Nu Skin Expands Direct Selling in China
• CHINA: Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. has received official notification from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce that it can commence direct selling activities in four additional provinces and one municipality in mainland China. The provinces include Zhejiang, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shandong and the municipality of Tianjin.
This is the fourth round of licenses granted to Nu Skin in China and adds to existing approvals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.
“We are pleased with the receipt of these additional approvals which will allow us to augment our existing business model in these provinces with a direct selling component,” said Truman Hunt, president and chief executive officer. “Our business in China is growing at a robust rate, thanks to a dedicated sales force working closely with management and staff, and we look forward to continued expansion in this key market.”
Lubrizol MéxicoRelocates Office
• MEXICO: After nearly six years of maintaining operations in Cuautitlan Izcalli, Lubrizol de Mexico Comercial is moving to Lomas de Chapultepec.
The company opened the new offices in Mexico City to support its Noveon Consumer Specialties business, with the goal of consolidating its presence in the Mexican market. The new location will also provide more space to help improve speed to market and completion of customer projects by expanding the laboratory for the development of base formulations and providing appropriate space to welcome customers.
With this centralized location in one of the most dynamic and exclusive zones of Mexico City, Lubrizol de Mexico Comercial reiterates its commitment to offer technologies, ingredients and components that enhance the quality, performance and value of their customers’ products, the company maintains. The new address for Lubrizol de Mexico Comercial is Montes Urales #215, Col. Lomas de Chapultepec, Delegacion Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico, D.F. c.p. 11000, Ph: +52(55) 3067 0860.
More info: www.lubrizol.com/personalcare
Is the Royal Wedding a BoostFor Faux Tanner Sales in UK?
• UNITED KINGDOM: Debenhams Beauty Hall has revealed that the “glow” of the Middletons at the Royal Wedding has caused a spike in sales of sunless tanners with British women, who are aiming to look just as bronzed during this year’s wedding season.
The afternoon of the Royal Wedding Day saw fake tan products flying off the shelves with sales up 219% compared to the same day last year, according to the UK department store. The following day was almost as successful as shoppers, inspired by the wedding highlights on TV, boosted sales by 200%, the retailer said.
Industry observers suggest that Kate’s natural glow and Pippa’s golden tone came via a professionally applied artificial self tan.
Might the duo be a muse for more? “You simply can’t underestimate the impact that Kate and Pippa will have on the beauty industry,” said Sara Stern, beauty director at Debenham. “Already streams of wannabe princesses have been flooding into our stores looking to achieve their healthy, groomed look.”
Ashland Aqualon Appoints DKSH in Vietnam
• VIETNAM: U.S.-based Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients (AAFI) has appointed DKSH’s Business Unit Performance Materials to distribute its pharma and personal care product range in Vietnam.
In personal care, the Swiss-based Market Expansion Services specialist will distribute AAFI’s range of functional ingredients. DKSH has dedicated sales and marketing teams in Vietnam, offering the capability to effectively distribute across the industries. Moreover, DKSH provides value-added services including state-of-the art formulation laboratories and good storage practice (GSP) certified distribution centers.
Having already represented AAFI in the Vietnam food and beverage industry, the addition of pharma and personal care bring all AAFI regulated products under the distribution of DKSH.
More info:www.dksh.com/performancematerials
Black Opal Donates $25KTo Malaika Foundation
• DEMOCRATIC REP. OF CONGO: Skin care and beauty brand Black Opal has donated $25,000 to the Georges Malaika Foundation (GMF). The donation will aid in the building of a new school for young girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the company said.
“Black Opal is about more than just skin care and cosmetics—it’s about community,” said Maya Brown, senior marketing director. “We see the potential in the girls of the Democratic Republic of Congo and we want to provide much needed educational opportunities in order to help empower them to become leaders in their community. By becoming leaders, they can help make positive contributions to their society.”
Founded in 2007 by international model Noella Coursaris Musunka, a native of the DRC, GMF is dedicated to the advancement of African communities by providing educational opportunities to young girls, ages 5 to 18. GMF’s vision is to mobilize the resources necessary to overcome the insurmountable obstacles a young girl faces in obtaining an education in the DRC.
