An insider’s guide to K-beauty’s US renaissance, plus industry news

When it comes to innovation in the beauty industry, few wield more power and influence than Guive Balooch, L’Oréal Group’s longtime tech leader.  “In the last three or four years, [we’ve seen] this incredible shift in the speed of innovation,” Balooch told Glossy. “It feels great to work on things that are shaping the future of our industry.”  Since Balooch last joined the Glossy Beauty Podcast in 2021, his team has released a light-powered blowdryer called the AirLight Pro; an in-store skin diagnostic device called Cell BioPrint; Water Saver, an in-salon water reduction tool; a home hair-color application tool called Color Sonic; and many more innovations. He’s also taken on an expanded role as global vp of tech and open innovation, where he now oversees the partnerships driving L’Oréal’s future innovation. This includes investments in Swiss longevity biotech company Timeline and San Diego-based Debut Biotech. In today’s episode, Balooch shares insights into the future of beauty innovation, which includes further exploration of the skin’s microbiome, ingredient creation through biotechnology and beauty at the intersection of longevity. He also shares details on his team’s use of AI, the latest shift in consumer desires, and the unexpected inspiration behind L’Oréal’s new 3D printable eyebrow technology called 3D shu:brow.  But first, Lexy Lebsack is joined by senior reporter Emily Jensen to walk through the biggest beauty and wellness news of the week. To start, the hosts discuss a new $28,000 fragrance from LVMH-owned Maison Francis Kurkdjian. The new 10-year anniversary edition of the brand’s Baccarat Rouge 540 comes with many perks for the investment, including access to events and a members-only club. Jensen and Lebsack also dive into the latest earnings at Puig, which saw 7.7% like-for-like sales growth driven primarily by fragrance sales, which made up 73% of the quarterly sales. And they discuss Macy’s Inc., which saw its best comparable sales growth in 12 quarters, thanks to boosts of 3.6% at Bloomingdale’s and 1.2% at Bluemercury. Finally, everything you need to know about the influx of lawsuits in California courts challenging “made in America” marketing claims by top beauty brands including Unilever-owned Paula’s Choice and It’s a 10, which is privately held.

What does it take to successfully reinvent a heritage beauty brand? Industry veteran Dawn Hilarczyk is on a mission to completely transform Borghese, the 68-year-old heritage brand famous for its Italian skin care and Fango mud masks — and it’s working.  In today’s episode, Hilarczyk dives into the nitty-gritty of her brand turnaround efforts. She breaks down her strategy in great detail, from cleaning up the brand’s Amazon presence and expanding into Ulta Beauty, to reestablishing a social presence and reducing the brand's SKU count from 87 to 27.  But first, host Lexy Lebsack is joined by Glossy senior reporter Emily Jensen to walk through the biggest news stories of the week.  First up is specialty beauty retailer Violet Grey’s acquisition of clean beauty retailer The Detox Market. The deal was reportedly quietly closed earlier this year. Founder Cassanda Grey purchased Violet Grey in September of 2024 from Farfetch alongside private-equity investor Sherif Guirgis, who later transitioned into its CEO.  Lebsack and Jensen also discuss the latest GLP-1 news, including a possible new pill form of the drug and the rumored connection between the rise of GLP-1s and gourmand fragrances.  Finally, the duo discuss changes at Estée Lauder Companies-owned Tom Ford, including new spokesperson Tilda Swinton and new creative director Haider Ackermann, and what it all means for luxury fragrance.

The beauty industry had an eventful summer marked by changing retailer strategies, stark revenue tumbles and a flurry of pricey acquisitions.  In this special episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, reporters Lexy Lebsack, Emily Jensen and Sara Spruch-Feiner walk through the stories that defined the season.  This includes strategy shifts within retailers like Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Target, plus a look at disappointing revenue at conglomerates Shiseido and Estée Lauder Companies. The team also discusses the biggest acquisitions of the season — including Rhode, Dr. Squatch, Space NK and Touchland — and the tariff-related topics we’re watching as fall approaches.  To start (0:53), Glossy’s beauty team digs into the industry’s biggest summer investments, led by E.l.f. Beauty’s May purchase of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode for $1 billion. The team also walks through CPG company Church & Dwight’s $700 million purchase of trendy hand sanitizer brand Touchland in May and Unilever’s June purchase of digitally-native men’s care brand Dr. Squatch for $1.5 billion.   Beauty’s top specialty retailers also had big summers. Sephora (8:37) is leaning deeper into a tried-and-true brand launch playbook: the celebrity artist. In the past few weeks, the retailer has rolled out new lines from celebrity makeup artists Hung Vanngo and Mary Phillips, plus hairstylist Chris McMillian.  Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty (18:17) had a whirlwind summer as new CEO Kecia Steelman executed her “Ulta Unleashed” comeback plan. Steelman, who was appointed CEO in January after more than a decade with the company, announced her plan in March as a response to the company’s 1.9% year-over-year holiday sales tumble. Glossy’s team unpacks all the changes, including the acquisition of U.K. retailer Space NK, international expansion into Mexico and the Middle East, and the end of Ulta’s shop-in-shop with Target.  Finally (25:37), Glossy’s team walks through can’t-miss beauty conglomerate news: LVMH’s splashy Louis Vuitton Beauté launch and Shiseido’s sales tumble caused by Drunk Elephant’s poor performance, plus turbulence at Waldencast and Estée Lauder Companies. Finally (36:27), team Glossy ends with a few autumn tariff predictions.

