Henkel Completes Olaplex Takeover: $1.4B, $2.06/Share, Nasdaq Delisting
Henkel closes Olaplex acquisition: $1.4B, $2.06/share cash, Olaplex FY2025 sales ~€370M, OLPX delisted from Nasdaq; Henkel now global No. 2 in salon hair.
Beauty
Ingredients, claims, and the numbers behind beauty — what the science and the market actually support.
L’Oréal × Kering: 50-Year Gucci Beauty License; Coty Paid ~$400M
L’Oréal–Kering: 50-year exclusive Gucci fragrance/beauty license, effective July 1, 2027 (one year early); Coty receives ~$400M ($250m 2026, up to $150m 2027).
Waldencast → Bridgepoint: Obagi Sold for Up to $460M; ~$178M Debt Repaid
Waldencast sells Obagi to Bridgepoint: up to $460M ($366M cash + $30M notes + up to $64M earnout); repays ~$178M term loans; close Q3 2026.
Rhode (e.l.f.) Enters Mexico — First LatAm — and Adds 7 European Countries
Rhode: first Latin America entry (Mexico DTC) + 7 new European markets (BE, BG, HR, CZ, PT, RO, CH); tied to Summer ’26; follows e.l.f.’s $1B Rhode deal.
Boots ~$10B Sale Explored; Sigma Healthcare Confirms Talks; Weston Family Circles
Boots: Sycamore exploring ~$10B sale vs London IPO; Sigma Healthcare (ASX:SIG) confirms preliminary talks (shares −5% to A$2.76); Weston family also a suitor.
Glossier: $45M Tiger Finance Facility; Stores Cut 12→3; First Capital Since 2021
Glossier: $45M revolving facility from Tiger Finance (closed June 8); first outside capital since the 2021 $80M raise; stores 12→3 (NY, LA, London).
EU ‘Omnibus VI’: Cosmetics/Chemicals Simplification, ~€363M/yr Savings
EU Council–Parliament deal (June 17): Omnibus VI simplifies cosmetics/CLP/fertiliser rules; ~€363M/yr savings; CMR sell-off windows (6/12 months); nanomaterial notification reinstated.
Givaudan to Take Majority of Eurofragance (2025 Sales €200M+, +16% LFL)
Givaudan to acquire majority of Eurofragance (Barcelona, founded 1990, 600+ staff; 2025 sales €200M+, +16% LFL; ~CHF 185M incremental).
FDA Clears Bemotrizinol (BEMT): First New U.S. Sunscreen Filter in ~20 Years
FDA Final Order (OTC000039) deems bemotrizinol (BEMT) GRASE for ages 6 months+; first new U.S. sunscreen filter in ~20 years; usable Aug 9, 2026; ~27 years of use abroad.
Bath & Body Works to Enter 600+ Ulta Stores July 12; BBWI +~6%
Bath & Body Works × Ulta: 600+ stores + Ulta.com from July 12, 2026; Ulta-exclusive Juniper Breeze + White Barn items; BBWI +~6%.
e.l.f. Hair: 6 Products, $6–$10, TikTok Shop + Target Exclusive
e.l.f. enters haircare: 6 SKUs at $6–$10, TikTok Shop (June 16) → target.com (June 24) → Target stores (July 5); 77% pre-launch purchase intent; FY2026 sales +25% to $1.64B.
L’Oréal Takes Majority Stake in India’s Innovist (Bare Anatomy, Chemist at Play)
L’Oréal to acquire a majority stake in India’s Innovist (Bare Anatomy, Chemist at Play); founders stay as minority holders; terms undisclosed; closing in coming months.
L’Oréal × OpenAI: Verified Product Feeds, ChatGPT Ads, Maybelline Virtual Try-On
L’Oréal × OpenAI (June 17, 2026): verified U.S. product feeds into ChatGPT, ModiFace virtual try-on for Maybelline, and a ChatGPT advertising pilot.
Estée Lauder + Pinterest "Scent Scanner": Image-Based AI Fragrance Discovery for Jo Malone
ELC, Jo Malone London and Pinterest launched Scent Scanner (Jun 17, 2026): AI reads a user's Pinterest board imagery → personalized Jo Malone scent set. US + France; successor to the 2025 text-based AI Scent Advisor.
PTA Partners Wins Preferred-Bidder Status for 70% of France's COSBELLE — First Korean Buyout of a French Cosmetics Maker
Korean PE firm PTA Partners signed an MOU for 70% of COSBELLE (Provence organic ODM, est. 1971) at ~₩60B (~$40M), beating Cosmax/Cosmecca/Kolmar. Reportedly the first Korean acquisition of a French cosmetics maker; definitive deal targeted Q3 2026.
L'Oréal Cell BioPrint: Proteomic Skin Readout in ~5 Minutes, Now Scaling via Lancôme
L'Oréal's Cell BioPrint (with NanoEntek) reads skin protein biomarkers from a tape strip in ~5 min for biological-age + ingredient-response scoring. Debuted CES 2025; Lancôme at-scale rollout from late March 2026 across 9 countries.
L'Oréal Takes Majority Stake in Innovist (Bare Anatomy, Chemist at Play); First India Deal Since 2013
L'Oréal to acquire a majority stake in Bengaluru's Innovist (Jun 18, 2026); founders stay as minority holders. Innovist FY25 revenue ₹299cr (~2.8× YoY); media-estimated value ~$350–450M (undisclosed).
L'Oréal–OpenAI Partnership: Beauty's Move Into Agentic Commerce and AI-Native Ads
L'Oréal and OpenAI announced a multi-domain partnership at VivaTech (Jun 17, 2026): Maybelline try-on in ChatGPT, AI-native ad pilots for CeraVe/Garnier, and GPT-Rosalind for microbiome R&D. ChatGPT 900M+ weekly users.
FDA New Sunscreen Filter Reopens the K-Beauty SPF Question
The FDA approved bemotrizinol, a modern UV filter already familiar to international sunscreen makers. The move improves the U.S. outlook but leaves Korean formulas facing ingredient-by-ingredient compliance.