In her latest column for CEW, Money Matters With The Fiscal Femme, Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, lays out seven steps to help you save up for a stress-free summer vacation. “Paying for something in advance also means we must plan in advance,” explains Feinstein Gerstley. “And believe it or not, we derive so much joy (some say the most joy) from planning a vacation.”

With Gravity Research’s 2025 Pride Pulse Poll revealing that 39% of Fortune 1000 companies intend to scale back their Pride engagement overall in 2025, CEW showcases the beauty brands supporting, uplifting, and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community all year long — as identified by the SeeMe Index. Using cutting edge AI, the SeeMe Index provides insights on the companies which have conveyed consistently inclusive messaging.

Also at CEW, we turn the spotlight on the 20% year-over-year growth of Sugared + Bronzed, the boutique salon specializing in professional spray tans and hair removal services. And, in executive news, we report on The Estée Lauder Companies’ appointment of Lisa Sequino as its President, Makeup Brand Cluster, in charge of the strategic direction and global growth of the company’s makeup brand portfolio. “She will be responsible for accelerating innovation and makeup trends, step-changing consumer recruitment and enhancing local relevance,” writes CEW’s Andrea Nagel, of Sequino’s new executive role. “Her appointment reflects the company’s continued investment in strengthening its makeup category and unlocking long-term opportunity.”

In other executive updates, L’Oréal Groupe has tapped Vania Lacascade as Lancome’s new Global Brand President, taking over the helm from Françoise Lehmann, who served as Lancôme’s Global Brand President for 12 years and worked with L’Oréal Groupe for 37 years.

According to WWD, cosmetics and fragrance-makers are turning to biomimicry — imitating the properties of functions of the natural world—in a move towards creating a more sustainable future, including L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, and LVMH Moët Hennessy. “The convergence of biotech, machine learning and companies’ quest for ever more sustainable practices is making it easier to replicate natural processes to create disruptive innovation that’s scalable,” reports WWD’s Jennifer Weil. “This is game-changing beauty’s paradigm.”

The European Commission will finalize its “Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics” roadmap by early 2026, it has stated. “While implementation will begin immediately after the roadmap’s release, progress on complex testing endpoints will take years, depending on the development and validation of alternative methods,” reports Global Cosmetics News. 

On the tech front, Glossy reports that L’Oréal is placing AI at the core of its global marketing strategy, as revealed by Mark Lallemand, CMO of Western Europe at L’Oréal, at the recent ShopTalk Europe. And Mary Kay has awarded ten grants to young innovators at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. And in celebrity beauty news, Lindsay Lohan has hinted that she is working on a skin care range.

To read more about these news stories, click on the links below.

Saving For A Summer Vacation Without Stress. In her CEW column, Money Matters With The Fiscal Femme, Ashley Feinstein Gertsley offers pro tips ranging from designing the vacation of your dreams, to creating a designated vacation fund. (CEW)

SeeMe Index Reveals The Beauty Brands Consistently Supporting The LGBTQIA+ Community. CEW reports on SeeMe Index’s special exploration, highlighting that MAC’s iconic Viva Glam Fund has raised over $520M in support of HIV/AIDS programs and LGBTQ+ health in 92 countries, since launching in 1994. (CEW)

The Secret Of Sugared + Bronzed’s Success. CEW sat down with the popular boutique salon’s co-founder, Courtney Claghorn to talk about its impressive growth and expansion plans. The company self-funds its new stores. “We invest in selecting good real estate, which I think is a huge function of marketing,” said Claghorn. “In locations with a lot of foot traffic, there’s proven ROI on making our store fronts very pretty and eye-catching.” (CEW)

The Estée Lauder Cos. Taps Lisa Sequino As President, Makeup Brand Cluster. “We are thrilled to welcome Lisa as the new leader of our makeup cluster,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Executive Vice President, Chief Brand Officer, The Estée Lauder Cos., of Sequino’s new executive role. “Her unique combination of strategic and conceptual thinking, entrepreneurial mindset and operational excellence makes her exceptionally well-suited to fast track our makeup cluster into its next phase of growth.” (CEW)

L’Oréal Groupe Appoints Vania Lacascade Global Brand President of Lancome. Lacascade was previously Global Brand President of the French brand Vichy, and has served in a variety of roles at L’Oréal. (BEAUTY PACKAGING)

Why Beauty Is Mimicking Nature. WWD reports on how beauty companies are utilising biomimicry to develop and create new products. “he most complicated step comes after: How can we redesign with the existing technology what nature is doing very efficiently and quickly in the lab?” said Karl Pays, research director at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. (WWD)

Mary Kay Awards Gives Grants To Young Innovators. Grants totalling almost $10,000 were awarded to standout high school-aged students at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. “The ingenuity, passion and innovation demonstrated by these young STEM leaders are awe-inspiring,” said Carrissa Dowdy, Mary Kay’s manager of product formulation. (HAPPI)

The European Commission To Confirm Cruelty Free Cosmetics Roadmap By 2026. It will outline structured, specific actions and recommendations for integrating New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) over 15 legislative areas which still fall for animal testing. (GLOBAL COSMETICS NEWS)

L’Oréal’s Laser Focus On AI For Global Marketing. At ShopTalk Europe, Mark Lallemand, CMO of Western Europe at L’Oréal, said “this isn’t experimentation anymore … This is marketing transformation. We’re building, with AI at the core of brand interactions.” (GLOSSY)

Lindsay Lohan Hints At Skin Care Range. The actress told Elle magazine that “it’s taking a long time because I’m very specific, because I am crazy about my skin and health.” (COSMETICS BUSINESS)