Host Lexy Lebsack is joined by reporter Melissa Daniels from Glossy’s sister publication Modern Retail and co-host of the Modern Retail Podcast, to walk through this week’s biggest beauty news stories.  This includes a brief analysis of E.l.f. Beauty’s response to consumer outcry over casting controversial comedian Matt Rife in its latest campaign, a topic Lebsack and Glossy reporter Emily Jensen discussed in last week’s episode.  Next, Lebsack and Daniels discuss the likely voluntary recall of mousse sunscreens, which includes offerings from Vacation and Supergoop sold through Sephora, Target, Nordstrom and more retailers. Its part of the FDA’s crackdown on the unapproved sunscreen format. Finally, the two hosts break down the announcement that Target and Ulta Beauty will dissolve their shop-in-shop partnership, which was launched in 2021 but has been far less successful than similar partnerships between Sephora and Kohl's.  Then (23:30), to discuss what makes a successful retail pop-up, Glossy is joined by three powerhouse executives in today’s roundtable episode: Jacquelin Barrett, Patrick Ta Beauty svp of marketing; Matte Projects president Neda Whitney; and Michelle Lee, chief brand officer at Front Row Group, fractional CMO of Landing International and former editor-in-chief of Allure magazine.

co-hosts Lexy Lebsack and Emily Jensen discuss industry news of the week, including changes to beauty brick-and-mortar retail, from Nordstrom's NYC flagship's approach to Mecca's new 40,000-square-foot flagship in Melbourne. They also discuss the controversy immediately surrounding E.l.f. Cosmetics' new ad featuring drag queen Heidi N Closet and comedian Matt Rife, who, in 2023, sparked outrage after he made jokes about domestic violence in his Netflix special. Commenters have flooded the brand's TikTok and Instagram pages, and have also created their own content condemning Rife's casting. Later, co-host Sara Spruch-Feiner sits down with New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Sterry to break down pop culture-plastic surgery moments and how they've impacted his day-to-day work.

On this week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, co-host Lexy Lebsack interviews co-host Sara Spruch-Feiner about her recent reporting on the topic, diving into what’s fueling K-beauty’s renewed popularity, what trending ingredients are capturing attention and how affordability continues to play a key role in the category’s appeal. But first, Lebsack and co-host Emily Jensen discuss Martha Stewart’s incoming new beauty brand, Elm Biosciences, which was developed with past Glossy Beauty Podcast guest Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali. They also talk about Bath & Body Works’s push into college bookstores and Dyson’s new styling collection, designed to work alongside its heat styling tools.

Krave Beauty isn’t your average K-Beauty brand. “[Our mission] resonates with a lot of people who are really tired of the beauty industry's narrative of ‘more is more,’” CEO and co-founder Liah Yoo told Glossy.  After getting her start working for Amorepacific in Seoul, South Korea, Yoo joined YouTube to share her own skin challenges. “I was documenting my acne skin struggles in my mid 20s, and I literally tried everything,” she said. “Nothing worked until I pressed reset and simplified my routine, going from a 14-step skin-care routine to a super minimal three-step skin-care routine [with] super gentle, minimal, hydrating ingredients.” In today’s episode, Yoo walks us through the process of sourcing tamanu oil, a main ingredient in Krave’s best-selling $28 Great Barrier Relief Serum. But first, Lexy Lebsack is joined by senior reporter Emily Jensen to discuss the news of the week. This includes Rare Beauty’s foray into fragrance with Rare Eau de Parfum, a $75 fragrance created with famous nose Jerome Epinette. It launches at Sephora on August 7. Lebsack and Jensen also discuss a lineup of new C-suite appointments, including new execs at Herbivore and Saltair. Finally, they discuss L’Oréal’s latest earnings and a shift happening within the in-office injectable marketplace.

