In this round-up of financial results, M&As and funding drives in the cosmetics industry, we highlight the first-quarter results from Shiseido, Kao Corp, L’Occitane and more.
Personal care major Unilever will acquire US-headquartered direct-to-consumer (D2C) premium skin care brand Paula’s Choice, bringing it under its growing prestige portfolio.
istyle inc’s live commerce company Over The Border is channelling its resources into Chinese social media platform Douyin with hopes to develop it into a ‘core business' in China.
A South Korean beauty brand that specialises in products with red ginseng extract has expanded its brand in the US to capitalise on the growing male skin care market.
A deep dive into Kantar Worldpanel 2021 Brand Footprint
Colgate, Lifebuoy and Dove are the most chosen beauty and personal care brands in the world, with a hygiene focus driving growth in an otherwise flat market, according to Kantar Worldpanel’s 2021 Brand Footprint.
In this round-up of financial results, M&As and funding drives in the cosmetics industry, we highlight news of Kao’s travel retail expansion, Liht Organic’s royal partnership, MyGlamm’s Series C funding and more.
Swisse is ramping up new product development for its revamped beauty range as part of its focus into the ‘beauty in and out’ market in Australia and worldwide.
Japanese conglomerate Kao Corporation is working to put its cosmetics division back on a path of high growth with a series of moves including ‘structural reform’ and ramping up marketing spend.
Japanese beauty giant Shiseido Group has reported an operating profit increase of 67.6% year-on-year to surpass US$100m after pivoting towards a focus on skin care following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kao Corporation is working to reinforce the online presence of its high-end beauty brand SENSAI in key markets such as Japan, China and Europe, in order to strengthen its position in the prestige skin care market.
Japanese beauty major Shiseido has announced that it will partially terminate the exclusive global license with Dolce & Gabbana regarding the product development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of its beauty products.
![Our updates on financial results, M&As and funding drives in the cosmetics industry. [L'Occitane]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/shiseido-kao-l-occitane-and-more-feature-in-our-latest-beauty-business-and-finance-update/12569556-1-eng-GB/Shiseido-Kao-L-Occitane-and-more-feature-in-our-latest-beauty-business-and-finance-update_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![US-headquartered Paula's Choice has a large range of skin care products, including face cleansers, exfoliants, serums and retinol treatments, available across its global D2C network and select prestige retail outlets [Image: Unilever/Paula's Choice]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2021/06/15/unilever-to-acquire-paula-s-choice-from-ta-associates-under-prestige-beauty-division/12566251-1-eng-GB/Unilever-to-acquire-Paula-s-Choice-from-TA-Associates-under-prestige-beauty-division_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Rainforest is looking to acquire online direct-to-consumer personal care brands from Asia Pacific. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/rainforest-eyes-opportunities-in-acquiring-apac-e-commerce-personal-care-brands/12504067-1-eng-GB/Rainforest-eyes-opportunities-in-acquiring-APAC-e-commerce-personal-care-brands_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![istyle Inc's Over The Border is channelling its resources into Chinese social media platform Douyin. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/douyin-the-next-major-battleground-in-china-s-e-commerce-space-istyle-inc/12371182-1-eng-GB/Douyin-the-next-major-battleground-in-China-s-e-commerce-space-istyle-Inc_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Donginbi extends US reach to capitalise on the growing male skin care market. [Donginbi]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/ginseng-beauty-cheong-kwan-jang-s-donginbi-extends-us-reach-to-offer-quality-effective-products-in-men-s-market/12481897-1-eng-GB/Ginseng-beauty-Cheong-Kwan-Jang-s-Donginbi-extends-US-reach-to-offer-quality-effective-products-in-men-s-market_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Lifebuoy and Dettol - two personal care brands heavily focused on hygiene - were the fastest-growing in the world during the period [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2021/05/24/top-50-beauty-brands-2021-from-kantar-worldpanel-brand-footprint-show-colgate-lifebuoy-and-dove-most-chosen/12505282-1-eng-GB/Top-50-beauty-brands-2021-from-Kantar-Worldpanel-Brand-Footprint-show-Colgate-Lifebuoy-and-Dove-most-chosen_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![We highlight news of Kao’s travel retail expansion, Liht Organic’s royal partnership, MyGlamm’s Series C funding and more. