Has The End Of The Lipstick Index Been Greatly Exaggerated?

The lipstick index has been declared over more than baggy jeans—and both have an endurable knack for sticking around. From Bloomberg to The Business of Fashion, articles have predicted peak beauty is here, consumers are tapped out,...

The Forever Brand Test: What Beauty Investors Really Want Now

One message was clear at Beauty Independent’s 2025 Dealmaker Summit last week in New York City: the bar for beauty brand investment has never been higher. From skincare to scalp care, aesthetic...

Can Haircare Keep Its Big Mo?

Haircare is on the up and up. Sales in the category grew 6.6% last year to $21.7 billion, according to market research firm Circana. And Greg Starkman, co-founder of haircare brand Innersense Organic Beauty,...

Why Beauty M&A Isn’t Returning To Peak Form Anytime Soon

The one-two punch of the billion-dollar Rhode and Medik8 deals in the space of less than a month has the beauty industry atwitter, but it doesn’t necessarily portend an upcoming flurry of deals by...

Where Industry Insiders See Skincare’s Biggest Business Potential Beyond Buzzy Ingredients

Although the skincare category is experiencing some shakiness—in prestige, it was down 3% in dollars and up 1% in units in the first quarter, according to Circana—it remains a resilient engine of brand value, consumer...

Beauty Brands Now Treat Amazon As A “Flagship, Not As An Outlet”

With previous beauty holdouts jumping on Amazon, succeeding on the giant e-tailer is taking much more precision than just creating a product detail page and waiting for sales. “Brands should think of it as...