South East Asia

‘A big learning process’: Suu Balm mulls over future sustainability plans as it rolls out new green initiatives

07-Feb-2023 By Amanda Lim

Sensitive skin brand Suu Balm says the outcomes of its new green initiatives will inform its future plans as it continues on its journey of becoming a company with a cleaner and greener impact.

‘Deforestation-free sourcing’: Beiersdorf and WWF extend joint commitment on sustainable palm oil

25-Jan-2023 By Kacey Culliney

Personal care major Beiersdorf has extended its joint commitment with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) in Indonesia, aiming to halt deforestation in Borneo and certify 200 smallholders with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) on the...

Colour me green: SEA make-up market ripe for sustainable innovation – Dow

23-Jan-2023 By Amanda Lim

South East Asia is providing an untapped opportunity for sustainable beauty innovation in the make-up market, claims Dow, with the firm believing colour cosmetics is the ideal category for trialling new ideas.

Indie Pioneers Podcast

Science of scents: How Singapore’s Scent Journer is tapping tech and data to stand out in niche fragrance market

18-Jan-2023 By Amanda Lim

An emphasis on tech and data is crucial for indie fragrance brands to become trendsetters in the increasingly saturated niche market, claims a Singapore start-up that is tapping AI and social media research.

‘Personalisation and craftsmanship’: Atelier Rebul aims to bring bespoke services to China when it expands offline

16-Jan-2023 By Amanda Lim

A 128-year-old Turkish fragrance house is set to expand offline in China in 2023 and is planning to offer its signature bespoke services to cater to the heightened appreciation for “personalisation and craftsmanship”.

‘No brand like us’: Nuggela & Sulé aims to tap into hair care ‘skinification’ in APAC

10-Jan-2023 By Amanda Lim

Spanish hair care brand Nuggela & Sulé believes the time is ripe to further expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region as demand for products that both care for the hair and scalp increases.

Coming soon: Heure set to launch new anti-pigmentation skin care range utilising its smart encapsulation tech in 2023

20-Dec-2022 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-based skin care brand Heure, known for its proprietary encapsulation tech, is launching a sophomore range targeting skin pigmentation early next year, after setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Exceeding expectations’: How Chloe’s LazMall debut influenced Coty’s Hugo BOSS launch

14-Dec-2022 By Amanda Lim

Beauty major Coty is utilising consumer insights from Chloe’s LazMall launch to fine-tune Hugo BOSS’s debut on the South East Asian e-commerce platform.

Save the rainforests: Imperative to find big beauty brands to support communities in Borneo – Forestwise CEO

08-Dec-2022 By Amanda Lim

Forestwise, a supplier of wild harvest ingredient from the rainforest, is aiming to secure multinational customers from the cosmetics and food industry in order to better support the community.

From makeup-centred to multifunctional: How halal beauty consumer trends are shifting

29-Nov-2022 By Hui Ling Dang

‘Skintellectual’ Muslim consumers are showing strong interest in multi-purpose products that are dedicated to their specific needs, and moving away from a purely makeup-centred approach, according to market experts.

‘It’s about differentiation’: New and exclusive J-beauty brands key to reinforce Welcia-BHG’s retail proposition

09-Nov-2022 By Amanda Lim

Singaporean health and beauty retail chain Welcia-BHG says that the introduction of new and exclusive J-beauty brands will give it a leg up in the local market.

Helping hands: Scent Journer develops prebiotic hand sanitisers to keep up with post-COVID premiumisation

09-Nov-2022 By Amanda Lim

A fragrance label from Singapore has released a line of hand sanitisers with prebiotics to keep up with the post-pandemic premiumisation of the hand care category.

Silver lining: Sa Sa Malaysia has recovered to 77.4% of pre-pandemic levels as COVID restrictions ease

01-Nov-2022 By Amanda Lim

Sa Sa Malaysia has recovered to 77.4% of pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the positive impact of the relaxation of pandemic measures that came into effect across the country in April.

Hazard identification: ‘Alarming issue’ of mercury in Malaysian whitening cosmetics - new data

24-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

More than 15% of whitening products surveyed in Malaysia were tainted with mercury, researchers from the University of Malaya have revealed.

Enhanced beauty tools? Deep tech start-up unveils ceramic alloy that accelerates wound-healing

17-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

A Singapore-based deep-tech start-up has developed a unique material that could pique the interest of the beauty sector because of its ability to reduce inflammation and accelerate wound healing.

Ask the CEO: Meeth developing bikini line moisturiser in collaboration with consumers

13-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

J-beauty brand Meeth is developing a moisturiser for the sensitive bikini line area in collaboration with a group of consumers that personally pitched it to its CEO.

Deer placenta skin care: NZ brand Bouvelir targets Thailand and Malaysia with premium range

11-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

A newly established New Zealand-based brand that uses deer placenta is hoping to break into the South East Asian market, where it believes its science-backed premium products will thrive in beauty salon and clinic channels.

Haute couture beauty: Biologique Recherche launches ultra-luxury personalised services in Thailand

06-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

Luxury French skin care brand Biologique Recherche believes the Thai market is ready for its haute couture personalised skin care services and will use it as a springboard to further expand in South East Asia.

Fantastical fungi: Food start-up pushing mushroom mycelium as natural and sustainable ingredient for cosmetics

05-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

A Singapore-based food start-up cultivating mushroom mycelium as an alternative protein source believes it can also serve the cosmetics industry as a natural, sustainable, and completely food-safe ingredient.

