It’s been a milestone year for holiday beauty shopping. “This year marked the first time personal care and beauty items were among the top five most popular gifts purchased over Thanksgiving weekend,” writes Faye Brookman at CEW, in today’s comprehensive report on the key shopping trends and bestselling products over Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2023. “While beauty remains a draw, there are signs of belt-tightening. Retailers reported an uptick in travel sizes, as well as smaller sized options in an effort for shoppers to save money. Approval from influencers also encouraged shoppers to buy dupes—lower priced, typically mass-market products inspired by luxury counterparts.” Brands that catered to early birds by launching sales ahead of Black Friday, it turns out, were smart to do so. A survey just released by The National Retail Federation and Proper Insights & Analytics reveals that 85% of consumers had started holiday shopping as of Thanksgiving, and over half of shoppers took advantage of early holiday promotions.
In breaking product launch news, Glow Recipe—the Korean-inspired, cruelty-free and vegan skin care range founded by Christine Chang and Sarah Lee—has created a follow-up to its bestselling Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore Tight Toner (one is said to be sold every 13 seconds). The new Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner is based on the natural antioxidant CoQ10 and targets skin brightening and hydration. With the #GlowRecipeToner hashtag drawing over 261 million TikTok views, Chang and Lee aim to build on the buzz with their new formula. “We always make sure to provide plenty of education around the ingredients; that’s also why we highlight a fruit ingredient in addition to a clinically effective ingredient — it feels a bit more immediate and accessible,” explains Chang.
Meanwhile, with sales in the fragrance category soaring throughout 2023, Clean Beauty Collective has launched a new range of eight, water-based scents exclusively at Sephora. The Clean Reserve H2EAU line is alcohol-free and suitable for sensitive skins.
Read more on these and other news stories at the links below.
Everything You Need To Know About Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2023. Don’t miss CEW’s detailed breakdown of the beauty shopping trends, consumer influences and bestselling products in the beauty category this year. (CEW)
Glow Recipe Launches Second Toner. With the new Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner, founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee hope to build on the viral success of the iconic watermelon formula. (WWD)
Scents And Sensitivity. Clean Beauty Collective launches a line of water-based, alcohol-free fragrances, exclusively at Sephora. (GLOSSY)
Cyklar Celebrates Launch. Lifestyle YouTuber Claudia Sulewski hosted a festive, celebrity-attended party in Los Angeles this week to mark the launch of her “bio-luxurious”, vegan and cruelty-free range of sustainably formulated, refillable body care products. (THE DAILY MAIL)
L’Oréal Introduces UK’s First Refill Station. The new service is set to launch in The Perfume Shop, Nottingham. Shoppers will be able to refill a choice of eight prestige fragrances, including Prada Paradoxe Eau de Parfum, Armani Code Eau de Toilette and YSL MYSLF Eau de Parfum. (BEAUTY MATTER)
Croda Campaigns For Bio-Based Hair Color. The specialty chemicals company will focus on permanent and demi-permanent hair color ingredients including phosphate esters and bio-based ingredient options for product formulations. (COSMETICS DESIGN)