GMF will provide assistance that paves the way for opportunity, generate greater choices and empower girls to make informed decisions. GMF endeavors to permanently alter the cycle of illiteracy and poverty— first in Lubumbashi, DRC, then throughout the DRC and all of Africa.
Lush Launches GorillaPerfumes in India
• INDIA: Privately held Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics has launched Gorilla Perfumes in Bangalore. The UK-based firm has rolled out six Gorilla perfumes in the country.
Lush, which has been in India since 2004, currently operates in 13 stores in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mangalore and Kolkata.
Davi Luxury Takes to the Skies With Korean Airlines
• SOUTH KOREA: The Davi Luxury Brand Group has signed a deal with Korean Air to create a unique luxury amenity skin care line and travel bag exclusively for Korean Airlines and its first and business (prestige) class passengers.
Korean Air began distributing the Davi amenity travel bags to its passengers in May. The amenity bags and the skin care line included in the bags, were designed and made exclusively for Korean Airlines in collaboration with Harmony. The Korean Air product line currently includes Davi’s Le Grand Cru face creme and Coastal Vine aftershave. In addition, products developed exclusively for and with Korean Air include hand and body lotion, cooling eye gel, lip balm and pulse point calming oil. Korean Air is one of the world’s premier airlines with a fleet of 129 planes that provide service to 39 countries, 113 cities and 20 million plus customers annually.
“We are delighted to provide our passengers with Davi’s high quality skin care products. Providing these Davi amenity skin care kits to our passengers is consistent with our goal to remain one of the world’s premier airlines and to continuously innovate and upgrade our customer services,” said Heather Cho, senior vice president at Korean Air. “We expect that Korean Air and Davi will jointly benefit from this alliance, and that this service will contribute to the success of our airline as we plan to soon showcase the new A380 addition to our fleet.”
“We are greatly honored to be the luxury in-flight amenity provider for Korean Air. Korean Airlines consistently delivers the best in-flight experience in the business to its passengers, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to enhancing the in-flight experience of Korean Air’s passengers. Davi looks forward to making this partnership one of the finest in the industry,” said Carlo Mondavi, chairman of the board of directors of Davi Luxury Brand Group.
Nonwoven ProductionRebounds in Europe
• BELGIUM: EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has released statistics on nonwovens production and deliveries for 2010. The figures for Greater Europe (Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey and CIS) show that after a decline in 2009, the production of nonwovens has not only recovered, but has overtaken its peak level of 2008.
Total European production grew in weight by 10.3% since 2009 with 1,784,704 tons of nonwovens produced in 2010. This compares with the decline in the industry for 2009 of 6.3%. The level of production in square meters, which did not stop growing, reached 54.245 million in 2010, representing a total turnover estimated at approximately $7.9 billion.
SeneGence InternationalExpands into UK
• UNITED KINGDOM: After 11 years of growth in the U.S., Australia, Canada and Indonesia, SeneGence International, a direct sales company specializing in long-lasting cosmetics and anti-aging skin care, will branch out into the United Kingdom.
“Our method of international expansion into a new country begins by first introducing the LipSense collection. Depending on how LipSense is received as well as the consumer purchasing habits in each respective country, we then progressively introduce our other long-lasting color cosmetics and anti-aging skin care. Based on our research, the United Kingdom is a great market for expansion,” said SeneGence founder and chief executive officer Joni Rogers-Kante.
Puig AcquiresJean Paul Gaultier
• Puig has acquired majority control of Jean Paul Gaultier, purchasing a 45% stake in the French fashion house held by Hermès International and roughly 15% from the founding couturier.
Manuel Puig, vice chairman of Puig and president of Nina Ricci, will also take on the president title at Gaultier, which the designer will relinquish to focus on designing couture and ready-to-wear collections for women, men and children. In 2016, Puig will take over Gaultier’s fragrance license, which is currently held by Beauté Prestige International, a subsidiary of Shiseido.
“We are very proud to take up the baton from Hermès in the development of the Jean Paul Gaultier fashion house, a brand with such great creativity,” said Marc Puig, chairman and chief executive officer of Puig.
Puig, a family company, operates in the fashion sector with its own brands Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne, and in the fragrance market through its own brands as well as through licenses from brands such as Prada, Valentino and Comme des Garçons among others. In 2010 Puig’s sales rose 22%.