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

1 – Beauty, streamlined: Sephora pinpoints demand for multipurpose beauty products that won’t compromise on skin TLC​

Beauty retailer Sephora says consumers are looking for skin care, hair care and make-up products that offer more while allowing them to do less​.

This trend, dubbed purposeful beauty, is defined by the retailer as a ‘streamlined beauty routine that delivers more’.​

Products that can help achieve such a routine are those that are multipurpose, effortless in terms of usability and ‘value for money and time’.​

In other words, these products can be any skin care, make-up or hair care product that can address multiple concerns and needs, helping consumers build a less complicated everyday routine.

2 – Custom craze: Amorepacific introduces four more bespoke services as it banks on personalised beauty demand

From cushion foundations to bath bombs, K-beauty giant Amorepacific has launched a slew of bespoke beauty initiatives​ in the past few months as expects demand for personalised cosmetics to rise.

Within the past couple of months, the South Korean cosmetics conglomerate has launched four new personalised beauty services.

In March, the firm extended IOPE’s Lab Tailored 3D Mask and Serum service online and added virtual one-on-one skin consultations. This service was previously only available at the brand’s Myeongdong store.

The following month, it launched Base Picker, a customised foundation service available in-store and online.

3 – Make-up ‘renaissance’: How Estée Lauder expects colour to trend based on China’s COVID-19 recovery

Beauty major Estée Lauder Companies has revealed how the rapid recovery of colour cosmetics in China has informed its global make-up strategy​.

While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disproportionately impact makeup usage, with net sales declining across nearly all its brands, the company is preparing to welcome a make-up ‘renaissance’.​

“Looking ahead, we are preparing a renaissance in make-up, and we anticipate that momentum will gradually build around the world, driven by local reopening and social and professional occasions,” ​said Fabrizio Freda, president, CEO and director of The Estée Lauder Companies.

“We are strategically well-positioned to grow our sales and capture prestige beauty share make-up recovery with our hero products, robust innovation pipeline, analytics engine, driving aspirational intelligence, and enticing in-store and online activation centred on the omnichannel consumer.”​

4 – Top performers: High-end skin care brands domination expected to continue post-pandemic – Lazada

Lazada expects demand for luxury skin care brands such as Estée Lauder, SK-II, and Sulwhasoo​ to continue on an upward trend, even as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

Lazada is an e-commerce platform headquartered in Singapore. It is the South East Asian flagship platform of the Alibaba Group and operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the platform saw a surge in demand as customers and sellers turned to online sales channels amid various offline disruptions.

According to Lazada, sales of products in the beauty category more than doubled year-on-year in the first quarter alone.

5 – Word-of-mouth influence: KOLs such as top stylists crucial to establishing trust and recognition of Oribe in Japan

Kao Corporation has kicked-off off Oribe’s launch in Japan through premium beauty salons to tap into the influence of key opinion leaders​ such as hairstylists, which it believes are extremely effective at conveying the value of the brand to consumers.

Oribe was founded in 2007 by Cuban-American celebrity hairstylist Oribe Canales. The brand is widely considered the pioneer of the ultra-luxe hair care category.

The brand has a presence in around 40 markets mainly in Europe and the US. In the US, the brand offers body care and fragrance products in addition to hair care products.

The brand is available in top-class salons and high-end department stores and mainly targets consumers ‘leading a luxury lifestyle’.