Brand Innovation

Nestlé Skin Health expands acne care product line

Nestlé Skin Health expands acne care product line

By Deanna Utroske

Last year the skin care maker introduced its Differin brand of acne treatment gel to the OTC market, after receiving FDA approval to do so in early 2016. Now the brand is adding two new products to the Differin line.

Indie Beauty Profile Laura Burget Niu Body

Indie Beauty Profile

Laura Burget, Niu Body

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Laura Burget, co-founder of Niu Body, demonstrates the candor and strength of a self-possessed entrepreneur and describes what a millennial-made personal care brand looks like from the inside.

Indie Beauty Profile Bethany Hilt Vertere Skin Care

Indie Beauty Profile

Bethany Hilt, Vertere Skin Care

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Bethany Hilt, founder of Vertere Skin Care voices her certainty that a beauty brand can improve lives and encourages aspiring beauty brand founders to connect with two kinds of people.

Indie Beauty Profile Catherine Scott Honest Hazel

Indie Beauty Profile

Catherine Scott, Honest Hazel

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Catherine Scott, founder of Honest Hazel gives a bit of insight into how she’s methodically built a viable beauty brand with just one product. And, she speaks to the invaluable benefits of having a community of founders to...

Meant: The indie body care brand that will change everything

Meant: The indie body care brand that will change everything

By Deanna Utroske

At last month’s Indie Beauty Expo in Los Angeles, of the 150 cosmetics, personal care, fragrance, and lifestyle brands exhibiting, many were compelling; but only one stood out as a real game changer. Cosmetics Design interviewed Lindsay Knaak-Stuart,...

Indie Beauty Profile Gretchen Chevalier ittsē

Indie Beauty Profile

Gretchen Chevalier, ittsē

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Gretchen Chevalier, founder of ittsē, explains how her work in beauty manufacturing led her to develop a distinctive color cosmetics brand around functional, stylish packaging. And, she shares practical yet daunting advice...

Indie Beauty Profile Melisse Shaban Virtue Labs

Indie Beauty Profile

Melisse Shaban, Virtue Labs

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Melisse Shaban, founder of Virtue Labs, concisely discusses the science that makes her brand’s hair care products distinctly different from other shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products. And, she’s quite candid about...

2017: The Year of Pepper Accents

Guest Expert

2017: The Year of Pepper Accents

By Lisa Wilson

Pink pepper, black pepper, white pepper, Sichuan pepper…2017 was the year of pepper accents in fragrance—again. Here, I explore the technical and aromatic nuances that peppers have added to fine fragrance over the past year.

Coty personal beauty assistant launches on Amazon Echo Show

estimated read time: 2 minutes

Coty personal beauty assistant launches on Amazon Echo Show

By Deanna Utroske

The multinational cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance company is debuting its Amazon Echo skill Let’s Get Ready for all Echo devices this month. Voice services, chat bots, and virtual assistant tools like this are on the rise; and Coty is an early...

Indie Beauty Profile Lori Machiorlette Worth Beauty

Indie Beauty Profile

Lori Machiorlette, Worth Beauty

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Lori Machiorlette, founder of Worth Beauty—the company behind the blendSmart mechanically rotating makeup brush—talks about how her business has progressed to become a “spinning revolution” around the globe. And she reminds...

Avon launches wellness brand Espira and gets into the supplements business

estimated read time 2 ½ minutes

Avon launches wellness brand Espira and gets into the supplements business

By Deanna Utroske

The North America – based New Avon LLC announced a line of beauty-from-within products this week. But Espira is more than simply ingestibles for hair, skin, and nail health; the brand also has product lines for overall nutritional support as well.

kathy ireland Health & Wellness to launch CBD skin care products

kathy ireland Health & Wellness to launch CBD skin care products

By Deanna Utroske

This week Level Brands, the licensed brand marketing firm where Kathy Ireland serves as chairman emeritus and chief brand strategist, announced a partnership with Isodiol that is being touted as ‘a multimillion-dollar cannabidiol (CBD) products deal’.

Indie Beauty Profile Tran Wills and Ali Elman Base Coat

Indie Beauty Profile

Tran Wills and Ali Elman, Base Coat

By Deanna Utroske

In their Indie Beauty Profile, Tran Wills and Ali Elman, founders of the nail color and nail care brand Base Coat describe how the brand evolved as a natural complement to their Base Coat nail salons. And Elman advises prospective indie brand founders...

Disruptive makeup brush brand Artis expands to Canada

Disruptive makeup brush brand Artis expands to Canada

By Deanna Utroske

The relatively new beauty tool brand launched in Canada just last month and is hoping its distinctive and ergonomic brushes can change consumer expectations there and update color cosmetic application techniques as well.

News Review: Indie Beauty 2017

News Review: Indie Beauty 2017

By Deanna Utroske

This year independent cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance brands became so prominent, Cosmetics Design launched a weekly column dedicated to these innovative startups and their founders. The Indie Beauty Profile is on vacation this month. But in the...

Indie Beauty Profile Rachel Katzman Cuvée Beauty

Indie Beauty Profile

Rachel Katzman, Cuvée Beauty

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Rachel Katzman, founder of Cuvée Beauty modestly describes what may seem like a typical early-stage startup. And while her hair care and hair styling brand is just one year old, a toast is certainly in order – the entire Cuvée...

Indie Beauty Profile Tina Rowhanian CleanTan USA

Indie Beauty Profile

Tina Rowhanian, CleanTan USA

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Tina Rowhanian, Co-Founder of CleanTan USA, traces out the time and specific considerations that she and Julie Pefferman put into building the self-tanning skin care brand. And, Rowhanian underscores the importance of copious,...

