South East Asia

‘Zero tolerance’: E-commerce firms urged to combat sale of mercury-laden whitening products and plastic pollution

20-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

E-commerce companies such as Shopee and Lazada are being urged to lead the fight against the sale of adulterated whitening products and the problem of plastic waste pollution.

‘Sleep is so near yet so far’: Scent by SIX unveils new collection to promote better sleep

17-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

Independent fragrance label Scent by SIX – set up by an ex-Givaudan exec – has launched a new scent collection to promote better sleep that contains scent technology developed by Takasago.

Skin care sanctuary: La Prairie to offer more personalised experiences with first standalone flagship in SEA

06-Sep-2021 By Amanda Lim

Swiss luxury skincare brand La Prairie has launched its first standalone flagship store in South East Asia, which it believes will help the brand to meet the increasing demand for a more personalised experience for its high-end clientele.

Lip service: Personalised lipstick brand zeroing in on clean and sustainable beauty trend to drive growth

30-Aug-2021 By Amanda Lim

Pandemic-born bespoke beauty start-up Lips Carpenter aims to tap into the interest in clean and sustainable products to drive growth after relying on the personalised gifting market to sustain itself during COVID-19.

One and done: ONLYSKIN launches cleanser-sunscreen hybrid to boost consumer convenience

09-Aug-2021 By Amanda Lim

A Singapore-based cosmetics company has developed a wash-on sunscreen that it claims can offer convenient 24-hour ‘wash-to-wash’ protection.

Brand loyalty: L’Oréal says Shopee brand membership programme spurs members to spend more

26-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

Beauty giant L’Oréal has observed that consumers that join its brand loyalty programme on e-commerce platform Shopee have spent 2.4 times more than non-members.

Streaming for success: Men’s K-beauty brand Tieso betting on live commerce to help penetrate tough Singapore market

14-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

South Korean male beauty brand Tieso is turning to live commerce to help it make headway into the difficult Singapore market as the retail environment remains uncertain in the face of COVID-19.

‘A big step’: The Body Shop believes reuse and refill habit will ‘definitely’ become mainstream in Singapore

13-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

The Body Shop has begun rolling out in-store refill services in Singapore where it believes the reuse and refill habit will become mainstream among beauty consumers.

Full speed ahead: Bespoke perfume house Maison 21G accelerates global expansion, targets China in 2022

08-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-headquartered luxury fragrance house Maison 21G is rapidly expanding its international footprint in markets in Asia and the Middle East, and has its sights set on entering China in 2022.

‘Drive for success’: British luxury brand ELEMIS bets on omnichannel strategy to secure bright future in APAC

06-Jul-2021 By Amanda Lim

UK luxury brand ELEMIS is making another ‘digital-first’ debut into Singapore and Malaysia as it builds up its omnichannel retail strategy to pursue its goal of becoming the top British premium skin care brand in the world.

Sea therapy: K-beauty brand TARA debuts in Singapore, eyes Thailand and Vietnam next

22-Jun-2021 By Amanda Lim

South Korean marine beauty brand TARA has recently made its official South East Asian debut in Singapore and plans to tackle Thailand and Vietnam next to expand its SEA footprint.

Need-to-know: Upcoming brand Founders Beauty prioritises education-led approach for skin care

15-Jun-2021 By Amanda Lim

A soon-to-be-launched natural clean beauty brand, Founders Beauty, is aiming to develop a platform that will help consumers make more informed decisions when it comes to skin care.

Potency without irritation: Derma Lab launches sensitive skin-friendly retinol serum

15-Jun-2021 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-based Derma Lab has developed a retinol serum to target those with sensitive skin on the back of growing consumer awareness for the potent and effective vitamin A ingredient.

Melanin reduction: Malaysian researchers formulate and trial skin lightening cream containing betel leaf extract on human subjects

10-Jun-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Researchers in Malaysia have formulated a cream containing Piper betle L. extract which has shown to reduce melanin content, lighten skin tone, and improve skin elasticity among human subjects.

Buy and grow: Start-up Rainforest eyes opportunities in acquiring APAC e-commerce personal care brands

07-Jun-2021 By Amanda Lim

Singapore-based start-up Rainforest is looking to acquire online direct-to-consumer personal care brands from Asia Pacific in order to scale them up.