Welcome back to Skin by TBS. This week brings major market shifts as Brazilian beauty giant Natura exits global markets to focus on Latin America, while India's beauty ecosystem continues its rapid expansion with new launches from international players.
Here's what matters most this week.
Warm Wishes,
Deepa
What Matters Right Now
Natura & Co. Divests Avon International, Retreats to Latin America
What's happening: Brazilian beauty giant Natura & Co. is selling its Avon businesses outside of Latin America. The move involves selling Avon International (covering Europe, Asia, and Africa) to investment firm Regent and its Central American operations to Grupo PDC.
Why it matters: This strategic retreat marks a massive shift in the global beauty landscape. By shedding these international assets, Natura is doubling down on its home turf in Latin America, signaling that the region is its undisputed priority for the growth and integration of its remaining portfolio.
Be smart: The sale creates a power vacuum and a major opportunity in key African and Asian markets where Avon has long-held brand recognition. Expect local and regional players—who have a better pulse on the consumer—to move aggressively to capture this newly available market share.
The bottom line: This isn't just a sale; it's a strategic reset. For brands in the Global South, Avon's exit is a clear signal: the space is opening up for homegrown companies to challenge legacy giants. For Regent, the challenge will be revitalizing a heritage brand for a new generation of consumers.
How They Scale
Kendo's Playbook for Global Dominance
Be smart: Kendo, the incubator behind Fenty Beauty, leverages its partnership with e-commerce platforms like Shopify to be a first-mover on emerging retail channels. They launched on TikTok Shop in under two months and were pioneers on Roblox with the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Lab, seamlessly connecting virtual gameplay with real-world commerce.
The bottom line: By relying on a unified platform to handle backend logistics, Kendo can focus on high-impact marketing and agilely scale new ideas—from "phygital" product drops across pop-ups and apps to global expansion into 191 countries in just two months.
Serena Williams' WYN Beauty Faces Uncertainty
The bottom line: Even with a globally recognized founder like Serena Williams, operational partnerships are critical. This situation is a cautionary tale for celebrity-founded brands about the importance of diversified and stable backend support.
Brand & Product Intel
Yoe Skincare Lands at Bloomingdale's: The luxury skincare brand founded by Hazel Guo, known for its "Biomicry" approach, has launched at Bloomingdale's.
H&M Beauty Enters India: Celebrating 10 years in the market, H&M has finally launched its full beauty line in India.
Lakmé Targets Gen Z: The iconic Indian brand has appointed influencer Aneet Padda as its new brand ambassador.
The bottom line: This is a clear strategic pivot by Lakmé to capture the Gen Z demographic, moving to compete directly with newer, digitally-native D2C brands.
Funding Watch
Hung Vanngo (US): The celebrity makeup artist's forthcoming brand just secured a seed investment from Unilever Ventures and True Beauty Ventures.
Consumer Intelligence
The K-Wave is Now the K-Norm in India: From skincare to street food, the "K-trend" is now a permanent fixture in the Indian market.
Be smart: Indian consumers are sophisticated, adopting Korean beauty principles like double-cleansing and hydration while demanding products suited to their own skin tones and climate.
China's Outdoor Beauty Boom: The rise of "mountain aesthetics" and outdoor lifestyles in China is creating a new category for high-performance, durable, and sun-protective beauty products.
Redefining Beauty in Nigeria: The country's first-ever albinism beauty pageant and a thriving creator economy are expanding beauty standards and giving a platform to underrepresented voices.
New Brands to Watch
Goodifferent (UK): Founded by beauty editor Funmi Fetto, Goodifferent is a new brand for Afro-heritage hair, launching an elevated salon inside London's prestigious Liberty department store, with a biotech-focused product line to follow.
Be smart: Goodifferent is tackling the often-overlooked experience gap in the $10bn+ Black hair market, placing a salon for Afro-heritage hair—a category long ignored by the mainstream—directly into one of the world's most iconic retail spaces.
Dabota Lawson (Nigeria): The ex-beauty queen's eponymous brand is not just a product line but an ecosystem, including the Dabota Cosmetics Academy. Be smart: By investing in education and training, Lawson is building a loyal community and elevating the skill set of the entire Nigerian beauty industry.
Damn Mama (US): This new brand is focused on creating "melanated-rich" beauty products.
Skin of Color Science
Laser Warning for Skin of Colour: A new study warns that dual-wavelength, low-power lasers can increase photosensitivity risk in patients with darker skin tones, urging clinicians to exercise caution with these popular treatments.
Why it matters: Among 173 patients treated with red (660 nm) and infrared (808 nm) lasers, 25 experienced photosensitivity episodes, highlighting the need for personalized protocols and skin pigmentation assessments to mitigate risks for melanin-rich skin.
Be smart: The study confirms that melanin in darker skin acts as a competitive chromophore, absorbing more laser energy and generating higher local temperatures, requiring conservative treatment parameters and longer wavelengths for safer outcomes.
Atopic Dermatitis Breakthrough: New 24-week data shows Lebrikizumab is effective in treating moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in patients with skin of colour, showing significant improvement without the side effects common with other treatments.
Shopping Heroes
Editor-approved guides to help you find your next holy grail product.
South Asian Brands in the UK: Beauty editor Sidra Imtiaz talks about the recent entry of Kay Beauty into the UK market along with other South Asian brands like Kulfi and her standout favourites from the brands.
The Primer Edit from Ebony: If you're searching for the perfect primer, Ebony has curated a list of five best primers for brown women. Head to their article to see the top picks that will help you achieve a flawless, long-lasting base.
Expert-Approved Moisturizers: Shawna Hudson from Who What Wear has compiled an essential list of the best moisturizers specifically for Black & Brown skin.
K-Beauty Face Masks for East Asian Skin: Beauty editor Sarah Han tests the best face masks for glass skin.
IRL Event News
Mumbai (Sept 11): The L’Oréal Paris x Tira event, "A Walk of Worth," brought a Paris Fashion Week experience to Mumbai, celebrating empowerment and beauty.
Delhi (Nov 7-9): NykaaLand, India's premier beauty festival, is making its debut in Delhi, with tickets now live.
London (21 Sept): The African Beauty Summit & Awards was in the UK this weekend, featuring key speakers including Israel Obatunde, focusing on the business of beauty in the diaspora.
Stay Connected
Thank you for being here for our second edition. After the response to our first newsletter, I'm more convinced than ever that this industry needs a space where we can see the full picture—not just what's happening in traditional beauty capitals, but the innovations, partnerships, and market shifts happening across Global Majority markets.
If this week's intelligence was useful, share it with someone you know. The more connected we become as an industry, the stronger our collective impact.
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