MAC sets an industry precedent, honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance

MAC sets an industry precedent, honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance

By Deanna Utroske

The Estée Lauder Companies’ color cosmetics brand has stepped up as a thought leader today and all throughout National Trans Awareness Week. Here, Nancy Mahon, senior vice president of global corporate citizenship and sustainability for MAC, shares insight...

Indie Beauty Profile Kelly Jones Kelly + Jones

Indie Beauty Profile

Kelly Jones, Kelly + Jones

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Kelly Jones, founder of the niche fragrance brand Kelly + Jones, explains how her innate entrepreneurial spirit led her to create a line of fragrances for wine and sprit lovers.

Indie Beauty Profile Leyna Allred Urb Apothecary

Indie Beauty Profile

Leyna Allred, Urb Apothecary

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Leyna Allred, Owner of Urb Apothecary, describes how (for her brand) ingredient sourcing and environmentalism go hand and hand. And, she reminds her fellow founders that any failure can be leveraged as wisdom.

Indie Beauty Profile LaKeisha A. Entsuah Elements of Aliel

Indie Beauty Profile

LaKeisha A. Entsuah, Elements of Aliel

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, LaKeisha A. Entsuah, founder of Elements of Aliel, speaks without pretention about her skin care line inspired by the hope of motherhood, enriched by Ghanaian culture, and formulated with signature ingredients like African...

Digital. Natural. Beautiful. Alban Muller mask video

Digital. Natural. Beautiful.

By Deanna Utroske

Today, personal care and cosmetic ingredient makers know that all things green, bio-based, and alternative are of great interest to the beauty manufacturers they serve. And yet, this is the digital age. How are beauty ingredient companies to engage in...

Profile Pro launches customized hair care for women 30+

Profile Pro launches customized hair care for women 30+

By Deanna Utroske

On the premise that different consumer demographics appreciate different product customization and retail options, the new HairRx brand is set to make its retail debut on QVC before the year is out.

Indie Beauty Profile Jené Roestorf Luxe Botanics

Indie Beauty Profile

Jené Roestorf, Luxe Botanics

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Jené Roestorf, founder of Luxe Botanics advises prospective entrepreneurs to put their egos aside. And, she paints a vivid picture of a skin care brand that delivers on so many of the promises that indie shoppers are looking...

Indie Beauty Profile Begoña Sanjuán and Isabel Ramos AYUNA • less is beauty

Indie Beauty Profile

Begoña Sanjuán and Isabel Ramos, AYUNA • less is beauty

By Deanna Utroske

In their Indie Beauty Profile, Begoña Sanjuán and Isabel Ramos, co-founders of AYUNA • less is beauty, share insight into their very carefully conceived green luxury skin care brand and have some pithy advice for their fellow founders—really, it’s good...

Indie Beauty Profile Ulli Haslacher Pour Moi Beauty

Indie Beauty Profile

Ulli Haslacher, Pour Moi Beauty

By Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile Ulli Haslacher, president of Pour Moi Beauty, explains that the brand, which may look like an overnight sensation, has years of work behind it. And, she pauses to celebrate the remarkable volume of early press coverage devoted...

This is what an independent beauty brand looks like

This is what an independent beauty brand looks like

By Deanna Utroske

Since early this year, Cosmetics Design has been publishing the Indie Beauty Profile column weekly, showcasing the inspiring work of cosmetics and personal care entrepreneurs and their innovative brands. Now after nearly 30 installments, we pause to reflect...

Indie Beauty Profile Michelle Ranavat, Ranavat Botanics

Indie Beauty Profile

Michelle Ranavat, Ranavat Botanics

By …as told to Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Michelle Ranavat, founder of Ranavat Botanics, talks about the entrepreneurial spirit she seems to have inherited and how that spirit along with her supply chain experience have enabled the Ranavat brand to move from idea...

Indie Beauty Profile Katy Foxcroft Tancream

Indie Beauty Profile

Katy Foxcroft, Tancream

By …as told to Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Katy Foxcroft, co-founder of Tancream, explains how she and her team have worked to develop a new category within sun care.

Indie Beauty Profile Donna Pohlad dpHUE

Indie Beauty Profile

Donna Pohlad, dpHUE

By …as told to Deanna Utroske

In her Indie Beauty Profile, Donna Pohlad, founder and CEO of the at-home hair color brand dpHUE has a single word of advice for her beauty brand founding counterparts and her full remarks here illustrate nicely how she herself has taken that wisdom to...

IBE NYC 2017: Trends and highlights

IBE NYC 2017: Trends and highlights

By Deanna Utroske

The Indie Beauty Expo opened its third annual show in New York City last week, and Cosmetics Design was there, meeting with founders, discovering new brands, learning about product launches, and identifying the trends and innovations that are emerging...

Indie Beauty Profile Rick Sliter BioClarity

Indie Beauty Profile

Rick Sliter, BioClarity

By …as told to Deanna Utroske

In his Indie Beauty Profile, Rick Sliter, CEO of BioClarity describes how he and his colleagues leverged a biotech ingredient idea to launch an acne treatment line, and how beneficial digital word-of-mouth marketing has been to building the brand.

Perfect Corp and QVC collaborate on immersive shopping app

Perfect Corp and QVC collaborate on immersive shopping app

By Deanna Utroske

The beauty tech brand and the broadcast TV shopping network teamed up on an AR beauty purchase platform that lets consumers first virtually try on product that they see being demonstrated and then buy that product from QVC within the same app.