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.

Beauty retailer Sephora launched the Teen Makeup Class, an instruction program aimed at providing teenagers with basic knowledge on skin and beauty care. One of the company's 12 essential beauty classes, and free for Beauty Insiders, Teen Makeup will help teenagers highlight their natural beauty. Lessons included in the 90-minute class include tips on finding the right beauty products, fundamentals of good skincare, and tips on how to create the perfect complexion.

Sales of natural, herbal, and Ayurvedic beauty and personal care products are rising in India, driven by a growing consumer demand for products that promote health and wellness. India’s mainly young consumers are willing to spend and try Ayurvedic and organic cosmetics, skincare, and other personal care products.

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.

L'Oreal USA said it plans to cut by 120 employees its workforce at its Kent distribution center and Redmond manufacturing facility. Announced in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, most of the layoffs are at the Redmond facility. Most of the cutbacks are due to the plan of Clarisonic, which L'Oreal bought in 2011, to move production to external manufacturing partners.

Schwartz Cosmetics launched its lines of personal care products in the US, as well as opened its office in New York. Schwartz’s Argan Line of skincare products comes with argan oil, which is famous for its ability to moisturize and soften the skin. Also launched were the Dead Sea and Pomegranate lines of skincare products.

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 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.

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.

Louis Vuitton said it plans to launch the Les Parfums collection of fragrances on September 1, 2016. Marking the company's first perfume development and launch in 70 years, the collection will include seven fragrances. These are Rose Des Vents, Turbulences, Dans La Peau, Apogee, Contre Moi, Matiere Noire, and Mille Feux. Perfumer Cavallier Belletrud use the CO2 extraction process to produce the floral notes used in the fragrances. Coming in bottles designed by Marc Newson, each fragrance costs $240 for the 100ml and $350 for the 200ml.

L'Oreal said it has completed its purchase of IT Cosmetics. Established in 2008 by Jamie Kern Lima and Paulo Lima, in partnership with leading plastic surgeons, the company seeks to give women with skincare and makeup products designed to solve skincare-related problems. IT Cosmetics currently has a lineup of more than 300 high-performance beauty products focused on color cosmetics skincare, brushes, and tools. It will join L'Oreal's Luxe Division.

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.

Carolina Herrera introduced its Good Girl brand of perfume by launching a campaign featuring fashion model Karlie Kloss. As part of the campaign, Kloss appears on a video portraying a Good Girl as somebody who does not feel guilty for “disturbances” caused by her appearance. Also, a website features additional information about the brand.

Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury launched a virtual-reality-enabled marketing campaign to promote the launch of her first fragrance, Scent of a Dream. Featuring supermodel Kate Moss, the VR campaign was created in partnership with content production studio Happy Finish and film director Antoine Wagner. Reportedly the first of its kind, the campaign was shot using the Nokia OZO VR camera.

Shiseido Co., Ltd.’s subsidiary, Shiseido Americas Corporation, said it has appointed Kathy Cullin as general manager of its Bare Escentuals US unit. Effective August 22, 2016, Cullin’s appointment includes membership in Bare Escentuals’ Senior Leadership team. Previously senior vice president for Prestige Fragrances and philosophy for Coty’s Americas business, Cullin will take charge of the commercial business and customer experience of the bareMinerals and Buxum Beauty brands in the US market.

Cos Bar plans to open 35 new stores in key markets across the US over the next 4‒5 years, according to company co-founder and chief merchandising officer Lily Garfield. Now on its 40 years of business operations, the 14-store chain is one of the first specialty cosmetics retailers. Private equity firm Tengram Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the company in December 2015, paving the way for the proposed expansion. With Cos Bar valued by industry sources at about $25 million, the company aims to quadruple sales in the next several years. Also, the company, which carries brands, including La Mer, Tom Ford, and Bobbi Brown, is also expanding its cosbar.com online store.

L'Oreal plans to build a solar panel installation at its manufacturing facility in Florence, Kentucky. Designed to generate as much as 1.5 megawatts of electricity each year, the proposed solar power project is significant because Kentucky is one of the top coal-producing states in the US. Part of the company's Sharing Beauty with All sustainability initiative, the solar installation will help L'Oreal reduce its carbon footprint by 2020.

Procter & Gamble's haircare brand Herbal Essences launched the “Free Haircut” summer marketing campaign in the UK. Consumers can avail themselves of a free haircut, which includes a wash and blow dry, when they buy any two bottles of 400ml bottles of Herbal Essences shampoo or conditioner in one transaction. Running until October 31, 2016, the promotion covers all Herbal Essences product lines, including Hello Hydration, Dazzling Shine, and Ignite My Colour.

Kose Corp. said it will launch the Sekkisei MYV brand of high-end skincare products. According to the company, the product line will include a face wash, lotion, face oil, and cream. Starting on September 16, 2016, the products will be available at Sekkisei counters in Japan and later in overseas markets.

Shiseido reported consolidated net sales grew 5.5 percent in the first half of fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, compared with the same period of the previous year. Operating income jumped 32.1 percent year on year to ¥19.9 billion, driven by higher margins in line with the increase in net sales, better product mix, and the flow-on effects of cost-cutting efforts. Also, the company has declared an interim dividend of ¥10 per share. Sales in Japan increased 5.5 percent to ¥202.9 billion, compared with the same period in the previous year. In China, sales increased 15.5 percent during the period, compared with the first half of the previous year. In terms of Japanese yen, sales grew 3.1 percent year on year to ¥61.5 billion, while operating income improved by ¥5.2 billion to ¥2.4 billion.

