AUGUST 14, 2020

A Publication of WWD

Masks With BenefitsAs masks become a staple of everyday life, beauty brands are offering their

own options that are not only good for your health — but your skin, too. For more, and a look at the trendiest masks from Brooklyn to L.A. — see pages 8 to 10.

PLUS: The newest nail craze and NPD enters China. PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL BUCKNER

ISSUE#22

Beauty Bulletin

Fyf

e p

ho

tog

rap

h c

ou

rte

sy o

f F

yfe

Be

au

ty; F

ou

illa

nd

co

urt

esy

of

Fir

me

nic

h

2

AUGUST 14, 2020

THE BUZZ

¬ firmenich names new cfo

Firmenich, the largest privately owned fragrance and flavors supplier, has named benoit fouilland as its new chief financial officer.

Fouilland will start in the position on Sept. 1, succeeding Eric Nicolas, and will report to the Geneva-based company’s chief executive officer, Gilbert Ghostine, as a member of Firmenich’s executive committee.

Fouilland will also serve as the board’s secretary of the finance, audit and risk committee. He most recently was cfo at Criteo SA. Nicolas, meanwhile, becomes the group’s chief operating officer. barbara de laere becomes aveda global brand presidentBarbara de Laere is Aveda’s new global brand president, effective last month.

Following her promotion, de Laere is expected to maintain her omnichannel approach to sales, which includes the brand’s salons, stores and e-commerce. She will also be leading the sustainability transformation pillar with Nancy Mahon, senior vice president, global corporate citizenship and sustainability. beverly morgan joins benefit as svp of global human resourcesBeverly Morgan is now the senior vice president, global human resources at Benefit Cosmetics.

Morgan comes from Make Up For Ever, where she was the head of the brand’s New York City academy and vice president of human resources. Prior to that, she had a 15-year career in fashion. She replaces Corey Yribarren, who is now the chief people officer at Sephora.

¬ Makeup artist Jillian Dempsey launched an app in the middle of a global pandemic, and now she’s amping up its offerings.

Fyfe Beauty, the app she launched

earlier this year, has gained new artists contributing video content, as well as added brands to the platform’s e-commerce component. Hairstylists Adir Abergel and Chris

McMillan now join makeup artist Molly R. Stern on the platform. It also features a section called the Shade Arcade, allowing users to try on various shades virtually.

“I wanted brands to see what was being offered,” Dempsey said. “I wanted brands to understand that we can all work together.” She considers the expansions as going hand-in-hand with artist tutorials educating consumers and products they can later shop. “They have the same goal: they want to educate and teach other people. Through the Fyfe app, it’s your own way to connect with the artist.”

Brands that have also joined the app include Chantecaille, Virtue and Drunk Elephant. McMillan, who collaborated with Drunk Elephant on its hair-care line, uses the products in his own videos. “I’m known as the lazy-girl makeup artist, I’m about out-the-door makeup, I don’t believe in wasting people’s time,” Dempsey said. “This is the future, this is how people should be getting their information. Why not get the information, click-and-buy your products and get out?”

That being said, Dempsey said she ultimately gives the artists free rein to use whatever tools and products they prefer. “This isn’t sponsored, we don’t have any rules because I want them to be who they are. That’s how they represent the brands authentically,” she said. “Right now, brands are more intrigued working on this type of platform because it highlights how artists work with the actual products.” — James Manso

Jillian Dempsey Adds Brands, Artists to Fyfe Beauty App

The Beauty Carousel Firmenich, Benefit and Aveda all saw senior-level shifts in leadership.

Fyfe Beauty's video content educates users on how to

use products for sale.

The great social media shakeup of

2020 is here.

TikTok has become ubiquitous

— much like Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and Snapchat before

it — and until now, the ByteDance-

owned video-sharing application has

gone unchallenged. President Trump

has identified the app as a national

security threat, and Microsoft is

eyeing it for potential acquisition.

It is good timing, then, that

Facebook, whose chief executive

officer Mark Zuckerberg appeared

virtually at a congressional hearing

on July 29, released its TikTok copy.

On Aug. 5, Facebook unveiled

Instagram Reels. For months prior,

TikTok users had flooded Instagram

with uploads from the competitor

app. But the launch of Reels seems

to be an assertion of Facebook's

desire to remain all-powerful and,

presumably, continue to find new

ways of collecting advertising dollars.

How Reels came to be is

reminiscent of Instagram Stories,

which bowed as Facebook's answer

to competitor app Snapchat. When

Instagram Stories first launched,

it, too, was critiqued for having

filters deemed inferior to those

within Snapchat's app. Since then,

Stories has become ingrained as a

key feature of Instagram. Whether

Reels will, too, remains to be seen.

Also making waves on Instagram

is an account called @glowgraphs,

which shares graphs on skin-care

data. “I did a post about what

people are saying about Fenty Skin.