All dolled up: Thailand’s Cathy Doll sets sight on premiumisation with perfume, make-up

05-Oct-2022 By Amanda Lim

Thai mass market megabrand Cathy Doll is working towards premiumisation with new offerings in perfume and colour cosmetics.

Store of the future: Sephora’s ‘next-gen’ site mixes high-tech tools with the human touch

28-Sep-2022 By Amanda Lim

Beauty omnichannel retailer Sephora says it is incorporating digital technology with the human touch via its first Asia ‘next-gen’ store.

‘Focus is on Asia’: Swiss brand Evenswiss says its future ‘growth story’ lies in region

22-Sep-2022 By Amanda Lim

Swiss skin care brand Evenswiss says Asia will be key to its future growth after enjoying initial success in Vietnam and China.

Mercury uprising: Philippines groups call for end to mercury exemption for eye cosmetics

21-Sep-2022 By Gary Scattergood

Environmental health organisations from the Philippines are calling for an end to the exemption on mercury use for eye cosmetics under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Social media and spending: 'First-of-a-kind' study sheds lights on cosmetics trends in Brunei

15-Sep-2022 By Gary Scattergood

Almost of half of female consumers surveyed in Brunei said that social media was their main source of information when deciding which cosmetics to use or purchase, while a large proportion reported spending 10% of their monthly income on such items.

New opportunities: Singapore’s Herbal Pharm expanding personal care business with hair care range

06-Sep-2022 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-based nutraceuticals and personal care company Herbal Pharm is set to launch a new hair care range this year to tap into the demand for natural yet efficacious products for common concerns such as hair loss and greying hair.

Alternative potential: Wild turmeric extracts could prevent UVB-induced photoageing – Study

01-Sep-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Two wild turmeric plants, the Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa, could play a role in products tackling UVB-induced photoageing.

SIX in Wonderland: Scent by SIX to debut brand in NYC as it seeks to break into the US

26-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

Singaporean niche fragrance label Scent by SIX is set to make its debut at New York City retailer Showfields later this year as it looks to break into the US market.

A cleaner solution: Innerbottle aims to replace silicone insert with new material for easier recycling

24-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

South Korean sustainable packaging start-up Innerbottle is working to replace its current silicone inserts with a new thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) it has developed called TPX, which will make it easier to recycle.

Consumer-conscious: Malaysians still conservative, prefer natural shades over bright colours

24-Aug-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Malaysian consumers remain largely conservative when making cosmetics choices and continue to prefer natural tones over bright ones, according to brand founder.

Rethinking retail: Shiseido’s Elixir partners with Lazada to push O2O strategy in SEA expansion

17-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

Japanese beauty giant Shiseido has partnered with South East Asian e-commerce firm Lazada to engineer the online-to-offline expansion strategy of skin care brand Elixir in the region.

‘AI is not the same’: NITA Cosmetics is prioritising the return of consumers to brick-and-mortar stores

16-Aug-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Nothing beats the brick-and-mortar consumer experience when choosing new colour cosmetics despite advances in AI technology, claims the founder of Malaysia’s NITA Cosmetics.

Natural repellent: Strong demand for novel Taiwanese black root citronella in Singapore as dengue cases surge

09-Aug-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

A novel Taiwanese black root citronella oil brand Dong Sheng is experiencing sales success in Singapore as dengue cases spike, with at least 21,000 units of 10ml roll-ons being sold out monthly.

Buying behaviours: Smaller basket sizes, but premium demand steady in post-pandemic beauty retail

09-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

More cautious spending behaviours among shoppers are resulting in smaller basket sizes among Asia’s beauty consumers, but the demand for premium products is staying strong.

Purposeful perfumes: Start-up Scent Journer develops beneficial scents for pragmatic Asian consumers

04-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

A Singapore-based start-up is developing perfumes that solve the Asian consumers’ biggest pain points with fragrances, while also delivering tangible benefits to them.

Scent support: Singapore’s Scent by SIX leverages fragrance tech to tackle the tough issues

03-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-based Scent by SIX is using fragrance technology to support the mental health of those that have been marginalised by society.

‘Where social commerce can really happen’: What the presence of TikTok Shop in SEA means for beauty and social commerce

01-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

The arrival of TikTok Shop in South East Asia could possibly accelerate the regional growth of social commerce and open the region’s beauty brands to a wider international audience.

‘It’s time to shake things up’: Lucas Meyer Cosmetics eyes APAC’s hijabi hair care sector with upcycled active

01-Aug-2022 By Amanda Lim

IFF-owned ingredients maker Lucas Meyer Cosmetics believes its latest upcycled active ingredient can solve major pain points in the hijabi hair care market, especially in the warm and muggy climates of Asia Pacific.

Engage and excite: P&G aims to keep consumers excited with new and improved virtual shopping experience – SVP

27-Jul-2022 By Amanda Lim

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble is launching a new version of its virtual shopping experience on South East Asian e-commerce marketplace Shopee in bid to keep up with today’s rapidly evolving consumers and keep them excited about its host of...

‘The next frontier’: The Good Glamm Group’s international venture targets Middle East, SEA

26-Jul-2022 By Amanda Lim

India-based cosmetics conglomerate The Good Glamm Group is set to make its first foray internationally into the Middle East in August, and has plans to tackle the South East Asian market next year.

Replicating online success: Sa Sa targeting Malaysia, Australia, Europe, N. America with online revamp

14-Jul-2022 By Amanda Lim

Hong Kong-based beauty retailer Sa Sa International is eyeing opportunities in Malaysia, Australia, Europe, and North America with a revamped international online store.