Tom Branna, Editorial Director08.01.23
When the masks came off, the lipstick went on. Sales of color cosmetics soared in the past year. This month’s cover story, written by Senior Editor Melissa Meisel, explores the trends driving this nearly $17 billion category. Like so many other personal care categories, the “skinification” of color cosmetics is well underway. And while the dog days of summer are here, that means that cool autumn nights aren’t (hopefully) too far away, either. With Fall approaching, a host of new shades for eyes, lips and nails are on the horizon. Our coverage can be found here.
Also this month, we review what’s new in fine fragrance packaging. Assistant Editor Lianna Albrizio interviews some of the bottle designers and trend setters making waves in the category. The list includes long-time favorites like Lolita Lempika and Jo Malone.
Of course, if it’s August, that means it’s time for The International Top 30, our annual ranking of the biggest companies in the household and personal products industry with headquarters outside the US. This year, Unilever once again tops our list but, thanks to the surge in cosmetics sales, L’Oréal is an oh-so-close No. 2. Rounding out the top five are Reckitt, Henkel and Shiseido. This article also includes a couple of new companies to our list: Marico, based in India, and Proya Cosmetics of China.
On the topic of China, just when analysts were certain the global economy dodged a global recession, China reported its June retail sales grew just 3.1%. For the first half, China’s GDP grew 5.5%. That’s well below historical averages and there are concerns those tepid gains will impact the global economy. In fact, economists have tracked back estimates for China’s growth in 2023 to 5%. Clearly, we’re not out of the woods just yet.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Happi. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.
Tom Branna
Editorial Director
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com
Also this month, we review what’s new in fine fragrance packaging. Assistant Editor Lianna Albrizio interviews some of the bottle designers and trend setters making waves in the category. The list includes long-time favorites like Lolita Lempika and Jo Malone.
Of course, if it’s August, that means it’s time for The International Top 30, our annual ranking of the biggest companies in the household and personal products industry with headquarters outside the US. This year, Unilever once again tops our list but, thanks to the surge in cosmetics sales, L’Oréal is an oh-so-close No. 2. Rounding out the top five are Reckitt, Henkel and Shiseido. This article also includes a couple of new companies to our list: Marico, based in India, and Proya Cosmetics of China.
On the topic of China, just when analysts were certain the global economy dodged a global recession, China reported its June retail sales grew just 3.1%. For the first half, China’s GDP grew 5.5%. That’s well below historical averages and there are concerns those tepid gains will impact the global economy. In fact, economists have tracked back estimates for China’s growth in 2023 to 5%. Clearly, we’re not out of the woods just yet.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Happi. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.
Tom Branna
Editorial Director
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com