Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido introduced its Spring 2016 collection. Described by the brand as products formulated with breakthrough technologies, the collection includes the White Lucent line, Ibuki skincare products, and Bio-Performance LiftDynamic Serum anti-aging line. Also, the collection comes with the Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF20 makeup.

Henkel agreed to sponsor the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball team. Covering the 2016 season, the principal sponsorship deal may turn into a long-term partnership, according to both parties. Car company Kia used to be the team’s principal corporate sponsor.

Estee Lauder Companies Inc. said it has acquired Paris-based prestige fragrance brand By Kilian. Established by Kilian Hennessy in 2007, the brand has established a strong presence in more than 40 countries, mainly in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Highlighting its founder’s luxury and creativity backgrounds, the brand has grown through its use of “immersive freestanding stores, select prestige department stores, and perfumeries.”

Unilever International has elevated Aseem Puri to chief marketing officer from senior director of marketing for fabric cleaning in Asia, where he handles brand innovation, digital marketing, digital content and brand communication. As chief marketing officer he will be responsible for launching and building brands globally across new geographies, channels and customers. The focus will be on digital lead launches, ecommerce exclusive launches and online consumer marketing. His purview will include North America, Western Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, China, Japan, and Korea for home care, personal care, foods and refreshments brands.

Beauty retailer The Body Shop launched the British Rose line of personal care products in the Philippines. Described as a British interpretation of the rose, a timeless icon of femininity, the range includes the Instant Glow Body Butter body and bath collection; Lip & Cheek Stain skin hydration products; and Petal-Soft Hand Cream.

L’Oreal SA reported like-for-like sales rose 3.9 percent at constant exchange rates in 2015, after growing 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter. Changes in consolidation had a net impact of 1.0 percent, while currency fluctuations had a positive impact of 7.2 percent. Growth at constant exchange rates was 4.9 percent, according to the company. As of December 31, 2015, the group reported total sales of €25.26 billion, an increase of 12.1 percent from the previous year.

Seven Scent secured halal certification for all of its lines of fragrances. To achieve this, the company had to go through an extensive audit of its manufacturing process by The Halal Trust. Based on principles of Islamic law emphasizing safety and wholesomeness, the certification audit covers cleaning and manufacturing systems. Also, the process included laboratory testing of fragrances randomly selected to establish qualitative and quantitative validation.

Drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance plans to expand its beauty business in the United States, according to WBA executive vice chairman and CEO Stefano Pessina. Speaking at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting in New York City, Pessina said WBA plans to duplicate Boot’s success in the UK beauty market. WBA is currently doing a pilot test of the Beauty Evolution initiative at 13 stores in the Houston area. Also, the company plans to launch another program it calls Beauty 2000 in the summer of 2016.

South Korea exported more than $2.64 billion of cosmetics products in 2015, compared with $1 billion in 2012 and $1.91 billion in 2014, according to the Korea Customs Service. Small companies, established by young Americans of Korean ancestry, helped drive the growth in the market for Korean skincare products in the United States, one of the biggest export markets. Korean women’s and men’s obsession with skincare also has made the country one of the leaders in research into skincare and development of skincare products.

In 2016, various developments and trends are forecast to influence future directions for the global luxury goods industry, according to Euromonitor. Rising instability in emerging markets poses the biggest threat to the segment; however, marginally stronger economic growth in Western Europe and North America could give global brands a break. Burberry CEO and creative director Christopher Bailey is expected to give up one of his positions in the company. Market leader LVMH is expected to acquire Italy-based Tod’s to compensate for its exposure in Asia Pacific. Ralph Lauren CEO Stefan Larsson is expected to increase its offerings of affordable luxury fashion.

Beauty retailer Sephora announced the Sephora Accelerate program to help support beauty startups established by women entrepreneurs. Part of the company’s Sephora Stands social impact initiative, the program aims to inspire confidence and fearlessness among women. With data showing women entrepreneurs do not have the same access to funding, connections, or business instructions as their male counterparts, Sephora Accelerate was designed to build a community of female business founders in all areas of the beauty industry. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for one of up to 10 spots in the year-long program. Sephora Accelerate fellows will participate in a boot camp at the company’s San Francisco headquarters to learn the necessary skills to run and build their businesses.

Procter & Gamble is seeking to reduce its global advertising costs by 20 percent or $500 million. After telling investors it has saved $300 million, or 15 percent, on global advertising expenses in summer 2015, the company is pressing its advertising agencies, especially Publicis, to help ensure this goal will be achieved. Industry observers expect P&G to further consolidate its marketing and advertising accounts as part of its cost-cutting efforts.

Beauty retailer Sephora Americas president and CEO Calvin McDonald said his company aims to further grow its business by integrating lessons it has learned from online retailer Amazon and the prestige beauty market. Stating that Sephora’s success depends on balancing exclusive, limited, and broad brands, McDonald said Amazon’s success as a mass merchant poses a threat to the beauty retail market. Sephora’s Beauty Tip Workshop strategy, which combines brick-and-mortar, mobile, and digital channels aims to help the company compete with the online retail giant.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow partnered with Karen Behnke, founding partner of Juice Beauty Brand, to launch a line of cosmetics made from certified organic ingredients. Citing her long-held worries about the effects of frequent makeup use as her main reason for launching the product line, Paltrow said she had wrongly believed that the cosmetics industry would regulate the ingredients in their products. According to the company, the brand aims to offer consumers with the luxury usually associated with high-end brands Chanel and Giorgio Armani at more affordable prices.

