Five hot topics from the industries we serve. This week: a rundown of 5 stories from the beauty industry.

Amazon remains a wildcard in the retail space

Major beauty industry retail specialists like Sephora and Ulta continue to define, refine and redefine the shopping experience for skincare and cosmetics on the retail level but of course they, like every other retail industry, are looking over their shoulder at the ultimate “one-stop shop,” Amazon. Beauty is the second most-shopped segment for the retail giant, and the question heading into 2019 is whether these specialty retailers will continue to boost their online activities in the face of new threats from Amazon.

Major industry players sign sustainable packaging commitment

The New Plastics Economy is an initiative led by Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with a broad group of leading companies, NGOs and consumers to search for more sustainable packaging solutions. L’Oréal and Unilever join a roster of key partners who are investing in this initiative that will tackle packaging issues from a range of perspective toward sustainable industry solutions.

Read about the initiative here

From “skincare” to “wellcare”

With the seemingly ceaseless appetite a certain type of US consumer has for new wellness trends put forth by the likes of influential publications like Goop, it seemed inevitable that beauty would incorporate a holistic slant at almost every level. Enter the term: “wellcare” which PWC calls a “new market at the nexus of health, food, and beauty.” The trend is not only driven by consumer quest for pure ingredients but also concern for the planet itself. From “green glam” to the constant quest to reverse or minimize aging, this a potent point of convergence for the beauty industry.

Read the report here

Easy listening

We all know how important YouTube is to the beauty marketing ecosystem. But what about podcasts? True crime and politics seem to dominant the top of the charts, but scratch the surface and there is a teeming community of beauty podcasts from industry pros, magazine editors, influencers and enthusiastic fans. Have a listen and share your favorites in the comments.

Top beauty podcasts

Innovations in packaging ampules in beauty

K-beauty continues to be incredibly popular and influential. But one K-beauty staple we have our eye on in terms of packaging is the ampoules, a small sealed vial, usually containing a super concentrated skin serum. Without emulsifiers or emollients common to other skincare products, these tiny vials are beloved by skin care consumer who crave the ultimate in potent formulations. Expect to see this packaging format adopted by more and more American companies.

There’s an app for that

We’re excited to see the potential for wearable tech influencing the beauty market and at the moment, we have our eye on Neutrogena Skin360, a smartphone-based skin-scanning device that can deliver the consumer all sorts of targeted information about their skin’s condition. While it’s not quite as high tech, the solid perfume version of Glossier You, seems designed around the smartphone, in a weighted metal compact “sculpted to perfectly fit the curve of your palm and thumb, with an addictively flippable hinged swivel.”