Weekly Newsletter - 1.8.2025

Plus: Let's talk retail sales at CES 2025!

Author

Rafe Houston
January 08, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

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Welcome to Sales Intelligence: Cosmetics, the weekly newsletter for cosmetics sales professionals. As we kick off 2025, now is the time to fine-tune your strategies, leverage cutting-edge insights, and set the tone for a successful year ahead. Ensure your campaigns not only engage but convert, driving growth and impact in this dynamic industry.

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EVENT OF THE WEEK 📅

From skincare to smart mirrors, CES 2025 is where the future of retail cosmetics takes center stage. But while innovations are dazzling the show floor, sales teams are grappling with long ramp-up times, inconsistent performance, and unpredictable deal cycles.

Hive Perform can help. We specialize in empowering sales teams with in-the-moment preparation, actionable insights, and personalized support—helping them close deals faster and scale smarter in this competitive market. Whether you’re scaling your team or refining your strategy, let’s connect during CES.

Book a meeting with Anna Peggram and let’s talk about driving sales success in retail.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 🌐

In 2025, the cosmetic surgery landscape is poised for dynamic changes, as detailed by industry experts. A notable trend is the increasing interest from younger adults in preventative and subtle enhancements, such as eyelid surgery and mini-lifts. This demographic shift is largely driven by access to vast online information. The focus remains on natural outcomes with minimal recovery time, likely boosting demand for combination surgeries.

Meanwhile, older adults, particularly those over 50, are embracing cosmetic interventions. The concept of a "menopause makeover," analogous to the "mommy makeover," is gaining traction. This trend reflects the growing acceptance of aesthetic surgery among the older population. Procedures extending beyond traditional body and breast surgeries to include face, neck lifts, and vulval rejuvenation are expected to rise.

The year 2025 also foresees an uptick in medical tourism, as patients seek advanced or niche procedures abroad, alongside an accent on local minimally invasive treatments that offer rapid recovery. Cutting-edge technologies like scarless surgery and regenerative methods are at the forefront, responding to the demand for subtlety and innovation in the field.

Additionally, the rising use of weight-loss medications like Ozempic may spur a greater need for surgeries addressing skin flaccidity post-weight loss, with abdominoplasties and facelifts becoming more frequent.

Barclays' 2024 UK retail data highlights challenges in fashion, with spending down 0.2% despite a 3% rise in clothing transactions. Discount store sales and volume also dropped. Conversely, the health and beauty sector thrived, showing increased spending and transactions, illustrating the persisting 'lipstick effect' for consumers.

INDUSTRY NEWS 📰

Ethique is expanding into Ulta stores, aiming to popularize solid hair care with its sustainable and effective products. The brand, which has focused on online and grocery store sales, is now targeting a broader consumer base with its rebranded hair care bars, emphasizing quality and environmental responsibility.

L'Oréal Group is redefining the skincare industry with its innovative Skin Age Calculator launching in 2025. As consumers focus on longevity, L'Oréal's Cell Bioprint tool offers a groundbreaking way to analyze skin aging at a cellular level. Developed alongside Korean biotech leader Nanoentek, this lab-on-chip technology predicts the skin's response to ingredients like retinol and pre-emptively identifies issues such as acne. This advancement points to a shift towards personalized skincare, akin to wearables but tailored for skin health.

To maintain a competitive edge, L'Oréal invests around $1 billion annually in research and innovation, supported by a global team of researchers and tech experts. With 20 strategically positioned research centers, the company utilizes local expertise to integrate emerging consumer trends into their technology. Faced with an aging global population, L'Oréal is prioritizing longevity, inclusive tech, and sustainability. These research hubs aim to respond proactively to societal and environmental changes, reflecting L'Oréal's commitment to evolving consumer needs.

Beyond skincare, L'Oréal is innovating in body care and sustainability. Acquiring Swiss startup Gjosa highlights the company's drive to introduce water-saving technologies, with plans to expand from professional salons to home use. L'Oréal addresses global shifts in demographics and climate with strategic foresight, ensuring their product portfolio embraces diversity and sustainability while meeting the personalization demands of tomorrow's consumers.

Space NK reports a strong year, with turnover rising to $196.5 million, a 34% increase, mainly due to like-for-like sales up 28% and online growth. Operating profit surged to $10.8 million. The strategy focusing on store openings and online expansion proves effective, maximizing overall profitability.

Nu Skin Enterprises has announced a transaction involving its subsidiary, Rhyz Inc., in a move that promises to enhance its position in the beauty, wellness, and lifestyle market. The transaction involves selling the Mavely affiliate marketing platform to Later, a company backed by Summit Partners, in exchange for approximately $250 million. This deal not only brings cash but also a minority equity stake in the combined LaterMavely business. It highlights Nu Skin's strategic prowess in incubating and scaling synergistic business ventures.

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