That post blew up,” said the

account creator, who spoke to

Beauty Inc on the condition

of anonymity.

They are no stranger to data —

hence the graphs, which aggregate

numbers from Nielsen, Google

Trends and Twitter.

“I’m a social science Ph.D.

student, and I do a lot of

quantitative work with data and

methodology.” the founder said.

Their involvement in the

industry is only as an enthusiast

pursuing a pastime.

“It’s a fun hobby for me,” they

said. “I haven’t set it up in a way

that would be monetized.”

The Thread: Will Beauty Embrace Instagram Reels? How Reels came to be is reminiscent of Instagram Stories. BY ALEXA TIETJEN AND JAMES MANSO

Benoit Fouilland Barbara de Laere Beverly Morgan

Sustainability and the Human ElementS E P T E M B E R 1 5 • V I R T U A L C O N F E R E N C E

C U L U R E C O N F E R E N C E

ATTENDEE INQUIRIES LAUREN PYO LPYO@WWD.COM | EVENT SPONSORSHIP KATE WALKER KWALKER@WWD.COM

For more information visit fairchildlive.com

LE AR N M O R E

Exchange ideas with industry executives, change agents

and thought leaders committed to a more sustainable and

equitable future for fashion, beauty and retail.

REINVEST, REDESIGN, RETHINK

ANNUAL PARTNERS

EVENT SPONSORS

CAROLINE BROWNManaging DirectorClosed Loop Partners

MARA HOFFMANPresident & Creative DirectorMara Hoffman

SAMATA PATTINSONCEORed Carpet Green Dress

LAUREN SHIELDSAssociate Director, HERprojectBSR

COLLEEN VIENSustainability DirectorTimberland

FL_HAD_SUSTAINABILITY_01.indd 2 7/30/20 8:07 PM

4

AUGUST 14, 2020

NEWS FEED

SEPHORA’S PRIVATE LABEL

brand is jumping on the clean makeup

bandwagon with a small assortment of

products launching Friday.

The four new Sephora Collection

products — Glowing Skin Foundation,

Glossy Lip Oil, Liquid Lip Mousse

and Bouncy Eyeshadow Palette —

all have the Clean at Sephora seal,

meaning they have been formulated

without certain ingredients including

parabens, sulfates, mineral oil,

formaldehydes, coal tar and more.

The beauty retailer this year has

significantly bolstered its clean makeup

selection, adding brands such as

Kosas and Tower28 and working with

others such as Tarte and Bite Beauty

to reformulate according to the Clean

at Sephora standards. A key point

of difference between these brands

and those sold under the Sephora

Collection label is price. None of the

Sephora Collection clean makeup

products are priced at more than $20.

“We thought it was important to

bring clean makeup at a great value,”

said Brooke Banwart, vice president

of Sephora Collection. “It starts with

what the clients are looking for and

where the biggest demand is.”

The products are vegan, cruelty-

free and formulated with natural

ingredients such as matcha and rosehip

oil. The packaging is said to have been

designed using sustainable resources

and vegetable ink. They are designed to

impart a more natural, no-makeup look.

The foundation, priced at $20,

comes in 20 shades, though it is

formulated with a buildable coverage

designed to work on a variety of

skin tones. The lip oil, $12, is made

with watermelon seed oil. The eye

shadow palette, $18, offers six neutral

shades with a “cushion-y” texture. It

was developed using pearls for color

— pigments used in conventional

eye shadows are often touted as

potentially harmful or toxic by

clean beauty advocates. Finally, a lip

mousse, designed for lightweight but

long-lasting color and “smooth and

blur” the lips, is priced at $15.

Prior to the global coronavirus

pandemic, clean makeup was

considered a small yet fast-growing

segment of the broader prestige makeup

category. While makeup sales have

plunged amid weeks of store closures,

the broader clean beauty category is still

considered to be a bright spot.

Sephora is working to expand its

two-year-old Clean program, most

aggressively in skin care. Most

notably, it is transitioning its entire

Sephora Collection skin-care line to

be Clean at Sephora compliant. Some

old products have been reformulated,

some are being phased out, and any

new products launched in the back

half of the year will all have the seal.

Clean makeup at Sephora is still a

small category relative to skin care,

and while the segment is “not for

everybody,” it has potential to grow,

said Banwart — though it will depend

on how fast brands can release

innovation that can compete with

conventional makeup products. The

category is not something Banwart

sees the consumer compromising on.

“What happened over time with

ski-care is that being clean and

eco-friendly became table stakes, she

noted. “At the end of the day, clients

need efficacy and high-performance.

It’s a matter of technology and the

pace at which that happens, but

we’re looking to help push that

innovation forward.”

Sephora Collection Launches Clean Makeup ProductsThe beauty retailer is slowly aligning its private label brand with its Clean at Sephora initiative. BY ELLEN THOMAS

VILHELM PARFUMERIE IS in

full expansion mode.

