History is known to be cyclical and, as such, tends to repeat itself… From the birth of perfume and natural extraction methods, we have passed on to the use of synthetic ingredients and artificial or automated extraction processes. However, due to a new growing need for global sustainability, we are now, in a way, travelling back in time as we witness a rediscovery of the natural element, preferring sustainable fragrances, organic elements and non-invasive extraction methods.

The article describes some variations in the acquisition strategies: how private equity firms will acquire smaller and smaller cosmetic brands (or related companies regarding technology and production) and also take on greater risk profiles, entering with minority interests in order to intercept their growth first, testifying how the growth of cosmetics brands can be faster and faster in the case of brands that have direct access to the audience or that have the ability to build a community of followers.

To be sustainable, a perfume must be cruelty-free, it must not contain raw materials derived from soil and flora exploitation and it must be as transparent as possible in indicating its ingredients and their origin.

This survey lead by BW Confidential in the period between April 27th and May 3rd, received an answer from 392 industry professionals (between distribution, brand and supplier communities).
49% of them stated they are expecting a very conspicuous decrease in sales. The majority, 57%, also said that despite shops might be now opening again, they will need more than three months in order to recover their sales. 43% also highlighted the lack of clarity surrounding the new rules and hygiene protocols that retailers should adopt.
Having a large leftover of products still in stock, 74% of them is considering applying a discount operation, whilst only the 2% stated they won't consider such option.
Moreover there's also a visible disagreement between the 38% of professionals that believe the online sales will continue to excel and the 30% of whom estimates the online sales will actually follow a descending trend.

In this analysis recently released during a webinar by Yarden Horowitz (co-founder of the company "Spate"), we can observe which cosmetic ingredients trends have been the most successful during the COVID19 period.
The first significant results to stand out is the data about the "rising stars", the ingredients that have been most searched for on the web, and the "sustained rising stars", which point out an increasing interest from the consumers for the natural products that will boost the immune system and protect their health.
The DIY products trend (such as hand sanitisers) allowed the consumers to develop a bigger understanding and awareness for the product's ingredients and raw materials.
Furthermore the study reveals how in the top trending concerns there is a growing need for antibacterial and antiviral products, that will help to reduce health risks and limit the spread of the virus.
Lastly we look at the results for the "rising stars categories", those categories of products that received the fastest growing interest from one month to the other.

The strong interest in sustainability, aromatherapy and natural ingredients of the last few months has seen an exponential growth especially during lockdown: there has been a peak in the consumers demand of products with natural ingredients that would also have antiviral and antibacterial properties, in order to support and improve their immune system and to reduce to the minimum the risks of COVID19.

In a very open and honest interview, perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer explains the reasons why she chose to leave the mass market and the major essence production companies in order to become part of the niche perfume market as a freelancer.

After such a daunting but necessary and eye-opening analysis of the role played by the beauty industry in the pollution of our own environments, this article shines a light on a number of cosmetic brands who's efforts in the sustainability of their products are most certainly setting an example for any other brand in order to create an ecological awareness and a more responsible industry.