Brands & Products > Color Cosmetics | Global Cosmetic Industry

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AI Wants to Tell You What’s Next in Beauty

AI is becoming both a source of consumer insight and an increasingly important part of the consumer journey.

Profound helps brands understand how AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity see and describe them.

Think Like a Machine: Estée Lauder Takes GEO Global With Profound Partnership

In generative search, consumers increasingly ask an AI assistant to interpret their needs and deliver a recommendation.

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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Gen Z already represents roughly one-quarter of the world's population and is projected to surpass Baby Boomers in annual global spending within the next five years, reaching an estimated $12 trillion according to NielsenIQ. Meanwhile, Gen Alpha is entering the beauty market earlier than previous generations.

The Next Generation of Beauty Packaging: Designing for Gens Z and Alpha

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

Cosmetic Droppers: inside Lumson's engineering approach

rhode Announces Official Launch Date for Its Retail Expansion in Europe with Sephora

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Regent to Acquire Avon North America, Reuniting Major Avon Businesses After More Than a Decade Apart

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.

The company expects the early return of its Gucci Beauty license to Kering to create a sales and profit step-down in FY28, but said it is developing measures to moderate the impact. These include accelerating core brands, expanding newer portfolio additions such as Marc Jacobs Beauty makeup and fragrances from Swarovski, Etro and Marni, and implementing a significant fixed-cost reduction program.

Coty Returns to Sales Growth in Q4 as Fragrance, Cosmetics and Americas Lead; Names Soraya Benchikh CFO

Coty said FY27 will focus on strengthening its core business, simplifying the portfolio and improving consumer engagement.

Luxury fragrance was particularly strong, with double-digit growth across the portfolio led by Le Labo, Tom Ford and Kilian Paris.

Estée Lauder’s Fiscal 2026 Results: Fragrance Leads a Broader Beauty Recovery

"Our One ELC operating model is increasingly enabling the entire organization to move at speed and with discipline.”

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.

Beauty has made enormous progress in expanding foundation and concealer shade ranges, but simply increasing the number of shades does not necessarily solve the underlying problem of matching.

Estée Lauder Wants to Rewrite the Science of Shade Matching

ELC’s research will examine how consumers perceive undertones and subtle color differences under real-world viewing conditions.

Prestige makeup sales rose just 3%, while unit demand softened slightly. The category is therefore generating modest dollar growth without expanding its unit base. Yet pockets of the category are thriving: bronzer and blush posted double-digit gains. Pictured is Charli XCX with YSL Beauty's powder-based Make Me Blush.

Beauty’s 2026 Growth Story Is Strong, but Increasingly Selective

The data suggests that beauty consumers are becoming more selective about where they spend.

e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. Skin and Bubble recently announced a limited-edition skin care-makeup hybrid collection featuring three community-inspired products.

e.l.f. Is Still Growing Fast—But the Growth Engine Is Changing

If e.l.f. can sustain that trajectory while converting its broader portfolio into operating leverage, the company will have moved into a new phase.

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Rare Beauty Brands and JCPenney Reopen Applications for 2026 Lift Beauty Accelerator to Support Underrepresented Founders

The launch expands P2 Science’s broader “Feel Good” platform, positioning green chemistry as a tool for meeting some of beauty’s fastest-moving demands—including silicone-free innovation, inclusive shade development and skin-first hybrid color cosmetics.

P2 Science Brings Green Chemistry to 2026 Complexion Trends With New 'Feel Good Color' Collection

The launch expands P2 Science’s broader “Feel Good” platform, positioning green chemistry as a tool for meeting some of beauty’s fastest-moving demands.

Makeup emerged as the fastest-growing division, surging 9.1% on a like-for-like basis to €359 million as Charlotte Tilbury continued to gain market share and deliver strong sell-out performance.

Puig Outpaces Premium Beauty Market as Makeup and APAC Fuel First-Half Growth

Fragrance and fashion remained Puig's largest business, accounting for nearly three-quarters of sales.

Dermatological Beauty returned to mid- to high-single-digit growth, powered by La Roche-Posay, a reaccelerating CeraVe business fueled by its core moisturizers and new suncare launches, double-digit gains for SkinCeuticals, and continued momentum for Vichy's Dercos hair care range.

L'Oréal Builds Momentum With Record Margins as Dermatological Beauty, Hair Care and E-Commerce Lead Growth

The company emphasized that growth was driven by both higher volumes and favorable product mix, reinforcing consumers' willingness to spend on premium, innovation-led beauty despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.

The launch also underscores a broader shift in consumer behavior. As minimalist beauty continues to gain momentum and consumers seek lower-maintenance alternatives to frequent salon appointments, Buff is betting that healthy natural nails can become a beauty statement in their own right rather than simply the stage beneath polish.

Buff Beauty Bets the Future of Nails Is Bare

The brand's 23-SKU collection borrows familiar concepts from facial skin care.