The niche fragrance brand

launched by Swede Jan Vilhelm

Ahlgren in 2015 has just reestablished

U.S. distribution, is opening a Paris

store and enlarging its range.

A Swiss investment group took a

majority stake in the label in November

2018. Ahlgren, who remains a part

owner in Vilhelm Parfumerie and its

creative director, said: “This really gave

me the tools to make the brand grow.”

Vilhelm Parfumerie moved its

headquarters from New York to Paris,

where it now has 15 employees.

“The group has decided to do

everything as much as possible in-

house,” said Ahlgren, adding there’s

been a big investment in production.

New fragrance sizes are coming out,

for instance.

Top French suppliers have been

tapped, such as Groupe Pochet for

glass, he continued.

In September, Vilhelm

Parfumerie will introduce a new

fragrance, Chicago High, bringing

the brand’s count to 23. Each

perfume is linked to an imaginary

tale. Chicago High was created to

evoke the spirit of a party in the

Windy City in the Twenties (think

“Great Gatsby” style).

Typically, Ahlgren creates

fragrances with a traditional

structure but overdoses a note.

“For this one, I wanted it to smell

more like an old perfume, so I

didn’t use that overdose of a single

ingredient,” he said, of the scent

which has notes of Champagne,

tobacco and leather.

Six candles and a body line are on

deck for 2021.

Vilhelm Parfumerie, which

launched a web shop in January and

on Net-a-porter in March, for Europe,

expects to open its first freestanding

boutique, at 58 Rue Pierre Charron in

Paris, in October. The shop will have

400 square feet of selling space on

the street level and the same square

footage for stock one flight down.

“It’s always a dream when you

start a brand to then be able to do a

boutique that can really capture all

the things you want to communicate.

You can really have people enter into

the world of Vilhelm Parfumerie,”

said Ahlgren, describing it as “an

ode to the past and to the new. That

difference gives a very nice friction.”

For the shop, Ahlgren envisioned

Pierre Cardin boarding a spaceship

in the Twenties then flying straight

into the future.

Vilhelm Parfumerie debuted in

three doors with eight perfumes five

years ago. By the end of 2020, it will

be in 24 countries.

Europe is today the brand’s

largest market.

While Ahlgren would not discuss

numbers, industry sources estimate

Vilhelm Parfumerie has generated

7 million euros in retail sales

since its acquisition, and that the

business could double by the end

of 2021.

A main focus is on relaunching

in the U.S., with the distributor

Europerfumes, after exiting the

country in 2019. Since July, Vilhelm

Parfumerie has entered nine niche

retailers there, including The Scent

Room, Merz Apothecary and ZGO,

and is on saksfifthsvenue.com.

More sales points should be added

in the U.S. through the fall, and the

brand is launching an e-shop there.

To enter the Middle East Vilhelm

Parfumerie partnered with Chalhoub

Group for launches in September and

October in Harvey Nichols in Riyadh,

Qatar and Kuwait; Galeries Lafayette

in Dubai, and a pop-up shop in Dubai’s

Bloomingdale's, among other doors.

The brand will be carried in

Joyce in Hong Kong and Mecca in

Australia, two more new markets

alongside the likes of the Baltics,

Ukraine and Russia.

Vilhelm Parfumerie’s next store

openings could be in London, Milan

and Moscow.

Vilhelm Parfumerie Ramps Up ExpansionThe niche fragrance brand has just reentered the U.S. market and is opening its first boutique in Paris. BY JENNIFER WEIL

Ch

ica

go

Hig

h p

ho

tog

rap

h c

ou

rte

sy o

f V

ilhe

lm P

arf

um

eri

e

Chicago High

Sephora Collection clean products

5

AUGUST 14, 2020

NEWS FEED

Pla

tfo

rm p

ho

tog

rap

h c

ou

rte

sy o

f H

am

a B

ea

uty

; Eye

sha

do

w

cou

rte

sy o

f H

ipD

ot

TARI KANDEMIRI USED TO shop in-store at beauty retailers

such as Ulta and Sephora in search

of products for hyperpigmentation.

Despite her focused efforts, she often

found herself overwhelmed.

“I’d read all the labels, read reviews

while standing in the store, trying

to find help, but it seemed like there

were so many products and nowhere

I could go that could synthesize all of

that information for me,” Kandemiri

told Beauty Inc on a recent phone call.

The 23-year-old, who studied

computer science and business

at Sewanee University, began

to contemplate how platforms

such as StitchFix employ data

to offer personalized product

recommendations to consumers. That

led her to build Hama Beauty, an

online platform that uses more than

500,000 data points and a patented

algorithm, developed by Kandemiri, to

recommend beauty products to users.

