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Unilever Ventures backs Aussie clean beauty brand Dr Roebuck’s as it enjoys global expansion​

Australia-based clean beauty brand Dr Roebuck’s has cinched funding from Unilever Ventures​ after its recently worldwide expansion.

Dr Roebuck’s is a clean beauty brand founded by sisters Zoe and Kim Roebuck. The brand launched in the US in 2018, where it has amassed a devout following.

Natalie Sperling, CEO of Dr Roebucks told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that its base has doubled from 1,000 to 2,000 doors in the past few months.

The brand is currently distributed in over 20 countries and has partnerships with leading beauty retailers, Sephora, Cult Beauty, SpaceNK and Shopper’s Drug Mart.

"Dr Roebuck's appealed to us because it is a brand that really lives and breathes clean beauty and its Australian lifestyle roots. We look forward to working with Kim, Zoe and Natalie to help further drive Dr Roebuck's international growth plans,” ​said Rachel Harris, Director of Unilever Ventures.

Queen of fruits: Thai cosmetics firm sees vast potential for mangosteen extract

Thai firm Quality Plus believes it has yet to fully unlock the potential of the mangosteen fruit and its purified xanthone extract​ for cosmetic use.

Quality Plus collaborated with Kasetsart University to research the active ingredients derived from mangosteen peels.

They found that the purified xanthone from the peels has potent cosmetic properties.

“Purified xanthone from mangosteen is a really special ingredient,”​ said Wuttipong Panitsettakorn, managing director of Quality Plus. “It has been found to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial properties.”​

Beauty in baobab: Super oil from Africa poised to go mainstream in Asia

The demand for baobab oil has been rising​ in the Japanese market in recent years and one supplier believes it will soon spread to more parts of Asia.

Japanese supplier of natural oils and butters, Celmyon, has been producing and supplying baobab oil for nearly 10 years.

However, it has seen sales start to pick up for the last two years, said company president and CEO, Mahamadou Tandia.

“The baobab tree is known as the tree of life. It has a great sustainability story and is also a natural, organic ingredient, that’s why it appeals to the consumer.”​

WATCH: Reshaping luxury – How the new values and attitudes of consumers are redefining luxury beauty

How can luxury brands connect with an increasingly diverse, empowered and eco-responsible millennial​ consumer? That’s the hot topic we assess in this month’s edition of Beauty Broadcast.

That’s because millennials are not just driving luxury beauty growth, they are also redefining what luxury means to them.

These younger consumers no longer want to sacrifice eco-consciousness for opulence nor are they content to fall under a label. 

We speak to Cissy Chen, founder of Singapore-based luxury skin care brand Frankskincare to find out what draws luxury consumers to her brand and discuss how luxury brands can connect with consumers by being authentic.

Later in the episode. we sit down with Kathryn Sloane and Spencer Ball of the global creative agency Anthem to glean more insight into the mind of the modern luxury consumer and muse about how the luxury category will continue evolving in the future.

Cosmetics crackdown: Malaysian authorities bans 12 skin care products over safety concerns

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Department (NPRA) has banned 12 skin care items as they were found to contain scheduled poisons.​

The authorities have alerted retailers and consumers to refrain from selling and buying skin care products such as: 3rd Series Yanko Whitening Cream Night Cream, Clair De Lune – P.Tuberose Day Cream, Dnars Nien Cream, Glow Glowing N Glow, VSL Beauty Care and Dolly Glow Miracle Treatment Cream.

According to a press statement sent from the desk of director-general of health, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Bin Abdullah, notifications of the 12 items were promptly cancelled following the detection of the potentially harmful ingredients.