President and CEO Shiseido Group EMEA Louis Desazars laid out plans for Shiseido to become one of the top five prestige players in EMEA and a top ten global player. Specifically, the company aims to boost its global market share in fragrance from 5.8% to 9% within five years. Desazars said “The ambition is to grow this major business and more than double it to reach €1 billion in the next ten years and enter the global fragrance top ten.” From January 1, 2017 Shiseido’s Paris-based Beauté Prestige International (BPI) will be phased out as a corporate brand to make way for the group’s new Global Fragrance Centre of Excellence.  Seeking to become a major fragrance player is a bold move for a Japanese corporation where companies have traditionally focused on skincare and cosmetics.  Of special focus will be the Dolce & Gabbana that Shiseido plans to leverage with a key priority being boosting brand visibility in stores. 

Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. said it has signed a lease for office space in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, which will function as the company's headquarters in North America. Part of the company's future expansion plans, the new headquarters follows Henkel's acquisition of area-based Sun Products in September 2016. Also, the company announced the relocation of its Arizona operations to Stamford.

Estee Lauder Companies Inc. said it has agreed to acquire makeup brand Too Faced. Founded in 1998 by cosmetics entrepreneurs Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson, Too Faced is expected to help Estee Lauder strengthen its leadership status in the fast-growing prestige makeup segment worldwide. One of the fastest-expanding cosmetics brands, Too Faced is forecast to reach $270 million in net sales in 2016.

By the end of 2016, the world market for perfumes is forecast to grow to $39.67 billion, according to Future Market Insights. Data from the market research firm's report, “Perfumes Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026,” revealed the global perfume market will expand at a CAGR of 5.9 percent in 2016‒2026, driven in part by growing demand from millennial consumers. Also, growth in the fragrance segment has been driven by expansions in online retail business and marketing efforts of market leaders, such as Estee Lauder, LVMH, and Coty. Demand for fragrances is also benefiting from consumers' willingness to spend on luxury personal care products.

Natural beauty brand Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc., named Martina Joseph as the company's new CEO. With more than 20 years of professional experience in the natural beauty market, Joseph was previously general manager for Bliss North America. Before that, she was head of North American marketing, sales, and education for Carol's Daughter, Jurlique and Nude Skincare.

Iran accounts for $2.1 billion of the Middle East market's beauty products market valued at $7.2 billion, according to data from the Iranian Association of Cosmetics, Toiletries and Perfumery Importers. There are 15 million consumers for beauty products in the country, which means each consumer spends $140 on cosmetics each year. Data also revealed Iranians spend 4.5 percent of their annual income on beauty products, three times more than European consumers who spend $99 on cosmetics per year.

With demand growing for natural and organic personal care products, consumers, especially Millennials, expect these products to be available at their favorite grocery stores. While Millennials do not like going to specialty stores to buy personal care products, many would go to the nearest health food store if their favorite retailer did not sell the natural products they seek, according to Wally's Natural. Despite the growing demand, retailers sometimes cannot distinguish between products labeled as natural and those classified as organic.

L’Oreal Paris opened its first boutique in France during the 2016 Paris Fashion Week. Located under a trompe l’oeil Eiffel Tower, the L’Oreal Makeup Designer/Paris boutique features more than 600 products, 150 of which are store exclusives. Also, every month, the store will highlight a limited-edition makeup collection from makeup designer Karim Rahman. Consumers can test the products and virtually try them using the Makeup Genius augmented reality app.

Beauty retailer The Body Shop opened a pop-up store in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood, the company’s first in Canada. Designed for testing new installations and activations and promote holiday gifts, the store features iPad tablets that display videos highlighting the retailer’s Bio Bridges rainforest awareness program. Also, the store includes an installation for Body Butter products that tells stories about the company’s partnerships with community-based suppliers of shea nuts and other materials.