Hama, which means “family and

friends” in Kandemiri's native Shona

language, has drawn thousands of users

to its web site since its May 1 launch. Of

the more than 5,000 people who have

taken Hama's Skin Quiz, the majority

are aged 18 to 24. Their most common

skin-care concerns are hydration, acne,

dark spots, redness and dullness.

Hama Beauty, which Kandemiri

built from scratch with a developer,

caught the attention of Glow Recipe

cofounders and co-chief executive

officers Sarah Lee and Christine Chang.

The pair selected Hama, along with two

other start-up companies, to participate

in Glow Recipe's inaugural Community

Mentoring Initiative, which aims to

offer guidance and support to Black-

owned beauty and wellness businesses.

“I thought [Hama Beauty] was

interesting, new and very different

from any other business we’ve met

and interviewed,” Lee said. “I love

that [Kandemiri] has a specific point

of view on what she has to offer for

people with dark skin tone and similar

skin concerns that she experienced.”

Kandemiri, Chang said, has “had

good recruitment” in terms of

attracting users to Hama's web site.

“We’re trying to find ways to

convert those customers who

have been taking the quiz to join

[Kandemiri's] e-mail database, and

how she can become an associate to

partner with brands so this can be a

real revenue stream,” Chang said.

Hama Beauty uses APIs and public

data to house hundreds of brands

sold at Sephora, Ulta and Walmart.

The platform is self-funded by

Kandemiri, who works full-time as

a consultant and has not taken on

investment. She is expanding the web

site to include reviews and forums.

“I find solace in knowing that this

algorithm has information about

anyone and everyone,” Kandemiri

said. “I want anyone to be able to

come to the web site and feel like it

doesn’t matter if they’re filtering for

something under $25 or purchasing

for over $75. I wanted to create

somewhere that was simple and easy

for people to access information

about beauty because it can be tough

to feel good or informed as you’re

shopping for these products.”

How Hama Beauty Uses Data for Product RecommendationsThe online platform has racked up thousands of views since its May launch. Its 23-year-old creator, Tari Kandemiri, shares how it works. BY ALEXA TIETJEN

HIPDOT IS rolling out a program

dedicated to microinfluencer beauty

product collaborations.

The company, known for its

SpongeBob SquarePants cosmetics

collection, works with microinfluencers

on social media content, but typically

reserves product collaborations for more

prominent names, such as singer Kesha.

In an effort to support up-and-coming

creators, HipDot is launching The

HipDot Creator Series, a sequence of

collaborations that kicks off Aug. 17 with

FacedByKareem, aka Kareem Maliek.

Maliek, who has worked with

HipDot on content since last year,

shared a product proposal with the

company in January, before the onset

of the coronavirus in the U.S. HipDot

responded to Maliek's e-mail within

the hour it was sent, confirming the

company's interest in proceeding

to realize Maliek's first product

collaboration.

“HipDot took my vision and

elevated it to a whole collection, even

during this time where shopping

for makeup in stores may not be the

thing people want to do right now,”

Maliek told Beauty Inc via phone.

Jeff Sellinger, HipDot's cofounder

and chief executive officer, said

Maliek “deserves a lot of credit”

for cold-pitching the company.

“It took a lot of guts for Kareem to

reach out and put the amount of thought

and effort that he did into his proposal,”

Sellinger said. “We hope that Kareem’s

launch inspires a lot of creators to go for

it and make it happen.”

The HipDot Creator Series' first

collection consists of an eye shadow

palette, brush set and blending sponge,

all of which will be sold on HipDot's

web site. The company plans to release

future microinfluencer collaborations

“if the demand is there,” Sellinger said.

“It’s up to the audience to decide.

If the demand is there, we’ll continue

to produce new products,” he said.

HipDot's series comes as the

influencer industry undergoes a

coronavirus-induced shakeout. Brands

have slashed their marketing budgets

to cut costs, and superinfluencers are

struggling with relatability, accelerating

the rise of microinfluencers.

Maliek is one of a growing number

of Black men claiming space in an

industry that has historically uplifted

problematic, though highly influential

men such as James Charles, Jeffree

Star and Shane Dawson.

While working at a summer

camp program in 2013, Maliek was

encouraged to experiment with

makeup by his boss. In creating his

HipDot collection, Maliek turned to his

20,000 Instagram followers, whom he

polled. He wanted the palette shades

to be “multifunctional,” he said, adding

that they “work on all complexions.”

HipDot has more cosmetics

collaborations in the works, but

timelines have slowed due to

COVID-19, Sellinger said.

“Retail has been impacted as stores

have shut down, but on the d-t-c side,

it’s been strong,” he said, adding that

consumers should “look for HipDot

to be in more mass retail in the

coming months.”

Production challenges due to

COVID-19 caused the HipDot team

to be creative in terms of workflow.

On one occasion, Maliek drove

to HipDot's director of product

development Paulette Menaskan's

house to see a prototype in-person.

