Sephora tweens may be in the headlines, but the latest brand to land on the retailer’s shelves is for a different demographic: Gen-X.

Three months after its debut, beauty veteran Sarah Creal’s eponymous line, which is geared towards those in the so-called “forgotten generation,” launches in Sephora next week. Creal, who was the product developer behind Tom Ford Beauty as well as the co-founder and former CEO of Victoria Beckham Beauty, said her new line is the first Gen X-specific line to be stocked at Sephora. Launching online on Sept. 3 and in 22 stores starting Sept. 4, Sephora is the brand’s first retail partner.

“I wouldn’t be going there if they didn’t have this customer,” said Creal. “They clearly have this customer, but what we agree is that she could use a destination brand, and this could be a destination brand for her.” She added the Gen-X market is an opportunity that has been overlooked in beauty amid a focus on Gen-Z, Millennial and most recently, Gen Alpha customers.

Creal said that her prior relationship with the retailer helped secure the brand a quick entry into the LVMH-owned beauty giant. Sarah Creal Beauty launched in June, two years after she left her role at Victoria Beckham Beauty. Products are focusing on providing makeup formulation solutions for the concerns of customers over the age of 40, such as crease-proof concealer. Its marketing materials exclusively feature models in this age group, too.

The brand’s next product launch, set for Sept. 10, will be a lipstick collection with activist-inspired shade names such as “Madame President” and “Red v. Wade” ahead of the upcoming US presidential election.

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The Debrief Podcast | How Tweens Took Over the Beauty Aisle

Senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young speaks with Priya Rao, executive editor at The Business of Beauty, about tweens’ rising influence in beauty and how brands are catering to this young and increasingly influential demographic.

Balmain Beauty has arrived.

A collection of eight fragrances, called Les Éternels de Balmain, are available today from a dedicated e-commerce site and select Balmain boutiques, with prices starting at $300 for 50ml. Discovery sets of sample sizes are available from $55.

Balmain Beauty was formed as a joint venture between Estée Lauder and the French fashion house in 2022. This collection is its debut launch.

Balmain has had fragrance offerings on and off since the 1940s, with creative director Olivier Rousteing choosing to resurrect four legacy scents, Vent Vert, Ivoire, Ébène, and Carbone, from Balmain’s archives with a modern twist. The four new scents are Sel d’Ambre, Rouge, Bronze, and Bleu Infini.

Fragrance has been a consistent bright spot in ELC’s otherwise dreary earnings, with successes at Tom Ford Beauty – which it owns in its entirety – and niche brands like Le Labo, Frederic Malle and Jo Malone London.

In a press release, Matteo Sgarbossa, Balmain’s chief executive officer, said the agreement with Estée Lauder is an “obvious embodiment” of its strategy to future-proof the brand and its luxury growth.

“With this partnership, the house begins a new chapter, making very clear to all our commitment to maximising cross-category possibilities… [we are] determined to fully realise this house’s potential to become a true leader in the luxury world.”

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A To-Do List for Estée Lauder’s Next CEO

Whoever steps into Fabrizio Freda’s Italian loafers in June 2025 has a big job on their hands, as the American beauty conglomerate battles softened demand internationally and on its home turf. Kickstarting meaningful growth will mean a fresh China strategy, channel and category overhauls, and generating some much needed buzz.

Mushrooms are the wellness trend du jour, turning up in coffee, supplements and even beer. Now, consumers are being told to slather them on their heads after Dyson revealed they could be a secret weapon in the age-old battle with frizzy hair.

Dyson researchers have discovered that fungal chitosan – which is found in the cell walls of oyster mushrooms and commonly used in skincare products – can be used to tame unruly hair.

Named after this “hero” ingredient, Chitosan will go on sale in the company’s stores and on its website on Tuesday. Customers will have to dig deep – the styling cream and serum, which Dyson claims “reduces frizz by up to 50 percent”, both cost £50 ($66) for 100ml.

