Beneath the Surface

Beauty supply stores have been under siege. Anchored by large operator Sally Beauty Holdings and proliferated across the country by thousands of independently-owned businesses, the segment catering to salon and spa professionals has weathered diversion of its...

In September 2004, Dove unveiled its groundbreaking Campaign for Real Beauty with an ad for thigh-firming cream. It featured bigger than average models posing in lingerie alongside the words, “New Dove Firming. As tested on real curves.” The...

The beauty industry loves villains. Be they sulfates or aluminum, the catalog of beauty bogeymen is long and diverse, which isn’t to say many of them don’t deserve their bad reputations. It’s widely understood ingredients like formaldehyde and...

The rise of the clean beauty category can be traced to several factors, including interest in organic goods, cancer concerns and a greening of global consumerism. But it’s hard to dispute that the repudiation of parabens, phthalates and...

Derek Chase spent a decade of his career at L’Oréal and Johnson & Johnson working on such esteemed brands as Kiehl’s Since 1851, Garnier, Essie, Neutrogena, Maybelline and Baxter of California. While he admired the heritages of the...

The wellness industry is based upon the principle that taking care of yourself should be priority number one. Judging by the products from most of the brands in it, though, it’s more important that certain people take care...