-
2025 in Review: New Markets – Regional Expansion Accelerates Globally
As growth remained uneven across mature beauty markets, 2025 became a year defined by geographic ambition. Rather than doubling down solely on core territories, brands increasingly looked outward—targeting new regions, new consumers and new retail formats as global expansion once again moved to the top of strategic agendas. Asia emerged as one of the…
-
2025 in Review: New Markets – Products – Category Expansion Drives Innovation
If geographic expansion defined one pillar of beauty growth in 2025, product-led expansion defined another. As competition intensified and consumers became more selective, brands increasingly looked beyond core categories—stretching into new formats, adjacencies and usage occasions to unlock incremental growth. The result was a year marked by boundary-blurring launches, where skincare met supplements, fragrance…
-
2025 in Review: Retail Results – Beauty Outperforms Amid Uneven Consumer Confidence
If 2025 underscored one clear reality for global retail, it was that beauty continued to outperform, even as consumer confidence remained uneven and discretionary spending came under pressure. Across markets, retailers grappled with rising costs, shifting tourism flows and cautious shoppers, yet beauty and personal care consistently emerged as a stabilising force—supporting margins, driving…
-
2025 in Review: Manufacturers Results – Resilience Amid Uneven Global Demand
With consumer demand fragmenting across regions and price sensitivity rising in developed markets, 2025 proved to be a year of recalibration for beauty and personal care manufacturers. While growth slowed in parts of North America and Europe, resilience in fragrances, dermocosmetics, aesthetics and select emerging markets helped offset pressure in mass beauty and professional…
-
2025 in Review: Investing in India – Global Beauty Doubles Down on Long-Term Growth
India’s beauty market entered 2025 with a new sense of certainty. No longer treated as a promising frontier or test-and-learn destination, the country has become a core pillar in global beauty strategies—one demanding sustained capital, local partnerships and long-term commitment. With premiumisation accelerating, digital commerce maturing and organised retail scaling rapidly, India has moved…
-
2025 in Review: M&A Activity – Scale and Strategic Focus Drive Dealmaking
As consumer confidence remained uneven and organic growth proved harder to sustain, mergers and acquisitions once again took centre stage in 2025, reshaping the global beauty and personal care landscape. From blockbuster transactions and founder exits to private equity-backed roll-ups and strategic divestments, the year underscored a clear reality: scale, speed and portfolio relevance…
-
2025 in Review: Dollars in Dubai – Beauty Investment Defies Global Uncertainty
As growth slowed across parts of Europe, the US and China, and capital became more selective, all eyes once again turned to the Middle East—and Dubai in particular—as beauty’s most dynamic convergence point for investment, expansion and ambition. In 2025, the emirate cemented its position not just as a regional hub, but as a…
-
2025 in Review: Jobs & People – Workforce Resets Gather Pace Amid Market Uncertainty
With growth slowing in key markets, costs rising and confidence uneven, 2025 became a defining year for people, power and priorities across the global beauty and retail industry. From boardrooms to shop floors, companies restructured, recalibrated and, in many cases, reduced headcount—while selectively investing in talent deemed critical to future growth. In the US…
-
2025 in Review: Tech & Digital – AI Reshapes Beauty Amid Rising Risk and Regulation
If 2025 marked a turning point for beauty, it was not defined by experimentation—but by execution. Artificial intelligence, immersive commerce and automation moved decisively from pilot projects to core infrastructure, reshaping how brands innovate, market, sell and operate. At the same time, rising regulatory scrutiny and cybersecurity risks underscored the growing costs and complexities…
-
2025 in Review: See You in Court – Litigation Intensifies Amid Heightened Scrutiny
If 2025 showed where pressure is building fastest in beauty and personal care, it was not only in regulation or trade—but in the courtroom. Across jurisdictions, litigation surged as regulators, competitors, consumers and investors increasingly turned to legal action to resolve disputes over data, safety, marketing claims and market power. For the industry, the…