In this episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon Dr. Jane Yoo, and the Melanoma Research Foundation's director of advocacy, Kim Wezik, MPH, chat with Glossy podcast co-host Sara Spruch-Feiner about how the U.S. wound up so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to sunscreen, how the Melanoma Research Foundation is working with congress to try to make progress in the field, and what's at stake (20:00). But first, co-hosts Lexy Lebsack and Emily Jensen discuss some of the week’s biggest beauty news, including TSG Group's acquisition of Chriselle Lim's Phlur, which was relaunched by Ben Bennett's incubator, The Center, in 2022. They also discuss a recent controversy surrounding the introduction of an AI fragrance influencer "launched" by another incubator, Slate Brands. The influencer's profile has since been deleted. And finally, they discuss recent layoffs at Shiseido — the parent company of Drunk Elephant, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Nars, and several fragrance licenses including Tory Burch and Narciso Rodriguez — as well as at Walmart.

Beauty dupes have never been more popular. But is mimicking a competitor a sound business decision?   “This might surprise people, [but] dupes may not be illegal on their own," brand protection attorney Elizabeth Milian told Glossy. The word “dupe” is shorthand for “duplicate” and often denotes a product that is inspired by a higher-priced luxury offering. A dupe is different from a counterfeit product that presents itself as the original.  It's very common for duped brands to regularly bring lawsuits against the companies allegedly infringing on their trade dress, or IP, such as packaging, branding, logos or any other unique asset. While the majority of these lawsuits pop up then quickly disappear, Milian told Glossy they’re a vital action for long-term brand IP protection.  Most cases quickly settle out of court and so there is little legal precedent, yet most are based upon the same thing: Is consumer confusion happening? To better understand this growing issue, and how it impacts beauty business on both sides, Milian breaks down four recent cases. Beauty dupes have never been more popular. But is mimicking a competitor a sound business decision?   “This might surprise people, [but] dupes may not be illegal on their own," brand protection attorney Elizabeth Milian told Glossy. The word “dupe” is shorthand for “duplicate” and often denotes a product that is inspired by a higher-priced luxury offering. A dupe is different from a counterfeit product that presents itself as the original.  It's very common for duped brands to regularly bring lawsuits against the companies allegedly infringing on their trade dress, or IP, such as packaging, branding, logos or any other unique asset. While the majority of these lawsuits pop up then quickly disappear, Milian told Glossy they’re a vital action for long-term brand IP protection.  Most cases quickly settle out of court and so there is little legal precedent, yet most are based upon the same thing: Is consumer confusion happening? To better understand this growing issue, and how it impacts beauty business on both sides, Milian breaks down four recent cases.

The female cochineal beetle may not be aware of it, but it owes a debt of gratitude to Joshua Britton. In February, Britton’s Debut Biotech unveiled a breakthrough set to disrupt how beauty products are formulated. Using biotechnology, the San Diego-based company created a vegan, bio-identical alternative to a common red cosmetics colorant traditionally harvested from the cochineal beetle. This beetle pigment can be found on ingredient labels as “carmine,” “cochineal extract,” “crimson lake,” “natural red 4” or “C.I. 75470.” A quick online search reveals carmine in products from Stila, Fenty Beauty, Maybelline, M.A.C., Chanel and dozens more brands. Britton has had a team of 10 researchers working on this for around four years. Debut has invested around $10 million in the project thus far, and the new, vegan pigment will soon be available for the industry at scale. Britton has a PHD in biochemistry and organic chemistry and launched Debut six years ago. Debut is backed by L’Oréal’s science-focused incubator arm Bold and was named a Time 100 2025 Most Influential Companies of the Year. The company also launched its first in-house skin-care brand, called Deinde, in 2024. Glossy awarded Britton a Glossy 50 award last year. Britton joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss the breakthrough and its impact, and provides a primer on the power of biotechnology in beauty today. But first, Lexy Lebsack is joined by senior reporter Emily Jensen to discuss the news of the week. This includes early results from Amazon Prime Days, which is on track to be the retailer’s largest annual sale yet. Jensen and Lebsack also discuss Sephora’s newest brand, Beauty of Joseon, which is known for its viral and hard-to-get sunscreens. Founder Sumin Lee joined the Glossy Beauty Podcast late last year to discuss its stunning growth in the U.S. market. The company hopes to sell $120 million in the U.S. market this year.