“It was very interesting, with a

collaborator, [to meet] on the street

and pass off product,” Menaskan said.

“Classic COVID-19 meeting: outside

with masks on,” Sellinger said.

HipDot Turns to Microinfluencers for Creator Series Microinfluencer FacedByKareem will launch The HipDot Creator Series on Aug. 17. BY ALEXA TIETJEN

Tari Kandemiri, Hama Beauty's

founder.

Hama Beauty is an online platform that uses more than 500,000 data points and a patented algorithm to recommend beauty products to users.

HipDot's first Creator Series.

6

AUGUST 14, 2020

NEWS FEED

THERE HAS BEEN A notable

transformation in the variety of

marketing activity used for selling

prestige beauty online in China.

“This year, we have suddenly a

lot of livestreaming sales. So social

commerce is becoming more and

more important,” said Samuel Yan,

e-commerce commercial lead at

The NPD Group, based in Shanghai.

“WeChat Mini Programs are also

becoming an important platform for

the brands to sell through.”

Short videos, apps and customized

services are, too. So rather than

relying on Tmall and JD.com, an

increasing number of brands are

trying to lasso traffic by reaching

consumers themselves.

Digitally advanced China — a

major beauty market that deconfined

earlier than other countries during

the coronavirus pandemic — is

considered a bellwether for how

cosmetics businesses will evolve

elsewhere.

“All these innovative marketing

activities are what we saw as the

biggest change for this year,” said

Martine Ringwald, senior vice

president, business development,

beauty and luxury at The NPD Group,

based in Paris.

Still, there is a lot of room for

e-commerce’s expansion, especially

cross-border nowadays as Chinese

consumers remain stymied from

traveling too far afield and so are

unable to purchase international

brands abroad.

“Today we can say e-commerce

for prestige beauty [makes]

about 35 to 40 percent [of revenues],”

Ringwald continued.

Tmall continues outpacing JD.com

when it comes to prestige beauty

sales, according to The NPD Group,

which recently began tracking

e-commerce in China.

“[That’s] even if Tmall really

suffered during February because of

logistics issues. JD was much more

equipped to manage logistics, so JD

really did better than Tmall at that

time,” explained Ringwald.

She added that Tmall has been

actively opening different types of

stores, some of which are cross-border.

This June versus June 2019, Tmall’s

growth rate for prestige beauty was

up 90 percent, whereas JD’s advanced

74 percent, according to NPD, which

uses daily web-scraping on Tmall and

has direct access to the JD.com Union

Site for monthly data.

In June, the prestige beauty

segment’s revenues continued to

increase on the platforms, at plus 87

percent versus the same month last

year in China, mainly generated by

Tmall with $1.14 billion in revenues.

“The Chinese consumers continue

to trade up in purchasing all beauty

products, regardless of the negative

impact of COVID-19,” Yan said.

According to NPD, pre-COVID-19

the value weight of each beauty main

category was 64 percent skin care, 28

percent makeup, 6 percent fragrance

and 2 percent hair care. That

compares to 69 percent skin care, 24

percent makeup, 6 percent fragrance

and 1 percent hair care post-lockdown.

In skin care, sets and kits make

27 percent of sales, followed by face

serums with 18 percent, toners and

clarifiers with 10 percent, and eye

treatments with 9 percent.

Consumers have been honing in on

clean, clinical and sustainable brands.

Starting in May, there was a gradual

uptick in makeup, with foundation

sales generating 19 percent of the

total color-cosmetics business.

In China, Social Commerce Helps Spur Prestige Beauty SalesTmall’s prestige beauty sales grew 90 percent, whereas JD.com’s advanced 74 percent this June versus June 2019, according to The NPD Group. BY JENNIFER WEIL

LONDON — When thinking about

Shiseido's prestige offerings, one

may think of Clé de Peau Beauté or

IPSA, but actually, there is one brand,

The Ginza, sitting on the top of the

pyramid, and one won't even find

its brand information on Shiseido

Group's web site.

With a set of minimalistically

designed 90-ml. serums priced at

180,000 yen, or $1,702, and a jar of

40g face cream for 100,000 yen, or

$948, the brand, founded in 2002,

was Japanese ultra-wealthy women's

best-kept secret. Made in Japan and

only sold in Japan until recently, some

even claimed that The Ginza was

first developed exclusively for female

members of the Japanese royal family.

Shiseido did not respond to a request

to verify this information.

But because of the word-of-

mouth marketing, especially

recommendations by famous

Chinese actresses and key opinion

leaders on social commerce platform

Xiaohongshu, and reality shows such

as “Sisters Who Make Waves,” this

elusive brand has been quickly gaining

momentum in China in recent years.

The Ginza has set up official

accounts on Weibo, WeChat and

Xiaohonghshu last year and

revamped its brand web site this

April with support in four languages

— Japanese, English, simplified

Chinese and traditional Chinese — to

reach more international customers.

