Brand story: The recent APAC developments from the biggest names in beauty

L’Occitane targets young consumers after latest clean beauty acquisition​

French cosmetics company L’Occitane has moved to make its portfolio more appealing to millennials and Gen Z consumers with the acquisition of Australian clean beauty brand Grown Alchemist.

The addition of Grown Alchemist would strengthen the company’s position in the clean beauty market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% and be worth $1.16bn by 2027, according to data by Brandessence Research.

By investing in clean beauty, the group would be able to better reach the younger demographic who are the main consumers of clean beauty.

Kao launches waterless dry shampoo sheet first developed for use in space​

Japanese personal care major Kao Corporation has launched a pair of dry shampoos under hair care brand Merit in response to the growing demand for dry shampoos that can be used on the go.

The company developed these products in response to the increased awareness of hygiene which accelerated in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company conducted a survey which showed that more than 50% of the respondents said they felt ‘uncomfortable with the odour and stickiness of the skin and hair’​ during the day.

Shiseido gearing up to accelerate skin care growth in the West​

Shiseido is aiming to accelerate the growth of its skin care business in the western markets with marquee brands such as SHISEIDO, Clé de Peau Beauté and Drunk Elephant.

The firm believes it may have more room to grow its skin beauty business in the Western markets.

“For the US, a massive size is still on make-up and for EMEA, the biggest is on fragrance –​ compared with China or Japan, the biggest market is still skin care. We believe in those Western markets; skin care is still in play,” ​said CFO Takayuki Yokota.

Amorepacific’s latest brand makes use of upcycled oakwood to create scents​

K-beauty major Amorepacific has launched Longtake, a new sustainable clean beauty brand that makes use of upcycled oakwood to create its signature woody scents.

The cosmetic company described Longtake as a sustainable “lifestyle brand with long-lasting sensual fragrance and high efficacy”.​

To create its unique scent base, the company upcycles oakwood pieces and sawdust sourced from woodworking shops and reprocesses them.

L’Oréal files patent for acne imaging tech​

L’Oréal has developed a method to localise and identify different types of acne using a deep-learning image processing digital system.

Writing in its international patent​​, L’Oréal outlined a series of systems, methods and techniques for “acne localisation, counting and visualisation”​ using a digital model that processed images.

The model, it said, had been designed to be integrated with e-commerce platforms, enabling product or service purchases to be linked to results. The system and acne data generated could also be used in-store or by dermatologists, in-person or online, during consultations.