In Asia, the market for overnight hair treatment products has huge growth potential, according to Mintel. Growth is likely to be driven by consumers' growing concerns regarding the overall health of their hair and their overall positive experiences with overnight facial masks. According to the market research firm, haircare brands should focus on marketing overnight hair masks as a popular type of hair treatments to consumers who have no prior experience with the category. Consumers in China, where concerns are growing with regards to pollution's impact on the health of hair, are among the region's most important markets.

Charlotte Tilbury, makeup artists to celebrities, launched her first fragrance called Scent of a Dream. To help promote her fragrance, Tilbury enlisted the help of supermodel friend Kate Moss to act as the product’s representative. Tilbury described her fragrance as “mind-altering” and “fleurotic,” with the trade publication WWD referring to it as a scent that has been “a long time in the making.” According to the paper’s online edition, Tilbury first developed the fragrance when she was 13 years old, using ingredients available in her hometown Ibiza.

Manufacturers of food, drink, beauty, and personal care products are losing store shelf space thanks to the rise of own-brand discount supermarket chains like Aldi and Lidl, and smaller stores that sell independent brands. To meet the challenge, manufacturers – Reckitt Benckiser, Nestlé, Diageo, Unilever, etc. – are increasingly focusing on e-commerce, selling through e-tail websites. But they are also experimenting with delivery-on-demand and subscription-based models. It’s a rising trend: online shoppers globally spent $87 billion on CPG items last year, nine percent of the total online spend. Twenty-five percent of people in 60 countries in 2015 ordered grocery products online for home delivery. Fifty-five percent said they would do so in the future.

Procter & Gamble’s fourth quarter – April to June – financials show a significant drop (three percent) in net sales to $16.1 billion, mainly reflecting the impact of currency fluctuations, Venezuela deconsolidation and “minor brand divestitures.”  Organic sales, however, were up two percent, thanks to a concomitant increase in organic shipment volume. The company said diluted net earnings per share were $0.69, an increase of 283 percent over the prior year. Core EPS were $0.79, a decrease of 15 percent due mainly to higher marketing spending, lower gains from minor brand divestitures, and a higher core effective tax rate. Cash flow remained strong, with fiscal year adjusted free cash flow productivity of 115 percent. Top sector sales performers were grooming (up seven percent) and healthcare (up eight percent).

Estee Lauder Companies appointed Guillaume Jesel as global brand president for skincare and fragrances business, Tom Ford Beauty, effective July 1, 2016. Jesel will continue reporting to John Demsey, executive vice president of Estee Lauder. He will also serve as member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Jesel, an Estee Lauder Companies veteran for 16 years, has led Tom Ford Beauty as senior vice president global general manager.

Beauty Boost Inc. announced FragranceLock, a fragrance finishing spray designed to make fragrances last longer by slowing down their natural evaporation cycle. Results of tests conducted by the company revealed FragranceLock makes perfumes last for up to 12 hours longer. Unlike the usual process of layering fragrance with products with same scents, FragranceLock can be used with all fragrances. Daughter-and-mother entrepreneurs Josephine Sullivan and Francine Gingras developed the product because they believe perfumes should last longer than they usually do. FragranceLock will launch exclusively on HSN on July 27, 2016.

Kenneth Cole announced the launch of its Black Bold fragrance. According to the company, the product is the next step in the evolution of its signature fragrance, Kenneth Cole Black, and is inspired by the “fearless spirit” of New York City. Kenneth Cole worked with master perfumer Harry Fremont of Firmenich to create the scent described by the company as an embodiment of a “strong masculine exterior” combined with a “confident yet caring interior.” Kenneth Cole will launch an advertising campaign, shot by photographer Gregory Harris in NYC, and featuring model and artist David Alexander Flinn.

Johnson & Johnson said sales grew 3.9 percent to $18.5 billion in the second quarter of 2016, compared with the same quarter in 2015. Operational sales results increased 5.3 percent, with the negative impact of currency at 1.4 percent. Sales in the US jumped 7.4 percent, while international sales rose slightly at 0.4 percent, with operational growth of 3.1 percent and a negative currency impact of 2.7 percent. Net earnings for the quarter reached $4.0 billion, with diluted earnings per share at $1.43.

Procter & Gamble Co. said it intends to contest a lawsuit filed by rival cosmetics firm Hard Candy LLC alleging singer Katy Perry's line of CoverGirl makeup infringes on its trademark. Hard Candy's lawsuit claims the heart icon used on packaging for the singer's cosmetics line looks like the image used by the Florida company since 1995 when it was founded. Hard Candy is demanding all profits from sales of the Katy Perry line, and damages to be determined during trial, as well as lawyer fees.

L'Oreal partnered with Albea to create a tube packaging for the L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss hair color product. According to L'Oreal, the product's formulation tends to react to oxygen, with only aluminum tubes previously capable of containing it. Albea's O2 Wall Tube technology provides the product with integral bulk protection throughout the laminate tube, the company said.