It has also appointed Japanese model

Ai Tominaga as its global brand muse.

With COVID-19 drying up travel

retail revenue, the brand rolled out

its online store with the site revamp

with complimentary samples and free

international shipping to China, and

teamed with China Duty Free and

opened counters in Beijing Capital

International Airport and Shanghai

Pudong International Airport to capture

China's resilient domestic spending.

The brand said online pre-orders

in Chinese duty-free shops started in

May received “a very good response by

wealthy Millennials in their 20s to 30s,”

and “the brand is planning to enter the

China market in the near future,” and

participate in the third edition of China

International Import Expo in November.

Before the lockdowns, the brand sells

predominantly via its flagship store in

Ginza, Tokyo, and duty-free stores across

Japan with 28 points of sale. Chinese

tourists are one of its biggest clients.

Developed with the concept of

“elevating your bare skin to the

height of haute couture,” the brand

said its products were “innovated to

be tailormade for every customer’s

skin,” and contain the “Perceptive

Complex” compound blend, which

includes Polyquaternium-51, Camellia

seed extract, beta-glucan, glycerin

and mineral water, to help maintain

the outer layer of the skin to keep

healthy conditions.

“I have been using its moisturizing

emulsion for a long time,” said Kim

Yin, a second-generation entrepreneur

at the Chinese garment manufacturer

Chenfeng Group. “I will always buy

some when I go to Japan. I like their

basic skin-care products, which is more

affordable, for my daily routines.”

Mia Zhang, editor in chief of Meiya,

a Chinese beauty social commerce

platform with 20 million active users,

observed that The Ginza is one of

the better-received newcomers to the

competitive prestige skin-care market

in China.

“Since it has such a big online buzz,

many will buy and try it, especially

those who live in first-tier cities. But

from what I have seen so far, because it

doesn't have a formal presence in China

yet, and its high price point, repeat

purchase rate is still low, compared to

Shiseido the main brand and Clé de

Peau Beauté, which have been in the

market for a long time,” she said.

Shiseido's Elusive Luxury Brand, The Ginza, Eyes China ExpansionAs a result of word-of-mouth marketing, wealthy Chinese Millennials are flocking to try out Shiseido's low profile yet pricy skin-care line. BY TIANWEI ZHANG

Ai Tominaga in The Ginza campaign.

Tmall.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT RACHAEL DESANTIS, BEAUTY DIRECTOR AT RDESANTIS@WWD.COM

J O I N A

Provide of-the-moment, relevant thought leadership

content and share solutions from your company with

a custom webinar discussion.

W E B I N A R

8

AUGUST 14, 2020

DEEP DIVE

REMEMBER BACK IN March

when Googling “How to make a

mask” was a popular question among

search engines? That gave way to

stories like “Where to Buy Face Masks

That are Stylish Online” and “16

Stylish Effective Fabric Face Masks,”

among a slew of others.

But as of late, fashion companies

aren’t the only ones crafting masks for

brand devotees. Skin-care and wellness

brands are following suit, many imbuing

masks with treatment benefits to

combat skin issues including acne and

irritation — aka maskne — that have

arisen from frequent mask wearing.

According to Trendalytics, masks and

maskne are top of mind for consumers.

The company reports that online

searches for face masks over the last

three months has increased about

1,000 percent and that the term maskne

is also seeing accelerated growth —

2,317.4 percent to be exact — when it

comes to average weekly searches.

“Conversations about acne have hit

a five-year record high,” said Sarah

Barnes, content marketing manager

at Trendalytics. “Searches for acne are

currently up 20 percent to last year.”

Barnes noted that when looking

at the search curve for acne, it hit a

sharp decline around the COVID-19

outbreak when people’s priorities

may have been adjusted and they

weren’t so concerned about skin care.

But then Trendalytics saw a sharp

increase. “The levels of searches

for acne are currently higher than

they’ve ever been,” she said. “The

issue of maskne is real. The acne

conversation was already popular,

and it’s just going to continue to grow

with the current cultural climate.”

That impact is starting to be seen

in sales. The NPD Group reports that

year-to-date through June 2020, anti-

acne prestige skin care has grown by 6

percent. In the mass market, Nielsen’s

measurement of grocery stores, drug

stores, mass merchandisers, select dollar

stores, select warehouse clubs and

military commissaries, shows in the 21-

week period ending July 25, acne facial

treatment sales increased by 3.7 percent.

Aestheticians and dermatologists

are witnessing the acne aftermath

of frequent mask wearing firsthand.

“Clients who have never broken out

in the lower jawline and around the

mouth area are experiencing acne,

which comes from wearing a mask,”

said Camille Fields, a Los Angeles-based

aesthetician. “Sweat and bacteria are

getting trapped between the mask and

your skin, which creates that break out.”