Ten trends are expected to drive Europe's consumer packaged goods industry from 2016 to 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Data from the market research firm's report, “Western Europe's Consumer Goods Industry in 2030,” revealed changes in consumer behavior, stagnating mass market, and fragmented niches of growth will force CPG companies to rethink their business and marketing strategies. Also expected to play important roles in determining the market's future directions are the increase in cross-channel shopping and continued growth of discounters, growing importance of online grocery and competition for digital placement, and changes in industry dynamics. Vertical integration and new business models, widening adoption of digital technology, cost leadership and consolidation, and external influences are also factors that CPG companies will have to deal with during the period covered by the report. To top it all, market stakeholders will also see an increase in government regulation of the industry.

The trade group that represents companies that spend a total of $300 billion a year on national brand advertising announced an alliance of senior “thought leaders” from the African American, Hispanic, Asian, and LGBT communities to develop a blueprint for multicultural marketing in the U.S. The Association of National Advertisers says the new Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) would facilitate brand marketing to diverse racial and cultural groups. Among the specific goals of the AIMM: share multicultural marketing examples; drive ROI, primarily through marketing effectiveness; disseminate best practices of multicultural and diverse demographic segments; and through a robust communications program; and create unique marketplace experiences providing insights into the multicultural arena.

Coty appointed Ukonwa Ojo, former senior global director for Unilever's Knorr brand, as global senior vice-president of the beauty company's CoverGirl brand. Ojo will manage CoverGirl's strategy, innovation, advertising, and communication.

Vietnam's General Department of Taxation has told Unilever Vietnam to pay tax arrears covering the period 2009 to 2013 when the company expanded its local business operations. According to GDT, the country's laws did not offer corporate income tax incentives to investors who expanded their business during the period. GDT, however, has accepted the company's request to exempt it from paying the related fine.

French fashion brand Nina Ricci launched a marketing campaign for its Nina brand of perfume. As part of the campaign, the brand has recruited fashion model Monika Jagaciak to join her best friend and fellow model Frida Gustavsson. Filmmaker Gordon Von Steiner directed the “Nina & Luna” commercial, which highlights the models' real-life friendship as a selling point.

Sales of niche and artisanal fragrances grew 22 percent in 2015, compared with the previous year, according to NPD Group. Data revealed sales of the perfumes, which sometimes come in unconventional varieties, are driven by millennials who do not want mass-market perfumes and celebrity-driven scents. Also driving growth and competition in the market is the increase in merger deals, including Revlon Inc.’s acquisition of Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Coty Inc.’s purchase of Procter & Gamble Co.’s 41 beauty brands. Premium scents have driven market growth, with sales of artisanal products and premium fragrances forecast to grow 18 percent from its current $6.6 billion by 2020, according to Euromonitor International.

Unilever has partnered with agency Oliver to create U-Studio, an in-house content creation unit. U-Studio will collaborate with U-Entertainment, another in-house unit for creating “passions content,” the company said. According to the company, it aims to offer “seek-out content” for consumers who are avoiding “interruption-based advertising.”

Coty launched the Strictly Jil Sanders Night fragrance for men. Created by Olivier Pescheux, who also created the original version of the fragrance, the Strickly Jil Sanders Night comes with top notes of black pepper and pepperwood blended with zest of bergamot. With its name alluding to the aesthetic of the fashion label, the fragrance also comes with spiciness from warm nutmeg and cool cardamom, the company said.

Dove launched the “Real Beauty Beats” marketing campaign in Portugal. Created by production house Black Ship for Dove Portugal, the campaign features men and their reactions when describing different women displayed on a screen. Two days after the video was posted on YouTube, it has earned more than 400,000 views and another 430,000 on Facebook.

Avon and actress Sofia Vergara launched the So Very Sofia by Sofia Vergara fragrance. Exclusively available through Avon, the fragrance highlights Vergara's “passion and confidence,” the company said. Designed by the actress, So Very Sofia is described by Avon as “a floral chypre fragrance.” It has a warm and fruity scent, which enables women to be proud of their true selves, Avon added.

