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1 – 'Brand first, products second': L’Oréal APAC boss stresses importance of brand trust in times of crisis - Exclusive

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is pushing French cosmetics conglomerate L’Oréal Group to find innovative ways to reinforce the trust relationship​ between its brands and consumers, a leading executive told us in an exclusive interview.

Jochen Zaumseil, executive vice president of APAC, L’Oréal Group, stressed that a brand’s trustworthiness becomes vital during periods of upheaval as consumers are more likely to fall back on the steadfast and dependable.

“Very often, a crisis is also about a crisis of trust. Do you trust the authorities, the current economy – do you trust the brands? Brands with strong trust relationship are growing stronger than the others, it’s a natural thing,”​ Zaumseil told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.

Zaumseil has observed the steady growth among L’Oréal brands that are perceived to have high trustworthiness among beauty consumers.

2 – Health is wealth: Luxury clean beauty brand taps potential among older health-obsessed consumers

Newly launched luxury clean beauty brand MISEICO is eyeing potential among older consumers that prioritise health above all else​.

MISEICO launched last month in Singapore with a single product, the Miracle Pour oil serum, which was formulated by founder Michelle Chan.

“What makes this oil serum so good is that it has a lot of actives at high concentration. It also has very good sensorial effects that soothe and make you feel calm. We want our customers to look forward to the ritual of using this product.”​

Chan, a serial entrepreneur and certified skin care formulator, saw a gap in the market in Asia for a luxury clean beauty brand.

3 – New ‘must-have’: Hygiene obsession accelerates development of touchless applicators

The shifting mentalities towards hygiene are pushing beauty companies to develop touchless applicators​ that address consumers’ contamination concerns.

Pre-pandemic, beauty applicators usually took the form of small, lightweight spatulas that could easily fit into boxes with products – a nice-to-have tool that could easily be misplaced.

With the advent of COVID-19 and rising consumer awareness of germs and bacteria, the humble applicator has now become a “standalone must-have”,​ said Stephane Bulle, VP of packaging Innovations at packaging company Meiyume.

“Especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for hygienic applicators have become a priority for many consumers as they look to minimise germ exposure and find a more sanitary way to go about their beauty routines.”​

4 – Luxury in time of crisis: By Terry and Luxasia embark on Asia expansion despite pandemic​

Luxury beauty brand By Terry and distributing partner Luxasia are counting on a digitally-led approach​ to weather the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and achieve their ambitions for the brand in Asia.

As previously reported by CosmeticsDesign-Europe​, market intelligence firm Euromonitor International has forecasted that the global luxury goods market is set to decline by 18% in light of the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Considering the resilience of the beauty market, however, Euromonitor has predicted that luxury beauty would recovery more rapidly compared to other categories.

These new realities have pushed luxury beauty brands like Paris-based By Terry Beauty to hone on its digital efforts to withstand a pandemic-stricken economy while growing its business in Asia.

“The beauty industry was already transforming towards greater digital play prior to COVID-19. What COVID-19 did was to accelerate this shift significantly. Beauty companies do not have a choice anymore – without a compelling digital offering that is seamlessly integrated with retail, brands will inevitably begin to fade,” ​said Marion Assuied, CEO of the independent French luxury brand.

5 – Switching off plastic: Kao develops eco packaging which use 50% less plastic compared to pump bottles

Japanese personal care conglomerate Kao Corporation has developed a new pump for its film-type packaging to replace its use of plastic pump bottles​.

The Raku-raku Switch is a spout that dispenses a fixed amount of liquid contents with one push of a button.

It can be used with the company’s film-type Raku-raku Eco Pack Refill, which will reduce plastic use by approximately 50% compared with plastic bottles with a pump dispenser.

According to Kao, the Raku-raku Eco Pack Refill itself can reduce plastic use and reduce the CO2 emissions produced from manufacturing and disposal by approximately 80%.

“Development and launch of the Raku-raku Switch is one of Kao's efforts to eliminate the use of plastic bottles as part of its priority actions aimed at Innovation in Reduction, aligned with its ESG Strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan,” ​said the company.