.

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Behind every cosmetic dropper lies a complex engineering process. Discover Lumson's approach to designing dispensing systems that combine precision, aesthetics, manufacturing expertise and consistent, reliable performance.

The raise builds on the firm's successful first fund, which delivered exits including Touchland, acquired by Church & Dwight, Billie, Coterie and Hims.

Align Ventures Raises $125M Fund II, Signaling Strong Investor Appetite for Next-Generation Beauty Brands

Align has also already warehoused an investment in California Naturals ahead of Fund II and recently participated in the brand's Series B round.

'Founders who punch above their weight can command a room,' says Alicia Sontag, co-founder and managing partner of Prelude Growth Partners.

What Makes a Beauty Brand Investable? Prelude Growth's Alicia Sontag Weighs In.

K-beauty's impact is firmly rooted in international markets, as shown by Olive Young's U.S. expansion.

Why K-Beauty's 53% Growth Is Forcing Beauty Brands to Rethink Innovation

Ingredients such as snail mucin, Centella asiatica and PDRN demonstrate how science-backed actives can quickly transition from regional specialties to global demand.

Notably, 32% of millennials and Gen Z claim to have had procedures in the past five years, compared to 28% of those in the Gen X generation and 18% of baby boomers.

The Procedure-to-Product Pipeline Is Growing: New Consumer Survey Data

Providing the proof that consumers seek will give them permission to explore the pre- and post-procedure skin care products that have piqued shoppers' interest.

A staggering 56% of consumers say beauty brands explain the science of aging unclearly or not at all; a meager 12% state it is explained 'very clearly.'

The Longevity Illusion: FIT’s 2026 Think Tank Exposes the Credibility Gap in Beauty Innovation

A call to action to restructure product development and communication pipelines around verified performance, educational clarity and experiential depth.

'We founded Innovist on the conviction that Indian consumers deserve beauty products built on real science with full transparency on formulation, and that these products could be made in India to global standards”, said Rohit Chawla, CEO and founder of Innovist. “This partnership with L'Oréal brings together a deep alignment in this vision and product philosophy, with the global scientific innovation resources to grow this ambition. Together, we see a significant opportunity to build the next generation of beauty brands.'

L’Oréal Deepens India Push with Stake in Digital Beauty Challenger

"[W]e look forward to bringing L'Oréal even closer to the new generation of digitally-savvy Indian beauty consumers."

SkinCeuticals, CeraVe and Garnier will participate in OpenAI's global advertising pilot, placing L'Oréal among the first beauty companies experimenting with AI-native advertising at the moment of consumer intent.

L'Oréal Goes All-In on AI: OpenAI Deal Extends From ChatGPT Commerce to Microbiome Discovery

Months after teaming with Nvidia to reinvent formulation science, L'Oréal is now embedding OpenAI across consumer discovery, advertising, content creation and biological research—signaling an industry-wide shift toward AI-native beauty.

Luxury beauty brands desperately need new points of distribution, as traditional department stores increasingly fail to deliver true luxury experiences. The solution lies in infiltrating high-end, membership-based wellness spaces.

The New Alchemy: Why Longevity is Beauty’s Next Billion-Dollar Battleground

Brands must transition from being simple product providers to becoming indispensable, lifelong partners in a consumer’s personal growth and vitality.

A sampling of 5,000 Reddit posts and nearly 700K comments found that consumers are prioritizing unique scents/distinctive olfactory experiences. Often, this gives an advantage to indie brands, which are often freer to push the envelope with novel notes and combinations.

Beyond the Boom: Strategic Growth in the Era of Fragrance Normalization

From longevity to functional fragrances, consumers want brands to push the envelope in scent innovation.

Consumers Are Buying Less but Expecting More. Here's What That Means for Beauty.

Spending expectations diverge by 15–20 percentage points between high- and low-income households.