Fields has been donning a silver

ion mask from BioTherapeutics and

suggests them to her clients. “Silver is

very antimicrobial and antibacterial,

so this is more protective against

bacteria and viruses,” she said.

New York-based dermatologist

Dr. Rose Ingleton, who’s seen an

increase in acne, contact dermatitis

and rosacea in patients, recommends

wearing a mask with a natural fabric

that’s breathable in lightweight

cotton or silk. “I would avoid

synthetic fabrics,” Ingleton said. “Also,

it is safer to choose white fabrics as

some people have allergies to fabric

dyes in the more colorful masks.

Like BioTherapeautics, a slew of

beauty brands have pivoted from

their core business to develop masks

that won’t irritate the skin.

The Light Salon, which is based

in London, is launching its Anti-

Viral Mask in September for its

customer base and skin therapists to

wear while performing facials. “The

masks are made from lightweight,

biodegradable organic bamboo

viscose and are treated with ViralOff

virus reducing technology, a

treatment of textiles that stops viral

activity through interaction with

key proteins,” said Laura Ferguson,

cofounder of The Light Salon.

According to the brand, the

polygenie coating, which is made of

titanium dioxide and silver chloride,

has been tested against influenza A, bird flu, norovirus and SARS over the

years, and has achieved 99 percent�

Looking for Cover An end to maskne? As facial covers become a part of consumers’ everyday lives, beauty brands are looking to create options that deliver health and skin benefits. BY JAYME CYK PORTRAITS BY MICHAEL BUCKNER AND LEXIE MORELAND

Masks as seen in the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Los Angeles.

9

AUGUST 14, 2020

DEEP DIVE

levels of reduction.

“We have seen an increase in

blemishes and acne across our

therapists and customers, due to the

prolonged wearing of masks,” Ferguson

said. “The Anti-Viral Mask has an

antimicrobial effect, which means the

mask is self-cleaning, so less washing

prevents the growth of microorganisms,

such as bacteria and fungi. Also, the

technology does not interfere with

the skin’s natural bacteria flora, which

offers another level of protection.”

Similarly, Night, a wellness brand

that prioritizes sleep, launched a face

mask in its signature mulberry silk

textile. “We’re making fabrications

that are for long use for skin and hair,

so there’s not much of a jump from

making a pillowcase that is going to

spend all night with your face versus a

mask that’s going to spend all day,” said

the brand’s founder, Kalle Simpson.

But the brand got into the business

of face coverings by happenstance. As a

New York-based company, Night used

its resources to help supply health-care

workers in New York City with PPE

thanks to their overseas manufacturer.

Their first venture was a donation to

Memorial Sloan Kettering, but they

started to receive feedback about how

irritating the masks were on the skin.

“Very quickly, the conversation

became about how can we do this

in relation to our core business,”

Simpson said. “Silk is super

compatible with the skin, it’s

naturally hypoallergenic, and it’s

going to automatically mitigate

breakouts because it’s so gentle.”

But Simpson didn’t stop at silk. She

had access to the melt blown material

used in N95 masks and decided to

create a disposable filter that can be

added to her non-surgical silk masks. “It

protects against 95 percent of bacteria

particles. If you’re using materials like

cotton, that’s a super abrasive fabric. It’s

a fabric that can pick up dust mites and

irritants and then redeposit them into

your skin. We do not market ourselves

as hospital-grade, but health-care

workers are asking if they can wear

the silk mask underneath their normal

mask to protect their skin, and we’ve

seen good results from that.”

The brand has also partnered with

the U.S. Postal Office. According to

industry sources, Night has done $4

million in mask sales with $750,000

in silk masks since April, the bulk of

which came from their USPS deal.

Meanwhile, Slip launched its

silk face mask about a month ago

and even though they had been

prototyping the idea for awhile, they

pulled the trigger when retailers

started asking for it. “We launched

with Revolve and sold out within two

days,” said Fiona Stewart, cofounder

and chief executive officer of Slip.

“Nordstrom has taken them, Cult

Beauty, Selfridges, and Sephora in

Australia, too. Most of our major

retailers are taking them because they

see the need for the face covering.”

A silk face mask was a natural

progression for Slip. The company

employs the same fabrication as their

best-selling pillowcases and scrunchies

due to the gentle nature it has on

the skin. Each mask is outfitted with

three layers (two silk and one cotton

sandwiched in between) per CDC

recommendations. It also has an

adjustable nose wire to mold to the face

and its machine washable. “The mask

sales have gone crazy because this need

is so high,” Stewart added.

Asia, who has always accepted

masks as a cultural norm, has a slew

of innovations in the works. For

example, in South Korea, electronics

company LG developed a mask

equipped with miniature fans that

draw in fresh air. Air pressure sensors

on the mask activate the fans, which

bring in air through the filter each

time the user inhales.