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/5-most-read-stories-on-business-and-financial-news-in-the-beauty-industry/12481797-1-eng-GB/5-Most-read-stories-on-business-and-financial-news-in-the-beauty-industry_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Kao Corporation is working to put its cosmetics division back on a path of high growth with a series of moves. [Kao Corp]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/kao-outlines-plans-to-raise-cosmetics-business-back-up-to-pre-pandemic-levels-by-2023/12481847-1-eng-GB/Kao-outlines-plans-to-raise-cosmetics-business-back-up-to-pre-pandemic-levels-by-2023_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Shiseido Group has reported an operating profit increase in the first quarter of FY2021. [Shiseido Group]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/shiseido-s-focus-on-skin-beauty-pays-off-as-q1-2021-operating-profits-increase/12461553-1-eng-GB/Shiseido-s-focus-on-skin-beauty-pays-off-as-Q1-2021-operating-profits-increase_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Estée Lauder on how the rapid recovery of colour cosmetics in China has informed its global make-up strategy. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/market-trends/how-estee-lauder-expects-colour-to-trend-based-on-china-s-covid-19-recovery/12459535-1-eng-GB/How-Estee-Lauder-expects-colour-to-trend-based-on-China-s-COVID-19-recovery_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![China now L’Occitane’s largest market in FY2021. [L'Occitane Intl]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/l-occitane-q4-results-china-now-firm-s-largest-market-after-sales-surge-by-60/12419211-1-eng-GB/L-Occitane-Q4-results-China-now-firm-s-largest-market-after-sales-surge-by-60_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![SENSAI working to reinforce its online presence in key markets. [SENSAI]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/kao-corp-aiming-to-strengthen-super-prestige-brand-sensai-in-key-markets/12391279-1-eng-GB/Kao-Corp-aiming-to-strengthen-super-prestige-brand-SENSAI-in-key-markets_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Shiseido will partially terminate the exclusive global license with Dolce & Gabbana. [Dolce & Gabbana]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/shiseido-partially-terminates-global-license-with-d-g-to-focus-on-2023-targets/12407092-1-eng-GB/Shiseido-partially-terminates-global-license-with-D-G-to-focus-on-2023-targets_news_teaser_medium.jpg)
![Top five stories on the digital developments and beauty tech in the cosmetics industry. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/market-trends/digital-dive-top-stories-on-digital-developments-making-waves-in-the-apac-beauty-industry/12576576-1-eng-GB/Digital-Dive-Top-stories-on-digital-developments-making-waves-in-the-APAC-beauty-industry_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![THREE re-releases exclusive inner beauty supplement. [THREE Cosmetics]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/brand-innovation/j-beauty-brand-three-re-releases-exclusive-inner-beauty-supplement-to-alleviate-common-summer-ailments/12572449-1-eng-GB/J-beauty-brand-THREE-re-releases-exclusive-inner-beauty-supplement-to-alleviate-common-summer-ailments_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![Singapore start-up Bhuman says early interest from big-name retailers won’t deter its focus on promoting sustainable consumption. [Bhuman]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/article/2021/06/16/bhuman-promoting-sustainable-consumption-top-of-mind-for-waterless-beauty-brand-founded-by-ex-amazon-vp/12559836-1-eng-GB/Bhuman-Promoting-sustainable-consumption-top-of-mind-for-waterless-beauty-brand-founded-by-ex-Amazon-VP_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![Koru Pharmaceuticals has launched a new skin care brand made with hemp seed oil derived from a hybrid Korean hemp variant. [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/brand-innovation/hemp-skin-care-koru-pharmaceuticals-develops-k-beauty-skin-care-made-with-hybrid-korean-variant/12546733-1-eng-GB/Hemp-skin-care-Koru-Pharmaceuticals-develops-K-beauty-skin-care-made-with-hybrid-Korean-variant_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![Our updates on financial results, M&As and funding drives in the cosmetics industry. [L'Occitane]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/business-financial/shiseido-kao-l-occitane-and-more-feature-in-our-latest-beauty-business-and-finance-update/12569556-1-eng-GB/Shiseido-Kao-L-Occitane-and-more-feature-in-our-latest-beauty-business-and-finance-update_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![US-headquartered Paula's Choice has a large range of skin care products, including face cleansers, exfoliants, serums and retinol treatments, available across its global D2C network and select prestige retail outlets [Image: Unilever/Paula's Choice]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2021/06/15/unilever-to-acquire-paula-s-choice-from-ta-associates-under-prestige-beauty-division/12566251-1-eng-GB/Unilever-to-acquire-Paula-s-Choice-from-TA-Associates-under-prestige-beauty-division_wrbm_tiny.jpg)
![Sheet masks are ‘storming the market’ in India, says Skinella [Getty Images]](https://cdn-a.william-reed.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/market-trends/skinella-says-sheet-mask-sales-in-india-are-storming-the-market-in-india/12560457-1-eng-GB/Skinella-says-sheet-mask-sales-in-India-are-storming-the-market-in-India_wrbm_tiny.jpg)