Liam Hemsworth adds fuel to Diesel, Unilever buys Kate Somerville Skincare, Estée Lauder looks to buy South Korean skincare brands, and Australia and New Zealand prove key targets for Younique's global expansion.
Liam Hemsworth adds fuel to Diesel
Chris Hemsworth is now the highest-paid actor in the world, according to People with Money's top 10 highest-paid actors for 2015 list. With an estimated worth of US$185 million, the Aussie hunk pulled in US$58 million in the 12 months to April this year. Apart from his movie earnings, the astute star has also attracted lucrative endorsements such as Zegna menswear and invested well in property and shares.
Little brother Liam is following the same profitable path. He has been tapped as the new face of Diesel's best-selling men's juice - Only The Brave - made under license by L'Oréal Paris. He was probably a natural choice after manfully enduring the gruesome whipping scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. The ad campaign will debut first in Europe in July.
Liam's career is also on fire. He has just finished two major movies - By Way of Helena, a Western thriller with Woody Harrelson, and The Dressmaker with Kate Winslet. He is currently at work on Independence Day: Resurgence, co-starring with Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum.
Unilever buys Kate Somerville Skincare
The LA-based prestige skincare covers all bases. Treatments such as Exfolikate and Dermal Quench are as popular with Hollywood celebs as they are with QVC shoppers. Following the recent acquisition of Brit brand, REN, Unilever is looking to expand its footprint in the US and Asia and Kate Somerville is a leading player in the premium dermocosmetics market.
According to Vasiliki Petrou, Unilever Senior Vice President, Prestige Brands: "The most photographed faces in Hollywood trust the Kate Somerville Skincare for its high quality ingredients, proven results and touch of glamour. It is a highly differentiated brand that is well placed in the dermocosmetic segment of the skin care category".
Founded in 2004, Kate Somerville products are primarily sold in the UK, Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea outside the US. Known as the A-List Beauty Guru and Hollywood's Hottest Facialist, founder Kate Somerville still runs a busy medi-clinic in LA and the paramedical aesthetician boasts over 20 years experience in clinical skincare. Not only is the Kate Somerville brand a great springboard for Unilever's further expansion into the US prestige skincare market, its natural formulas and patented Active Balance Technology are also gaining major traction in Asia.
The global dermocosmetics market is currently valued at $10.8 billion - 4.4 per cent of the total skincare market - but has huge growth potential. Unilever looks forward to bringing Kate Somerville to new markets adds Petrou.
Estée Lauder looking to buy South Korean skincare brands
That's the rumour and it's very believable. An interest in K-Beauty isn't new for Lauder or L'Oréal, who have both been making skincare formulas in Korea since the 90s. The multinational has also been keeping an eagle eye on trends from the fast-rising beauty super power over the past five years as its skincare sales have not achieved the expected growth rates.
He's right to be confident. AmorePacific's prestige skincare line, Sulwhasoo, is poised to become Korea's first cosmetic brand to achieve annual sales of one trillion won (US$931.6 million) by the end of the year. Accounting for 17 per cent of AmorePacific's total sales, Sulwhasoo has outsold Estee Lauder, SK-II and Chanel in Korea since 2012. Even Ri Sol-ju, the wife of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un, has put aside her communist principles to become a loyal fan.
It's stats like these and the fact that Sulwhasoo is going gangbusters in other major markets - notably China, the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam - that has the major global players running scared or copying the South Korean lead. Perfecting Cushion foundation-in-a-sponge is one of Sulwhasoo's five top-selling products and poses a major challenge to Western products such as Lancome Miracle Cushion and Estee Lauder's up-and-coming entrant in the category.
Lauder is closely following what has become a major marketing strategy for the beauty bizz - "From Japan or Korea to China and the world". In April, launched a lipstick range inspired by corals and pinks popular in Korea and Bobbi Brown debuted a foundation featuring bamboo grass and lychee extract.
Australia and New Zealand key targets for Younique's global expansion
Younique, the first direct seller of cosmetics exclusively through social media, has enjoyed explosive growth. Founded by brother and sister duo, Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft, in September 2012, the company reached its target of 100,000 independent sales representatives in the US within two years.
The brand's point-of-difference from other direct sellers such as and is its green appeal. All of the products are organic or natural with free-from claims. The hero product is Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes, which promises to pump up lashes by 300 per cent. But many of the products are sold in sets such as the best-selling "Kid in a Candy Store". There's no door-to-door knocking or inviting customers into your home to make sales. Younique provides a slick lineup of interactive tools which allow representatives to host virtual parties.
Younique entered Australia quietly last year but has much bigger plans. The company has opened a new Younique Global Headquarters Complex in Utah capable of processing 30,000 product orders a day. Key target markets for global expansion include Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. A new warehouse in the Netherlands will springboard European growth.
According to CEO, Derek Maxfield: "Younique has revolutionised the beauty industry and re-invented the e-commerce sales model with its social-selling platform. The Younique Global Headquarters Complex will be the new central location for continued global growth and product innovation, as we continue to blaze the trail in modernised beauty solutions and sales".
Snippets from the wires
- The getting personal trend in beauty is clearly on the money. According to CEW UK, more than 50 per cent of British women would allow DNA testing of their skin, hair and blood to create a personalised beauty product. While 60 per cent are prepared to pay higher prices for personalised beauty and skincare products.
- Prestige beauty brands are still leery of e-commerce says L2. The New York-based think-tank says that most premium beauty brands offer less than 20 per cent of their inventories to third-party e-tailers. There's sound reasons, too. They protect their lucrative store channels and can keep a close eye on their images, numbers and discounts.
- Jean-Claude Ellena, the legendary perfumer and retiring "nose"at , won the Personality Award at the 2015 Duftstars Awards in Berlin, Germany's version of the FiFis and Fragrance Foundation Awards. Fittingly, Terre d'Hermes Eau Fraiche - the latest flanker of Ellena's magical men's fragrance - took out the best prestige men's fragrance gong.
- The baby care sector is about to surge reports IBISWorld. Over the next five years, Australia is set to experience a mini baby boom and the birthrate will increase by 6.4 per cent to reach 331,901 births a year.
- According to retail research agency Conlumino, global duty-free sales will reach US$73.6 billion by 2019 - up 50 per cent on 2014. The number of international passengers will hit the magic billion mark in 2018 and the Asia/Pacific region will continue to dominate global duty-free sales - led by China.
- Over the past 10 years, Sephora has opened 155 shops and concept stores in China. The LVMH-owned beauty chain also operates a Chinese e-commerce site. Last week, the company opened a "flagship"store in JD.com, the giant e-mall that runs a close second to Alibaba, to become the largest beauty retailer on the platform.
- Salvatore Ferragamo has posted revenue increases of 10 per cent in the first quarter to US$371 million. Handbags, shoes and sunglasses enjoyed double digit growth but fragrance sales declined 11 per cent.