Data from market research firm Technavio forecast the global haircare market will expand at a CAGR of 3 percent in 2016–2019 to reach $91 billion. Growth is expected to be driven by growing demand for men’s grooming products and the increasing number of fashion-conscious consumers, as well as aging populations in developed countries, such as the United States, the UK, Canada, Germany, and China. Consumers in the Americas accounted for about 37 percent of the market in 2014, with the United States contributing around 15 percent of the region’s revenue. Shampoos accounted for 34 percent of the market in 2014, and is forecast to grow to $28 billion by 2019.

Beauty brand L’Oreal introduced a smart skin patch, which can monitor the skin’s exposure to harmful UV rays, at the 2016 CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas. To be launched in 16 countries, including the UK, this summer, the product will be offered for free. Developed by the company’s technology incubator department, the patch includes a photosensitive blue dye, which changes colors when exposed to UV light.

Seoul Secret withdrew its video advertisement for the Snowz brand of skin-whitening pill in Thailand following a public outcry. Thai viewers were offended by the ad showing a local actress in blackface, with the ad claiming that “You just need to be white to win.” Seoul Secret also published an apology on its Facebook page. Data from the Global Industry Analysts, Inc. revealed the Asia-Pacific region ranked is the largest market in the world for skin-whitening products, with worldwide market for such products forecast to grow to $23 billion by 2020.

L’Oreal Paris named actress Susan Sarandon as international brand ambassador of its Age Perfect line of skincare and hair color products. After launching her movie career at age 20, the 69-year-old actress has espoused various social and political causes. She is also known for her positive attitude toward aging.

Unique Fragrance launched the Shefani fragrance in honor of celebrity couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. With the name derived from a combination of Shelton and Stefani, the custom blended fragrance highlights the brand’s efforts to develop a unisex fragrance. According to Unique Fragrance perfume expert Julie Dubois, the fragrance includes citrusy notes of Calabrian bergmont, which highlights Stefani’s Italian roots.

Shiseido Company, Ltd. announced the appointment of Tsunehiko Iwai as representative director. According to the company, at present, its board of directors has two representative posts, occupied by company president and CEO Masahiko Uotani and Toru Sakai. Iwai was elected to the board to take charge of legal and corporate governance starting in 2016.

France-based fashion company Chanel launched a video advertising campaign for its N°5 fragrance brand featuring fashion model Gisele Bundchen. Titled “An Intimate Conversation with Gisele Bundchen About Nature,” the video takes a personal approach to marketing, highlighting the significance of scents for consumers and people around them.

Cosmetics brand Lancome launched a social media-enabled marketing campaign in the United States. Featuring videos depicting a Parisian woman and some of her daily events as she prepares for the holiday season, the campaign aims to give American consumers a chance to experience French culture. Lancome started the campaign on December 1, 2015, with videos posted daily on the brand’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Unilever’s Dove Advanced haircare brand launched the Regenerate Nourishment line of products designed for damaged hair in the UK. Available by the start of January 2016, the lineup includes shampoo, conditioner, serum, and crème mask. According to brand manager Olivia Kirby, the products contain a combination of red algae and keratin.

Procter & Gamble awarded the bulk of its media-buying and planning account in North America to Omnicom Group. Marking one of the biggest media reviews of 2015, the deal will see Omnicom’s Omnicom Media Group handling media planning and buying tasks for most of the company’s product categories. Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat, one of P&G’s current media agencies, will handle the rest of the product categories.

Perfume company Balmain continued its partnership with retailer H&M to launch the Balmain x H&M fragrance. Priced at $40, the unisex perfume will be available online and at H&M stores starting December 3, 2015. Marketed as an affordable high-end perfume, the scent was created by Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing and H&M’s head of design Anne-Sofie Johansson.

Walt Disney released Minions Eau de Toilette, a fragrance brand inspired by the movie studio’s Minions animated characters. Coming in a coffret for the 2015 holiday season, the product includes a metallic lunch box for school children. Designed to be unisex, the fragrance comes in a 100ml bottle and is dermatologically tested.

Ulta Beauty agreed to sponsor the mobile-optimized second-screen feature created by Bravo Media for the TV program “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.” Viewers of the TV program may access the Lookbook site on their smartphones and purchase clothing and cosmetics worn by cast members. Marking the beauty retailer’s first attempt at multi-platform marketing, the sponsorship deal is part of Ulta Beauty’s efforts to create an omnichannel marketing strategy.

Procter & Gamble’s Olay skincare brand lunched the “Be Spendthrift No More” social media campaign for its Olay Total Effects line of anti-aging moisturizers in China. Developed in partnership with Lauyeah Production and Strategic Communications Consultants, the campaign began with an online video showing eight women testing a product, with its brand unrevealed, and then were asked to guess its price. Also featuring Facebook posts, the campaign combines online and offline elements, running simultaneously with an outdoor event at Causeway Bay.

In 2014, the global market for personal luxury goods expanded 3.0 percent to €224 billion, a marked slowdown following a decade of double-digit growth, according to the report “Seeking Sustainable Growth: The Luxury and Cosmetics Financial Factbook 2015 Edition.” Profitability was adversely affected by the slowdown in sales, with the average margin of the industry’s listed companies dropping 1 percentage point compared with the previous year. Despite this, annual growth forecast for the market remains unchanged, between 4 percent and 6 percent through 2017. In the same period, the global cosmetics market grew 3.6 percent to €181 billion. Growth will be driven by middle-class consumers’ demand for high-quality and innovative products. In the year ahead, the industry faces three pressing issues: managing demand worldwide, defining an omni-channel strategy, and fine-tuning the retail model.

Kiehl president and self-published author Chris Salgardo offers skincare and grooming tips for men. Salgardo cited several reasons for writing his book “Manmade: The Essential Skincare & Grooming Reference for Every Man,” including the skincare market’s growth despite the recession and men’s reluctance to talk about their grooming habits. Also, he said men, when they recognize him, tend to ask him a lot of questions about grooming.