Also thinking ahead is apparel

company, Cox, which is within

the Aeon group, Japan’s largest

supermarket company. They are

planning to release a mask made

with synthetic fabric that has a

cooling sensation and another

iteration that uses natural xylitol

based in the fabric. When the

ingredient reacts with sweat, it cools

the fabric temperature down. ■

1. The irritation is real. O n l i n e s e a rc h e s re l a t i n g to m a s ks a n d m a s k n e a re u p 1 , 0 0 0 p e rc e n t ove r t h e l a st t h re e m o n t h s . 2. Facial coverings are b e c o m i n g a b e a u t y c a te g o r y, w i t h b e n ef i ts t h a t l o o k to e ra d i c a te c o m m o n c o m p l a i n ts l i ke s k i n i r r i ta t i o n a n d a c n e, w h i l e p rote ct i n g a g a i n st a i r b o r n e p a t h o g e n s . 3. Emerging technologies include fa b r i c c o a t i n g s t h a t d o eve r y t h i n g f ro m c o o l t h e s k i n to k i l l b a cte r i a , d i s p o s a b l e f i l te rs a n d a i r p re s s u re s e n s o rs to re g u l a te t h e a m o u n t of a i r c o m i n g i n a n d o u t .

Key Takeaways

10

AUGUST 14, 2020

DEEP DIVE

MASK FORCEAn increasing number of beauty-related brands are launching face masks with built-in benefits to combat the irritation caused by frequent wearing.

Here, Beauty Inc rounds up the most innovative options on the market. — Jayme Cyk

NIGHT, $39Night’s 100 percent mulberry silk mask consists of three layers, including a filter made from the same material as an N95 surgical mask to block out dust, bacteria and allergens. For every silk mask purchased, Night donates five surgical masks to health-care workers. Disccovernight.com

RITUEL DE FILLE, $14.50In collaboration with Los Angeles-based Bomme Studio, makeup brand Rituel de Fille has created a reusable and sanitizable cloth face mask constructed from high-quality densely woven, breathable dual-ply cotton fabric made to CDC and Kaiser Permanente’s guidelines. Ritueldefille.com

SLIP, $55Slip’s machine washable mask iteration is made with three layers (two 100 percent mulberry silk and one cotton) per the CDC recommendations. The wellness brand will be donating 5 percent of sales from each face-covering in the U.S to Baby2Baby between June 18 to Sept. 18, with a minimum donation of $75,000. Slip.com

KITSCH, THREE FOR $12Kitsch Cotton Face Masks are made of three 100 percent cotton layers. Both washable and reusable, Kitsch used a sustainably sourced natural material (also used for their scrunchies) that is breathable and easy to clean. Mykitsch.com

THE LIGHT SALON, $50Launching in September, The Light Salon’s Anti-Viral Mask is said to protect against airborne diseases. In collaboration with ViralOff Polygenie Technology, a mix of titanium dioxide and silver chloride, this mask is made from organic bamboo viscose and coated with polygenie. Thelight-salon.com

EMERGINC, $20EmerginC’s Raw Cloth Mask is both reusable and biodegradable. Wanting to maintain an eco-friendly product, this face-covering includes six layers of protection and has a viscose layer made from waste wood. Emerginc.com

THE 2020 BEAUTY AWARD WINNERS WILL BE REVEALED DURING OUR VIRTUAL EVENT ON

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

FOR THE LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE

CEW Beauty Award Finalists.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH at 12PM EDT

Join CEW & Gloss Angeles

12

AUGUST 14, 2020

EYE CANDY

Nailing Negative Space¬Nowadays, going light on the nail polish isn’t just reserved for the coronavirus-fatigued consumers. Partial manicures are having a moment, and there’s never been a better time to embrace the negative space. Over the past six months, social media has seen a deluge of at-home manicure tutorials, often employing partially painted designs like cow print or geometric shapes layered on a natural nail. French manicures with colored tips have also seen an upswing. Celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid have been known to sport similar styles. 

Alicia Torello, nail artist to Anne Hathaway, said these types of manicures have been trending for a

while, but have blown up since the coronavirus pandemic. She noted they are easy to create at home and last longer since regrowth isn’t as noticeable.

Common tools for taking a DIY approach to the trend are tape, stencils and toothpicks. Brands such as Orosa and Olive & June have streamlined application down to nail stickers. As for giving one’s nail art staying power, Torello suggests using cuticle oil frequently and reapplying a top coat every few days.

Torello looks to fashion designers, artwork and Pinterest for inspiration, but here, see a few examples of her end results. — Emily Burns

Nail artist Alicia Torello, manicurist to the likes of Anne Hathaway, leads the celeb-fronted charge on partial manicures.

Ph

oto

gra

ph

s co

urt

esy

of

Alic

ia T

ore

llo