Skincare company SeaSoul Cosmeceuticals launched its SeSoul Make-Up Academy by Manisha Chopra in Gurgaon. SeaSoul’s make-up academy will offer three-week courses on basic make-up application, a six-week course on advanced hair and make-up, and a two-day personal grooming class.

Colgate-Palmolive is celebrating the 2016 Hispanic Heritage Month by awarding $100,000 in scholarships to Hispanic high school seniors. Working in partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation for the third year, the company is marking the eighth year of its Haz la U scholarship program, which aims to help Latinos gain access to higher education. With applications open until October 15, 2016, the HHF will select 31 Latino high school students to receive Haz la U scholarship grants.

Advances in formulation and ingredient technologies are driving the increase in number of innovative products being developed, according to Technavio's Global Sun Care Products report. According to the report, the two other trends expected to drive developments in the sun care market through 2020 are consumer demand for private-label brands and the use of nanotechnology in product development. Other insights offered by the report include the growing popularity of multifunctional products.

L'Oreal Luxe unveiled the Flowerbomb Taxi to launch an advertising campaign for its Viktor & Rolf fragrance. Created by advertising agency The Persuaders, the taxi comes with a branded pink exterior and with the interior featuring pink suede upholstery and flowers. According to the company, the taxi will be used to transport online influencers and beauty bloggers.

Switzerland-based oral care company Curaprox launched the Black Is White Collection line of natural toothpastes with activated charcoal. Although black in color, the toothpaste whitens teeth by absorbing dirt and discoloration particles, the company said. Ingredients of the toothpaste include activated charcoal, prestige sparkling blue optical filter, sodium fluoride, and enzymes. Coming in two flavors, Black Is White, which is lime-flavored; and White Is Black, which has a mild flavor, the toothpaste will be available at retailers across the country starting in November 2016. It comes with a suggested retail price of $29.99.

Unilever is launching its Bright Future marketing campaign in the UK. Aimed at highlighting how its brands can help “make the world a better place,” the campaign features the film “So Long Old World.” Among the brands highlighted are Domestos and its efforts to help 5 million people have access to toilets, Persil and its support for providing 10 million children with education, and Dove and its campaign to help 19 million people have stronger self-confidence. Bright Future is at the core of the company's Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever said.

L’Oreal Travel Retail said it has appointed Emmanuel Goulin as managing director of L’Oreal Travel Retail Asia Pacific, replacing Eva Yu. Also, the company announced it has named Yannick Raynaud L’Oreal Travel Retail Americas managing director, replacing Javier Labarta. Goulin joined Travel Retail Europe in 2005, while Yannick started her career with L’Oreal Paris and Maybelline in Latine America in 1998.

ModiFace launched Skin AI, an artificial intelligence-based video-editing technology designed to simulate skin transformations with high degree of realism in live video. Created in partnership with dermatologists, the technology can detect particular skin-related issues, such as rosacea, dark spots, and discolorations. It can then be used to simulate detailed changes to the skin in real-time video and compares before- and after-treatment results.

Four factors are driving packaging trends in Japan's personal care products industry, according to CPS International packaging expert Andrew Streeter and Cosmeworks marketing director Naoki Gomi Yoshida. According to Yoshida, these are the country's strict packaging environmental laws, aging population, Kaizen or desire for constant improvement, and demographics. Yoshida also said the current trends consist of four areas: refillable technologies; diversity in single package platforms; powder and crème; and mobility.

Shiseido Travel Retail said it has named Evelyne Ly-Wainer as vice president of business development. Based in Singapore and reporting to company president Philippe Lesne, Ly-Wainer will identify trends and develop strategic growth opportunities for the business. She will collaborate with Shiseido's global marketing team and regional managers based in Singapore, Miami, and Paris.

Cyzone Cosmetics partnered with ModiFace to launch the Cy MakeApp mobile application for the iOS and Android mobile platforms. Featuring ModiFace's facial tracking and makeup rendering technology, the mobile app allows consumers to virtually try on cosmetics on live video.