Chitosan is “delicate yet strong, it’s what gives the fungi its shape and provides the basis of Dyson’s flexible hold,” the company said.

Its engineers have “rigorously tested to find the optimum percentage of chitosan for all-day, flexible hold, while maintaining natural movement.” The company added that each bottle “harnesses the power of up to eight oyster mushrooms.”

“Whilst some other styling products use simple polymers that stick the strands of hair together like glue. Dyson’s formulas work differently,” said James Dyson, who remains the company’s chief engineer. “The complex macromolecule helps create flexible bonds that support hair strand by strand, for twice the hold, with movement and shine.”

The company, which since its founding by the British inventor James Dyson in 1991 has made billions from innovations including bagless vacuum cleaners to bladeless fans, has in recent years been trying to conquer the lucrative beauty market with products such as a “supersonic” hairdryer.

Dyson is not the only company attempting to cash in on fungi – with the ingredient turning up in so many products that the consumer champion group Which? was compelled to look into the evidence base for the “mushroom mania” sweeping the high street.

Describing some mushroom products on sale in health food shops, the group said: “While they do have potential benefits, there isn’t enough evidence yet to suggest they work, and the vast majority don’t have authorised health claims in the UK.”

By Zoe Wood

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The Kombucha Effect Comes for Hair Care

Following the well-worn path from wellness hack to beauty solve, fermented ingredients are making their way to hair care, thanks to a growing number of high-profile startups.

PDD Holdings Inc.’s shares dived 18 percent after the Temu owner posted disappointing revenue and warned of declining growth, highlighting the challenges of sustaining its pace of expansion against intense competition.

The stock slid during pre-market trading in New York after the Chinese-owned e-commerce platform reported revenue of 97.1 billion yuan ($13.6 billion) in the June quarter, versus the average analyst estimate of 100 billion yuan. Net income was 32 billion yuan, compared to a projected 27.5 billion yuan.

Co-founder Chen Lei, who also serves as chairman and co-chief executive officer, repeatedly highlighted growing competition in the global e-commerce market in a post-earnings call. He warned the company’s profitability will be hurt as it invests more in supporting its merchants.

“Competition is here to stay and is expected to intensify in our industry,” Chen told analysts. “High revenue growth is not sustainable, and a downward trend in profitability is inevitable.”

“Going forward PDD will face fierce competition in China, with merchants going through a hard time,” said Wang Xiaoyan, a Shanghai-based analyst with 86Research. “PDD will likely invest more in China, and that means we’ll see downside for the group in the Chinese market.”

PDD has been spending big on e-commerce business Temu to drive its global presence and escape an ailing Chinese economy that’s dragged down by a prolonged real estate slump and high youth unemployment. But executives have kept a lid on Temu’s performance as the competition is becoming cutthroat.

PDD faced a backlash in July when hundreds of merchants staged a rally outsides of its offices in southern China. They protested what they called unfair penalties that Temu’s owner was increasingly levying as they felt PDD was squeezing them for profit.

Temu is also encountering growing regulatory scrutiny following its meteoric rise. The European Union is working on a proposal to close an import tax loophole for cheap goods bought online, a move that would primarily target Chinese retailers including Temu, Bloomberg News has reported.

Still, PDD’s global expansion strategy has started to pay off in some ways. Temu has quickly became one of the most downloaded US apps after a splashy debut in 2022. It’s since begun to challenge fellow Chinese online shopping giant Shein, and even Amazon.com Inc. in certain segments. PDD founder Colin Huang this year has also become China’s richest person with a $49.3 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

In China, PDD has gained ground in recent years against traditional retailers like Alibaba and JD.com Inc. with its low-pricing strategy, while adopting aggressive promotional campaigns to fend off upstarts such as ByteDance Ltd.’s Douyin and Kuaishou Technology.

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Op-Ed | Let Temu Keep the Cheap Stuff. Amazon Should Go Luxe

Amazon will struggle to beat Temu and Shein at their own game, and in the process, it risks devaluing what has become its core proposition: convenience.